Belem is the capital of the state of para, a massive and rich stretch of land and rivers that shares the heart of the amazon basin with the state of amazonas to its west. i didnt find it the most pleasant city, but i only spent two days there, not enough to really get to know it. the one area where i spent some time was one of its fish ports, a messy, dirty, but incredibly dynamic place always buzzing with activity, not all of it pleasant ;).