February 8, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil

February 8, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================

I woke up at 6 AM and finished breakfast by 7:30 AM. I had a cold shower (It wasn't too bad). As I had a bit of time to kill, I found myself watching "Law & Order" on TV for about 40 minutes. During a bit of clumsiness, I had dropped my cell phone and IPod charger on the Mosaic floor of my room and the result was that the charger had gone kaput. (yes, it was a Chinese made product!) As a result, I had my Phone recharged at the reception where someone had a charger that fit my phone.

I left the hotel and walked to the dock to board my boat for the 6-hour cruise. On my way, I purchased some additional credit for my Mobile Phone. Unlike Chile, the Brazilians charge for any and all uses of the Cell phone (Incoming, Outgoing, Text messages etc.). The boat was scheduled to depart at 9 AM. There was a good English (and Portuguese) speaking guide on board as well as a Videographer who was recording our every move!

We had a good view of Manaus from the river. We were also treated to a Welcome Caipirinha (Brazilian drink) and some watermelon on the boat. We reached the "Meeting of the Waters" in a hour. This is where the darker and slower moving "RIO NEGRO" meets the muddier and faster moving "RIO SOLIMOES". Negro moves at 3 Kilometres (1.8 miles) per hour while the Solimoes moves at 9 Kilometres (5.5 Miles) per hour. They travel separately for 18 Kilometres (11 Miles) before mingling. From this Meeting point, the Amazon travels 1600 Kilometres (1000 miles) east before emptying into the Atlantic. The Amazon is 96 Kilometres (60 MILES) WIDE at the Atlantic while it is 3-5 Kilometres (1.8 - 3 Miles) wide at Manaus. The boat captain stayed as long as possible at this point allowing us to take all the pictures we wanted.

We headed next to JANAURI Island. On reaching the Island, we walked on an elevated wooden walkway to see Giant Water Lilies. We also spotted a lone Caiman below our walkway. There were quite a few tourist stalls here but there was NO sales pitch whatsoever. We got into a couple of canoes and headed on one of the Rio Negro´s tributaries. It was a good trip of about 40 minutes. On our way back, we stopped at a floating dock, where a group of locals carried different creatures and offered it to tourists to pet them! Sloth Monkeys and a baby anaconda were among the creatures. Needless to say any picture taking or petting of these animals involved a "donation". I passed. I purchased a coconut and spent my time here by savouring Coconut water after a really long time. It was terrific.

We headed back to the JANAURI Island dock for Lunch. There were a few vegetarian options. One of my tour group members (A Brazilian from Rio) was a Sai Baba devotee and did not eat any meat. Her Husband and young daughter did! They spoke English and helped me with my food options at Lunch. I also chatted with an Australian (an Englishman who has been living in Australia since he was 6 years old) who works as a lawyer near Brisbane. We agreed to meet up for dinner later that night.

We got back to Manaus and the Sai Baba devotee gave me her business card. On my way back to my hotel, I walked into a few side streets and found a vendor selling chargers. I tested and purchased a charger for my Phone for R$10 (US$ 6). Knockoffs of almost anything can be bought here! These same folks wanted R$80 (US$50) for an IPOD Charger. I decided to go without Music for the rest of my trip rather than succumb to this highway robbery.

I rested a bit, spent some time at an Internet cafe and headed to a nearby post office to buy some stamps (for the postcards I had purchased). I headed to the TajMahal Intercontinental hotel and its revolving rooftop restaurant for dinner! Ricky (the Australian) was staying at this hotel and he joined me at dinner. Excellent view of the Manaus at night. Pity that I did not carry my camera or my Tripod with me.We had a good conversation. Ricky wanted to go to town. I decided to head back to my hotel as I had an early morning pickup tomorrow - to head to my Jungle Lodge.

I wrote the diary for a bit and then went to bed. The cell phone charger continues to work!