Jungle Trek and Jostling Crowds

Today has been a day of great contrast. This morning we took a small river boat and travelling for about an hour to the Rio Negro. There, we disembarked and with guides, went on a two hour trek through the jungle. Our guides were very good, and approached it from the perspective of 'how to survive in the jungle.' They showed us many things....how to get water from a water vine (although this can be dangerous as the water vine looks very much like a poisonous vine). Steve and I both had a 'drink' from this vine and sure enough, it tasted like nothing....just like water!

We also drank tea made from three different tree barks...one for malaria (quinine); one from cocoa tree (relaxation!!??) and I can't remember the third one, but it tasted like cloves. We ate brazil nuts that we picked up off the ground, and one fellow in our group ate a big fat grub that was in the nut pod. Our guide said this was a good source of protein and quite tasty, tasting like coconut. We declined his offer to try it ourselves.

We also learned how to make poison....just like how the Indians made the poison for their darts. It is astonishing how easy it is to make. We learned how to make two kinds of traps to trap animals, and how to make shelter, start a fire from nothing, and trap rainwater. We fully expect to put some of these newfound skills to work at our cabin on Grand Lake!

We saw a tarantula, some very poisonous ants which were huge, and a tree that was crawling with 4 inch long caterpillars. All in all, the experience was one that we will always remember.

Once we got back to the ship, we had a quick shower and lunch, and headed out to explore Manaus, which is a city of 1,000,000 and serves as a distribution hub for the Amazon. It is an extremely interesting place to visit, but boy, I wouldn't want to live here. Perhaps because it is a port city, it is very dirty, very busy, and quite run down. At its height, it was called the “Paris” of Brazil. The wealth of the rubber barons was so great that they built beautiful palaces and private residences. Many of these buildings are now derelict, although the Palace of Justice and the Opera House are still beautiful and still being used.

What was most striking about the city however, was the number of outdoor clothing stalls, indoor clothing and shoe stores, and just the sheer amount of commerce that was being conducted for blocks and blocks. It reminded us of parts of Asia, especially when we saw men hurrying past us with bales of clothing balanced on their heads.

I checked several stores/stalls and it looked as though all the clothing was made in Brazil. The prices were incredibly cheap....but so was the quality. Again, reminiscent of parts of Asia.

On the way back to the ship we stopped for an orange juice in the middle of all this commerce and just people watched. Quite incredible. Overall impression.....glad we saw it, but once was enough.

Tomorrow we make a stop in Boca de Valeria. I don't think there is much there. There are no organized shore excursions, so it must be quite remote. 

 THESE CATERPILLERS ARE 4 TO 5 INCHES LONG. THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF THEM MARCHING UP A TALL TREE.

A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER THAT WE SAW GROWING IN THE JUNGLE.

 HERE OUR GUIDE DEMONSTRATES HOW TO MAKE POISON, THE KIND THAT THE INDIANS USED TO DIP THEIR ARROWS INTO. VERY DEADLY...AND EXTREMELY EASY TO MAKE.

JUST CALL ME BWANA.....HERE A YOUNG BOY CLEANS STEVE'S BOOTS AFTER OUR JUNGLE TREK. IT LOOKS LIKE HE WAS BORN TO THIS, DOESN'T IT?

 COMING INTO MANAUS ON THE AMAZON RIVER. THIS IS A SHOT OF THE SLUM PART OF THE CITY, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE HIGH RISES TO THE RIGHT. UNFORTUNATELY, MUCH OF THE CITY IS DIRTY AND IN DESPERATE NEED OF SOME FIXING UP. TWO NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS ARE THE PALACE OF JUSTICE AND THE OPERA HOUSE.

 I TOOK THIS PHOTO FROM OUR SHIP. DOZENS OF TRUCKS WERE ON THE DOCK LOADING THESE RIVERBOATS. EVERYTHING ON THE RIVER IS SHIPPED BY BOAT, AND MANAUS IS THE MAIN (ONLY?) SHIPPING HUB.