Belem, formerly named Para, and in the state of Para, is the main seaport serving Amazonia. Quaint and somewhat seedy, I found it quite romantic. We spent 10 days here trying to arrange river transport to Manaus for our car and ourselves. This involved lengthy negotiations with all manner of shipping agents, touts, taxi drivers, and friendly locals. Depending on who we talked to, the price varied by a factor of 2, even on the same boat. We eventually found a good price on a boat large enough to carry the car. We even got a small cabin, rather than slinging a hammock between decks as do most passengers.