Amazonians face 15-hour boat ride to spend Christmas with family

Marcela Leiros – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – With the proximity of Christmas, this Sunday, 25, date marked by celebration with families and friends, many Amazonians face hours of travel on boats to municipalities within the state. In some cases, are more than 24 hours of travel by the rivers of the region, considered fundamental means of transportation for the population in the Amazon region.

In Manaus Moderna, south zone of Manaus, there are several options of boats to move to cities, such as recreational type, in which it is possible to travel in nets or suites, but that are more time consuming than trips on jets or speedboats.

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The production assistant Jackson Castro, native of Urucará, 259 kilometres from Manaus, tied his net on the boat Captain Vivaldo, along with his wife and sister. He lives in Manaus, capital of Amazonas, for four years, but makes a point of going every Christmas to the city to celebrate at his maternal grandmother’s house. This year, the three face a 15-hour journey. Although it takes longer, the price is more “affordable”: R$ 150 per person, and children pay half.

He said that, despite the difficulties, he does not give up spending Christmas with his family. “Because of family members, who all meet there, and it is a commemorative date that is about family and we have to be together, in communion, as God taught us. It’s a good feeling to travel by boat, enjoying the landscape. This is priceless, it is very good”, he said.

The self-employed Aline Félix also took the son Ismael Filho da Silva Mendes, 10 years, to spend the date in Urucará. She lives in Manaus for 35 years, but did not go to the city for five years. There, at least 40 people will celebrate Christmas at the home of Aline’s maternal grandmother.

“I’ve lived here for 35 years and I make a point of spending the end of the year with my family, with my mother, with my brothers. On a daily basis we are very busy and we want to enjoy our family at Christmas, and give this present to my mother, who is 84 years old”, he said.

Ismael said he likes to travel by boat and enjoys even more celebrating December 25 with his family. “I’ve been to other times and I like to travel by boat, I catch the wind and I think it’s nice. I like to see the animals, the porpoises and I like to see my uncles that I miss”, he declared.

More expensive trips

Already at Eduardo Gomes Airport, in the West Zone of Manaus, the nutritionist Laura Nunes was waiting for the flight to Sao Paulo State, where she will spend Christmas with her husband and daughter. But she had to pay more to travel on the holiday. “Before, despite being well planned, it was around R$ 6,000, R$ 5,000. Today, whether planned or not, it’s much more difficult. In this case it’s R$ 10,000, R$ 8,000, R$ 9,000, sometimes on promotion”, she explained.

“Despite the increase, Laura and her family have not given up on the trip. I think that Christmas has this feeling of peace, harmony, to kill the nostalgia, make that wonderful dinner, give gifts, which is not easy to give, but we always take a little something for everyone”, she concluded.

Read also: High price and political and economic uncertainty decrease demand for airline tickets in Brazil

Rise in values

The rise in the values of airline tickets was pointed out by research. A study by the flight search engine Viajala indicated that the prices of national airline tickets increased by 55% on average from January to September 2022, compared to the same interval in 2021. Whereas compared to the same period in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic flights have become 50% more expensive on average.

The Brazilian Association of Airlines (Abear) justified that the tickets have recently become more expensive to consumers due to the rise in aviation paraffin, which rose almost 50%, only this year, and has a significant weight in the costs of companies, which reaches more than 40%.