No Room in the Inn

It has been an eventful and steamy few days in Santarem. Jeremy has been busy working on a field report, synthesizing the past few weeks for his advisor, as Maddy has begun gravitating northeastward towards Algeria in her thoughts and even dreams. Together, we have managed to work up quite a bit of excitement about her launch. We’ve also begun quietly preparing for our three months apart before our reunion on Christmas Day in the Canary Islands. On Tuesday, we volunteered with the Brazilian chapter of Operation Smile, which is in town performing free cleft-lip and palate surgeries all week (no, we did not operate on any kids). Over two hundred kids showed up on Tuesday, but only 60 were chosen for surgery. We were on photography assignment, documenting the hectic and joyful reception of the kids’ and their families. On Wednesday, we had hoped to beat the heat with a night at the air-conditioned and massive Amazon Park Hotel, pictured but not quite captured here. The Park is a vast concrete complex that resembles a deserted colony in outer space. Though we found no signs of extraterrestrial life, we did find the place utterly deserted (as Jeremy has every other time he has come to enjoy the Park’s pool or wide beer selection over the past 7 years). Built in the 1970s as a contribution to the “inevitable integration of the Amazon into the Brazilian nation,” the 300-room hotel hasn’t operated at even half-capacity since its opening celebration. Nowadays, it is probably sells no more then 10 rooms on a good night. But, when we arrived and attempted to check in, the receptionist told us that the hotel was full. Without skipping a beat, Jeremy asked, “Full of what? People?” It turns out there was a conference that had bought out 35 rooms or so, leaving us out of luck. Overfull, by Park standards! Fortunately, we were able to use the pool and bar before heading back into town. Other memorable activities: Maddy went to the salon with our host, Áurea, where she had her hair coiffed and nails elaborately designed. Oh, and Jeremy has nearly memorized all the lines to the film "Fargo," but he still hasn't mastered the accent.