John
03-16-2009, 08:17 AM
Prince Charles had women lining up to dance with him as he visited a village in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, despite being in one of the most remote parts of the world.
No Shortage Of Dance Partners For Prince With his wife engaged elsewhere, he took a twirl with the state governor, Ana Julia de Vasconcelos Carepa, before trying out his moves on a 20-year old village girl called Nayara.
It was more of an enthusiastic jive than a samba but the Prince's impromptu performance proved quite a hit with the crowd who clapped and cheered him on.
Around 400 locals had gathered to welcome him, some of whom had walked for the entire day to catch a glimpse of the future King.
The Prince too had made a lengthy pilgrimage to reach them.
We joined him on his private plane from the Amazonian capital Manaus to the city of Santarem.
Then it was an hour's drive on bumpy roads to the port of Alter do Chao where we set off on a 90-minute boat trip up the mighty Amazon river to the village of Maguari.
Prince Charles was eager to learn how this community makes a living from the forest without destroying it.
He was shown some of the many products they make from local and sustainable resources - like jewellery from seeds, furniture from fallen wood, and bags made from latex extracted from rubber trees.
As he toured the village craft centre, the Prince was presented with a necklace and a rather fetching rubber sun-hat but seemed a little reluctant to part with his panama.
Eco-tourism also provides the Maguari community with an income and Prince Charles was taken on a guided tour through the forest trails arm in arm with his hostess.
His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, did not join him in the Brazilian rainforest.
She had a series of separate engagements including a boat trip to the world-famous "meeting of the waters" phenomenon where the dark waters of the Rio Negro and the clay-coloured Rio Solimoes flow side by side but do not merge.
The royal couple are on a ten-day tour of South America. They have already visited Chile and their next stop is Ecuador and the Galapagos islands.
No Shortage Of Dance Partners For Prince With his wife engaged elsewhere, he took a twirl with the state governor, Ana Julia de Vasconcelos Carepa, before trying out his moves on a 20-year old village girl called Nayara.
It was more of an enthusiastic jive than a samba but the Prince's impromptu performance proved quite a hit with the crowd who clapped and cheered him on.
Around 400 locals had gathered to welcome him, some of whom had walked for the entire day to catch a glimpse of the future King.
The Prince too had made a lengthy pilgrimage to reach them.
We joined him on his private plane from the Amazonian capital Manaus to the city of Santarem.
Then it was an hour's drive on bumpy roads to the port of Alter do Chao where we set off on a 90-minute boat trip up the mighty Amazon river to the village of Maguari.
Prince Charles was eager to learn how this community makes a living from the forest without destroying it.
He was shown some of the many products they make from local and sustainable resources - like jewellery from seeds, furniture from fallen wood, and bags made from latex extracted from rubber trees.
As he toured the village craft centre, the Prince was presented with a necklace and a rather fetching rubber sun-hat but seemed a little reluctant to part with his panama.
Eco-tourism also provides the Maguari community with an income and Prince Charles was taken on a guided tour through the forest trails arm in arm with his hostess.
His wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, did not join him in the Brazilian rainforest.
She had a series of separate engagements including a boat trip to the world-famous "meeting of the waters" phenomenon where the dark waters of the Rio Negro and the clay-coloured Rio Solimoes flow side by side but do not merge.
The royal couple are on a ten-day tour of South America. They have already visited Chile and their next stop is Ecuador and the Galapagos islands.