Manaus, Amazonia, Brazil

Day 56: 2 March

Noon report: 03° 08.24'S and 060° 01.80'W. Distance covered 14,610nm. Noon to noon 266 nm. Sunrise 0607, sunset 1816. Distance from the Atlantic: 1,650 nm.

The approach to port this morning was cloudy with high heat, humidity and mist. This is to be expected for this is the rain forest area. At 0800 we passed the “Meeting of the Waters” where the Rio Negro's dark waters meet and for 3 miles run alongside the muddy waters of the Rio Solimões; a sharp line of dark and light water. The Rio Negro begins in Columbia, the Solimões in Perú and from this point down river is called the Amazon. We proceeded up the Rio Negro to the city of Manaus. On the way we passed nine salties; seven tankers and two LPG carriers. There is a refinery here and this is the farthest that vessels with sea draft can travel. At 0915 we tied to a floating pier and immediately discovered a 20 meter tree stuck on our bow. Because of the great fluctuation in river level, all the piers are floating, which is something when one considers the ships that come to discharge and load cargo. Despite being tied up a couple of blocks from the city, personnel are required to make use of a shuttle to go from ship to the terminal, if not using tour buses or dedicated river boat. The river front on the city side is lined with river boats and floating gas stations are anchored off the shore. The larger river boats are 2 or 3 deck and are the primary source of transportation up river. Hammocks are slung for what can be a week-long trip for many.

our floating pier

One cleared we disembarked, crossed the pier and boarded a two deck river boat. The weather had moderated a bit by now and the rain lifted. Our first leg took us down river a bit, past the teeming riverfront then swung back up river for an hour. 

When we entered a widening of the river with many islands, we pulled into a floating restaurant and climbed out. From there we took a narrow pier ashore to an elevated wood walkway into the rain forest. A family of monkeys came flying down the tree branches and dashed along the hand railing alongside of us. (A couple of shrieks from behind let me know the ladies in the rear were discovered by the monkeys.) From our observation walkway we were able to get a good look at the giant Lilly pads, huge catfish below and a couple of 'gators. (I wondered if one of these walkways had ever collapsed; the 'gators and piranha were probably hoping so.) A sloth watched our passage back to the river.

gator

sloth

We then boarded motorized canoes, about 12 to a boat, and headed into the islands, Terra firma (until the river rises again), floating islands of grass and Lilly's and up a tributary. After examining trees, vines and eddies in the water we returned to the Restaurante Valdecy at lagode Januari II for a lunch of local vegetables, chicken beef and river fish. Another visit to a market next door then aboard the river boat and into the rain again.

The next stop was at the village São Jose on a former rubber plantation where we disembarked onto a log raft, worked up a slippery slope, down a muddy walk and into the village. There we were presented with demonstrations of tapioca preparation over an open fire, the drawing of the latex from a rubber tree and the forming of the latex into a ball over an open fire; “pela” balls. Then the rain let up and we returned to the boat and motored to the meeting of the waters, where the dark waters of the Rio Negro and the chocolate waters of the Rio Solimões meet and flow alongside each other, as mentioned earlier. Then we returned upriver on an hour long ride, arriving at the ship late afternoon.

our landing

rubber tree

cooking the raw apioca

forming the latex into balls