Friday – Manaus – Day 2 – The Amazonian Adventure

Two boats, both with approximately eighty guests would head out for the the meeting of the waters, and beyond. Each boat is required to have two escorts, so we were consigned to one boat, while Neil and Louise Bonner were assigned to the other.

It’s an absolutely fantastic excursion, which we’ve done a couple of times before, but were thrilled to be asked to do it again.

Our route took out of Manaus quayside, and along the river, where we were able to get a good view of the piled up stilt houses, the floating petrol stations, and the industrial areas. From there, our first stop was at the Meeting of the Waters, where the Amazon and Black rivers converge, or not, as the case may be. Because both rivers have different densities and temperatures, they run alongside each other for approximately 4 miles; one dark and clear (River Negro), the other, a sandy, opaque colour (the Amazon). It’s actually quite a sight to behold, and one that keeps local boat owners in business, I’m sure.

After our photo opportunity by the Meeting of the Waters, we headed towards Lake January, an ecologically-protected area of small rivers and forest, and a floating restaurant. When we arrived, we decamped to smaller boats (10 to a boat), which took us along tiny tributaries, and narrow creeks, where the trees hung over the water and twisty-turny aerial roots clung to the banks. Occasionally, our driver would cut the engine and we revelled in the silence, but for the sounds of the forest. Kapok trees, with their strange, triangular bases, like flat-pack coffee-tables reared upwards into the highest levels of the canopy. We saw lots of different, and mostly exotic, birds; hawks and eagles, and a couple of monkeys… absolutely wonderful!

Back at the floating restaurant, it was lunchtime. Tracey and I made sure everyone cleaned their hands with anti-bacterial hand-wash, and then enjoyed the meal, which covered pretty much everything. There was chicken and fish, rice and vegetables, curries, fruit, you name it; it was laid out. Water or coke was included, but if you wanted a beer, it cost 4 reals, or 3 dollars.

Once lunch was completed, the guides led us to the raised wooden walkway leading into the woods. It’s one of my favourite parts of the excursion; the raised boardwalk offers excellent views down to the floor of the forest, and today,we were treated to a whole group of small monkeys. At the end of the boardwalk are two further surprises. Firstly, there’s a small diversion to an extremely large Kapoc tree (although I’m not sure if I have the right spelling). The best was yet to come though; at the very end of the walkway, the forest opens out into a lake, where there are absolutely hundreds of the large lilly pads, unique to this region, also known as the Victoria Lillly, named after Queen Victoria, the monarch of the day, on its discovery. The icing on the cake was a large caiman, seen in the water just below us.

A fantastic day, then, enjoyed by all. There was a minor confusion at the end, though, over the time we were supposed to be leaving Lake January. At first we were told that we would be leaving at 2pm. Having got everyone on board, however, we were then told, at about 2:15, that we would be leaving at 3pm. Once given this information, several passengers got off the boat the take another look at the small craft market they had there, and some to get a drink at the bar. At about 2:25, however, we were told that we would be leaving in about 5 minutes, all of which confused most passengers, and visibly annoyed a few others… a minor blip, though, on an otherwise perfect day!

At 5:30pm, the Marco Polo left Manaus, heading back down river, towards Parintins.

Any city the size of Manaus is always bound to have its dark underbelly, and its fair share of crime. Despite repeated warnings to passengers not to go ashore wearing expensive jewellery, some persist in taking no notice of said warnings whatsoever. Every year we’ve visited, there have been incidents, and this time around was no exception. One lady had her gold necklace ripped from her neck (and she had the marks to prove it). Her husband went chasing after her attacker, despite his wife telling him not to (cos he might have a knife), and several locals joined in the chase. The assailant was caught, and the necklace returned, thankfully. Another passenger was similarly attacked inside a bank. We hear of constant warnings that Manaus is an unsafe city, yet folks still go ashore in the evening, on the overnight stop. A cruise ship IS a rumour-mill, though, and reports of two of the kitchen staff being mugged in the evening proved to be entirely unsubstantiated, so some things do have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Once Manaus gets its little port issue sorted, I’m sure it’ll be a great place to visit again…