BR08 – High Tide, Ilha Murutucu
At the times of the full and new moons the island floods on high tide. This is a good environment for acaizeiro, the tall palm trees on which grow the acia berries, and is a slightly surreal environment for outsiders.
At the start of the video we’re by the house I lived in for most of my stay, and the concrete platform we pan past at 0:31 is the floor of the partially completed school.
At 0:53 we’re on the track that leads from the dock to the factory, about 150 yards from our house, and we see the boys Paca, Macaco and Mele walking along a submerged wooden track that’s built two feet off the ground to be above the high tides. Around the times of the equinoxes though the tides are so high that even that goes under. Because the tracks aren’t in A1 condition the rusted nails in the split timber sometimes can’t resist floating off and leaving holes to fall comedically into, like Mele does.
At 1:27 we’re seeing the old school buildings, another 75 yards from the main track, and at 1:55 we’re back near our house. As the tide goes out and the water runs back off the island it’s as if you’re standing in a stream. About 2:50 you can see in the distance across the river the sky-scrapers of Belem.
Duration : 0:3:28