Our Amazing Amazon Adventure | Life in Japan Episode 174

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You might not know it, but there's a strong connection between the other side of the world and Life in Japan,
for even though we're Americans, before there was Life in Japan, there was our life in Brazil.
This summer we're retracing our steps, going back to where our family began, and making powerful new memories along the way.
Get ready for a feature-length, real-life adventure like no other, deep in the heart of Brazil.
Get ready for our Amazon Adventure.
This is what we call adventure.
Let go! Let go! Now!
[Life in Japan Theme Song]
Mid July 2022...
Well girls this is it. Today we're going to go to Brazil.
Yes! But I have school.
But you have school. Get back from school and go to the airport.
Yea yea yea! Are you excited Dude?
You've got school too — your last day of school!
Bye!
On our way to school, getting a little swinging in.
We're going to Brazil! That's right.
Your last day of school today before summer break
And a big, big trip on an airplane for a long time
but it will be fun.
I'll tell you what, this time we're packing lighter than ever
each one of us one bag a piece.
Of course that's all we get to go there
but it really helps when you're packing to be able to pack light.
What do we have here?
Why are we carrying plants home?
This... is a flower.
I don't know which one it is but it's a Marigold.
Or it might be "hosenka" (Garden Balsam)
This is "asagao" (morning glory)
Oh yea
Getting our shoes on, this is it!
Say "Bye bye house"
Bye bye! See you again in a couple of weeks
See you again in a couple of weeks.
We're on our way and what's our new family tradition?
Kurazushi!
Kurazushi! Here we come!
So many families these days are not limited to just one culture, but are a part of several cultures at once,
and that's certainly true for us.
America and Japan makes up a big part of who we are,
but we're taking the kids on a trip to discover for themselves a third culture that has greatly influenced who we are today.
It's where Ruth and I lived for seven years before moving to Japan and where all the girls were born: Brazil.
Here we go!
There's our airplane, waiting for us.
Oh, you ready?! Yes!
Yes! Fun fun fun!
Hey, who's over there?
You girls ready for takeoff on our big trip? Yes.
Becca, all ready? All ready?
Sarah Bear, going night night? Night night?
Flying over Tokyo at night was a sight to behold,
and we even saw something near and dear to our hearts.
That's our Tama River down there.
Bye Tama River.
Now we would sleep the rest of the night and hopefully wake up only close to our next stop.
8 hours later
How is the flight so far?
Fun. Fun?
I slept about halfway I think. You slept? I know!
That never happens. That was great.
I slept a long ways too. With your hoodie on.
I was very comfortable.
Guess where we passed? We passed India.
Descending to Doha
We have come across India and China and a bunch of places I have never been.
It's fun to fly over.
We're getting ready to land in Doha.
What's up guys?
Here comes the landing.
So we arrived at Qatar at Doha airport, and the airport is amazing
It's just huge and there's tons of things
And there's playground for the kids
I mean it's just very amazing and impressive
It's a giant bear with a light stuck in its head.
What's his pose?
But it is so expensive!
We bought Joshua just this tiny little bottle, I mean I don't think it's even 500 ml.
But it was almost $5.
So then Nate found some water at the Duty Free Shop
But he had to show boarding pass and all kinds of stuff because it was duty free
But it was half the price, so we were thankful that we found some.
Sarah, what did we find here?
A Doha vending machine
Doha's vending machines.
Like all for COVID
All for COVID stuff.
I just saw some desert!
You saw some desert?
Yeah! Look I saw it!
You saw the desert? Yeah!
Wow, look it really is just desert.
Anna! You got the window seat this time. Is that cool?
We'll see the desert real well.
Yeah, this is the first time ever in my whole entire life that I saw a desert with my own eyes.
Wow, cool huh?
A whole lot of desert down there and it looks hot. Hot hot hot.
Africa.
12 hours later
There's the ground, we're going down. Yea!
The forever long airtrip is almost done!
What?
There's São Paulo.
Going to land, here we go.
We landed!
Say "bye bye plane."
And we are finally in our hotel room!
Joshua's been out like a light.
Anna's ready for bed.
It was not easy
No, not easy.
But we made it.
We're going to sleep, then we wake up at 3:30 to catch our next 2 flights which will get us to Santarém tomorrow.
Look how close the street is.
There's a gas station. We could literally fill up.
Today I have the lovely ladies next to me.
Such a red sunrise!
Look at my little guy on the other side.
Somebody else loves looking out the windows.
Brasilia
OK guys, just one more plane!
One more plane!
This is the last flight!
This is the last flight!
So the next stop is?
Is grandma and grandpa's house.
Ruth's parents, who we call Vovó and Vovô, the Portuguese words for Grandma and Grandpa,
live in the heart of the Amazon Basin in one of the oldest Brazilian cities.
Not only did we live there for seven years, it's also where Ruth grew up,
so for her, going back to Santarém is going back home.
But getting there from Japan is no small feat, and requires several plane rides and over 2 days of travel.
It's the kind of trip you can't do very often,
and for us it's been over 6 years since we've even been back to Brazil.
This will be a trip that the kids never forget.
How about that?!
Santarém!
Yea, we're here, we're here, we're here!
Are you excited Dude?
I can't stop smiling!
You can't stop smiling? That's good!
Did we all squeeze in?
We all squeezed in!
Santarém is the city where the beautiful blue Tapajós River meets the immense Amazon River and causes a Meeting of the Waters that the region is famous for.
With around 300,000 people, it is the largest city for hundreds of kilometers in any direction
and is the center for health, education and business in the area.
Agricultural and natural resources are the regions huge exports
and has caused the area to prosper more and more as large ships come up the Amazon River to take the goods to far off lands.
All of our girls were born here, so they are dual citizens: Brazilian and American.
This trip will be a time for them to rediscover a big part of what makes us who we are.
Guess what? Grandma and Grandpa used to live on this road.
Yea! This one right here, right?
Yea. Whoa!
Oh they divided it! How about that?
We even got to drive by our old house
Aww- the framing is just right, Vovô.
But the new compound. Yea!
Finally at Vovó and Vovô's. Aww!
Brazil is exactly on the opposite side of the world from Japan, 12 hours difference,
so the family was to bed early and up early as well.
The excitement of all we would do was palpable.
Sarah's having some breakfast nice and early.
It's early.
Some kids excited to go out to the pool.
Look at Anna!
Oh my Anna.
We getting ready?
Ready to go to Alter do Chão.
Alter do Chão is a nearby community famous for its beauty,
and it's where Ruth's parents have a small property with a pool.
We used to come out here whenever we had time off and wanted to relax,
and so we're kicking off our time in Brazil here.
Rebecca and Anna learned to swim here
and this summer, Joshua wants to learn how to swim,
so Vovó has promised to help him out.
Look who's here!
Oh my goodness! Waiting for swimsuits, I'm sure.
It's cold!
We are here! We are.
After how many days of travel?
Over two.
No not that way, not that way.
One at a time. One like this.
No, like this. Look.
Like this. Put your hand like this.
And you go like this.
I need a countdown.
3, 2, 1
I've got a hand...
Are they not here today?
There's some peacocks in the yard here, huh?
There's one on the shed too... On the shed.
With the tail hanging down Oh yea, I see it!
And there's one on the hill over here too.
Oh yea! Get you on my shoulders.
Where is it?
Oh yeah.
Sarah do you see it?
Oh, Anna's getting a boost from Becca.
See on the shed? Yea
I see the rooster!
I see the rooster! That's what he's interested in, he doesn't see roosters.
Nice!
I love Alter!
Look what we have, oh!
We already prayed.
We're about to eat lunch but the girls are more interested in the dog.
What's the Brazilian rice like, huh?
I like the Brazilian rice more than the Japan rice.
What?! You like Brazilian rice more than Japan rice?!
Yes. Why?
It's soft. It's not sticky, huh?
And it's just good.
It's good, huh? Wow.
Oh! This is what Daddy's been looking forward to —
Only the best lemonade!
So good!
There's beef and fish and farinha.
Ooo, listen to the Amazon rain.
Isn't this fun?
This is! I love the rain.
Soon, things would be very busy for us in Brazil,
but having a couple of days to relax with family was priceless.
OK the sisters rescuing little Sarah!
Three, Two, One
Look at that!
Where is it?
Right there!
He's like posing.
Oh my goodness!
Hey lizard, say "cheese!"
That dude is big!
What did we finally find, Sarah?
A lizard! And I found it for you!
Oh yes, good job.
Oh my, she's going to make everybody dizzy.
You have a noodle with you.
Nice work, now Anna Cakes.
Anna's going to make it happen.
It sounded like a belly flop.
I'm going to do a cannonball.
A cannonball?
Cannonball!
Look! Vovô's special French fries.
Hand cut and fried!
Eat it. Oh yum.
Munch munch munch munch.
And some tired tired people just waiting to eat so they can go to bed!
You did good today, guys! Way to go.
Did you say "tired tired?"
Yea, tired tired people.
Working on a puzzle here.
This is my relaxing.
After a couple of dreamy days recovering from jet lag in Alter, we needed to get back to Santarém.
We had something super special planned: a three-day boat trip on the Amazon River.
Dad, you did it.
You worked all night long... didn't even sleep.
Yea, not quite.
The final piece! Yes!
Look at the masterpiece!
Ooo, very nice.
Açaí! The authentic stuff, right?
Is it good? Is this the best way to have it?
We've worked with Paz International for over 15 years now,
and when we lived in Santarém, we did a lot of boat trips.
Boats are the main form of transportation along the Amazon River,
so we wanted the kids to see what we used to do.
We will be visiting a number of communities where we have different works going,
including one where we helped them build a church over 12 years ago.
We're still on jet lag, so we're hoping everyone travels well on the river, where it's often hot and full of bugs!
We're putting up our hammocks here.
I want mine to be very high.
You want yours to be high?
It's fun that way.
High up in the sky?
High up in the sky. Oh boy.
We're on the boat!
Joshua, we're moving on the boat!
Becca! We're going, we're going!
Are you excited Becca?
Yes! Yes?
This is awesome! Sarah's already got her spot picked out.
Yea, I got the best spot ever.
I'm sitting by Vovó and I'm close to Anna
And I sit by you and I can see out.
Yea boy, this is cool.
Since the water of the Amazon River rises and falls many meters every year,
navigating the river is a seemingly impossible labyrinth of changing channels and water ways.
We're going to a community in the heart of the labyrinth where a new church has been built,
and to get there we are taking a shortcut from one river to another.
In just a few days, the water will be too low to do this anymore until next year when the water rises again.
A shortcut like this will save us a couple of hours on our trip.
This river already has the color of the Amazon, doesn't it?
Traveling these waterways is like being transported to a different era, where everything was more wild and raw.
Wildlife can be seen everywhere,
and time seems to slow to a craw as you slowly make your way up the channel.
It is the perfect remedy to the crazy busy life in the city,
and it's so great to be back out on the river again.
The alligators like it here? They do.
Oh Anna, what do you have here?
A doggie.
Oh my goodness.
Look, he's steering the boat through this little area here.
Right there?
Yea, we're going through here.
It's going to go from one river to the other.
Look, somebody's house is right there, do you see that?
That's where they live.
That's a horse.
Oh you see a horse, yea you're right.
What's happening here Becca?
Painting my nails.
Getting your toes done? Nice.
As we make our way to the mighty Amazon, we pass other boats and communities along the way.
Our trip down the channel is almost done, but then we will enter the main channel of the river.
It's here: the Amazon River
It's hot and Becca has the right idea.
What is happening back here?
It's much cooler in this part of the boat.
Cooler here, huh? Do you like it, Anna?
What do you think about the Amazon River.
It's cool. Big. It's bigger than I thought it was.
It's bigger than you thought it was, huh? It's huge!
Isn't it a big river, miss?
There's a church right back in there, do you see that?
There's a Paz Church here, right?
Yes, a Paz Church.
Hey Sarah. Did you come to see the sunset here?
It's pretty awesome, huh?
What is this big thing?
That's the water tank.
For cooking...
Tonight, I'm going to be speaking, preaching at this little church out on the Amazon River
It's going to be really cool, I'm looking forward to it.
It's hard to put into words just how remote these places are, or how breathtaking they can be in person.
The world is truly full of amazing people living in the most unique places.
And the little church we're visiting tonight is full of these kinds of people.
Just days before we were in the heart of the biggest city in the world.
Now we are in this far-flung corner of the world, and I am amazed at it all.
You never know where life will take you.
Oh, we made it, we made it, yea!
We made it!
Oh, Anna we're here!
Today, many of come from other communities
They all came to make the most of it.
Wow, very nice.
It's a pleasure to be here.
Very cool.
As people from surrounding communities began to arrive, we settled in for the service.
Vovó is one of the best story tellers in the world,
and she told stories of how her family moved from the States years ago and ended up planting churches in Brazil.
Afterwards, I got to speak about something near and dear to my heart.
When I was a kid I never dreamed that I would be a missionary.
Maybe for you too.
You never dreamed of what God is using you to do today
We're getting ready for bed...
Oh, I hope it doesn't rain tonight.
Right Becca? Well, I think it might get cool.
Well, it gets cool
Well Mamma chan, how did it go last night?
It went well. I slept until 2:30.
Whoa.
How did you sleep, Nate?
I slept pretty good.
The next morning it was time to cast off and navigate the complex waterways of the Amazon to visit two other communities.
From a bird's eye view, you can begin to see just how immense the Amazon is.
You can look for 360 degrees, and yet it's water everywhere.
We had breakfast, a meeting and then enjoyed some games as we made our way to the next community.
Here we would visit with several people in their homes.
Go on back, go on back.
It's their first time [in a canoe]
What do you think Joshua? Let's take a picture, a selfie.
Whoa, is everyone... can you all see here?
Joshua's not in it.
O Joshua's not in it? I'll take a picture with my camera.
This is what we call adventure.
This is adventure. I would like to live here.
You'd like to live here?!
Well, we could go on this almost every day. Look, that's how they wash their clothes.
See? That's how you wash your clothes.
That's them washing their clothes.
See, they're washing their clothes. Are there washing machines?
Nope, no washing machines.
All by hand.
This is the ultimate obstacle course here.
Did you carry those the whole time Sarah?
No, Mommy did.
And many of the local people told their stories of how God changed their lives.
One was the worst alcoholic in the whole area, and when Jesus entered His life, he became one of the area's most-loved and best citizens.
Everyone in this region knows my adolescence, my youth and my past.
I was no good.
Heading back.
And now I've gotta walk this. Here we go.
After some great visits, it was time to move on.
We had one more community to get to before nightfall.
I have a Cashew.
So this is how a Cashew is grown.
It grows on a tree and hangs like that.
This is the Cashew nut, and you have to take it off.
But like this is very poisonous
You have to cook it and burn off all the acid before you can eat the nut.
But this is where you Cashew nuts from, from the Cashew fruit.
And you can eat the fruit.
It's a very unique flavor.
Is that the kind that just takes all the saliva out of your mouth?
It does
What do you have here mom?
I have an armor fish. An armor fish!
Look at this beautiful white meat here. Oh wow.
It's delicious with a little salt and lemon on the side.
You want to just taste a little?
Are you sure?
What's happening Anna? Surgery.
Surgery?!
It might be that it's just right at the beginning, see?
There it is.
Wait, what is that? What's inside of there?
Is that a bug?! It's a little bug.
How do bugs get in?!
You step on it.
That's scary. I'm glad there's no bugs in my foot.
So, we're heading out.
Another night, and we're going to have another service here.
We're going to sing in Japanese, going to preach.
My name is Anna Reutter
I'm Rebecca's twin.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
(Translating in Portuguese)
My name is Sarah Reutter
I am 9 years old.
My name is Joshua Reutter
I am six years old. Nice to meet you.
[Singing in Japanese]
It's been a great trip.
We're heading back on the Amazon River to Santarém.
We're going to arrive there in the middle of the night.
So how did it go last night Sarah? Cold and windy.
It was cold and windy?
Mommy's undoing the hammocks.
Because this trip is done.
It is done. More will come.
There's one hammock left. Whose is it?
Anna. Three, two, one.
Anna Cakes wants to sleep in.
Aww, time to come out. Good morning.
Oh, she's awake.
Now with a number of days to spend in Santarém, Ruth was ready to make the most of it.
I get to go shopping in Brazil!
So nice that you don't have to put masks on.
When we lived in Santarém, there was not this place.
And shopping here was not this convenient.
This is nice now.
What do we have here?
$4
¥400 for a watermelon
You can't beat that.
Precisely $3.87
But for the true Santarém shopping experience, you have to go downtown to the river-side markets.
Look at all the fish here. Ooooo.
What do you think? Look at those fish!
Did you touch one? Let's see?
Ha ha ha!
That's without the head.
Look at the size of this filet.
That's Pirarucu.
Pirarucu.
It's the largest scale-fish, fresh-water.
He's taking out all the bones.
The markets are full of fresh fish, meats, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products from all over the region.
Your senses are overwhelmed with the sights, sounds and smells of the different shops.
It is a place you certainly have to visit to fully appreciate.
Look at all these veggies - ooo!
Little eggs
Watermelon here. So cheap and so good.
Pineapple.
Oh my goodness, these markets are amazing here.
Here's another one.
You had ten reais and how did you spend it?
I bought Passion Fruit of the Wild.
Whoa!
You just split it open and eat it.
But the marketplace isn't just a place to buy things.
What are doing today Becca?
Feeding dolphins.
Feeding the dolphins of the Amazon!
Watch watch guys!
That's a pink dolphin. Where?
There's pink ones and there's gray ones.
Hold it with this hand.
They like the sound of it hitting the water, huh?
Oh! Very cool.
Whoa, that was a pink one, and he got it.
Ah, he lost it. Yea, he got it!
Sarah's turn.
Ah, did he get it?
He got it. He got a good chunk of it.
Sarah, what did you think? How was that?
The dolphin was stronger than I was expecting it.
The dolphin was stronger than you were expecting, huh?
Pretty cool.
OK, the last one Joshua.
They're going to put a piranha on the line.
Ah!
Wow!
The pink big dolphin got mine. Yea.
The dolphins are big.
The dolphins are big and strong, right?
They want to bite and we have to hold it!
Do you like the Coke of Brazil?
It's different, isn't it?
It has cinnamon in it.
It's not quite as sweet.
I like it, I like it, I like it.
You do, huh?
Oh look — it's the banana truck
And it's coming to the banana store.
Oh boy.
Sarah, did your homework follow you here?
Oh my goodness.
This is too much homework.
Look how much homework there is!
My teacher even needed to give me this file to put all the homework in.
That's a lot of homework. Whoa!
Well I'm glad you're working on it then, Hon.
How much homework do you have?
English and Science
So this is the house that I grew up in as a kid
And now my parents rent it out
And they moved into the back little apartment.
Because it's just the two of them.
All of the kids have moved away.
Yes, this yard is full of memories.
Ruth, her siblings and many of her cousins grew up here and shared in the best and worst times life has to offer.
For Ruth and I, some of our best and worst memories were made here as well,
for this is where we lost our first daughter Anna Rebecca during childbirth.
Yes, we actually have five kids, one who is older the the twins and already in heaven.
We know the pain of losing a child,
but we also know the hope that comes when Jesus is the source of your hope and faith,
for the twins were conceived immediately after losing our first child, when there was no hope for Ruth to even get pregnant.
Now Ruth shares about her experience to encourage others,
just as she will be doing at a large women's conference that the Paz Church in Santarém is holding.
A successful family is built upon God's promises, and you have to hold on to these promises even in life's darkest moments.
Those who do, reap the rewards. This is the hope that we share.
What's going on here?
Tonight's the final night of the conference and I'm one of the speakers this afternoon.
Here we go.
A big women's conference here, wow, very cool.
Is this all your stuff that you're going to be taking up there?
It is — my phone, my Bible and my notes.
All set.
A bunch of hugs and kisses before this thing goes down.
Alright, have a good night!
We will.
The Paz Church in Santarém is huge and is in the process of building a new auditorium to seat all the people.
It was so cool to see Ruth sharing her story with so many women, and we felt honored that they asked her to speak.
We worked with the church here in Santarém when we lived here,
so it was great to be back and connect with so many of our brothers and sisters.
Whoa! Look at that sky!
Oh my goodness, this is going to be an awesome picture.
OK, get close to Sarah.
Oh, this is going to be cute.
Oh yes, that's good, that's good!
Once the conference was done, Ruth was relieved and ready to relax.
And what better way to do that, then in Alter do Chão.
Oh! Joshua!
Joshua's it!
Anna's it!
The pastime of Alter do Chão: Rummikub.
That's right.
We've saved the very best part of our trip for out last days here,
but before that happens, we're going to enjoy a couple of days of games, swimming, family devotions and good food.
Who wants some fish?
I want to try some! OK.
Can I get you a piece? Yes.
Oh my goodness. Look at that fish!
What's it look like there Anna? Gray.
Gray. Stormy.
The rain has come.
The next day we head out for another adventure deep into the jungle.
Dad gets to test his Land Rover here as we go to a nearby community called Pindobal.
There's going to be activities for kids of the community because they're all on break now.
And then afterwards, if we have time, we're going to go to the beach.
This Land Rover eats it for lunch.
No problem.
Sarah's getting all dressed up? Alright Sarah!
Alright David... You're looking good too.
Yeah, am I?
I'm all dressed up too, see? There we go.
All dressed up.
Our kids don't speak Portuguese, but that didn't stop them from joining the games and having fun.
It was a great way to get to know the other kids and they had a good time helping out the summer program.
Listen, God sent the only son he had, Jesus, to die in my place and in your place...
After the program was all done, we piled back into the cars
and headed down the road to the beach where we would spend the rest of the afternoon.
What we found at that beach surprised us all.
Jump from right there, and you jump on your butt.
Here you go! Ah!
That's so fun!
Oh, how was that? Fun? Yea.
And here comes the troops on the way back.
Joshua, how was it Dude? Pretty fun.
Momma chan?
Fun. Exhausting!
Exhausting.
Vovó? It was awesome.
And with that, we were on our way back to Alter do Chão.
Little did we know, the next morning would give us a big surprise.
We have some friendly Monkey visitors here.
There's some over this way... Oh!
What a jump!
That was crazy.
Look at him go across those wires! Oh my goodness.
We put a banana up there for him to get, now we're going to see if he's going to get it.
He's just there looking at it!
Now jump on that plant there...
He's like calculating how he can do it.
Oh, big yawn Dude.
This operation keeps getting more and more intense.
We're getting big ladders out now.
Ruth's going to go help now too.
You could probably just hand it to them.
Oh, she's going to put it onto of the light.
There we go.
That's great.
I'm scared for mommy because if she falls she has kids to come back to.
Anna, what do you think? Is he going to get this one?
Thumbs up!
Well, one of them said "Nope,"
Oo, it's coming back!
"Oh, no I changed my mind. That banana looks really good."
He's going to come down that wire again now. There he goes.
Oh, here he comes.
He figured it out.
Oh! Somebody else is like "Let me get it!"
Uh oh. Oh Dude!
Oh look at that!
Well, we could have left that one over there.
Was that one easier for them to get?
Should I put it back up on top of there?
We're all watching, all looking...
Oh, look at that!
Yes!
See, I unpeeled it... I peeled part of it.
Oh, look.
That guy was like "that's how you do it. OK."
"So I'm going to do it too now."
That's right.
There's one on the lamppost, one on the ladder...
Oops, he dropped it.
He dropped the banana? Yea.
He's going to go...
Oh look, he's going across the wall.
How can monkeys do that?
Yikes, don't hurt yourself. Oh there he goes.
Oh!
We could have just put it on the wall.
Peel it, peel it for him. It is peeled.
Can you go all the way up to the top?
Ok wait wait, you're scaring the other one away.
OK, get down.
Anna Cakes.
He's so cute!
The face is like so cute!
I would like a Monkey pet. Me too.
The one that went across is coming back now.
Everybody's watching the monkey show.
I've got a good breakfast today, thanks guys.
Whoa
I really want a monkey pet.
They do have monkey's in Japan.
They have monkeys in the onsen that take onsen baths.
Sarah, if you stand out there they might come and try to eat your dress!
Yea right!
Oh no! He's like "What did I do?!"
Did it fall on the ladder? Yea.
He's watching you.
It's the cutest face ever!
The cutest face ever?
He's like looking at me like "he he he"
We'll have to put up a monkey feeder rather than a bird feeder.
What do you think Anna, to be a monkey swinging around in the trees?
Oh I really want to do that!
So fun!
There are a number of things unique to this part of the world,
and without a doubt two of those things are shopping and eating.
Ruth wanted to head downtown Santarém in order to do both,
because in a couple of days we would embark on our biggest Amazon adventure yet.
It would be the grand finale of our trip,
and afterwards there would be no more time for enjoying Santarém.
We had a very successful shopping trip.
She bought so much jewelry... You should see...
I bought so much jewelry!
And a chair hammock and a Brazil jersey for Joshua.
And some clothes, some shorts
Sarah got a little lizard.
This little lizard.
Oh, this little lizard here, that's right.
All that shopping made us hungry for a Brazilian lunch buffet.
I'm going to eat Brazilian food.
Special rice.
Special rice, oh! Look at that.
Special beans.
Look at that.
The girlfriend's getting excited. Yes.
And?
It's like egg farofa with meat and beans and oh my goodness.
Everything that makes you fat.
So enjoy it for now.
I will go on a diet when I go back home.
It's nice because you get a little taste of everything here.
Look at this fish here!
Oh I love palmito.
That plate's looking nice.
Vinagrete Oh, I love vinagrete
Oh, let's try Brazilian sushi.
Oh, here we go, Brazilian sushi. Look at this!
It's different than Japanese sushi but it's oh so good as well.
I'll try those two.
Wow, OK your plate is ready.
And a little bit of potato salad because there' nothing like Brazilian potato salad.
So Ruth, momma chan! She's getting a taste of home.
Sarah, let me see- what?! Oh my goodness, look at those earrings.
You look so grown up Sarah.
Oh my goodness.
Look at the size of that burger, Dude!
Good?
What?! How was it?
Oh! Very good.
What was the best?
Um, the fish.
For Sarah, the trip would keep getting better and better as well, thanks to an unexpected visitor.
Sarah, what happened? A lizard.
A lizard, look! He's right outside the window.
I don't see it.
Oh there it is, look!
And there's Becca.
Have you made friends with it Becca?
She's going to safely touch it with a leaf.
It doesn't care.
It doesn't care.
I feel like it's because it's a leaf.
OK, the Becster Booster is going to go touch it.
She made a friend with it and now...
What is wrong with you?!
This is the best day ever!
Oh, there he goes, there he goes! Look at that.
He's like "I'm outta here."
Nobody touches my tail. Bye bye now.
Another thing we love about Santarém is the Paz Church here.
It's big and exciting!
I used to lead the music team here and we have awesome memories in this place.
It's a blast to visit again and get caught up in the excitement.
There's nothing like a good church full of life.
Can we go yet?
Can we go yet?
My sister's arriving with my three nephews and we're going to go pick them up at the airport!
Hi Sarah!
Everybody's pilling into the two cars.
To celebrate Beth and her kids being with us, we had a big lunch
and then headed out to Santarém's zoo, where the cousins could enjoy a fun jungle animal experience.
Oh my monkeyness!
He's just so cute.
On top of the wall!
Aw, look at the baby on the mommy!
He's making the most of it.
Look at the baby riding on the mommy's back over there!
Both mommies.
The little baby is on that one going across.
I got it.
Look at that guys right there, see?
Anna, come see this monkey.
Oh oh! He got it from me!
Oh, he got the stick!
I'm talking with the birds right now.
Is that what you're doing?
OK
Most zoos have to fake a jungle and make it look like a jungle
This zoo doesn't have to do that.
It is literally through the jungle and it is so cool. Just beautiful.
It's cold water, I'm sure.
Whoa, what is this beast?
Anta (Ant Eater)
Pig? No, Ant Eater.
It's an Ant Eater? But look at how big it is!
It must eat a lot of ants!
Will it eat uncle's also?
That is a huge, huge dude.
That's because there's lots of ants here to eat, right?
The day of our final river trip came faster than we expected.
We would take an overnight boat up the Amazon River to the city of Juruti where we would spend the weekend.
Hi guys!
Can I go see upstairs? In just a moment.
As you prepare to travel, you need to select a good spot for your hammock.
In our case, we needed 12 spots right next to each other, so we came nice and early.
Everyone's getting their hammocks all setup, huh?
What's this?
Oh, I know what it is! It's something to suck on.
You open it here and then you suck on it.
It's super yummy.
It's kind of like a popsicle.
You bite the corner and then you suck on it. You got it there Dude?
How about you Daniel?
Did you get it? And Sarah?
Yea?
And Sammy? Is it good? Yes!
What flavor do you have there Becca? Banana.
You too Anna Banana? Ohh.
You have banana? Yea.
So I didn't realize, we're going on a line boat, I needed ID.
So I had to go back home and hope that our boat was still here.
Wow, look at that! What do you think guys?
That guy's pretty strong, huh?
How does he get it up there?
That is a good question. I'm sure he has help.
Here we go. We're going to explore a little bit.
For those who prefer a little more privacy and security, you can rent a suite with a bed, air conditioning and private toilet.
We all have access to one suite.
Alright, here it is. Suite 5.
This is nice. See?
And not very big, is it?
There's air conditioning!
Traveling on a line boat is an experience like no other, let me tell you what.
And we're getting ready to go.
Look, there's the city.
It's so bright, huh?
We're finally moving!
There goes Santarém.
So we're going to be on this boat all night.
It's about 5:00 o'clock and we're leaving Santarém.
We should get in about 7:00 AM in the morning in Juruti with one stop along the way.
It should be quite the adventure, here we go.
So, how was dinner?
Good. Yummy.
Good. Boat food is yummy.
What did you eat?
Spaghetti
Not spaghetti, noodles.
Noodles, rice, chicken
Not chicken, pork? Pork.
Salad, farinha
Something something juice. And water. And Becca.
And Becca?
Becca, what did you have? Same thing?
Yes, she had the same thing.
Look at the moon over there guys!
The moon, you can see the man on the moon tonight.
The moon's looking at that boat.
It's nice we have our own bathroom. It is, huh?
It's cold in here!
Is it?
Look at that!
You know why it's so special?
Because heaven's coming down.
It looks like that, doesn't it Sarah?
First line boat trip, what do you think?
Food is good. Air conditioning good!
Traveling on the Amazon has always fascinated me.
Many boats will travel at night because the river tends to be more calm.
On a clear night, the whole sky opens up before you,
and the horizon seems so far away you feel like you can see the curve of the earth.
If you want to sleep the whole trip away, you sure can,
but I'm far too enthralled by the trip and what I know is about to happen: sunrise on the Amazon.
We're passing the narrowest part of the Amazon downstream
Even at it's most narrow part, it's just absolutely wide and super super deep right here.
How did you sleep last night, Becca? What did you think?
Cold, because the air conditioning [imitates sound] the whole time.
And I got a huge knot.
Oh no! A hammock knot!
Oh, it's turning!
Sarah! We're on the very top of the boat!
It's so windy!
Everybody's doing their top-of-the-boat dance.
I think Sarah's flossing.
Wow, it looks like I slept in a hammock all night.
I did sleep in a hammock all night.
Juruti is a city of around 60,000 people on the Amazon River.
Chances are that at some point in your life, you bought a product that was made from aluminum that came from here.
The weekend we're about to spend here will be one that the kids remember forever.
So we've arrived here in Juruti
And we're staying at this wonderful house that they've prepared here for us this weekend while we're here.
For a conference, and we're going to be speaking at the conference with mom and dad.
We have Aunt Beth here and the kids with her
Oh, it's a lot of fun to be together.
Anna, can you give me a tour here?
There's the garage where you park.
And they're building a pool.
They're building a pool! Wow!
This house, It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms
It's pretty awesome, huh?
and one last thing...
One last thing? What is it?
A dog. A dog!
A dog. Oh!
Wow, it's just all your dreams come true!
Oh yes it is.
Hey guys, do you see where we're going? Look!
We are in the jungle, and we're going to go to a natural spring, igarapé
Where the water is cold
We came enjoying the scenery
Look at that!
I'll say "go" and then you let go.
3, 2, 1
Oh my! Let go!
OK Sarah Beara, here we go!
3, 2, 1
Let go let go! Now!
Anna's turn Here goes Anna Cakes.
Oh you scared me.
Here goes Rebecca!
Whoa Beccster!
Here comes Paul
She scares me every time she doesn't let go.
In Japan was have onsen hot water
Here we have frigid mountain water.
Even though we have no mountains, I don't know where it comes from.
Jungle water. Jungle water.
This water is cold and there's a strong current.
So my mom waits down there in case the kids don't make the curve.
She can swim and rescue them.
Oh Sarah!
Let go!
You're swimming like a little fish!
Boy, you learned it this summer!
He sure learned how to swim.
Our kids spent hours on that one rope swing,
and we had an absolute blast at this secluded jungle ranch.
Afterwards our hosts prepared a fantastic lunch for us before we headed back into town.
Oh my, this puppy has just won the hearts over of the whole family.
We came to Juruti to speak at a conference, which went the whole weekend.
The kids even got to introduce themselves in Japanese again on the night that I spoke.
When the church members found out that it was Ruth's birthday, they even planned a special surprise party afterwards.
Sarah, do you know what's happening here right now?
Mommy's birthday party!
Mommy's birthday party. But it's a surprise, she doesn't know it's happening.
It's mommy's birthday!
Yea, she always gets the surprises, huh?
She's the best mommy ever!
Well Ruth, how about this surprise? How fun!
Oh my goodness guys! It's the big sleepover time.
That night we were awoken by the sound of a thunderstorm dumping buckets of rain.
When you've witnessed an Amazon downpour, you begin to understand why the rivers are so big.
All the rain in a region nearly the size of the continental United States drains into this one river.
A couple of days after arriving, it was already time to start heading back.
But heading back wouldn't be a straightforward as coming.
The guys would be getting back a different way.
What kind of craziness is going on now?
Nate and Dad are going to go in trucks later, by car home later.
So we're separating things
And then we have to go at 6:00 to catch the 7:00 boat.
Look at the kids, they are just having fun here!
So the kids enjoyed swimming in another very unique place and then grabbed their overnight boat
while dad and I went to the last service of the weekend.
The next morning, our journey back to Santarém would commence, this time on the dirt roads of the Amazon.
So in the car today how long will it be?
Around 3, 3 1/2 hours.
Look, it even has a nice entrance...
Welcome to the road
Let's do this
The road heading from Juruti towards Santarém is a state route, and even so, it is all dirt and full of ruts, holes and an occasional chasm.
The road is so dusty that you need to put all of your luggage in garbage bags or else they will be covered in dirt.
Many small towns and communities are along the road
and helps give you a different perspective on what life in the Amazon is like for those who don't live on the river.
It's best to come prepared with your own food and water,
as you never know what you will find along the way.
I'm filiming the dust cloud behind us.
There's an English expression "Eat my dust"
Oh, cool.
Lunchtime has arrived.
For lunch, we stopped at a local shop and ate our food,
then I took the drone for a quick spin and we were back on the road again.
We had to make it to the end of the road before the ferry boat that crosses the Amazon River left for Santarém.
The road in some places was too bad to go any faster than a crawl,
but other places it was so smooth we could cruise along no problem.
It made the travel time very unpredictable,
and as soon as you got used to one style of driving, it would change to another.
This road keeps a driver on his toes.
Many bad accidents happen when a driver is caught off guard and going too fast for the conditions,
and so when we saw a commotion in front of us, we prayed it was nothing serious.
I hope nothing bad happened...
Sometimes bandits stage accidents to rob people along the way, and it was certainly a concern for us.
Hey, do you have jumper cables?
There's an electric problem.
Thanks anyway.
We didn't have jumper cables and were unable to help, and with no cell service out here, car problems can be a real bummer.
Now all the cars are together in the dirt.
It's good that the wind is taking it all that way.
It was getting late in the afternoon but soon we saw something that made us relieved.
Look there.
There's a lot of people.
There's two ferries? There are.
We weren't expecting two ferries here, and we were in for a surprise.
I think we arrived with perfect time, you know?
I'm not sure any more than this will fit.
We're already leaving!
We're leaving!
Look! Look at this girl!
She arrived just in time!
My goodness, 4:00 PM!
That's it!
Thank God! Way to go!
What craziness!
OK, you gotta see this.
Here's the GoPro that was mounted on the car.
Look at that, it's just covered in dirt!
That's what happens on the roads here.
We're on the boat!
Now it's 3 hours to Santarém? More or less, huh?
Excuse us please.
Well hey Dude, what's up?!
What's up?!
Our time in Brazil turned out even better than we were expecting.
We were able to show the kids so many different things,
and now we could think of no better way to spend our last moments together out in Alter do Chão.
I'm it! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Anna's on a mission. Going to get Momma chan.
Can she do it?
Look at these guys, just chillaxing here.
Hey, there's going to be waves.
Waves are coming!
Let's get the waves!
Oh my, waves!
Ride the waves.
Float.
Oh! Let's see it.
Oh yes!
Wait! It's going to break, it's going to break!
Well its our last full day here in Alter do Chão before we go back to get ready to go
So let's see what is going on here.
What is everybody doing right before we travel.
It looks like there's games going on here: Memory.
Rummikub, the classic of Alter do Chão.
It looks like Beth is moving in for the kill maybe.
And it looks like one last puzzle has been started in hopes that it can be finished in time.
And there's one last Alter do Chão tradition to do: the whirlpool.
Oh the whirlpool stopped!
No! It stopped?!
Coming around. Coming around. Making the loop.
Booster!
OK, float! Float! Float!
We're stuck.
Anna was not in the whirlpool!
It's too cold.
Too cold?!
Throw her in the pool!
Here we go. Watch out, Paul!
On three Three!
Here at the end of our trip we had done it all, or almost everything.
There's still one last thing Ruth wanted to get in.
What is going on?
So I am going to go eat one of my favorite regional foods.
It's called Tacaca.
It's made with shrimp
This sauce called "Tucupí"
And goma, which is like this — I don't know what it is in English.
I can't even explain, I will show you.
Beth, you want one? I do.
Goma? Goma of tapioca.
Jumbu (a green leaf)
Ah, it's so good.
shrimp
How much is it? 12 (Reals)
Thank you
Look.
This one is well made
It's good and full
It says — look what it says on the side!
Paz, it says paz (peace)
Ruth, is this what you're remembering?
So good?
A fitting way to end our time in Alter do Chão.
The twins got their banana chips.
You like your banana chips Anna? Yea.
I like my banana chips, I don't like my bananas.
Look at these guys. Do you guys like Tacaca?
Yea. Yes?! Oh wow.
It's way easier using the chopstick.
It is like half Japanese, isn't it?
It's only half Japanese because you only get one side of the chopstick.
So Joshua, tell me: how has your time in Brazil been?
Not so good?!
I said "massive good!"
Massive good, alright! That's cool.
Do you have a favorite at all from our whole time here?
It's kind of a hard choice, but I feel like it was the pool.
Yea, you swam so much with your goggles they look like they left and indent on your eyes.
What was your favorite thing here in Brazil?
Being with Vovó and Vovô
Being with Vovó and Vovô, that's very special, isn't it?
I don't want to leave.
You don't want to leave? I know, we're going to have to go back.
How about you Sarah? What was your favorite thing about being in Brazil?
Everything.
Everything! Well what was the very top of everything?!
Everything! Everything!!
The whole trip was awesome, huh?
Yea, but I don't want to go back.
Oh, you don't want to go back either?
What has been your favorite so far? Do you have a favorite at all?
That water place by the beach.
Oh yea.
Playing at Alter do Chão and going on boat trips
And spending time with Vovó and Vovô.
Did you say the swing?
And the swing.
Oh, very cool
It's our last night to enjoy Dad's famous French fries.
As Joshua calls them "Heaven's Fries."
Look at this contraption here! That is like, solid!
Serious stuff!
With our last night setting in, I went out to see if I could get some last images of Alter do Chão
and hopefully catch one more Amazon sunset if possible.
I would not be disappointed.
One of my favorite things here is seeing the sunset,
Because the sunset here in the Amazon is something that's just amazing.
It's always so golden and so orange and so brilliant
And always so vibrant, like you've got the colors turned up on your camera.
And it happens super fast because you're on the equator.
So when the sun moves, it really moves.
And that's it. It goes fast, see?
Just a couple of minutes, and it's all done.
Look at those fries, oh my goodness!
Heaven's fries, almost ready.
So we sat down for one more dinner together,
French Fries!
and afterwards had one last swim,
before we all climbed into our beds for the night.
Oh my, you have your doggy there?
Look, Joshua's already out.
And then in here — where's the Booster?
Where's the Booster?
There she is!
Night night Alter do Chão, and pleasant dreams everyone!
The next days will be big ones.
OK, let's push.
Alright, here we go.
It's OK, don't be sad.
Four more months and Vovó is going to come back.
Oh yea, that's nice, huh?
And Joshua and... Sammy right close to Joshua.
And then Paul's going there
1, 2, 3, ok!
Oh yes. It won't be long before we'll be back together again.
Keep smiling.
We had so much fun, didn't we?
Love you, sweetie.
Bye Dad, thanks for everything.
Oh, you're so welcome.
This was so fun. It was.
It was a great time.
The End But wait...
On the next episode of Life in Japan, we begin our 5-day journey back home to Japan with some very special stops along the way,
but when we get only a hour from home, a car breakdown strands us on the side of the road,
making our return one of the most interesting experiences I've ever had.
Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss the next Life in Japan.
The police are behind us and the wrecker is in front of us
Oh my goodness, look at this! It's so wild!