Manaus
New Year's Day - January 1st
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Day One - January 2nd
From the moment we landed in Manaus we hit the ground running. After collecting our luggage at the baggage claim, we immediately met our guides, Rafael, Marcus and Tayke, who would be showing us around the city for the next 3 days. As we drove through downtown Manaus on our way to the hotel, Rafael spoke about some of the city's history. It was during this bus ride that it finally hit me, I was in Brazil! Since I was unable to sleep on either of our flights, I made it a point to catch a few minutes of sleep on the bus, and before I knew it we were parked in front of the Taj Mahal hotel.
Upon picking our roommates and receiving our room keys, we were given a few minutes to freshen up before starting our activity for the day. All 17 of us met as a group in the lobby and then walked down the street to a traditional Brazilian style buffet. There were so many food choices to pick from it was almost overwhelming. I loaded up my plate with fresh fruits and veggies and then was told to place my plate on a scale. I found this pricing system to be very interesting. You were charged by how much your plate of food weighed. My first experience with authentic Brazilian food was a success, everything was delicious! After our lunch, Rafael led us around the corner to a small plaza known as San Sebastian Square. While standing in this open space I found myself appreciating the feeling of the sun's warm rays on my skin, and thinking about how thankful I was to be away from New Jersey's cold weather. Facing the center of the square was a famous opera house. The story behind this notable building was that it originated due to the commercialization of rubber sap in Brazil. The sap from this tree species was commonly termed "white gold" due to the fact that it made some people very rich. The individuals involved in selling the rubber sap for a profit were called "rubber barons". From the year 1890 to 1912, Brazil had become a very famous country for this reason alone. In an attempt to attract more people to the Amazon and gain an even larger profit, the government constructed the opera house in 1896. Many famous operas were shown here, the most prominent being Ogaranui. One fact about the opera house that caught my attention was that the sidewalks surrounding the building were made of bricks mixed with rubber sap. Horse and buggies were used as transportation at the time and these special bricks muffled the noise of horse hooves on the pavement, so as not to disturb the people enjoying the entertainment inside. Following our tour of San Sebastian Square, we were picked up by our private bus and brought to the Museu da Amazonia (MUSA) Botanical Gardens. It started down pouring upon our arrival to the Amazon forest reserve. In my opinion, the rain made our tour around the garden much more fun. Our guide led us to a small pond filled with giant lily pads, showed us several aquariums stocked with native species of fish, and brought us to an exhibit filled with the most common venomous snakes found in Brazil. Next he brought us on a short hike through the rainforest to a huge lookout tower, which we then proceeded to climb. The strenuous ascend to the top was so worth it; the view was absolutely breathtaking! Coincidentally enough, the rain stopped and the sky cleared to reveal an unforgettable view of the Amazon rainforest. This particular area of land was originally protected to prevent further development of the forest. From the top of the tower we were able to see the extent of the developed city, as well as the well-defined line between urbanization and the rainforest. The view of the forest from this vantage point was simply magical. We were able to watch as clouds formed above the tree tops as a result of a natural phenomenon, known as evapotranspiration. We also saw peregrine falcons and listened to the calls of blue-and-gold macaws as they flew past the tower. It seemed as though we stayed up there for hours, and I'm definitely not complaining. We watched the sunset over the horizon and took tons of pictures in an attempt to capture the moment. The pictures just don't do it justice. Appreciating nature from the top of this observatory tower was one of my most memorable experiences from this trip. |
Day Two - January 3rd
We had a very early start the following morning. We quickly ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then headed down to the water to get a look at the fish market. This market was a huge part of the Brazilian culture. Locals would come here to buy fresh meat and fish, fruits and vegetables, herbal medicines, and handmade crafts. Each side of the market was dedicated to the different products. We had the opportunity to walk through the market and do a little bit of shopping for ourselves. As I walked through the aisles containing a wide variety of fish I remember thinking it smelled very off-putting. I am so not a fan of that fishy smell. I also took note of the large number of species on display and began to wonder how many of them were being sold illegally. A few of the Amazonian fish species are endangered or threatened, but many people still fish for them and sell them for a profit. The fact that they are illegal makes them much more desirable to some of the locals.
Next, I moved onto the meat section of the market. Every possible part of the animal I can think of was being sold here. Cow tongue, intestines, stomach lining, liver, and hooves were some of the body parts on display. Lastly, I browsed through the portion of the market containing fruits, vegetables, and herbal medicines. This area smelled amazing; nice and fresh. During the allotted time to shop in the stands consisting of hand crafted goods, I chose to buy myself and loved ones a few souvenirs, then I took some pictures, and OF COURSE found some stray dogs to pet, who then proceeded to follow me around the market as if they were my own (I surely did not mind). Once everyone was done shopping, we walked along the water and looked at the huge boats that were anchored all along the port. Hundreds of vendors would ride on these boats in order to bring their products to the market each day. Many of the boats are so jam packed with people that everyone is forced to sleep side by side in hammocks that they hang from the support beams of the deck. Upon concluding our tour of the market, we were picked up by our bus and taken to a boat dock a few miles away. We boarded a three story yacht and spent the entire day on the Rio Negro. We were headed for the meeting of the waters, that is the point at which the Rio Negro and the Solomones River come in contact with each other, but never mix. We made several stops along the banks of the river before arriving at our final destination. The first stop was at an indigenous village where we had the chance to watch a tribe perform some of their ceremonial dances. It amazed me to learn that this tribe depended solely on the resources provided by the Amazon rainforest and river, although they were able move to the mainland if they so wished. They had an agreement with the government that allowed tribe members to attend school and get a good education so they were not so behind on the ways of modern civilization. During the final performance, the natives took each of us by the hand and allowed us to participate in a farewell dance. I danced with the cutest little boy playing a handcrafted flute, and I had the biggest smile on my face throughout the entire time, as did the other students in my group. We were having the time of our lives. On our way to the second stop of our tour, we were given a presentation by a woman named Colleen. She was a Canadian researcher living in Brazil for the time being. The presentation consisted of information on the Rio Negro and the Amazon basin. The Amazon is comprised of 20% of all the world's freshwater, which makes sense once you realize that the basin is about 5 times the size of Texas. The Rio Negro is just one of its many tributaries, as well as the second largest river in the world. One interesting fact I learned from the presentation was that mosquitoes are actually unable to breed on the Rio Negro due to the high concentrations of tannin in the water. All of this time I was falsely under the impression that the Amazon was the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and that I would be swarmed by them the second I was in close proximity to the river. I was pleased to find out how wrong I was. Colleen also gave us some background information on the meeting of the waters. The two rivers never mix because of their very different temperatures and densities. Also due to the fact that the Rio Negro is old and slow, while the Solomones River is much more new and flows at a faster rate. Rafael and the other tour guides had prepared a snack for us in order to hold us over until lunch. They had made us little acai bowls with fresh fruit. This was the first time I had tasted unsweetened acai and man, was it bitter. You could have added several spoonfuls of sugar to the smoothies to sweeten them up, but I chose to take the healthy route and endure the bitterness. The third activity scheduled for the day was to swim with the pink river dolphins. The majority of us did not participate in the activity due to the fact that we were under the impression that the dolphins were held captive. Although, the few students that did choose to go in the water looked like they had a lot of fun. Right before we left I learned that I had actually missed out on a really cool experience. The locals working on the floating dock informed us that, in fact, the dolphins were not penned in. They just chose to stay in the area because they were getting an easy meal. Even though I didn't swim with the dolphins, I still took some really cool pictures of them jumping out of the water. As we made our way to lunch we were able to see many houses built on stilts along the banks of the river. The inhabitants of these houses did so as to avoid the rising waters during the rainy season. It was crazy to see just how much the area actually flooded. I had only learned about it in the videos we were required to watch before traveling, so it was interesting to be able to see it first-hand. Finally, we came across a floating restaurant that offered an all-you-can-eat style buffet. I was in absolute heaven. Maybe I was just hungry, but the food tasted AMAZING. After lunch we walked up a steep bridge located behind the restaurant. To our surprise, the bridge was filled with Capuchin and squirrel monkeys waiting to be fed. I gave them some pieces of banana, touched one on the head and took a million pictures of their sweet little faces. Now that our bellies were happy and our cameras were filled with pictures of monkeys, we boarded the boat and headed towards the meeting of the waters. It was fascinating to see how the rivers flowed alongside each other for quite a long distance without ever mixing. After basking in the hot sun all day, we couldn't resist but to take a dip in the cool water. Almost all of us jumped off the back of the boat right into the river. I personally experienced the different flow rates of the rivers after being swept away by the fast current of the Solomones River. Our tour guide Marcus had to jump in and save me. Once we were done swimming we all moved to the front of the boat to dry off and watch the sunset. We listened to music and our professor, Tait, showed us a few salsa moves. There were lots of laughs, pictures were taken, and memories were made. I remember thinking that it still felt like a dream to be in Brazil. We slowly made our way back to the dock where our bus was waiting to take us to the hotel. Each of us took a quick shower and then we met downstairs in the lobby to find somewhere to eat as a group. We wandered around the streets of Manaus trying to find a place that would fit all 17 of us for dinner. As always, the food was great. Almost every night someone was scheduled to give a presentation on a topic of their choosing. Even though we were all super exhausted, we would meet in one of our rooms and project our PowerPoints onto the wall. It was very informal. One of the students even gave her presentation with a towel still wrapped around her head from her shower. Although I was definitely ready for bed, I enjoyed this nightly routine. We would reflect on our daily activities and talk about everything we had learned throughout the day. It was the perfect way to end the night. |
Day Three - January 4th
Waking up early was becoming the norm. We had quite a long day ahead of us and needed to get an early start to fit everything in as planned. The first activity on our itinerary was a hike through the Amazon rainforest. Every so often we would stop on the trails and Rafael would teach us many interesting facts about some of the trees and plants inhabiting the area. I loved learning about what the local people used each plant for. Whether it be for medicine or for making simple toys for their children, it still seemed to fascinate me. A little while into our hike we came across a sandstone cave with a small stream running through it. Before we walked through the cave we were required to put on masks to protect us from the toxic particulates floating through the air inside. Bats are known to carry a deadly disease know as Hantavirus, which can be transmitted through their urine and feces. We may have looked like tourists for sure, but there was no way I was going to put myself at risk of breathing those toxins in. Once in the cave, we all used our flashlights to look at the creatures living within this strange environment.The floor of the cave was literally crawling with spider crickets. On one of the walls of the cave we saw a tailless whip scorpion and a wandering spider, which is actually the world's most venomous spider. Although I'm not a huge fan of bugs, it was pretty cool to see these guys in their natural habitat. There were also bats EVERYWHERE. At one point in the tour our guides asked everyone to turn off their flashlights so we could get an idea of how dark the cave really was. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. While standing there in the eerie darkness, they told us a creepy story of a man that got lost in a cave and never found his way out because his flashlight died.Then they taught us that if you ever get lost in a cave you should follow the way the water is moving since it eventually makes its way back outside. Letting the water flow through your fingers can help you to feel which direction it is moving. I know I will NEVER forget this bit of information, so hopefully, if I ever get lost in a cave, it has some water flowing through it. Otherwise I'm in trouble. The entire time we were inside the cavern we had no choice but to walk through ankle deep water. This put my new hiking boots to the test, seeing as though they claimed to be water proof, and guess what, they passed!
After our hike we made our way back to the reserve for lunch. Once everyone was finished eating we walked as a group down to a river that was suitable for swimming. There were some waterfalls for us to play in and a big wooden platform that we could run down and jump off of into the refreshing water. We had so much fun at this place, it was hard for us to leave. We all walked back to the bus which then drove us to a geopark where we learned about the different rock formations in the area. It was so crazy for me to think about the history of these rocks. How the heck did these giant, solid structures even get here. I still can't wrap my head around it. By the end of our fun-filled day it began to dawn on me that this was our last night in Manaus.The trip had been amazing thus far and I couldn't imagine anything else being able to top it. The bus took us back to our hotel where we said goodbye to the greatest tour guides in the world. Then we showered, ate dinner, gave presentations, and hung out until about 11pm. It was time to leave Manaus. Although I was excited to explore the remaining cities in the next chapter of our trip, Manaus will always hold a special place in my heart. I got to experience the best three days of my life in this city. The bus drove us to the airport and we arrived just in time for our 1:30am flight. I was hoping to get some sleep on the 4 hour plane ride, but of course that didn't happen. Our next adventure in Rio de Janeiro was about to begin. |