It is only a short drive to the Garantido headquarters where we arrive to a closed gate.  Chief and Rafa jump out and go in search of someone to let us in, only to return to tell us that the team is eating lunch now, so we should do the same and visit on the way back.  Ok, we’re game.  So, off we go, trundling out of town, toward a recreational area (or an ecological park, there’s some conflicting explanations), but nonetheless away from the center where the landscape begins to open up more and more. Here, buildings aren’t packed so tightly together, there is more farmland and we quickly begin to get glimpses of the lush Amazon grasslands and river inlets.

After no more than 10 minutes driving, we reach the end of the road – quite literally – and disembark out onto a platform overlooking the river in the distance and a vast flatland filled with tall grasses and trees at Balneario Cantagalo.  Turns out this is both a recreational area and an environmental protected area where people come all through out the year to relax, swim, hike, etc.  Chief tells us when the river is high (during the rainy season coming soon), this area will all be flooded and you will be able to launch canoes off the platform.  Amazing!  The tidal differences here are just incredible.  Even though the rainy season is brutal, what an experience it would be to come back during the season to see the difference in the coast lines. 

Parking ourselves at tables and chairs underneath a shade tree, we order lunch of fried fish and something else (what, I can’t recall – and for some odd reason I took no pictures!).  I did however take pictures of the only wildlife available, an adorable black kitten who with her siblings, took it upon herself to stay very close to our table waiting for scraps.  As per usual, the same 6 people wouldn’t eat anything (whatever, we’re not going to pass up trying local cuisine anywhere), so they amused themselves at a separate table or walking around while the majority of us hung out and traded travel war stories over our meal. 

Soon after, we hopped back in the van/bus and headed back to Garantido, where after a few moments of confusion, we all trooped back to the warehouse for our tour.  This was probably our favorite tour of the trip so far.  The warehouse is chock full of costumes – huge towering wooden structures adorned with oversized masks and feathers that in order to use, a person has to get inside and lift it up on their shoulders to move it around (and the guy showing us was totally out of breath after a few minutes – we can’t imagine how you could do that for an entire dance).  There are multiple human sized masks, bull heads on tons of pieces, animals, feathers and rows and rows of costumes to wear on your shoulders while you dance.   It is over the top and so cool that they allowed us into this top secret place!

We wander about, snapping pictures of everything, eventually coming to the end of the huge warehouse facing the river with the large heart sculpture.  Retracing our steps, we spy a guy working on a life size paper mache figure, surrounded by half finished costumes and props.  A true “working” studio. Back at the front, Rafa gets into the mood, trying out a shoulder “costume” and I cozy up to the Garantido Boi for good luck.  Ed wanders out and finds the float graveyard – tons of gigantic floats from previous years in various stages of decay strewn about (or more accurately, towering above) the property.

Wow.

We’re next led into the offices of the Garantido where we view the team’s display of awards and medals and walk down the hall of fame with photos of all the team presidents, as well as huge poster size photos of past festivals.  At the end of the hall is a locked door….hmm…mysterious.  It is where some of the team are working on the music they will use for this year’s festival.  Our Garantido guide pounds on the door for about 5 minutes until they finally hear her and let us in.  We’re figuring its another huge dance hall type space where they can practice, but no, it’s literally 4 guys in a conference room with monster speakers, computers and mixers setting up all the dance music.  That was probably even neater than finding a huge dance hall actually!

On our way out, we are offered CDs of last years music as well as some feather headdresses and shin protectors used in the dances.  At $5 each, it’s a bargain and a great way to support the team, which a lot of us choose to do.

And then it’s back to the bus/van for a quick ride into the city center.  Rafa offers to walk us through the artisan craft area, but most everyone just wants to go back to the ship.  We say goodbye to Chief, giving him all our school supplies to donate to his kids (he is a school teacher by profession) and we wander off with Rafa in search of cold beverages.  We end up at the bar right above the tender pier which has a great balcony where we can watch the comings and goings along the river. After a couple of beers, we run off to the grocery store to stock up on beer and wine for the cabin, then come back to join Rafa for one last round before we have to go back to the ship.  Because of the difficulties traveling along the Amazon, this is the last port that Rafa will be able to guide us.  He has a tour scheduled for Alter do Chao but cannot physically make it there by tomorrow morning.  The fast boat isn’t running yet and there are no flights that will make it to Santarem in time.  We are sad that we won’t see him tomorrow, but we know we will keep in touch – and see him again when we are in Rio next year…and the year after!

Fond farewells, hugs and kisses, and we are soon heading down the pier to the tender where we are the last passengers!  We ask the security guy if they’ve been calling our room yet, and he just smiles at us.  He radios to the ship, “2 passengers aboard” and we hop on, watching as they drag all their last paraphernalia onto the tender.  What a job doing this every day (especially on this cruise where we have a ton of tender ports).

Back on the ship, we shower, cool off and then head to our normal routine of happy hour, dinner, show and balcony.  Next (and last Amazon) stop – Alter do Chao.