Yesterday we took a break from the footie and spent the day on the Amazon. As you do! A trip on the Amazon had always been part of the plan. If you come all this way to Brazil then of course you want to see the rainforest and the river. What we hadn\’t considered at the time was the shear size of this country and how long it takes to get between places. Despite the 2 million people in this city, you cant help but feel isolated from the rest of the world. Which served to make this part of the trip even more special.
But to be precise, Manaus is not on the Amazon. Its on one of it\’s major tributaries, the Negro. As its name implies the Negro is inky black and doesnt meet the muddy brown Amazon until a few miles downstream. The confluence of the two rivers was our first stop and is a really strange sight. Because of the different flow rates, densities and temperatures, the two rivers dont immediately mix and flow side by side, black and brown, for several miles downstream. Very odd.
From the river you get a better understanding of the size of Manaus. Although its in the heart of the jungle, this is a full-on city with a waterfront that sprawls several miles up and down the river and with the attributes of any other major city. I noticed the factories lining the eastern side of the city where the port lies. Especially the oil refinery. Hadn\’t expected to see a refinery here but, well, of course this city and the Amazonian hinterland it serves, needs its fix of petroleum products just like everywhere else. The oil tanker moored in the middle of the river accentuated the point and hinted at just how big the river is. The Iranduba Bridge crosses the Negro at its narrowest point – 3.6KM!
But having spent the day on the river, I decided its kind of like the Grand Canyon. They say that the average person visiting the Canyon only looks at it for 6 minutes. Because, when alls said and done, its just a big hole in the ground. It was the same with the river. When alls said and done its just a big expanse of water. After a while you almost forget you\’re on the Amazon (well Negro) as the river itself is, well, like any other big expanse of water.
What makes the river interesting, is the people and communities we encountered along its banks that use it as a highway through the jungle.
A floating village just west of Manaus where children arrive at school by boat and dive from the rooftop to entertain the passing tourists.
The children bringing, for a few Real tip, the baby crocodile, the boa constrictor and the sloth (look Andrew – Sid the Sloth!), into our boat to look at.
The small businesses and restaurants earning their living from the people who live and work the river. A floating gas station was a first!
The environmental research station promoting the care of the famous Amazon pink dolphin which has been endangered both by the old way of life, where it is valued for its black magical properties, and by the new commercialization in the region.
Clearly our boat was filled with engaged, caring environmentalists. Arriving at the (floating) dolphin research station our party had a 20 minute appointment to swim with the dolphins. But, incredibly, this far in the jungle, and on a floating barge, the researchers had, somehow rigged up a TV that was showing Italy Uruguay. We never did swim with the dolphins, but, from a distance, they looked very pretty!
Of the people we met along the river, the indigenous tribes people were the most interesting. Our guide emphasized that this was not a show. This was their village and was how they lived. To me, our intrusion felt awkward and rude, but the tribespeople welcomed us warmly. Despite the threat to their way of life, they value the tourist income. We wondered perhaps impolitely if they too had a wide screen TV showing the game in one of the huts.
I left the village with mixed feelings. Very interesting and a once in a lifetime (perhaps) opportunity to mix, albeit briefly, with such a different culture. But sad in the feeling that in 100 years, this culture will probably be gone.
Back in the boat I flicked through my phone looking at the pictures of the day. A young college grad nudged me,
I laughed ironically. From the modern paradigm that we have to be connected at all times, he had entirely missed the point. Or perhaps their was a cell tower and wide screen TV just behind the village huts!
What! Scotland Qualified!!! 