Belem. .continued

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Thurs 20th Sept
Excessive noise from main road and faulty AC meant little sleep; turned off AC and with the help of ear plugs (essentail items here) got a few hours sleep. 'Asked for a room at the back of the hotel for the rest of my stay but hotel full and would have to put up with it for another night.
After typical Brazilian breakfast (slice of melon, roll with ham and cheese and an expresso coffee) did some sightseeing and some inconspicuous photography - displaying a camera in the streets is tempting the local opportunists!
'Met with Georgette at 1:00 (Lucio and Diego working) who acted as my guide for the afternoon. ´Visited the Basilica Nazarene, one of the most famous of all the churches in N Brazil; annual holy festival held in October when the statue of the Virgin Mary is processed through the streets of Belem and is attended by more tha 1.5 M people. Already preparations are in progress for it. The church is very ornate with detailed frescos and murals. Had a local dish for lunch - Fatapa (rice with a mixture of local seeds and shrimp) plus an drink of acai (juice from local seeds)...very tasty! Continued on the tourist scene looking at a nature reserve with fantastic views over the estuary. Then went off the beaten track and strolled around some of the poorer suburbs of teh city - less crowded and people more laid back here; however the grilled entrances, glass topped walls and electric fences were evidence that security is an issue.
Back into the city centre and a walk around the local arts museum which was once a prison until there was a riot and some of the prisoners were shot trying to escape. Following that it was closed down and renovated as a museum. Met up with some of Georgette´s friends, one was a journalist whose English was fluent - interesting discussion on their education system and how it´s failing to reach most of the children.
'Took a local bus back to the hotel; while waiting at the bus stop a homeless man approached us looking for money, saying he was a poor poet. He the proceeded to wash himself from the rainwater which flowing from the roof of the bus shelter. He followed us on to the bus, lost interest in us and recited some poems to all on the bus - he was eventually thrown off.
At the hotel I had left a packet of sweets on the table in my room but it was now crawling with bugs! ´Found a decent restaurant just 5 minutes away from the hotel where the meals were very reasonable - main dish, coffee and a few drinks for less that £4.

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