Leaving Manaus, Brazil…

The ship left Manaus about 5pm.  I always like to watch what happens as the final preparations are made, and I’ve documented it with a couple of pictures.

The Brazilian version of the Coast Guard is checking things out.  Note the water in the wake.  It's a "tea" color.  That's the natural color of the Rio Negro.

Lots of activity around us as the two local boats prepare to leave, too.  Travel can take several days between cities by boat.

Everyone brings a hammock for local boat travel.  They sleep and rest in the hammocks during the long journey.  These guys have gotten ready for the journey, and I can see it with the help of my zoom lens.

The floating dock in Manaus is connected by a floating road  to the port

Note the pontoons that are used to form the floating dock.  It holds buses, cars, and all other heavy equipment.

As we leave, you can see the neighborhood around the harbor.  It's safe during the day, but becomes a "red light" district at night.  Note the floating gas station for boats.

Lots of unassembled product parts come into Manaus, assembled by local workers, and then loaded for transport to cities around the world.  Was your TV assembled in Brazil? 

Manaus Day 2: A day touring the city…

Manaus has had an interesting history.  It rose in wealth with the vulcanization of rubber.  However, the seeds to rubber plants were stolen and taken to other parts of the world.  There was a bust.  Today it is an industrial center.  Parts come in from other parts of the world and they are assembled in Manaus.  Major manufacturers are here in this small city on the Amazon River.

I visited the Teatro Amazonas Opera House as part of the tour.  It was completed in 1896, and it was supposed to give you the impression you were looking up under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

With the rubber boom, this home was built by a German businessman in order to convince his wife to move to Manaus.

This is a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge in miniature. 

The front entrance of the Amazon Opera House is very grand.

The square and church are next door to the theater.

A view from the side.  You can see the tiled dome.

The workman were preparing the stained glass as our group visited the building.

A large and ornate government building from the time of great wealth in Manaus.

The interior of the opera house is beautiful.

The best seats are the orchestra seats below, butt he rich wanted to be seen in the boxes that are in the balconies.

The ceiling is meant to resemble looking up under the Eiffel Tower.

The Opera House was completed in 1896.  I'm glad they added air conditioning in the 1990s.  It was a cool respite from the heat.

Members of the orchestra were arriving for a practice.

Here's the ceiling of the dance floor which is upstairs next door to the theater.

There are beautiful wall paintings and murals in the ballroom.

The dance floor contains woods from the Amazon (mahogany). 

One of the glass light fixture.

I got to listen to a number from the rehearsal.  The acoustics are amazing.

 

Manaus – Day 1: Cruising the Amazon Waterways and Rainforest

I took a ride on two different boats today.  The first was a larger boat that transported the group across the Rio Negro to Lake January.  Lake January is reached by using the flooded marsh-like lands.  After reaching Lake January, groups of six boarded small motorized boats to look closely at the wildlife.  Today it was mainly birds.  The final leg was to again see the “meeting of the waters” where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon River.

The first boat the group will take from the port is the "Amazon Explorer."

We say goodbye to the Prinsendam which is docked on the floating dock in Manaus.  The dock rises and falls with the Rio Negro.

This is a "bridge to nowhere."  They built it hoping the other side of the river would develop in the future.

To reach Lake January, the "Amazon Explorer" must cross the flooded grasslands.

Looking back you can see our ship and the city of Manaus.

The homes on Lake January are very humble.  They exist on stilts or on floatation foundations (houseboats).

Next stop are these restaurants/marinas to transfer to smaller boats to explore the jungle.

Six to eight people each got in one of these smaller boats to explore the area.

I got lots of photos of birdlife in the area.

I believe this is some kind of hawk.  His feathers were a variation of brown.

We reach an area of water lilies.

Our boat driver uses his flip flop to life up the plant.  It has sharp, needle-like spikes and the shoes protect his hands.

This bird went crazy with us looking at the water lilies. 

The guide pointed her nest with eggs in the water lilies narby.

The bird was happy when we left so she could return to tend and protect her eggs.

Another bird perched high in a tree.

Although we saw the "meeting of the waters" when we arrived this morning, the excursion included another look at the blending of the Amazon and Rio Negro.  There's a difference in temperature, water speed, and the ph level.

A glass of the Amazon water and a glass of the clearer Rio Negro water.  Neither should be used to quench your thirst!

The boat makes its way back to the marina.

Since the river serves as the highway, the refill stations are everywhere in the river for boat owners.

Well, my "home away from home" is still in the port.  I will only be able to call this "home" for two more weeks.

Meeting of the Waters: From the Amazon to the Rio Negro

Manaus is on a tributary of the Amazon.  The Rio Negro is clearer (but dark tinged in color), warmer, and more swift moving.  When the two meet, you can see the difference in the two rivers.  So, today the early morning was devoted to the meeting of these two waters.   

We’ll be arriving in Manaus about 10am (9am back home). 

 

It's a beautiful morning.  There are thunder clouds around, but the sun is trying to break through.

With such a wonderful and open horizon, the clouds become a thing of beauty.

The ship is proceeding up the Amazon River to the Rio Negro.  There's so much debris in the Amazon.

 

A small boat comes by.  It's interesting to see that the guy is taking a picture of us with his phone.

Lots of debris is on its way down the river to the Atlantic Ocean.

I'm glad the debris doesn't interfere with the movement down the river.

Whole patches of grass have been washed away from hills during the rainy season.

The shipping is getting close to Manaus.  You can see more homes and businesses. 

We're moving into the Rio Negro.  Temperature, clarity, and speed are different between the two rivers.

 

 

The ship is moving into the Rio Negro.  There's very little debris.  There are small white caps where the speeds of the water flow is different.

So long Amazon River.  The ship will return from the Rio Negro after two days in Manaus.

The ship will arrive in Manaus at 10am.  I will be taking a boat tour and will post more photos later today if possible.