February 10, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Amazonas, Brasil

February 10, 2008 - Anavilhanas, Amazonas, Brasil
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I was woken up at 5 AM for the Sunrise viewing and contemplation. We gathered in the lobby at 5:20 AM and set on in a single canoe by 5:30 AM. There were 5 of us, plus a guide and the boatman. We entered the Anavilhanas Archipelago and cruised for 20 minutes. We saw a beautiful clean sky.

I saw the southern cross for the first time since leaving Australia / New Zealand in 2001! Although one could see it in Chile, it can only be spotted in the early hours of the morning and I did not visit any observatory at 5 AM in the morning while in Chile. We also saw the Scorpion´s tail as well as Venus. Although the sky was quite brilliant with all these astronomical formations viewable, the low light and the travelling canoe made pictures impossible (most images required a 2-3 minute exposure)

The calm waters of the Archipelago were disturbed partially as our canoe glided through. The sky turned pink around 5:50 AM and by 6:10 AM or so, the sun peeked out as a deep orange ball before sliding behind clouds. Sunrise on the Amazon to go with am evening at the Carnaval and a game at the Maracana!

We spotted a few birds but they were a bit far for us to see them properly or get any decent pictures. The closet we saw were a flock of 8-19 birds belonging to the Macaw family.

We got back to the lodge area by 7 AM and I was at breakfast by 7:15 AM. It was a very good breakfast. I had toasted bread for the first time in 2 weeks (after Asuncion, Paraguay). I will try the Manioc (flour made from a root) pancake tomorrow. Pete and Pam (folks who joined me for dinner last night) gave me their card.

I headed back to my room and had a quick shower and was ready for our 8:30 AM tour. We took a short canoe ride to the village of Novo Airao to fee PINK DOLPHINS. Dead Piranha were chopped up and provided to us to feed the dolphins. Cassio held up a piranha and opened its mouth to reveal its rows of sharp teeth. Took picture! Folks can swim with the dolphins and feed them as well. All except me got into the water for a swim and feed. I was the Photographer!

We walked into Novo Airao village and visited numerous artisan shops for an hour or so. Nothing caught my attention and I did nit buy anything. I did have a delicious, sweet coconut water. Simply fantastic. The Amazon river traverses over 6 states in Brasil. The Amazonas state is the largest of the 6 states and Manaus is its capital. Many small towns lie on the shores of the Amazon and they range in population from a few thousand people to over 100,000 people.

According to Cassio, I could get a nice house in Novo Airao for 40,000 Reais (US$22,000). Paraguay is still in my heart. Novo Airao is 3 degrees south of the Equator.

We got back to the hotel after our tour. The air-conditioned log cabin is a godsend! I rested a bit and labelled the pictures I had taken. I wrote my diary. After lunch we are scheduled to go on an extended cruise inside the Anavilhanas Archipelago.

We had a decent lunch. The clouds opened up and it poured. The lodge is well organized in certain aspects. They had at least 15 or so golf umbrellas for us to use. I took one and got back to my cabin. I headed to the rear veranda and slept on my hammock (well shielded from the rain) for an hour or so. It was a great feeling. If I did not have the cruise at 3 PM, I would have dozed until dinner! The rain had stopped completely by now and the sun was shining.

Our canoe cruise in the afternoon within the Anavilhanas Archipelago was for 2.5 hours. From the little I have seen of the Amazon, it is quite extraordinary. Extraordinary plant and animal diversity (although we did not see a lot of the animals of the Amazon). We spotted Vultures, river dolphins (also known as Black dolphins), Toucans and a few other birds. It turned out to be an excellent afternoon with lots of Sunshine and I took lots of pictures.

Upon my return to the lodge, I researched hotels for the next stops in my extended vacation. I played a game of pool with the English girls until dinner. The dinner was good. I have not suffered from lack of good food or monotony of the same food at this lodge.

Post dinner, we were scheduled to go for a night cruise at 8:30 PM. It was pitch dark with a lovely starry sky. We had an Italian guide with us for this trip. What an excellent vision he had. He spotted tiny birds and snakes (no more than 6 inches in length) from over 50 metres away with the aid of the flashlight. Although this trip was to sight Caimans, we did not spot any as they would dive underwater by the time we reached them. Ideally one should catch them unawares. We were not lucky tonight.

Visiting and cruising the Amazon: Yet another childhood geography lesson come true!