BRAZIL - AMAZONAS

PUTTING BRAZIL ON THE MAP

The largest country in South America, Brazil borders most other South American countries and covers over 3.3 million sq miles, from the vast tropical Amazon region in the north to the cooler , more European-style South. It is divided into 26 states and one federal district - Brasilia.

Brazil’s population, 200 million, is mostly concentrated in the Southeast. Brazil evokes iconic images of lively Carnaval celebrations, brilliant soccer teams, bosso  novo and samba performances, sensual Brazilians swaying across the sands of Ipanema and Copacabana. 

Covering over half of South America, Brazil is the world’s fifth largest nation. The Portuguese colonization that began in the 1500’s , combined with an estimated 900,000 indigenous peoples, a large number of descendants of slaves from Africa, and the influx of immigrants from a wide geographical and ethnic spectrum . Portuguese is spoken. 

AMAZONAS

Amazonas is larger that the other three states put together. Manaus is its capital is the most popular place from which to explore the jungle. The city sits at the confluence of two of the world’s  largest rivers - the Solimoes (as the Amazon river is called in this section) and the Rio Negro. 

MANAUS

Manaus was founded in 1689 in the northern region of Brazil. The name “Manaus” has its genesis in “Manaus”, the name of the indigenous tribe who inhabited what is now Manaus many years ago. 

The city began as defense created by Portuguese settlers against spanish invasions coming form the Amazon. Today the population exceeds 1.5 million.

Opera House

The beautiful painted curtain that adorns the stage.

The exquisite painted ceiling

The gilt edged private boxes.

 The outside of the opera house along with a scale model of the opera house when the renovation took place.

 The cathedral in Manaus and the center of the square.

Marcelo Mourao Gomes from Manaus who was a famous dancer who danced with the Royal Ballet in London

A man who has worked in the Opera house for 50 years. He is featured on PBS and documentaries about the Opera 

A young dancer who will be in the ballet “Aladdin” in the evening.

Flush with cash during the rubber boom days, Brazil’s plantation barons were looking for conspicuous ways to spend their money at the end of the 19th century. Building a grand opera house in the middle of the rainforest was the obvious choice. The Renaissance style building in 1884, sparing no expense, the barons imported artists,designers and materials from across Europe. The building has undergone four renovations, most recently in 1990. The original colors,art and design has been preserved. 

Mercado Municipal

A lot of herbs and spices are from the area.

Brazil nuts come in this big pod. 

Fresh fruit juices..papaya,mango, orange and pineapple.......fabulous.....

Fresh fish, red fish, drum, fresh water snapper.

The market is a miniature copy of the now-demolished Parisian Les Halles, built in 1882 and filled with exotic regional produce.

The building is expansive covering over 130,000 square feet. The market sees 14,000-40,000 shoppers with 250 vendors that occupy the phenomenally designed building.

Really tasty fruit....

Making tapioca flour...it is their largest export. Really wonderful....

It is the powerhouse distribution point for meat,fish,olives,wine,oil, poultry and other food products in Manaus.

This lady is the local “pharmacist” ...she makes special blends and herbs for every ailment. All of these are from the Amazon forests. 

You can even get a pedicure in the market!!

Jugglers in the street!!

Local restaurant.

 Local beer, and the wonderful local drink!! The CAIPIRINHA....sugar cane,lime and Cachaça - the local Brazilian rum!...Drink one - you feel good, drink two you dance, drink three and you can speak Portuguese....

Hanging out at the market!!

Palacio Rio Negro

The inside of the house is decorated in “Protected woods”. Jacaranda, Brazil, and Yellow woods. The hardest woods available.

The backyard has a large protected Jacaranda tree. 

Karl Waldemar Scholz from Hamburg , Germany moved to Manaus in 1903 to the most prosperous state in Brazil. The area was the Rubber Capital of the world. In 1911 there was competition from Asia, and in 1918 the Palace was given to the government of the Amazonas.

AMAZON RIVER TRIP

M/Y TUCANO

The Tucano

is the boat that we took to cruise the flora and fauna of the magnificent wilderness. 

Our trip was active and most of the day was spent eating and exploring the forest on foot or in our boat’s launches. 

My cabin.....

The decor in the ship...........

Beautiful dining room 

 Our Captain.....

Our wonderful crew!!

MANAUS - RIO  NEGRO 

Eddie directing us off the launch!,

A cove ahead....

Growth on the forests floor...

We departed from Manaus in the afternoon and went upstream on the Rio Negro. We enter one of the world’s  largest river island systems, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. As we cruised in our launch we could hear the growls of Howler Monkeys through the rainforest.

Stepping through the woods...

Eddie....guiding our launch

The Amazon has one of the greatest collections of birds in the world. When we return to the boat we are served hors d’oeuvres on the observation deck.

After dinner we embark in our launch and search for nocturnal creatures, such as the Caiman, the Amazon’s crocodilians. 

ANAVILHANAS ARCHIPELAGO

Wet sloth hiding......

Camouflaged tree frog. 

Boa constrictor 

This is a reserve that includes the world’s largest system of river islands, and areas of tall dense rainforest. We see the Igapo, the black water flooded forest where dense forests grow right out of the dark water of the Rio Negro. 

We disembark and go for a walk in the type of rainforest known as the Terra Firma. We take our launches along the edges of the dense forest and listen to the sunset chorus of birds,howler monkeys, and frogs. 

The shadows on the river with the clouds.

RIO NEGRO

Pulling up to visit the family....

Alex our guide...

Living in the house

We went to the west side of the Rio Negro and walked in the forest. We visited a family that lived and worked in the rain forest. They illustrated how they lived and worked the land to maintain their family life.

The name of their village....

Watching the pot boil!!

Brother

Our guide, Eddie, told us he had visited the family for 30 years....grandparents to grandchildren. 

RIO NEGRO/AMAZON

Is this a Trump property gone bankrupt on the Amazon...?????

We began the day with a dawn excursion . In the mid-afternoon we began our journey downstream to arrive at the “Encontro das Aguas”

a stark several mile long line where two of the world’s largest rivers, the Amazon and the Rio Negro join in a turbulent maelstrom. 

Good drinking water in a water stick...

Beautiful lily pads...

Navigating down the river.......

 Pirahana fishing................

Here the dark water of the Negro runs beside the dark brown water of the Amazon.

Our final night we were entertained by a guitarist, and danced the samba, and were treated to “Caipirinha Night” ....one tastes good, two you are crazy, and three you speak Portuguese. 

  Grant (winning best dressed), Randy winning happiest......

Kelly and Garrett....happy couple...

Our entertainment on last night.....

Can you guess how many Caipirinha’s we’ve had!!

Light reflection on the river....

MUSA (MUSEO DA AMAZONIA) 

Beautiful butterfly in the rainforest of museum

Top of the tower...220 steps!!

.....

In January 2009, MUSA occupies 100 Hectares of the Adolpho Duke Forest Reserve, of the National Institute of Amazonian Research in Manaus. 

Climbing to the top of the tower...to have a look at the Amazon forest....

MUSA includes: orchids, bromeliads,pond aquariums and experimental laboratories. I climbed a 220 step towner which allows a magnificent view of the canopy of the forest trees. Forest trails provide the visitor with walks and amazing discoveries.

 This is the Amazon, with Manaus in the background seen from the 220 steps up...

Good bye to beautiful weather, beautiful river, and beautiful people!!