Day 1 of Manaus: January 1st
Today's the day! As soon as the ball had dropped at 12:00 am this morning, I knew that in a couple of hours I would be on an adventure of a lifetime. I carefully packed my bags that night for one week, making sure that all my necessities would fit as snugly as possible. After eating an awesome breakfast and saying my goodbyes to my lovely girlfriend Seanna and my puppy Sandy, I hitched a ride with my mom and her boyfriend to JFK at around 9 in the morning. My flight was set to leave at 5pm, however with traffic and potential check-in complications, my mom wanted to leave as early as possible. This was the first time I had ever traveled without my family beside me, so even though I felt the excitement bubbling inside me, I was also a big bundle of nerves.
Once arriving at check-in, I met up with Heather, Georgie, and Erika, who had also never been travelling by themselves. We talked about the sizes of our bags (Georgie's was super tiny!) and the hopes that our group would be able to sit together on the many flights we were about to take over these next two weeks. The check-in process itself was simple at this gate, even though movies and TV shows can make it out to be a big ordeal, and after receiving my tickets I waited until I found some other familiar faces to walk through security with. Security went pretty quickly, and we were then off to find our terminal and wait for our flight to board!
The wait at our terminal was super long, almost 5 hours, so we passed the time by walking through the airport, playing Uno, and getting to know each other. I hadn't really seen the people I was going to be on this trip with, considering the fact that I was not in the prep trip course, so it felt good to hang out with everyone! When we got on the plane, I sat next to Anna and Tyler, which ending up being the same seating for the rest of the trip. We called it an Anna sandwich, because Tyler was stuck in between us. They were great seatmates, as they made my 10 hour flight go by super quickly.
The flight itself felt like first class, even though we were in coach. The seats came with free headphones, blankets, pillows, a USB port to charge your devices, and a TV with games, movies, and TV shows. I was able to track the positioning of the plane on the TV as well, which was super cool. The flight attendants mainly spoke Portuguese, which came as a surprise as many of us had only spoken English. We received free meals, snacks, and drinks, which tasted much better than the airplane food I had been used to. Along with the meals came a small cup of wine, which was served no matter your age. In between eating I mainly slept on this flight, even though I had intentions of watching the movies that I had really wanted to see on the TV.
We arrived at the Sao Paulo airport around 5 am January 2nd in Brazil time, and had to wait another hour in order to board our flight to Manaus. There was definitely a change in temperature, as I soon needed to change out of the sweatpants I had worn to keep myself warm in the states. This next flight was about 4 hours long, and I again slept on this flight.
Once arriving at check-in, I met up with Heather, Georgie, and Erika, who had also never been travelling by themselves. We talked about the sizes of our bags (Georgie's was super tiny!) and the hopes that our group would be able to sit together on the many flights we were about to take over these next two weeks. The check-in process itself was simple at this gate, even though movies and TV shows can make it out to be a big ordeal, and after receiving my tickets I waited until I found some other familiar faces to walk through security with. Security went pretty quickly, and we were then off to find our terminal and wait for our flight to board!
The wait at our terminal was super long, almost 5 hours, so we passed the time by walking through the airport, playing Uno, and getting to know each other. I hadn't really seen the people I was going to be on this trip with, considering the fact that I was not in the prep trip course, so it felt good to hang out with everyone! When we got on the plane, I sat next to Anna and Tyler, which ending up being the same seating for the rest of the trip. We called it an Anna sandwich, because Tyler was stuck in between us. They were great seatmates, as they made my 10 hour flight go by super quickly.
The flight itself felt like first class, even though we were in coach. The seats came with free headphones, blankets, pillows, a USB port to charge your devices, and a TV with games, movies, and TV shows. I was able to track the positioning of the plane on the TV as well, which was super cool. The flight attendants mainly spoke Portuguese, which came as a surprise as many of us had only spoken English. We received free meals, snacks, and drinks, which tasted much better than the airplane food I had been used to. Along with the meals came a small cup of wine, which was served no matter your age. In between eating I mainly slept on this flight, even though I had intentions of watching the movies that I had really wanted to see on the TV.
We arrived at the Sao Paulo airport around 5 am January 2nd in Brazil time, and had to wait another hour in order to board our flight to Manaus. There was definitely a change in temperature, as I soon needed to change out of the sweatpants I had worn to keep myself warm in the states. This next flight was about 4 hours long, and I again slept on this flight.
Day 2 of Manaus: January 2nd
This day started with us getting off the flight in the Manaus airport, so the days of January 1st and 2nd blended together on this trip. After arriving in this city, we stepped on to the bus to the hotel for us to check in. While on our trip, we were introduced to our guides for the rest of our stay here in Manaus; Rafael, Marcus, and Tayeke. Our bus ride took us through the streets of Manuas, and showed us one of the soccer (futbol) stadiums that was used in the World Cup. On our drive, I was able to gather the socioeconomic environment in the city, which seemed to be similar to what was discussed in our book. I also noticed how many people used the app WhatsApp in Brazil from the many advertisements, which I hadn't used until this trip!
After checking into our hotel, we ate our first meal buffet style at the hotel restaurant next door. When we arrived, the restaurant was already waiting for us to arrive, so we felt very comforted. All of the food was marked with Portuguese labels, so I used my knowledge of Spanish to understand what was being served! The meal was so flavorful compared to what I had been accustomed to eating, so I couldn't even finish my plate.
Lunch made us all fat and happy, so we walked it off with a trip to the center of the city, San Sebastian Square! This square served as the center of the city for the Europeans who came over to the Amazonas, as one of the first steps to the globalization we have today. Although the Portuguese and other western Europeans originally came to Brazil to Christianize and collect gold, they were unable to find any sort of glamorous jewels in the Amazon. Instead, the Portuguese found rubber sap from the rubber trees. This product grew into a booming business, and Manaus became very famous between 1890-1912. The most famous governor from this area is Eduardo Ribeiro, as he was governor during this time. Today, Malayasia is the head of this industry, since it is easier to grow rubber trees there. The floor of this area is black and white Portuguese wavy designs, which represent the Meeting of the Waters, aka the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimoes conjunction. Around the square are buildings with French and Portuguese architectural influences.
We moved from the center of the square to the opera house that was built in honor of Governor Ribeiro, found directly next to the square. This theater took about 5 years to build after its proposal in 1881. The Amazon Theater was finished in 1886, with its first show in 1887. A famous Brazilian opera writer is Carlos Gomes, who often wrote love stories.
To continue our tour, we moved from the square to the Museu de Amazonia by bus. When we arrived, it had started to rain, however we continued to move through the museum in hopes that it would pass. This spot was a natural museum of the flora and fauna of the Amazon. At the lily pad pond, Rafael told us of a native legend about these plants, how these plants were the "Moon of the Water". Walking through the forest, we also saw fish tanks containing native aquatic life of the Amazon, such as the Tambaqui fish. The snake area contained some of the most venomous snakes in the world in glass containers or in large outdoor cages. Continuing through the museum, we came to a towering watchtower that was constructed in 2006. Climbing up this watchtower took quite awhile, but we were able to reach the top. Looking at the tops of the trees, we took pictures and pointed out the different species of birds to our adviser Lester. The view from up there was incredible, and was a symbol of the conservation for Manaus. Because the other parts of the Amazon had lots of insects, Manaus was a optimal place for development. Businesses were taking over and destroying the natural environment, and this was seen in the views from the watchtower of the city versus the preserved land. If the Nature Conservancy had not stepped in, this museum would not have existed.
We returned to the hotel exhausted and hungry for dinner, and after walking the streets we ended up eating dinner at the same spot we had lunch. Finally our first day in Brazil came to a close, and I couldn't wait for what was in store the next day.
After checking into our hotel, we ate our first meal buffet style at the hotel restaurant next door. When we arrived, the restaurant was already waiting for us to arrive, so we felt very comforted. All of the food was marked with Portuguese labels, so I used my knowledge of Spanish to understand what was being served! The meal was so flavorful compared to what I had been accustomed to eating, so I couldn't even finish my plate.
Lunch made us all fat and happy, so we walked it off with a trip to the center of the city, San Sebastian Square! This square served as the center of the city for the Europeans who came over to the Amazonas, as one of the first steps to the globalization we have today. Although the Portuguese and other western Europeans originally came to Brazil to Christianize and collect gold, they were unable to find any sort of glamorous jewels in the Amazon. Instead, the Portuguese found rubber sap from the rubber trees. This product grew into a booming business, and Manaus became very famous between 1890-1912. The most famous governor from this area is Eduardo Ribeiro, as he was governor during this time. Today, Malayasia is the head of this industry, since it is easier to grow rubber trees there. The floor of this area is black and white Portuguese wavy designs, which represent the Meeting of the Waters, aka the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimoes conjunction. Around the square are buildings with French and Portuguese architectural influences.
We moved from the center of the square to the opera house that was built in honor of Governor Ribeiro, found directly next to the square. This theater took about 5 years to build after its proposal in 1881. The Amazon Theater was finished in 1886, with its first show in 1887. A famous Brazilian opera writer is Carlos Gomes, who often wrote love stories.
To continue our tour, we moved from the square to the Museu de Amazonia by bus. When we arrived, it had started to rain, however we continued to move through the museum in hopes that it would pass. This spot was a natural museum of the flora and fauna of the Amazon. At the lily pad pond, Rafael told us of a native legend about these plants, how these plants were the "Moon of the Water". Walking through the forest, we also saw fish tanks containing native aquatic life of the Amazon, such as the Tambaqui fish. The snake area contained some of the most venomous snakes in the world in glass containers or in large outdoor cages. Continuing through the museum, we came to a towering watchtower that was constructed in 2006. Climbing up this watchtower took quite awhile, but we were able to reach the top. Looking at the tops of the trees, we took pictures and pointed out the different species of birds to our adviser Lester. The view from up there was incredible, and was a symbol of the conservation for Manaus. Because the other parts of the Amazon had lots of insects, Manaus was a optimal place for development. Businesses were taking over and destroying the natural environment, and this was seen in the views from the watchtower of the city versus the preserved land. If the Nature Conservancy had not stepped in, this museum would not have existed.
We returned to the hotel exhausted and hungry for dinner, and after walking the streets we ended up eating dinner at the same spot we had lunch. Finally our first day in Brazil came to a close, and I couldn't wait for what was in store the next day.
Day 3 of Manaus: January 3rd
This morning I woke up super early to attempt breakfast at the hotel. Unfortunately, since we had a long day ahead of us, we were unable to eat at the hotel, and had to rush out of the breakfast nook with lightning speed. In the midst of us packing up, I had almost lost my phone on the second full day of this trip! Thankfully Erika had swiped it for me, so I was still able to be in contact with everyone here and back home. Still shaken up by the incident, I was teary-eyed on our walk to the first stop of the day, but many members of the group comforted me and brought me back to normal.
Our first stop was the market which had four different sections; meat, vegetables, herbs, and handcrafts. I remember the different smells of sweat, metallic, bloody, and the putrid fish combined as we walked through the busy halls of the meat market. There are about 300 different species of fish sold each day, but almost all the vendors carried the Tambaqui fish, the signature fish of the Amazonas. The size of these fish were also smaller than what I had originally expected, which is a sign of over-fishing. I hurried through the market, as the sounds of people yelling over each other began to get on my nerves. The next section was the fruits and vegetables section which I noticed sold tons of limes, instead referring to them as limon, as the yellow lemon did not "exist" in all of Brazil. The final section we went through was the crafts section, and all of us explored the halls together searching for souvenirs to give to family members and loved ones. After finishing at the market, we hopped on the bus to be taken to our next destination: the boat.
Our first stop was the market which had four different sections; meat, vegetables, herbs, and handcrafts. I remember the different smells of sweat, metallic, bloody, and the putrid fish combined as we walked through the busy halls of the meat market. There are about 300 different species of fish sold each day, but almost all the vendors carried the Tambaqui fish, the signature fish of the Amazonas. The size of these fish were also smaller than what I had originally expected, which is a sign of over-fishing. I hurried through the market, as the sounds of people yelling over each other began to get on my nerves. The next section was the fruits and vegetables section which I noticed sold tons of limes, instead referring to them as limon, as the yellow lemon did not "exist" in all of Brazil. The final section we went through was the crafts section, and all of us explored the halls together searching for souvenirs to give to family members and loved ones. After finishing at the market, we hopped on the bus to be taken to our next destination: the boat.
When Tait had originally described the boat ride in the orientation meeting for our trip, he had left us with the impression that we would be riding on a boat similar to that of the locals, aka whatever floats. However, I was extremely surprised to find that our boat was none other than a roomy cruise ship. This ship had multiple floors, which allowed us to spread out and at some points dance! Boarding the ship, we were greeted by Coleen, who was a Canadian researcher studying the rivers here in the Amazon. She gave us a presentation on how climate change was affecting the aquatic habitats here later on in the day, which was very informative. Our first stop was to a native Amazonian tribe's meeting place. Here, we watched and partook in the ceremonial dances that men, women, and children of the tribe performed for us. It was fascinating how these people were able to hold on to their traditions and cultures despite society wanting to kick them out. However at the same time, I felt as though this was a forced performance, that we were making a profit off of another person's beliefs, so my thoughts about this stop were very conflicting.
When we were back on the ship, we had listened to the presentation of Coleen, who told us all about the Rio Negro, the Rio Solimoes, and how climate change is affecting them. I learned about how the water for the Amazon basin begins in the Andes Mountains, and spreads all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The Rio Negro is an older, slower river, while the Solimoes is a newer and faster one, and the color change is due to the location of the headwater. I also learned about how the pH of water affects its environment. The Rio Negro, with less organic matter, is unsuitable for consumption and has less insects nearby due to its extremely acidic pH level (3.8-4.9). The Rio Solimoes, on the other hand, has heavy sediment, giving the water a cloudy appearance, and is a more neutral pH. This allows for the existence of more microorganisms and insects. Due to these extreme differences, they do not mix when they come together, which is the location called the "Meeting of the Waters". In between the presentation, we were refueled by sweet, bitter acai cups and bananas.
When we were back on the ship, we had listened to the presentation of Coleen, who told us all about the Rio Negro, the Rio Solimoes, and how climate change is affecting them. I learned about how the water for the Amazon basin begins in the Andes Mountains, and spreads all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The Rio Negro is an older, slower river, while the Solimoes is a newer and faster one, and the color change is due to the location of the headwater. I also learned about how the pH of water affects its environment. The Rio Negro, with less organic matter, is unsuitable for consumption and has less insects nearby due to its extremely acidic pH level (3.8-4.9). The Rio Solimoes, on the other hand, has heavy sediment, giving the water a cloudy appearance, and is a more neutral pH. This allows for the existence of more microorganisms and insects. Due to these extreme differences, they do not mix when they come together, which is the location called the "Meeting of the Waters". In between the presentation, we were refueled by sweet, bitter acai cups and bananas.
The next stop was the swim with Pink River Dolphins. Many of us were under the impression that these animals were not well treated, so we were not intending to go swimming with them. However, the workers at the location relaxed us by saying these animals were not restricted in any way. Still, only three of us ended up swimming with these beautiful creatures, while the rest of us took pictures and videos of them.
After the presentation and dolphin fun, I was starving for a meal. We stopped at a floating restaurant, and ate buffet style. The food was even better than the hotel restaurant, and I got a second plate! With our meals came freshly squeezed juices of all different flavors. It was so refreshing and tasted almost like a smoothie. After eating, we walked up a bridge to the river banks, where we were able to see the Capuchin monkeys. These monkeys were so tiny and timid at first, but when they discovered we had bananas for them, began to creep closer to us, until our interactions came almost face to face. They were the most adorable animals I had ever seen, and playing with them was one of the highlights of this trip.
We again climbed onto the boat after this little oasis to go to the finale, the "Meeting of the Waters". When arrived at this location, Coleen was right, as the separation between the two was extremely distinct. When we stopped to admire the view of this natural phenomenon, we were encouraged to dive in. I jumped into the warm water on the Negro side, but soon found myself being pulled away by the strong current on the Solimoes side! Eventually, we all ended up about 20 ft away from the boat, and had to really paddle to get back over to the boats edge.
After swimming back to the boat and drying off, it was time for the most picturesque moment in any day, the sunset. We all gathered at the front of the boat and talked, took pictures, and listened to the Latin music that we had playing in the background. Tait and Rafael knew some dance moves, so they were teaching them to us, and it was fun to watch everyone dancing and having a great time, even though I am not a great dancer myself. Overall, this was an end to an amazing day on the Amazon basin, and I did not ever want to leave Manaus.
After the presentation and dolphin fun, I was starving for a meal. We stopped at a floating restaurant, and ate buffet style. The food was even better than the hotel restaurant, and I got a second plate! With our meals came freshly squeezed juices of all different flavors. It was so refreshing and tasted almost like a smoothie. After eating, we walked up a bridge to the river banks, where we were able to see the Capuchin monkeys. These monkeys were so tiny and timid at first, but when they discovered we had bananas for them, began to creep closer to us, until our interactions came almost face to face. They were the most adorable animals I had ever seen, and playing with them was one of the highlights of this trip.
We again climbed onto the boat after this little oasis to go to the finale, the "Meeting of the Waters". When arrived at this location, Coleen was right, as the separation between the two was extremely distinct. When we stopped to admire the view of this natural phenomenon, we were encouraged to dive in. I jumped into the warm water on the Negro side, but soon found myself being pulled away by the strong current on the Solimoes side! Eventually, we all ended up about 20 ft away from the boat, and had to really paddle to get back over to the boats edge.
After swimming back to the boat and drying off, it was time for the most picturesque moment in any day, the sunset. We all gathered at the front of the boat and talked, took pictures, and listened to the Latin music that we had playing in the background. Tait and Rafael knew some dance moves, so they were teaching them to us, and it was fun to watch everyone dancing and having a great time, even though I am not a great dancer myself. Overall, this was an end to an amazing day on the Amazon basin, and I did not ever want to leave Manaus.
Day 4 of Manaus: January 4th
Day four of Manaus again started with no breakfast from the hotel, as they were not willing to open up before 6:30am. However, we had stopped at a as station and were all able to refuel ourselves. Today we were spending the entire day within the Amazon rainforest, which was super exciting! Aside from Rafael, Marcus, and Tayeke, we had three experts from the area with us to tell us all about the geography, native species, and culture within this forest. The trail was very slippery, and I am not a very skilled hiker, so it took me a little while at first to get down into the forest. However after awhile I was soon able to catch up to everyone else.
Often along the trail we would stop so Rafael could point out species that were significant to this area. He showed us how important the large roots above ground were to the natives, saying they would often hit them if they got lost so the others could find them. He also pointed out a species with one of the biggest leaves in the world, holding up a leaf to sample it. He pointed out a species of ant that was very dangerous to humans, as they are huge and more fiery than the red ants we have back home. Rafael also made a toy grasshopper for us to show how the natives used the parts of the forest for all things, kids entertainment included.
Often along the trail we would stop so Rafael could point out species that were significant to this area. He showed us how important the large roots above ground were to the natives, saying they would often hit them if they got lost so the others could find them. He also pointed out a species with one of the biggest leaves in the world, holding up a leaf to sample it. He pointed out a species of ant that was very dangerous to humans, as they are huge and more fiery than the red ants we have back home. Rafael also made a toy grasshopper for us to show how the natives used the parts of the forest for all things, kids entertainment included.
After sliding down to the center of the forest, we reached our first spot. A huge cave stood before us, made completely out of sandstone, with shallow water throughout that corroded it over thousand of years of pressure. We all had to put on face masks to prevent ourselves from breathing in hazardous chemicals found from organic matter. I was a little nervous when entering this cave, as I am a little afraid of the dark, but I felt better when I talked to some of the other students. The area around us grew darker and darker, until we all had flashlights from our phones lighting the way. When we reached another section in the cave, the first thing we saw on the wall was the most venomous spider in the world, the Brazilian wandering spider. This was next to a scorpion spider, and when I looked down I saw spiders and crickets all around me. Although I am normally not afraid of tiny spiders, the mere size and closeness made me extremely uneasy. We were led to a section in the cave where all of the bat babies were sleeping, and could hear the whizzing of their flight above us as if they were right in our ears. Perhaps the most interesting part of my first cave experience was when we experienced total cave darkness. We turned off all the lights, and stayed extremely quiet. It felt as though I was asleep, I couldn't see my hand directly in front of my face.
When we exited the cave, we were caught in knee-deep water that entirely soaked our boots. We walked up a hill to eventually exit the forest, and we ate lunch at a museum that looked like a resort. Lunch was delicious, and we then changed into our bathing suits for the next part of our trip. We walked to a stream that had some beautiful waterfalls, which led to a jump off platform into a lake. Everyone immediately began running and jumping off this platform, showing off our stunts as we dove in. We were having so much fun that we ended up spending about 2 hours just relaxing and spending time with each other. A few people began to swim toward the waterfalls, but had a hard time working against the current.
Once we dried off, we hopped back on the bus and went to our last location for Manaus. This geological park was horizontal, with many natural slants and layers. The geologists are still trying to understand how these shapes were formed, suggesting the tectonic plates had moved in a certain way. We began to climb all the areas of this park, looking at all its parts. Although I did not know much about geology, I was excited to learn more about this location, and did not want to leave.
Once we dried off, we hopped back on the bus and went to our last location for Manaus. This geological park was horizontal, with many natural slants and layers. The geologists are still trying to understand how these shapes were formed, suggesting the tectonic plates had moved in a certain way. We began to climb all the areas of this park, looking at all its parts. Although I did not know much about geology, I was excited to learn more about this location, and did not want to leave.