Brazil Part 3 - Amazonas

Night photo from the lodge

It was a quite a sight flying over the Amazon. There was nothing but mind-bogglingly convoluted labyrinth of channels, lakes and forests. The water looked eerily dangerous and the forest lush and full of life. I entered thought the city of Manaus, which is the main launching point to enter the Amazon. From a young age, dad would always be watching wildlife documentaries and the signature voice of David Attenborough seemed to be ringing in my head throughout the whole journey! It was surreal and a blessing to finally have a chance to experience and live in such a vital area of the earth.

Gapoa

From the many tour operators offering excursions in the jungle, I chose a reputable operator beforehand (to avoid the dodgy ones at the airport) which carried out the usual activities - overnight jungle stay, wildlife spotting, canoeing, jungle trek and a few other activities. It was two-legged journey, a 3 hour  minivan ride from the hostel to a drop off point and then a boat ride of 1 and a half hours along the Urubu river 20-30 km into the Amazonas. A tiresome journey but definitely worth the wait after witnessing the beautiful jungle lodge. Set in the midst of the Amazon, the lodge was beautifully set up and maintained. It catered for large groups, families and singletons. We arrived around mid day and were shown our rooms and familiarized with the lodge surroundings. Our first night was spent in the jungle camp, around an hours walk from the lodge. After being the only one willing to sleep outside in the hammocks (the rain deterred the rest of the group) it was definitely the right choice. Witnessing the clear sky and the canopy of the trees in the midst of the night was heavenly.

The second day we trekked into the forest for a few hours and learnt about the medicinal plants and how the forest is used for survival - water, shelter and how to stay safe. The guide was extremely knowledgeable. His navigation using only the sun as a guide was simply amazing. We didn't have the chance to see much wildlife. The season and also the noise we made made the animals distance themselves from us. The rustling of the trees from the quick monkeys was all that could be seen. The most interesting part of this trek was the process of rubber tapping. The guide showed us the rubber tree (Hevea Brasiliensis) and the milky liquid that is extracted and heated to make rubber.

My catch :)

We made our way back to the jungle lodge and in the evening we enjoyed a canoe ride into the Gapoa, the flooded forest. We arrived before sunset and experienced the serenity of the forest which then turned into a whole host of weird noises in the forest, the birds, the Captain of the jungle (a bird), crickets, frogs and other creatures which Mr Attenburugh can you fill you in with!

The third day we canoed out into the vast waterways, attempting to spot dolphins, and other wildlife, albeit successfully but only at quick glances. Growing up going to zoos and watching caged animals the expectation of  the Amazon will disappoint you. It'll only be a quick glimpse or the rustling of the trees, and as was the case with the dolphins, they surfaced for a split second and only the fins and head was seen. We went fishing just before sunset and it was an interesting but unsuccessful experience for me! I caught 0 in the time we were out there. My partners caught some average size piranhas. I thought I'd caught a large one on one occasion but I realized the bait just got stuck in a log in the water. 

The little girl from the village

On the final day, due to my unsuccessful fishing expedition (literally), I had the privilege to go out on my own and catch some Piranhas!  This time I was successful. I caught three, despite only two in the photo (honest). The most difficult part was trying to neutralize them after catching them. They were wiggling about and I thought they would get a bite out of my finger. (I realized later, you're supposed to snap them at the neck... *cringes*). I came back to the lodge satisfied and relieved as I didn't want to return empty handed for the cooks in the kitchen. With the fish still not dead, I awkwardly got them in a bag and gave them to the cook and slipped out stealthily. I hope her fingers are still intact. We ended the voyage with a visit to a local family who live off the amazon. A small family not far from the lodge, they lived in a simple wooden house right off the shores of the waterway in the jungle. There were 6 in the family, all working on the small farm right outside their house. The picture of the cute girl is the one from this village. She was so sweet and innocent, looking at us all the time wondering what all these foreigners were doing in her house. They make their living from growing Manioca and trading this with other resources rather than selling it. It was a very simple and quiet life.

We headed back to the lodge and prepared for our departure. An end to what was an interesting short excursion into the Amazon. I hope to set foot on your lovely plains again Amazon!