city, very different from what you think of when you hear about Rio or
San Paolo. It's a bit industrial, and again you can see the colonial
influences in the buildings and churches. There was an interesting
touch of modernity in their malls, that reminded me of one you would
find in Southern California. We arrived on a Sunday, and the first
thing we went to go see what the Teatro Amazonas. It was an amazing
opera house, and it just so happened that when we went to see it, an
orchestra was going to be performing. So, we decided to stay and
watch. It was such a nice treat, the music was wonderful and
soothing, and the building sheltered us from the intense sweltering
heat, that one of my colleagues so aptly described as making her feel
like a piece of bacon.
It was a great way to start our stay in Manaus. That evening a few of
the Brazillian representatives on the ship organized a Samba night for
SAS folks, so we all journeyed by taxi to the street festival where a
band, performers, and lots of people were there to create an amazing
atmosphere. We had a great time, got to dance ourselves, and feel the
Brazillian Samba culture first hand.
A few other highlights include: swimming with pink dolphins in the Rio
Negro; trekking through the Amazon to see the largest tree there,
seeing huge lily pads, riding a few different boats to navigate the
river, fishing for piranhas, and seeing a sloth (which Mark got to
hold), and visiting a manatee rescue/conservation center, which was
very impressive. During our hike through the rainforest, we saw a
village woman who had a sloth, and was handing him to the group to get
money from us for pictures. It was actually a bit heartbreaking,
because this beautiful little creature was just getting passed around,
and it was actually really cute. Well, I think he summoned mother
nature to his rescue, because after a few minutes, it started pouring
rain hard. I don't think that I've ever seen it rain that hard
before, and we were all caught (mostly unprepared), and had to run
back to shelter. It was actually super fun, and we all were
cherishing this moment, knowing it would be a memory of the Amazon we
wouldn't forget.
We also got to see the 'Meeting of the Waters' where the Amazon and
Rio Negro rivers meet. It was so interesting to see the line
separating the dark dark chocolate color of the Rio Negro, and the
cafe con leche color of the Amazon. There are a few reasons that the
waters don't blend at that point: temperature difference (the Rio
Negro is warmer); Acidity, and Density. It takes 18 feet for the
waters to blend together.
Overall, I had a great time in the Amazon, and as we were sailing
through, kept having to pinch myself thinking, we are actually on the
Amazon right now. It was a treat. Brazil itself was not a country of
extreme poverty, but has one of the highest inequality rates in the
world (gap between rich and poor). While we didn't get to see every
aspect in the few short days we had, we are so thankful for what we
did get to see in the forest and villages we visited.
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