We did not have a hotel/hostel yet upon our arrival in Manaus. So Rafaela asked some people in the port where we could find an internet cafe. We had a little bit of walking to do. Quickly we realized again that, stepping a few yards away from the river, it was HOT again. And humid. And Tini's backpack, which goes by the name of Martin, weighs a whopping 22 kg, and her smaller front pack another 8-10 kg. So walking with all that luggage is not easy for her. After about 10 minutes we found the place, and were able to book 4 beds in a hostel that was fairly close - another 10 minutes walking got us there.
Swimming with the pink dolphins ...
Visited a native tribe. Unfortunately all those close enough to the outside world have started somewhat loosing their ways and catering to tourists (such as myself).
The village is still quite bare, at the very end I see a simple outhouse.
As in all those locations, they perform some kind of ritual dance and then ask all the tourists to join ..
I saw regular clothes hanging over the drying lines in the back, so I assume they only put on their traditional "fashion" when tourists are around. They say there is no electricity, but I found this covered flat screen with a DVD player in one of the huts in the back ... :D
When we head out, our driver suddenly takes a turn and takes us into smaller riverways ...
This part I now find exciting! ;-)
And here we are for our lunch stop - after riding through this narrow river for a while, we suddenly end up in this larger "lake" on the river.
The food, even though it was very good, was going to came back and haunt us the following night/day.
As we head out from lunch, our boat driver suddenly turns off right into the jungle, maneuvering his way through bushes and the trees.
Glad I don't have to cut that one, probably about 3 m wide.
After heading with us right through the swamp for about 20 minutes, we arrive at one of these locations where they show you all kinds of animals. In this pond they had a bunch of large fish, probably about 5 feet (1.5 m) long each. For 10 Reales you could buy 3 pieces of bait to give them. Once the bait touches the water, they are on it ...
... and they are f.... strong!!!
Then they finally release the beast!!!
The mighty Anaconda, famous around the world. A girl that was sitting ahead of me in the boat told us that three days ago an Anaconda had take a small, 20 year old guy. Large Anacondas supposedly can swallow small human, and even have been known to swallow small cows. If the prey they eat is too large, they have to "throw it up" again and supposedly die.
On our way back we cross the place where the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimões rivers join to officially form the Amazon river (the Rio Negro is often referred to as the Amazon as well). The waters of each river are clearly visible as the Rio Negro appears dark (even though it is very clear), while the Rio Solimões appears brownish/dirty (see below). It is said that the waters run side by side for quite a while before they actually mix.
Gas station on the Amazon river outside Manaus harbor.
Concluding thoughts:
The size of this river is unbelievable, I have never seen anything like it. I was positively surprised by how pleasant it was to travel on - not hot, not humid, no mosquitos. Anyhow who is contemplating an Amazon river cruise, I would highly recommend it. (I recommend going downstream though). There are first-class cruise ships, at the appropriate price of course.
After a shower and lunch, we want to explore the city a bit, especially Teatro de Amazonas, the most famous building of the city from a time when Manaus was still one of the most prosperous cities in South America. Since we have to wait 45 minutes for a tour, we head to a fruit juice store to stack up on our vitamins.
The theater reminded me a lot of Teatro Juarez in Guanajuato, Mexico, they are very similar in style and I assume they were built around the same time.
A model built with Legos.
The theater reminded me a lot of Teatro Juarez in Guanajuato, Mexico, they are very similar in style and I assume they were built around the same time.
A model built with Legos.
Day 2 in Manaus:
The girls (Anja and Tini) are taking another River boat today, continuing to Belem for another 4 days. So after 6 weeks I say good-bye with a heavy heart - it's been a great time, and I wish you both lots of fun and amazing experiences for the remainder of your travel.
Rafaela and I have booked a 1-day tour into the jungle today.
Swimming with the pink dolphins ...
The village is still quite bare, at the very end I see a simple outhouse.
As in all those locations, they perform some kind of ritual dance and then ask all the tourists to join ..
I saw regular clothes hanging over the drying lines in the back, so I assume they only put on their traditional "fashion" when tourists are around. They say there is no electricity, but I found this covered flat screen with a DVD player in one of the huts in the back ... :D
When we head out, our driver suddenly takes a turn and takes us into smaller riverways ...
This part I now find exciting! ;-)
And here we are for our lunch stop - after riding through this narrow river for a while, we suddenly end up in this larger "lake" on the river.
The food, even though it was very good, was going to came back and haunt us the following night/day.
As we head out from lunch, our boat driver suddenly turns off right into the jungle, maneuvering his way through bushes and the trees.
Glad I don't have to cut that one, probably about 3 m wide.
After heading with us right through the swamp for about 20 minutes, we arrive at one of these locations where they show you all kinds of animals. In this pond they had a bunch of large fish, probably about 5 feet (1.5 m) long each. For 10 Reales you could buy 3 pieces of bait to give them. Once the bait touches the water, they are on it ...
Then they finally release the beast!!!
On our way back we cross the place where the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimões rivers join to officially form the Amazon river (the Rio Negro is often referred to as the Amazon as well). The waters of each river are clearly visible as the Rio Negro appears dark (even though it is very clear), while the Rio Solimões appears brownish/dirty (see below). It is said that the waters run side by side for quite a while before they actually mix.
Gas station on the Amazon river outside Manaus harbor.
Concluding thoughts:
The size of this river is unbelievable, I have never seen anything like it. I was positively surprised by how pleasant it was to travel on - not hot, not humid, no mosquitos. Anyhow who is contemplating an Amazon river cruise, I would highly recommend it. (I recommend going downstream though). There are first-class cruise ships, at the appropriate price of course.
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