February 9, 2008 - Manaus, Brasil
==========================
I was ready by 8:15 AM. I checked out and waited in the hotel lobby. The Van from Anavilhanas arrived at 8:25 AM. Myself and 2 other girls (from the UK) were the sole occupants of the van and I was the Portuguese expert of the 3! We drove for 20 minutes and then boarded a ferry to cross the Amazon (Rio Negro). The ferry accommodates Vehicles and passengers. Quite a few trucks, cars and vans (Including ours) along with 200 people perhaps. We had a 40-minute wait at the dock while our ferry was being loaded. The ride across the Amazon took 30 minutes.
From the other side of the River, we had a 170 Kilometre (105 Mile) drive to the Jungle Lodge. During the 2+ hour drive, I chatted with the driver in as much Portuguese as I could! We talked about cost of living in Manaus, Salaries in Manaus and so on. He told me that good housing in Manaus could cost US$60,000. I am still inclined to buy a place in PARAGUAY!
There is a very good road for most of the drive to the Jungle Lodge. About 5 Kilometres from our lodge, the driver took an unmarked turn to the right and drove for about 15 minutes before we reached the lodge. It was close to Noon when we reached the lodge.
February 9, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Brasil
=============================
I met Cassio (who spoke decent English) and who would be our guide for the next 2 days or so. We were provided with a welcome cashew drink which was quite good. One of the girls from the UK was a vegetarian as well. Both of us were quite satisfied with the vegetarian Options for Lunch. Both the girls from the UK work in corporate finance. They were on a 2-week holiday across brazil. One of the girls had visited the Pantanal. [The pantanal is supposed to be teeming with wildlife and I will see it during my next visit to Brasil]
I got back to the comfortable confines of my cabin and wrote some postcards.
The lodge is FANTASTIC. There are just 12 wooden Cabins. Each Cabin has 2 beds in a large ceilinged room. The rooms are air-conditioned. Each cabin also has a small veranda out back with a Hammock! There is no concept of having to share the room with someone you don´t know or having to pay twice the price because you are single. If a couple takes the room, the charge is US$950. If a single person takes the room, the charge is US$570. Each of the rooms is given an animal motif. My cabin was No. 1 and my animal motif was an Ant Eater. So when heading to the dining area, I need to sit at the table that has an "Ant Eater" on top of it!
We headed out at 3 PM for a "JUNGLE WALK". We had a short walk to a private dock and then boarded a canoe - fitted with an outboard motor. We sailed for 20 minutes or so before cambering on to land. I was bitten by all kinds of creatures during the 1-hour jungle walk (and I have the welts to prove it!) We did not see any wildlife or even butterflies. The tree canopy is pretty high and many of the birds nest close to the top. Cassio carried a wicked looking "Crocodile Dundee - That´s a KNIFE" - weapon. It had good heft and he used it from time to time to hack away at the Jungle to clear small paths for us.
He told me that in the event of a Jaguar attack, the weapon might at least help repel the Jaguar for a little bit. He also had a heavily splintered and bandaged right index finger. This was a result of a Caiman (that Cassio was holding while it was being tied up) slashing its head from side to side and the side teeth creating a deep gash on cassio´s right index finger! He seemed pretty sanguine about it.
I was drenched in sweat by the time we got back to the lodge at 5:30 PM. I borrowed the IPOD Charger from one of the UK girls to charge my IPOD (Not sure why I am doing this, as I discovered today that one of my headphone earpieces is broken - yet another Chinese made product!). I showered and then walked to the dock area and sat there for a bit listening to the sounds of the Jungle. Dinner was at 7 PM.
I shared a bottle of wine with an elderly Californian couple. Since we started chatting, the folks at the lodge moved our dinner tables together so we could have dinner and converse in a civilized way rather than having to shout across tables. Pete gave me his card and promised to show me around the wine region around his place (NOT NAPA - it was a different area) whenever I chose to visit him and his wife. As Pete and his wife were heading out the next morning, I may invite the UK girls to share my dinner table tomorrow.
As different people come in for different stays, the hotel people group different people for different activities. Since the UK girls were staying a bit shorter than I was, they were scheduled to go on a night time wildlife spotting (from the Canoe) tonight at 8:30 PM. I was scheduled to do the same thing tomorrow evening.
I spoke briefly to the lodge manager and she agreed to let me use the lodge computer to do some offline blogging for a few hours. The lodge has absolutely no Cell Phone reception and does not have internet connectivity. Thank GOD for BOTH! After 2 hours of blogging, it appears that I have lost whatever I had typed! DAMN - is all I can say.
I am scheduled to go on a Sunrise Walk and Contemplation at 5:30 AM tomorrow. It is 11:30 PM now and I am going to hit the sack.
No comments:
Post a Comment