Day 2 - 5.23.03
6AM - I awoke with this morning with the sun, which painted the sky with fantastical shades of red, orange, and yellow. Botos, or Amazon pink dolphins, are in the area, but are difficult to spot because they spend little time on the surface. Time to grab a pick-me-up...
830AM - After sampling some Brazilian coffee, we canoed through the flooded forests, or "igapos." Amazing!! We saw huge termite nests, monkeys, macaws, and toucans. Then something unexpected happened: our way back was blocked by "floating grasses," some of which reached almost 3 feet in height. We had no choice but to go through the uncleared forest. Our guide stood at the front of the canoe, hacking away at the jungle. Tons of insects fell into our boat: colorful crickets, weird-looking ants, spiders, and some odd "twig" insect. Almost everyone was freaking out. When all was said and done, we had bypassed almost 150 yards of "floating grass." Arriving back at our boat, we were greeted by some "cablocos," or natives with Portuguese in their blood. A young boy had a boa constrictor with him, but he older men were holding a 9-10 ft. anaconda! As I went around to hold it, it tried to leap out at me (it obviously wasn't happy), but the two men restrained it, and it could only hiss...phew... An early morning on the water calls for a good breakfast: fried plantains, eggs, papaya, Amazon pineapple, pound-cake, and of course orange juice...mmm...
10AM - We have been in the January Lake Preserve, which is famous for their "Victoria Regia Lilies." These are giant water lilies, some being 3 ft. across. Rather than disturb them with our boat, we walked through the jungle on a narrow boardwalk to reach them. There weren't many flowers, but we did see a small caiman poking its head out of the water. After this, we visited a floating crafts store, where everything was made right there in the jungle. There were so many unique and cool things...damn Customs' restrictions...
1PM - The "Meeting of the Waters," one of the most phenomenal sights I have ever seen. Two rivers converge here off the coast of Manaus, but do not mix. It is a river within a river. The Rio Negro, which looks like dark coffee or tea, flows from Colombia and Venezuela in the north. It is about 6 degrees warmer than the other river, the Solimoes, which is light brown and flows down from the Andes Mountains. This temperature difference is one reason why the rivers don't mix. The Rio Negro also has a lower pH (~4.5) and a different velocity than the Rio Solimoes, further inhibiting their mixing together. I could actually feel the temperature difference when I passed my hand through the actual "meeting"...amazing...
3PM - After resting in our hammocks for awhile, staring out at the vastness of the Rio Negro, we came to a very small, white sand beach. Perfect timing...we were all beginning to stink. I was stunned when I jumped in. The water had a reddish tint to it...it looked exactly like tea!! It also felt like bath-water, but nonetheless refreshing.
5PM - A storm is brewing...thunder and lightning fill the distant sky. The brave souls that we are, we have just decided to leave for our second flooded forest canoe excursion...
730PM - We just sat down to a great dinner on the boat, eating by flashlight. Tucunare, an Amazon fish, was the main dish. Simply amazing, except for the bones. We sipped caipirinhas (lime, sugar, & cachaca), talked, and admired the night sky, which was littered with stars of the Milky Way and the Southern Cross.
930PM - We have decided to have a party on a nearby hill. The boathands have already started a bonfire and brought some Brazilian music to the top...fun times ahead...
P.S. - Everything that has happened thus far seems so surreal: sleeping in hammocks, swimming in red water, pink dolphins, massive trees, phenomenal wildlife...amazing! And the best part is we aren't staying in some air-conditioned hotel and the like. We aren't exactly a bunch of Tarzans, but this is rainforest life...
