Take a tour with us around this massive ornamental fish export facility!
Aquariums As Far As The Eye Can See
We hope you enjoy this tour of one of the largest ornamental fish export facilities in South America. We were impressed beyond belief at the sheer size, not to mention how they managed to keep all of tanks organized, clean and well cared for.
We could have gotten lost wandering around this facility. The owner so kindly spent the majority of the day with us. He took us through the entire facility, answering any questions we had about how it functions, what their processes are and the nitty gritty details of how they stay afloat amidst all of the bureaucratic turmoil.
Hearing about how fish are actually transported from place to place around Brazil was eye-opening and made us begin to comprehend why certain fish cost more than others. The logistics to get many fish from their collection location to the export facility is quite a feat!
Giving Back
One of the most notable aspects of this export facility is that they are intensely involved in the research side of the industry. They conduct their own projects and take part in countless others. At the time we were there they were involved in 30 different projects to help move the science forward in Brazil. They donate many fish to different organizations and institutions, one of them being INPA Manaus, the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia.
Freshwater Exotics at one of the largest ornamental fish export facilities in South America
One of the largest ornamental fish export facilities in South America
One of the largest ornamental fish export facilities in South America
One of the largest ornamental fish export facilities in South America
One of the largest ornamental fish export facilities in South America
There was so much to see that we came back for another day and were equally intrigued and amazed the second time around. Join us for Episode 3, where we return and show you even more behind the scenes footage of how this facility functions!
Live Stream #6 from Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 is now on our YouTube channel!
A Chance Meeting in Santarém
We had made a plan to visit Hudson and his export facility in Fortaleza during a 7 hour layover on our way back to the U.S. However, he suddenly had to go to Santarém for business. We happened to be in Santarém too so it worked out perfectly! It was our last day there before a series of 5 flights back to the U.S. the next day. So we met up for dinner.
After 3 hours of amazing Brazilian food and drinks and very interesting conversation we shared a cab back to our hotels. He told us we could still show up at his facility the next day in Fortaleza during our layover. His wife would be happy to show us around even though he couldn’t be there. Of course we agreed!
Dinner in Santarém with Hudson of H&K Ornamental Fish
Layover in Fortaleza Turns into An Export FacilityTour!
Upon arrival in Fortaleza we checked our bags back in and hopped in an Uber to H&K Ornamental Fish. The manicured, tree lined boulevards of seaside Fortaleza were quite different from what we were used to seeing!
We were greeted by Ana, Hudson’s wife, and their employees. She gave us a warm welcome and showed us around their entire facility. We speak no Portuguese and her English was about as good as my Spanish, but we managed. We were pretty used to a language barrier by now!
Jamie & Ana checking out the new arrivals
She showed us the quarantine areas and told us about grand plans for a new facility in the future. There was a lot of larger sized plecos, L25s, L27s, L114s etc and a variety of angelfish and discus as well. Like most of the other facilities we had toured, their’s was spotless and well maintained.
Quarantine tank for Santa Isabel angels
Hudson is very proud of his export facility, which he should be! He works very hard to obtain only top quality plecos and fish. His tanks are set up so that large plecos are all kept separate from each other. This keeps them from having damaged fins due to territorial fights.
He is meticulous and exact in what he carries, and it shows. Most of his stock heads to the Asian market where he can get better prices for the exceptional fish he carries.
Santa Isabel angels at H&K Ornamental Fish
New arrivals are floated in these small containers, so they cannot damage each other
A Tour of Fortaleza!
When we had seen everything and filmed this live stream, we asked Ana where we should have our Uber driver take us. I wanted to see the ocean and the old part of the city. I pointed on a map where we wanted to go and asked her if that would be safe.
She said “NO, you cannot go there.”
I was slightly taken aback. We had gotten used to crime being an issue and knew it was unsafe for us to be seen in public places with phones and cameras. But the gorgeous, manicured boulevards of Fortaleza looked safe! Or were they?
She explained that Fortaleza had one of the highest crime rates in Brazil and that local residents weren’t even safe on the streets, or the beaches. So that explained why there weren’t any people out on the streets!
We told her that we would just go back to the airport then. I was pretty disappointed about not getting to see the ocean, but we knew she was serious. That’s when she offered to give us a tour! She would take us to places that were safe, and drive us around the city.
We started by going to a stretch of beach that is full of resort-like properties. Families go inside the resort where the beach front is protected and fenced off. The place was packed, on a weekday. There were several of them lined up, and it seemed like a theme park.
The beach was powder white, the waves were massive. We took off our shoes and I went in as far as I could without getting my dress wet. If only we had thought to bring our swim suits!
The ocean in Fortaleza, Brazil
Then we got back into the car and she drove us around the old city and downtown areas. The streets here are rough. Homeless people on the street corners, coming up to your car windows begging. Pregnant women, clearly on drugs were half naked and homeless. What a stark difference from the manicured streets we had seen earlier. It was rather frightening.
The public beach front was like a desert, not a soul to be seen as we drove along the waterfront. We talked about what a shame it is that this gorgeous city had fallen prey to such horrific circumstances. I’m very glad that we hadn’t come here without knowing anyone.
She dropped us back at the airport and we hugged and said goodbye. We are so grateful to Hudson and Ana’s hospitality and welcoming. Touring and filming their export facility was an amazing opportunity! We hope to see them on one of our future trips to Brazil.
Belem is the first stop on our Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 expedition! Join us for Belem: Gateway to the Amazon, as we show you around the capital city of the state of Pará. In this episode you will fly with us to Brazil, tour an export facility and see a city rich in history and culture!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJIFvDSX5JA
Belem: Gateway to the Amazon
Discovering Belém
Located on the banks of Guajará Bay, 62 miles upriver from the Atlantic Ocean lies Belem, a major export hub for ornamental fish. A large number of the ornamental fish exported from Brazil make a stop at one of the export facilities here before leaving the country.
We stayed in Belém for 5 days and discovered an incredible city rich in culture and history. Not to mention fish exporters! Belém hosts some incredible architecture, especially in the Cidade Velha (Old City), where we decided to stay. Hotel della Luna is situated directly across from the largest cathedral in the city, Santa Maria de Belém. Our balcony looked over the square and out over the bay, with Santa Maria always in sight.
The Ver-O-Peso Fish Market
After dropping off our bags and freshening up a little, we ventured out and came upon the Ver-O-Peso fish market. There we discovered dozens of colorfully decorated, aged fishing boats beached at low tide. The fishermen lay sleepily in hammocks on deck during the day, waiting for the tide to rise so they could leave to catch fish for the midnight fish market.
As the sun went down and the tide slowly came in they began to awaken and prepare to leave for an evening of fishing. We could have watched those boats and their inhabitants all night. Each one uniquely painted with beautiful rigging and lit up by the sunset, it was a sight to see. Music played on the streets as the sun colored the sky from blue to pinks and purples and then set over Guajará Bay.
We then walked along the waterfront where an open air market and food court is held all day, every day. Here is where we were warned with grave seriousness that we needed to leave our cameras and cellphones at home. Women walked by us saying “Cuidado, cuidado!” (“Be careful, be careful!”). Even the police officers told us we should not have our phones with us while walking around the city.
Jamie posing with some police men in Belém, Brazil.
Estación de las Docas
We then came to Estación de las Docas. It is a gated area of shopping and restaurants along the riverfront where tourists (we were the only non-Brazilian tourists) go to enjoy themselves. It is beautifully renovated and the cranes that used to haul cargo from ships are painted yellow and lit up at night. Walking from the open air street market into the Estación de las Docas was night and day difference. Outside there was loud music, street food vendors, homeless people, city smells and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Inside were posh restaurants, tranquil music, manicured flowerbeds and a spotlessly clean riverwalk. After a few beers and some dinner we were ready to get to some sleep.
Jamie admiring the beautifully renovated cranes lining the boardwalk of the Estación de las Docas. in Belém, Brazil.
Not As Safe As We Thought
On the way back to our hotel a young man pulled us aside and told us a dangerous man was following us. This man is known to attack tourists. We were silly tourists, walking around filming on the streets of Belém. We stuck out like sore thumbs and had been targeted. Luckily this kind young man spoke a little English and pointed him out to us.
We chatted with him and his wife for 20 minutes while the strange man lurked, pretending not to pay attention to us. I caught his eye several times, and finally he left. We were nervous on the remainder of our walk back to the hotel. I kept looking over my shoulder, seeing shadows that weren’t there. Now we knew, this wasn’t a joke. We really did need to be careful here. My heart sank as I realized it wouldn’t be safe to film or observe the Ver-O-Peso Fish Market in action during the early morning hours.
We loved experiencing both the street life and the Estación de las Docas. Inside las Docas we could relax and not worry about someone following us. The harshness of the streets meant we couldn’t film but that allowed us to soak in the real life of Belém. In Las Docas it was safe to have our camera gear out and fly our drone. If we wanted to film there we just needed to take an Uber to los Docas from our hotel with our camera gear and not walk the streets with it.
The First Export Facility of Into the Amazon!
Waking up to Santa Maria’s bells, we excitedly got ready for the first visit to an export facility! We put the address into Uber and our driver promptly picked us up. Fourty-five minutes later he pulled up to a building that clearly was not the right place. We hadn’t had time to get a SIM card for my phone yet, so we had no cell service. Our driver was kind enough to call the exporter and get directions, since the address we had was clearly incorrect!
We stepped into the facility and immediately a heavy wave of heat and humidity hit us. The main room was quite large, with tanks along two walls and several rows of white bins down the middle. There was an adjacent room, just as large, lined with giant tubs.
L25 Pseudacanthicus sp. Rio Xingu 7 Pointers at an export facility in Belém, Brazil.
A Language Barrier Isn’t So Bad After All.
During introductions we learned there might be some difficulty with communication. One of the women spoke a little English, so that helped immensely. I hooked up to their WIFI so we could also use Google Translate.
It was fun trying to speak Portuguese to them, and we laughed a lot at our attempts at each other’s languages. It took patience for all of us to understand each other, especially conversation about more detailed subjects. We felt like this made the experience more rewarding in the end. Who needs a common language anyway!
We observed the employees doing water changes as we took a look around. A large variety of small plecos filled small white bins in the first room. The tanks lined up along the walls contained pirhanas, larger plecos and discus. The tanks and bins were clean and well maintained, the facility and equipment was spotless and new.
L96 Pseudacanthicus spinosus at an export facility in Belém, Brazil.
After looking around and learning about their procedures and practices they invited us to have lunch with them. We sat down together while the small kitchen served up a typical Brazilian meal.
Water Parameters: pH & TDS Testing
We did pH and TDS tests in several of the tanks and tubs. The pH varied from 6.6 to7.2 while the TDS stayed around 91 to 100. The entire facility is heated naturally so no heaters are needed and the water temperature varied from 79° to 82°. The water they use comes from an artesian well and it is filtered through ceramic. At least, this is what we believe we were both agreeing on, since these detailed subjects were hard to speak about with the language barrier!
Freshwater Exotics posing for a photo with ornamental fish exporters during a meeting at their facility in Belém, Brazil.
By the time our visit was over we felt like we had a new family in Belém. These wonderful people were so hospitable and kind to us. They spent hours and hours answering all of our detailed questions and never hesitated to give us any information we asked for. We could have spent another day there just looking at all the beautiful fish and learning more about their business.
Excitement For What Is to Come
We had finally gotten a first-hand taste of how the ornamental fish industry operates in Belém and we were so excited to see more. On our Uber ride back to the hotel our minds and hearts raced, imagining what the next month had in store for us!
Coming Soon! Into the Amazon – Episode 2
In Episode 2 of Into the Amazon we will take you on a tour of one of the largest ornamental fish export facilities in South America. This in depth episode will give you a real insight to what a large-scale ornamental fish export facility is like. Come with us on this behind the scenes tour and prepare to be amazed!
We would like to invite you on a wild caught fish room tour! Follow us around as we show off our stock of incredible wild caught aquarium fish. We also have winners to announce from the YouTube subscriber contest!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLGDbhXorVo
Join us for a fish room tour of our facility!
In this video I show off every tank in our fish room, except the empty ones! We have an impressive variety of wild caught aquarium fish including a few Panaque cochliodon “Blue Eye”, small L25 Pseudacanthicus sp. Rio Xingu “Scarlet” plecos, L354 Spectracanthicus zuanoni Rio Iriri and even Pterophyllum scalare from Rio Tapajos! Get a first hand look at what our fish room looks like, what the living conditions are like for the fish and a peak inside every tank!
Freshwater Exotics fish room
If you enjoyed this video please like it and leave a comment! Let us know! We would like to start doing wild caught fish room tours more often, so speak up! Also if you have any recommendations for the next tour, please share!
Freshwater Exotics fish room
Thank you so much for joining our wild caught fish room tour and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel! Also click the notification bell so that you get a notification when we post new videos. A special thank you to all of you who watched this video Live on Facebook!
Freshwater Exotics fish room
Our Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 official YouTube series will premiere soon! This series will take you deep into the Amazon as we snorkel with wild aquarium fish, visit export facilities and play with wild pink river dolphins. Do not miss it!
Get a sneak peak here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Jub6BVvlQ&t=38s
INTO THE AMAZON – BRAZIL 2018 SERIES PREMIERE COMING SOON!
Unboxing wild caught aquarium fish from Brazil! This shipment contained 28 boxes. Follow us around our fish room and see what came in! Click the video below to watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRpdDQ6-aYg&t=3s
We had been waiting for this shipment since late December. After two delays it finally arrived on January 11th, 2019. Delays can be stressful. Especially because this order contained so many incredible fish that we were so eager to see!
Unboxing wild caught aquarium fish and doing a live stream is always tricky. The well-being of the fish always comes first. We never decide 100% if we will do a live stream until we have all the fish out of the boxes and floating in their tanks. At that point we can see if they are in good condition and if we can take the time to do a live stream.
We received two small size L25 Pseudacanthicus sp. Rio Xingu, which were for a special order. We tried to get more but unfortunately there was no more availability this time.
When we get the boxes home we haul them downstairs to begin unboxing. If there are any fish that are sensitive we make sure to get those boxes opened first. Those fish are put in a tank to warm up before the others. This time we got the Retroculus xinguensis floating in their tank right away. We then continued to unbox the rest of the bags and containers. Once all the bags are floating and coming up to temperature we clean up the mess of boxes and packing material and get it all out of the way so we aren’t tripping over it!
When we have a shipment this large we try to get someone to assist us. With shipments from Brazil each fish is bagged individually. That means 400+ bags to open! Unboxing wild caught aquarium fish from Brazil can be tedious but with an extra helper it goes so much faster!
L354 Spectracanthicus zuanoni Rio Iriri. The majority of these were for a special order. We recieved 42 of them ranging in size from four inches to 7.5 inches. We now have customers wait-listed for future shipments of L354.
Once the the floating bags are up to temperature and we have everything cleaned up we all get a bucket, a net and a scissors and start working! We do appreciate the fish being bagged individually because we can see every single fish as we open it’s bag and put it in it’s tank. I usually do the live stream now, while Jamie and our helper start unbagging. I know they need help so I try to keep it short but still include some awesome footage for you!
As soon as we’ve unbagged the last fish we clean the room again. We empty all the shipping containers of their water and set them up to dry out so we can reuse them. We get all the garbage cans emptied of the smaller bags that we can’t reuse and clear the floor of hundreds of broken rubber bands. At this point we do a quick check of all the fish. We look everything over and making sure there is enough filtration in all the tanks. As soon as we are done the fish room lights are turned off and we let the fish begin to settle in. Their trip from Brazil is long and stressful and they need to be left alone in the dark.
This monster L27 Panaque armbrusteri Rio Xingu was for a special order.
Now it is time for the new arrivals to undergo a two week quarantine. Over the course of the first week we try not to disturb or handle them. Our customers are always very eager to know sizes and prices, rightfully so! We hold steady and will not measure anything during this time. We can give estimates and sometimes we know prices for some of the fish. It is far more important that the new arrivals are eating well and adjusting to their new environment. Being medicated during the first week adds another level of stress for them.
After the first week we are usually done with medicating and now it is time to observe. If any had difficulty starting to eat our food they usually catch on by now, so we make sure to feed them well. We are always happy to see lots of poop in the tanks! Proof that they are eating. At this point we try to get measurements and a final price list so we can release the new stock list. If there was anyone on wait lists they were contacted in the first week. Because of this, many fish may be spoken for or have down payments on them already. A good amount of the fish we bring in never make it to the final stock list. They sell before QT is done, to wait-listed people or private buyers.
We still have some of these available (as of 1/28/2019).
Once the two week QT is over we start to ship out the new stock. Of course if there are any that need extra time we inform the customers. Usually they are very appreciative that we care more about getting them a healthy, well acclimated fish and are happy to wait another week.
We hope you enjoyed reading about our process of unboxing wild caught aquarium fish and please feel free to ask any questions you may have. There is a contact form below, send us your questions or comments!
Live Stream #5 from Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 is now on our YouTube channel!
Follow us around Santarém Discus as we marvel at the highest quality wild caught discus available on the market! We were honored to have an opportunity to meet with Hugo, his family and his team during our stay in Santarém. As seems to be the general theme here in Brazil, they showed us incredible hospitality and welcoming. By the end of our visit we had built a wonderful relationship with hopes of returning soon to do a discus collecting expedition with them!
Wild caught Iripixi Royal discus at Santarém Discus.
At first glance this unassuming facility looks clean and obviously well taken care of. We take a closer look at the tanks, their procedures and their operations, and soon realize that Santarém Discus is far from the norm when it comes to quality and care.
The beautifully clean and functional facility of Santarém DIscus.
Hugo explained to us that every year during peak low water is when the discus are collected. They hand pick them with extreme care in selecting for body shape, placement of markings, eye color and body color. It is a rigorous selection process. No discus is taken from the river without passing all of the tests.
Stunning, healthy wild caught discus ready to get their photos taken for the 2018-2019 catalog.
Upon arrival at Santarém Discus the fish are put through a quarantine process in which they are treated for any diseases and parasites and they are trained to eat in the aquarium. Each tank has a “teacher”, which is basically a discus left over from last season. This “teacher” does exactly that, it teaches the new fish to eat the unfamiliar food.
Hugo teaching us (Freshwater Exotics) about their processes and procedures that allow them to offer the highest quality of discus known to the wild caught aquarium trade.
Once the fish are in perfect condition they are photographed, one by one, tank by tank. The photographs are recorded and put together into the present year’s catalog. The catalog is released around Christmas time each year in a Facebook photo album. Clients of Santarém Discus are able to select by photo which discus they want to purchase. Santarem Discus only sells to importers. They do not sell to private buyers. However, the catalog system is able to be shown to the importer’s private buyers, who can select the photos for the importer to purchase for them.
Hugo’s wife and a team member netting discus to be photographed for the 2018-2019 catalog.
Luckily we were there to witness photos being taken for the catalog. Looking around at the fish room, we couldn’t imagine how tedious the cataloging process is for them. Not only to take the photos, but to record them all and then find those particular fish when they are selected to be purchased. Hugo and his team have a simple but effective system to keep track of their stock. They wouldn’t do it any other way to ensure their buyers get exactly what they want. Still, the work and care it takes to offer their clients this level of service is mind-boggling. We are VERY impressed.
Photographing the wild caught discus for this season’s catalog is an integral part of their business model that enables them to offer the highest quality and standards worldwide in this industry.
We look forward to sharing more of this visit with you when this episode of Into theAmazon – Brazil 2018 comes out on YouTube! Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube Channel and click the bell button so you don’t miss any of the series!
By the time our visit was over we felt like we had a new family in Santarém. Their hospitality and welcoming were beyond what we expected and we cannot wait to see them again!
Live Stream #4 from Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 is now on our YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/hTMdNXn3Njk
Live from an aquarium fish exporter in Manaus, follow us around their facility! This exporter is new to the industry and just opened their doors a year ago. It was interesting to see thier business model because it is different than other exporters we are familiar with.
Once again we were surprised and elated at the quality of fish and the warm welcoming we received. Spending several hours here we gained insight into the issues they face being exporters in such a remote part of Brazil. Sure, Manaus is a massive city, but it is largely disconnected from the rest of the country. It amazes us the hardships these exporters face. It is a constant battle for them to stay in business with corruption at every turn. Discussing the trials we both face in our respective roles in the aquarium fish industry helps us to become better connected and able to understand each other as business partners. Meeting face to face has been instrumental in building these relationships and would be impossible to do over email alone.
This exporter focuses on a smaller more specialized spectrum of aquarium fish. Instead of only bringing aquarium fish in and shipping them out they also use their scientific backgrounds to do research on different species that will hopefully one day be introduced to the aquarium hobby. Research to better the care of aquarium fish while in their hands is another focus of theirs. Because of this research we will recieve a more healthy fish and in turn, so will you. The practices and ethics this exporter brings to the aquarium fish industry not only affect their own best interests but also everyone involved. The fishermen, the intermediaries, the importers and the hobbyist will gain value from their diligent work.
Live Stream #3 from Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 is now on our YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/GO3FbvCjRAw
Live from an aquarium fish export facility in Belem, Brazil! This is the first export facility we visited during Into The Amazon – Brazil 2018 and we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. Would the facilities be clean? Modern? Would the employees and owners be welcoming and would they speak any English? We were pleasantly surprised on all counts.
Cameras packed, we hopped into an Uber. It was finally see some aquarium fish! The address we gave the Uber driver was incorrect so he brought us to the wrong place! We had the phone number of the exporter but since there hadn’t been time to get a local SIM card for my phone yet, we had to have the Uber driver call them for us. He got the correct address and a fair price was negotiated to get us to the new address, 15 minutes away.
This being our first time traveling around the city of Belem and not knowing any better, we opened the doors to get out of the car. Our driver motioned that we should NOT get out, we needed to stay in the car while he called them and they opened the door for us. Apparently it isn’t safe to just wait in the streets in Belem, especially not with the camera gear we had with us. He made the call and they came to the door and let us in.
Walking into the facility a wave of sticky, thick, humid air hit us as we looked around with wide eyes. Rows upon rows of bins and tanks, wall to wall, filled with wild caught fish, ready to be ordered and shipped across the world.
We were welcomed warmly by the owners and employees. Luckily they spoke a little English and we were able to communicate with a some help from Google Translate. We started by walking around and just looking at everything they had in stock. The tubs and tanks were filled with plecos, knifefish, discus, cichlids and more.
Our first impressions were positive, the aquarium fish looked healthy, fins were in good shape and the water was clean. We started pointing out fish we were particularly interested in and they took them out so we could see better. One young employee was clearly very proud to be the one handling the fish and showing them off to us.
Moving into the next room we saw it was lined with huge holding tubs containing the larger sized plecos. They took us around the room, showing off their stock of monster aquarium fish. We were like kids in a candy shop. They had L27 of several varieties, L25, L14, L96, L185, L160 and a variety of others.
L 25 7 Pointer Scarlets
L14 Sao Felix Sunshine
L96
L27
L24 Red Fin Cactus
After seeing pretty much every tank and tub in the facility it was time to head to the air conditioned office for some business discussion and to learn more about how they operate. Google Translate came in quite useful for some of the more in depth discussion. They were happy to share intricacies of their company and how their processes work. This was a first glimpse into the behind the scenes world of an aquarium fish export facility. The conversation was fascinating and we soaked in as much information as they had to share.
It was amazing how open and willing they were to answer any questions we could think of. We hadn’t expected such a warm and inviting welcoming and hoped it would be a theme throughout the rest of our journey.
After five hours of discussion, observation and having lunch with them it was time to leave. We had gotten to watch the employees do water changes, learned about how they treated their water and started to wrap our heads around the complex chain of events that needs to take place to get those fish from the river to their facility. It was decided that our goal for this trip would be to follow that chain of events from start to finish. From the fishermen to our facility in the USA.
It’s easy to talk nonchalantly about this chain of events, as if we all know and understand it. Clearly this is what needs to happen to get the aquarium fish from the river to our facility in the USA. However, it would be an entirely different thing to see it with our own eyes. How are the aquarium fish collected? How are they handled and cared for as they make their way across the vast remoteness of Brazil, to the exporter? How does the exporter handle and care for them to prepare them for their international journey? Who are the people along the way? Do they really care about the fish or is it simply a means of income?
This first export facility was a launching off point for the rest of our trip. We left having this small glimpse into what was to come in the following 26 days and we were electrified at the thought of it!
Join us for the rest of the journey as we find out the answers to each of those questions. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you don’t miss the Official YouTube Series: Into The Amazon – Brazil 2018 when it premieres in January! Keep an eye on our Facebook page for tidbits and teasers as the series nears it’s premiere date.
Live Stream #2 from Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 is now on our YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/hetOPOTCKCc
We finally made it to Brazil! Only one more flight before arriving at our first destination of Belem. An arrival time of 11pm and an 11 hour layover in Brasilia meant getting a hotel room near the airport for the night. Neither of us can sleep well on airplanes!
Grabbing our bags from the luggage carousal we attempted to call an Uber. Having no idea we were supposed to meet them at a designated spot and seeing no signs for this spot, the first driver gave up and cancelled. Exhausted, hauling our luggage up a massive staircase, we tried to stay positive. Travel is an adventure, after all! What fun would it be without challenges? We finally found the designated pickup spot and called another driver. Hopping in the Uber, we arrived 10 minutes later at a modern, comfortable airport hotel.
Checking in at reception we realized my Spanish wasn’t going to help us on this trip as much we had hoped. With some effort, hand signals, a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish and English we were checked in! At 2am, after lukewarm showers, we and hit the pillows. Finally some (restless) sleep!
The alarm clock woke us up at 7am and we reluctantly peeled ourselves out of bed to get back on another airplane. Arriving back to the airport an hour earlier than needed because of anticipation we were able to leisurely enjoy several cups of strong Brazilian coffee before heading to our gate. This time it was a short flight, only three hours. Finally, the first destination of Into The Amazon – Brazil 2018, Belem!
Join us for the next Live Stream where we visit an export facility in Belem, Para, Brazil!
Live Stream #1 from Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 is now on our YouTube channel!
https://youtu.be/H2I4v2V8S8w
December is going to be a long month. Waiting for Santa Claus to come, waiting for New Year’s, waiting for the Official Series: Into the Amazon – Brazil 2018 to PREMIERE ON YOUTUBE!
While you’re waiting, we will be uploading all the LIVE STREAMS we did during our Brazil trip, starting with Live Stream #1, which is ready for you to watch! If you missed any of them, this will be a great opportunity to catch up. If you saw them already, watch again!
There will be a series trailer coming out later this month and the official series will premiere early January 2019.
GET EXCITED! We seriously cannot wait to share all of the incredible experiences we had in Brazil, with you!
