Manaus Revisited

Yesterday marked the third time that we have now been to Manaus. The first day we arrived from Rio de Janeiro. Then, five days later with our return from the Amazon River expedition and sub sequentially five days after that, the return from our Amazon Rainforest jungle retreat. Upon our return from the river trek we continued the journey further downstream to where the official beginning of the Amazon takes place. Just to the east of Manaus, the official Amazon is actually born. The convergence of two rivers, the Rio Negro and the Solimoes is where the Meeting of the Waters take place. A phenomenon is created as the two rivers, which travel at two different speeds, from two different directions which are two different temperatures and are made up of completely different compositions. There is the light coloured water coming from the from the Andes to the south west on the one hand and the dark waters coming from the north west interior jungles on the other. A coffee cream barrier or fence is created that runs for 6 km before becoming one. A unique experience that is not to be found anywhere else. We circle all around, taking all sorts of pictures. This was followed by another exploratory tour, as we entered another tributary where local families living in their meager huts eked out a living on subsistence farming and fishing. We had been told by different persons that Manaus had little to offer for tourists with the exception of the famed domed Opera House. Construction began in 1884 and was inaugurated in 1896. It was a testament to the financial success of the rubber industry and the European financiers who wanted to bring a little something from home to the region. I beg to contradict. Our city tour highlighted many interesting sights including a cultural museum, an indigenous medicine clinic, the mansion of a rubber baron, and the architecturally diverse city centre in addition to the Opera House. But the one area which really excited me was the local market. It is immense in size with all sorts of exotic fruits, vegetables and spices along with your traditional butcher shops. But it was the fish markets which grabbed my attention. Numerous species of fish in abundance and size were to be seen everywhere. The lack of the fishy smell gave testament to the freshness of the product. See movie

The river scene with all of the colourful ferries transporting the locals, for sometimes days, back to their primitive and remote villages to be reunited with their families was also something for the senses and imagination. Hammocks not supplies and you have to bring your own for the overnight journeys. We decided on a time out and had lunch at the market fish restaurant. Catch of the day was Tambaqui. Delicious, fresh and affordable. Our friends Lorne and Shirley and Bill and Diane arrive today for our cruise east, down the Amazon to the Atlantic and north through the Caribbean to Puerto Rico with stops in between. We are really looking forward to our meeting up! One of the fun things I like to do is give out Canada flag pins to different children and individuals I interact with. They are so appreciative and are more than happy to pose for photos. Great way to separate the cream from the rest of the North American tourists if you know what I mean “😉 We have been extremely lucky in our travels over the last few years and many of the places we have visited are now no go zones. We were in Russia just before COVID and no tourists are going to visit there any time soon. We were in Israel just a year ago and that too is off the list for any time soon. Our son Brad says were are lucky to have been able to visit the Amazon before it disappears. We’ve been here for two weeks during the rainy season and this is the first day we have had any rain. If this is any indication of the results of our travels, I think Mar-a-Lago will be next on our list so we can do our small part to save the world. 😊 Viagens Seguras!