Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Rio Pacaas
T
69 9978 6050,
W
pacaas.com.br.
This
rustic lodge offers accommodation in 28 comfortable a/c
cabanas
on stilts with private terraces along the Rio
Pacaas. The
cabanas
are well spread out, giving off a 2km
walkway, and come in different categories, from
standards to luxo superior with kingsize bed, TV and
fridge. There's an infini
ty poo
l and great views over the
meeting of the waters.
R$330
Guayaramerín (Bolivia)
The town of
GUAYARAMERÍN
is something of a contrast to its Brazilian counterpart
just opposite the river, with dusty roads and not much going for it. It is, however,
from here that you can travel by road to La Paz, or catch a flight on to Trinidad in
Bolivia. If you plan on travelling into Bolivia, get your passport stamped in Guajará-
Mirim first (see p.393).
ARRIVAL AND ACCOMMODATION
GUAYARAMERIN BOLIVIA
By plane
The airport is to the east of town; AeroCon
(
W
aerocon.bo) has two daily flights to Trinidad, Bolivia
(1hr 10min).
By bus
The town's access road is unpassable for all of
the rainy season (Nov-April), and often during the
months outside that too, causing huge delays. In the dry
season there are buses to La Paz, although flying is a
much more reliable option.
By boat
Scores of motorboats connect Guajará-Mirim to
Guayaramerín (5min; R$5).
Hotel Balneario
San Carlos Calle 6 de Agosto 347
T
591 3 855 3555.
This is the town's snazziest option
featuring comfortabl
e a/c ro
oms, swimming pool, billiards
table and restaurant.
R$260
Rio Branco and around
Crossing from Rondônia into the state of
Acre
, territory annexed from Bolivia during
the rubber-boom days in the first years of the twentieth century, there's nowhere to
stop before you reach the capital at
RIO BRANCO
. The state is a vast frontier forest zone,
so it comes as a real surprise to find Rio Branco is one of Brazil's funkiest cities. It's a
small and lively place with a surprising amount of things to see and do; it's perhaps best
known as the home of the famous environmentalist and rubber-tree-tapper Chico
Mendes (see box below).
The real attraction of Rio Branco lies in the life of the bars, restaurants, streets and
markets. The riverfront by the
Mercado Velho (
old market) is replete with bars and cafés
where music is played and the local middlevclasses hang out in the evenings. Over the
weekends, the town comes even more alive when jet-skis zoom up and down the river, as
spectators watch and cheer, beer in hand, at one of the lively bars that line the riverfront.
Much of the reason for the liveliness is that Rio Branco is a federal
university town
,
second only to Belém on the student research peckingvorder for social and biological
studies associated with the rainforest and development. Consequently the place has
more than its fair share of young people - which means plenty of music and events -
ACRE AND THE RUBBER CONFLICT
The relaxed air of Rio Branco masks many
tensions
, above all to do with population
movement - people are still arriving here from the east - and the conflicting claims of small
rubber-tappers and multinational companies on the jungle. The tappers, who have lived
here for a long time and who know how to manage the forests in a sustainable way, see the
multinationals as newcomers who aim to turn the trees into pasture for beef cattle and
short-term profit, destroying not only the forest but also many local livelihoods. When hired
gunmen working for the cattle ranchers shot dead
Chico Mendes
, the leader of the
rubber-tappers' union, in 1988, the plight of the forest peoples of Acre came to the world's
attention. Today, the political situation in Acre remains uneasy, with the second- and
third-generation tappers and gatherers joining forces with the native population in resisting
the enormous economic and armed might of the advancing cattle-based companies.
