Answers for
Audioconference 8
(September 10)
1. Josie Young, Arrowtown School
As a New Zealander does the high humidity affect
you and is there much of a temperature difference?
At first life in Amaz⌠nia was difficult and
uncomfortable because of the constant heat and humidity.
I sweat a lot – especially when out walk. When I go
walking with my heavy backpack my clothes there is so
much sweat that it sometimes looks as if I’ve been
caught in a rainstorm (my clothes can become very wet).
Everyone here sweats, even the locals.
I still sweat as much as I did when I first arrived
– but I’ve gotten used to it, so it
doesn’t feel as uncomfortable. I have cold showers
about three times a day to cool off.
2. Ned Wells, Collingwood Area School
It has been said that BelΘm is
"a place where it rains every day". Is this
your experience and how does it affect your day by day
living?
Yes it has rained every day. But the rainstorms are
brief – they don’t last more than an hour.
Sometimes they only last 5 minutes. Because it is so hot,
the rainwater evaporates from the ground very quickly
– and sometimes you can see the rainwater rising as
steam from the hot roads and footpaths.
The rain is actually very good, because it cools
things down for a while.
3. Stephen Vesty, Hawera Intermediate
What is it like living in a different environment
like the Amazon?
You get used to it after a while. The heat and
humidity soon become "normal" because I
acclimatised to the weather.
When I return to New Zealand I will probably feel very
cold for about a week, and will walk around wearing a
thick jersey while everyone else is wearing shorts and
t-shirts. That’s what happened when I return to NZ
in January from my last trip here.
4. Emily Galloway, Hokowhitu School
How large is BelΘm?
Its about one and half million people. The city
isn’t as prosperous as Manaus. Its very run down and
some parts of the city are very dangerous.
5. Linton School
What are the houses made out of on the Maraj≤ Island?
Most of the houses are made from wood. They are simple
rectangular wooden huts. The walls are made from wooden
planks and are very thin.
6. Maia Tangulu-Loe, Arrowtown School
Would you explain why this area is famous for its
buffalo. How did they get there and how did they adapt to
life on the island?
The buffalo got to the island by accident a couple of
centuries ago. A French ship was carrying a load of live
buffalo from India to French Guiana (just above Brazil)
when it got caught in a storm and sunk on rocks along the
coast by Ilha do
Maraj≤. Some of the buffalo managed to swim to the
island where they soon established themselves.
When settlements were built on the island, the people
started to farm the buffalo – buffalo beef and dairy
products were sold and exported to other parts of Brazil.
7. Laurette Christie, Collingwood Area School
The "exotic markets" of BelΘm sound
exciting. Is this how you found them?
Yes, they are very exciting. Not only because of the
many strange things there, but because the market is also
very dangerous. This element or risk makes the visit
exciting, but also stressful. You have to be very careful
because it is the place in BelΘm where you are most
likely to be robbed.
If you visit the marketplace, you shouldn’t take
cameras, backpacks or wear visible money-belts. This way,
the robbers will see that you don’t have anything
worth taking, and should leave you alone. Even though
there are lots of people in the marketplace, the robbers
aren’t afraid of being seen. I’ve heard stories
where a gang of six or seven people have walked up to
tourists in broad daylight, taken out big knives, and
demanded the tourists’ camera or money-belt.
BelΘm is one of Brazil’s most notorious places,
it has many problems. In recent months, many ships
entering the port have been boarded by pirates carrying
machine-gun who steal the ship’s valuable cargo
(they usually already know what’s on the ship
because the pirates know the people who work at the
docks, and have a copy of the ship’s inventory).
8. Blair Doyle, Hawera Intermediate
Is BelΘm
a modern or old fashioned town? What do the people there
do for a living?
BelΘm is more old than new. There are lots of old
buildings from the early-1900s, but many of them are in
very poor condition and are decaying. Some buildings are
in partial collapse. There are also lots of newer
buildings dating from the 1960s – but they are
generally very ugly and are also in a bad state of
repair. There is lots of graffiti and the streets are
unsafe at night – it is the most run-down and
dangerous place that I’ve been in Brazil. About a
week ago, so I’ve been told, there was a gunfight
involving gangs with machine-guns in one of the main
streets close to where I am staying, in which about 10
people were killed.
9. Amy Davis, Hokowhitu School
Why do they let the buffalo roam free?
A lot of the land in the area (Ilha do Maraj≤) is
swamp, and is not really suitable for building fences.
The buffalo are branded so that people know whose they
are. I don’t think the buffalo wander all that far.
10. Linton School
What are the countries that BelΘm
exports to, and what do they export?
BelΘm exports lots of fruit, Brazil nuts, and timber. These
products mostly go to the United States, Europe and
Japan. Other products go through BelΘm’s port, such
as iron taken from the State’s mines. And there are
lots of ships arriving in BelΘm from all over the world
carrying electronics, machinery, and consumer items (most
are destined for the duty-free zone of Manaus).
11. Phillip Harris, Arrowtown School
Do the local people celebrate any special events
and if so would you describe them?
When I arrived in BelΘm
on Sunday, people were celebrating Brazil’s
independence day – but the festivals weren’t
very big. Because the people here are generally very
religious they celebrate Saint’s days and other
religious events. And, of course, there is the Carnaval
each February which everywhere in Brazil celebrates.
12. Dane Nalder, Collingwood Area School
Do the buffalo of Maraj≤
create a danger or pollution problem for the people of
the island?
Not that I’m aware of. There aren’t huge
numbers of buffalo, and they are now very much a part of
the island’s environment. The biggest danger that
they create is as a traffic hazard – you have to
watch out for them when you’re driving (crashing
into a buffalo can do a lot of damage to a car).
13. Trevor Murray, Hawera Intermediate
Could you describe for us an Amaz⌠nian animal or
plant that you*ve seen recently which has impressed you?
The most recent have been the urub·s
– black vultures that I saw in SantarΘm and other
place called Monte Alegre (where I attempted to visit the
Cavernas
da Pedra Pintada). They impressed me because there
were so many of them. They have perfectly adapted to
living off the rubbish left behind by people.
14. Antony Radley, Hokowhitu School
Do the buffalo wake people at night?
Buffalo are very quiet. They don’t make much
noise. I’ve slept on some farms in New Zealand were
the cattle mooed all night and kept me awake – but I
didn’t have that problem on Ilha do Maraj≤.
15. Linton School
How many buffalo are there on Maraj≤ Island?
Its hard to say – its a very big island, and I
don’t think anyone has done a count. Perhaps several
hundred thousand (they aren’t farmed as intensively
as cattle in New Zealand).
16. Jordan Atiara, Arrowtown School
Is the Amazon
River affected by the tides and does the salt
water come back far into the Amazon River?
Yes, the Amazon river is affected by tides. When the
tide of the Atlantic Ocean is high, it become more
difficult for the water flowing out of the Amazon river
into the sea. This causes the riverwater to rise. These
tidal effects can be felt for hundreds of miles up the
river.
But the most interesting effect is the Pororoca
(which means "destroyer"). Usually the force of
the Amazon river pushes riverwater far out into the
ocean. But during the new moon, the tidal pull of the
ocean is enough to overcome the river - and the mixing of
the river and ocean water causes giant waves. These waves
are often 13 ft high – but have been recorded as
high as 25 ft. They sweep up the river for hundreds of
kilometres. The force of these waves is immense –
enough to knock down trees and wreck houses & boats.
But, fortunately the pororoca doesn’t occur on the
route taken by riverboats
to reach BelΘm
17. Sarah Oates, Collingwood Area School
Having been through the New Zealand school system
yourself, what are some obvious differences with the
school you were hoping to visit at Ilha do Maraj≤?
They learn the same things as we do, except they study
Portuguese
instead of English. They study maths, science, and
subjects similar to what you study in school. But the
schools are generally very run down and are poorly
equipped. Even the playground is poorly equipped. Very
few schools have computers, or even more basic things
like overhead projectors. In remote places, the teachers
often have little training and have no one monitoring
them.
The school day here seems to be 8am until 10 or 11am.
There is a break until 1pm, when school restarts and goes
on until 4 or 5pm. The 2 or 3 hour break in between the
morning and afternoon is intended to give the children a
break during the hottest part of the day.
18. Kirstin Woods, Hawera Intermediate
Do you have a feeling of isolation where you are on
the river or do the towns and villages appear quite
frequently along the shoreline?
The riverboats
are very crowded. There were about 4 or 500 people on the
boat that I travelled on to BelΘm. There was
nowhere to hang my hammock on deck, so I had to hang up
my hammock in the ship’s bar when it closed at
night. Walking on the decks with so many people and
hammocks was very difficult. I think that life villages
is lots more isolated than life on the riverboat.
19. Rawiri Wall, Hokowhitu School
Why do they farm buffalo?
Because the buffalo are there, and because the people
can earn a living from it. If they didn’t farm the
buffalo, the residents would have to find some other way
to earn money and survive.
20. Linton School
Would you describe the animals in the zoo at BelΘm and
explain about the research programme that the zoo has.
The zoo has lots of rainforest animals, like monkeys, birds, and jaguars. The zoo is set
up like a big rainforest and many of the animals (the
non-dangerous ones) are roaming free. The more dangerous
ones are kept in special enclosures so that people
can’t get hurt.
The museum does research to find out more about how
the animals live in the wild, how to breed them in
captivity, and how to help better protect them from
problems in their natural environment.
Part 2
1. Brigid-Anne Gilbert, Papatoetoe South School
Can you compare BelΘm and
Auckland cities, giving the similarities and differences.
Also, is BelΘm a good place to live?
I don’t like BelΘm as a place to live. It is a
very dirty, run-down, and dangerous city. There are lots
of people sleeping on the streets, lots of cripples and
invalids, and a lot of violence. The people here
generally aren’t are nice as in SantarΘm and Manaus. The city has a
lot of problems.
Auckland is newer, cleaner, and things run a lot
better. I also feel safer walking on Auckland’s
streets at night (although there are a few places that I
would want to avoid there, too).
2. James Welch, Southwell School
What is the size of Maraj≤ Island?
Ilha do Maraj≤ is a little bigger than Switzerland
– about 50,000 square kilometres.
I don’t know how this area compares to the size
of the North Island of New Zealand (I can’t find any
figures) but perhaps you or someone in your class can.
3. Jessica Oakes, Sylvia Park School
How many people live in BelΘm?
Its about one and half million people. The city
isn’t as prosperous as Manaus. Its very run
down and some parts of the city are very dangerous.
4. Vanessa Austin, Rata Street School
What are the countries that BelΘm
exports to, and what do they export?
BelΘm exports lots of fruit, Brazil nuts, and timber.
These products mostly go to the United States, Europe and
Japan. Other products go through BelΘm’s port, such
as iron taken from the State’s mines. And there are
lots of ships arriving in BelΘm from all over the world
carrying electronics, machinery, and consumer items (most
are destined for the duty-free zone of Manaus).
5. Pamela Hollinshead, Te Aroha Primary School
Are the local people helpful to tourists or do they
avoid them?
Some people are helpful, and some people aren’t.
A few people see the tourists come through carrying
expensive cameras, money, and other items, so rob them. I
heard that there is a special "tourist" police
in BelΘm because
theft and other crime against tourists is common. I
don’t think that I’ll recommend BelΘm as a
good place for tourists.
6. Mark Dewes, Papatoetoe South School
What is life like for children in the Amazon?
Their lives are pretty normal – just like you,
they live in houses and go to school. But its almost
always like summer over here, so they never see snow or
frost. The school hours are a little bit different
because it gets hot in the middle of the day and
difficult to work – so they go to school for a few
hours in the morning, have a break between 10am and 1pm,
then return in the afternoon until 4 or 5pm.
Their houses are simpler than ours, and things are
dirtier here than in New Zealand. There is no McDonalds,
few video game parlours, and most children don’t
have many toys. Instead, the children play lots of games
with their friends – particularly soccer which is
the national sport and is much more popular than rugby in
New Zealand. In remote areas, the schools aren’t so
good and there might not be a local high school (this
means that children wanting to attend high school need to
go and live in a city or big town).
Some children in the city have very difficult lives
– they don’t have parents (or have very bad
parents) and must live on the street and beg for money.
7. Andrew Penny, Southwell School
What transportation methods do they use to get to
and from and around Maraj≤
Island?
Boats are the most common form of transport to the
island. You can buy a ferry ticket from BelΘm which
costs about $15 and includes a busride on the island to
the main town of Soure or Salvaterra. There are also a
couple of small airstrips for airplanes.
There are also cars and taxis on the island to help
people travel around once they get there. If you want to
try something more exotic, you can try an old fashioned
carts pulled along by buffalo (I just hired a bicycle).
8. Jason Keesing, Sylvia Park School
What do the people of BelΘm do for
a living?
BelΘm is a big city, so most people have jobs similar
to cities in New Zealand. There are people who work in
offices, policemen, bus drivers and people who work in
shops. Because BelΘm is also a port city (and the
gateway to the Amazon) there are lots of people
dockworkers, sailors, and other people associated with
the port. There are even people who do illegal work like
pirates and smugglers.
When I walk around the streets, I see a lot of
unemployed people here, and many people begging.
9. Conrad Ngan, Rata Street School
Would you explain why this area is famous for its
buffalo. How did they get there and how did they adapt to
life on the island?
The buffalo got to the island by accident a couple of
centuries ago. A French ship was carrying a load of live
buffalo from India to French Guiana (just above Brazil)
when it got caught in a storm and sunk on rocks along the
coast by Ilha do
Maraj≤. Some of the buffalo managed to swim to the
island where they soon established themselves.
When settlements were built on the island, the people
started to farm the buffalo – buffalo beef and dairy
products were sold and exported to other parts of Brazil.
10. Garret Ashby, Te Aroha Primary School
Are the buffalo roaming around in the streets at
night a problem?
No, the buffalo aren’t aggressive and won’t
hurt people. The only problem that they create is as a
traffic hazard (but there isn’t too much traffic).
11. Rachelle Fisher, Papatoetoe South School
What do the people in BelΘm eat?
They eat plenty of fish which are caught from the
river. They also eat lots of beef (traditionally mixed in
a casserole or added to soup), rice, and lots of fruit.
The fruits include bananas and oranges, but also lots of
native Amazon fruits (maracuja, acai, cupacu, acerola,
and others).
12. Alexander Twaddle, Southwell School
Who lives on Maraj≤
Island?
There aren’t any Indians left on the island. The
people are settlers or "caboclos", and are
often of mixed European, African, and Indian blood.
Because of the buffalo, there are lots of farmers, and
people who process buffalo-related products such as beef
and cheese.
13. Ann Jolena Baker, Sylvia Park School
Are there any various types of sports they play?
The biggest sport is soccer (most people have never
heard of rugby, and I have to try explaining it to them).
There is something called handball, but I’m not too
sure what it is – perhaps its similar to volleyball
which is also a popular sport (because its played on the
beach, and Brazilians love the beach).
Elsewhere in Brazil, in places like Rio, there are
lots of surfers and rockclimbers.
14. Eve Wolak, Rata Street School
How many days does it take to get from one end to
the other end of the Amazon?
It depends how you travel. You can do the whole thing
by river raft and kayak, like Joe Kane, and take 6
months. But I talked with someone here who’d
travelled from Peru to BelΘm by riverboat, which took 16
days (although, this wasn’t the entire Amazon
because the river starts high up in the mountains where
riverboats can’t travel).
15. Lemuel Tai Rakena, Te Aroha Primary School
Have you ever had a scary incident with a buffalo?
No. The buffalo aren’t aggressive – they
just wander placidly through the streets or sit in pools
of water trying to keep cool. But I imagine that they
create scary traffic hazards for people driving too fast
in cars travelling around the island.
16. Cherie Douglas, Papatoetoe South School
Is it hot and humid in BelΘm? Does
BelΘm have tropical storms?
Yes it is hot and humid. I saw a temperature reading
today that said 34░C. Its also very humid – things
feel very sticky, and when I wash my clothes they take a
long time to dry.
BelΘm doesn’t have tropical storms in the same
way as hurricanes in the Pacific islands. It just has a
short burst of rain everyday which can be very torrential
(there is rain, but no wind).
17. Hamish O’Neill, Southwell School
Is Maraj≤
Island different from the rest of Amaz⌠nia?
If so, how?
Yes. There isn’t much rainforest on the island.
Most of the island is swamp – particularly in the
rainy season.
18. Tracey Young, Sylvia Park School
Do any wild animals come into the city of BelΘm?
BelΘm is a big city, and one of the oldest places in
Amazonia (it was founded in the year1616). The rainforest
surrounding the city has long since been chopped down and
turned into farms. If there is rainforest, it is likely
that the wild animals have long since been hunted out.
Some animals living in the river, like the alligators and turtles no longer exist
here because of overhunting for skins or meat, or turtle
eggs
19. Joseph Stratford, Rata Street School
What are the compulsory subjects at the local
schools?
The biggest difference is that the students have to
study Portuguese
instead of English. They then have to study science and
maths just like in New Zealand. I think they also cover
their own history and social studies.
20. Staffanie van Tiel, Te Aroha Primary School
What are the school hours in this area and do they
attend Monday to Friday?
Schools are Monday to Friday like in New Zealand. But
the school hours are a little different. Schools sent
students home in the hottest part of the day (when it is
hardest for them to work). Schools start at 8am, have a
break between 10am and 1pm, then continue again until 4
or 5pm.
 
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