Manaus...

Today was a very, very busy day. Went out on the top deck early this morning for the “meeting of the waters”, where the Rio Negro and Amazon come together and the waters don’t mix. This is evident by the two rivers flowing together and there dramatic color difference. The Rio Negro is very dark (black) and the Amazon chocolate colored. We docked early, before 10:00 in Manaus and Gail and I proceeded ashore for a couple hours of shopping before my first shore excursion at 2:00. I did a tour of Manaus, including the amazing Teatro Amazonas (Opera House) built over 100 years ago during the rubber boom. I also visited the Mercado Amazonas and an old mansion from during the rubber era. Really interesting! I can’t believe we are in the middle of the Amazon in a city with a population of approximately 2 million….amazing. Everyone travels by boat up and down the Amazon. Next to where we are docked (on the floating pier) there is a boat terminal for all the boats that transport folks up and down the river…for some it is their daily commute to work. Across the street from the ferry terminal are the buses that take the people around Manaus.

This evening I took a boat out to Lake January where I then boarded a canoe to look for alligators. We did come across some and even held one for a while…creepy. All in all it was a great day. Tomorrow won’t be much easier since I’ll be doing an 8 hour jungle & meeting of the waters boat trip on the Amazon Rivers. I’m looking forward to it…hope the weather holds, these rain forest trips can be unpredictable.