this is the boat i travelled on from atins to barreirinhas. it took about 2 hours and was a scenic trip, though a bit unconfortable because of the tight space and number of travellers. the river is the only direct way path between these two towns. 

 

barreirinhas is brazil at its simplest, most earthy version. it is a real cowboy town, with a daily rodeo and real cowboys. i heard a story that many years ago a very persuasive maranhao state senator managed to convince the federal government to send lots of money to support a nascent cattle industry. now, maranhao is a very poor state, without a lot of natural resources and a deserty interior, but somehow they have managed to create a thriving cattle business, and barreirinhas is sort of in the middle of the cattle territory. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thats a fish he's carrying :) 

 

 

 

 

 

cowboys do maranhao