Futebol!

On Sunday Emerson and his family took Steve and I to watch the football. The local team Rolim de Moura were playing Ji-Parana at the Ji-Parana stadium. The stadium was a fair few kms away so that gave us all the chance to see some of the area and stop off at a few places along the way. The scenary is gorgeous: lots of lush vegetation and rainforest trees. The fruit that grows here is spectactular too; we saw cocoa and lemon trees. We stopped off in Ji-Parana by a river beach where there was time for a paddle and to soak up a bit of Amazonian sun before heading to the stadium.
Ji-Parana has a blue hen as their mascot which seemed an obvious photo opportunity! Arno is not only the district governor but also a football commentator so he was there on the pitch. The match was great with a cracking first goal by Ji-Parana to equalise and then eventually defeat Rolim de Moura. It was fantastic to sit in the stand, eat popcorn and soak up the atmosphere. Maybe it was because it was Easter Sunday or maybe its just becáuse Brazilians love their football but it felt like a real family occasion and social event. A big thank you to Emerson and his family for the long drive on some difficult roads - and for the great company and good times along the way!