Trip to The Amazon, Brazil (Click on any image to load a larger copy)
Introduction
I have always wanted to go on a trip to one of the wilder spots of the world (The Amazon Rain Forest, The
Serengeti Plain, The Outback, etc) but have been a little wary as I am not a camper type of person - Roughing it
for me does not include sleeping in a tent or making my own food. So I was happy to find a "Treetop" Eco-Resort
in the Amazon that would allow me to see nature during the day and have a real bed at night. Later I found out
that the hotel I choose. the Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel,
was where the production crew stayed during the filming of Survivor - The Amazon (I arrived just a few days after the crew left).
After staying in Rio de Janeiro (see Trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) for four days, I continued my trip in Brazil by headed off to Manaus (A 6 hour flight) where I would be transported to my hotel in the jungle by a two hour boat ride. On board were about a dozen travelers - an American couple from NYC, a Russian couple, a Japanese family, a South African family, and me. The ride was interesting as I could see how wide the Amazon was. At Manaus, the river is some 5 miles / 8 kilometers wide. Also I was surprised to see how calm the river was.
We arrived at the dock of the hotel and walked over to the hotel's reception. I choose to upgrade myself to an air- conditioned room as it was quite hot and I thought it would be a good Christmas gift to myself (It was Christmas Day and 90 degrees outside). After dropping off my suitcase in my room, I began to explore the hotel. The wildlife is all around the hotel and one can see Macaws (Parrots), Toucan, and Squirrel Monkeys. These animals have been semi- domesticated with the guest giving the animals food. I have seen Macaws before, but is quite amazing to see many Macaws together and seeing them fly.
The next day began early as I was taking a Sunrise Tour. I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and started to take a shower. I had a strange feeling of being watched and looked up to see that two green Macaws were looking down to me from a perch that they must have been sleeping on. Quite an interesting experience. I soon when down to the dock and met my group for the day. We boarded a motorized canoe and headed out. The Amazon is quite beautiful in the morning and I saw many birds. We returned to the hotel and had breakfast.
We next went out for a jungle trek. This was not all that fun for me but I was able to see some of the challenges the Survivors are likely to due. Our guide offered some the "edibles" to us but as we had no chance of winning a million dollars, most of us declined. Before heading back to the hotel, I bought some Christmas gifts from the local people of the area. After lunch, we headed out again - this time to the house of a native. While the house was disappointing - the journey was not. About 15 minutes after we left the hotel, it started to rain. This was not your average rain, this is Amazon rain - 20 minutes of very hard and very wet rain. I had no covering and soon was completely wet. My guide told us that it rains nearly every day in the Amazon.
The next day, I had two excursions. The first to a small town in the area which was not all that interesting and the second something I was looking forward to - Piranha Fishing. To fish for piranha one stick one finger in the water and hopes for the best. Just Kidding. One place a baited hook and line in the water and tries to sense the piranha nipping on the bait. The fish are quite smart and routinely eat all the bait off the hook - leaving you with nothing. I caught a small 4 inch / 10 cm piranha which I threw back in the river. Unhooking the fish was an experience as it was trying to bite me. Luckily, it did not succeed - but I now became the boat's designated unhooker.
My group stayed out for a long time and we had the pleasure of seeing the sunset on the Amazon. It is quite beautiful and I was able to get some good pictures of it. On our way back to the hotel, we went alligator spotting. After several tries, the guide found a small alligator and brought it aboard. This type of alligator can grow to 6 feet / 2 meters in length. I was happy to see it go back to the river after holding it.
The next day, I headed back to Manaus by boat. I had an interesting trip in the Amazon and was looking forward to seeing civilization (and a hot shower) again. I stayed a night in a luxury hotel in Manaus and the next day flew back to the US.
After staying in Rio de Janeiro (see Trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) for four days, I continued my trip in Brazil by headed off to Manaus (A 6 hour flight) where I would be transported to my hotel in the jungle by a two hour boat ride. On board were about a dozen travelers - an American couple from NYC, a Russian couple, a Japanese family, a South African family, and me. The ride was interesting as I could see how wide the Amazon was. At Manaus, the river is some 5 miles / 8 kilometers wide. Also I was surprised to see how calm the river was.
We arrived at the dock of the hotel and walked over to the hotel's reception. I choose to upgrade myself to an air- conditioned room as it was quite hot and I thought it would be a good Christmas gift to myself (It was Christmas Day and 90 degrees outside). After dropping off my suitcase in my room, I began to explore the hotel. The wildlife is all around the hotel and one can see Macaws (Parrots), Toucan, and Squirrel Monkeys. These animals have been semi- domesticated with the guest giving the animals food. I have seen Macaws before, but is quite amazing to see many Macaws together and seeing them fly.
The next day began early as I was taking a Sunrise Tour. I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and started to take a shower. I had a strange feeling of being watched and looked up to see that two green Macaws were looking down to me from a perch that they must have been sleeping on. Quite an interesting experience. I soon when down to the dock and met my group for the day. We boarded a motorized canoe and headed out. The Amazon is quite beautiful in the morning and I saw many birds. We returned to the hotel and had breakfast.
We next went out for a jungle trek. This was not all that fun for me but I was able to see some of the challenges the Survivors are likely to due. Our guide offered some the "edibles" to us but as we had no chance of winning a million dollars, most of us declined. Before heading back to the hotel, I bought some Christmas gifts from the local people of the area. After lunch, we headed out again - this time to the house of a native. While the house was disappointing - the journey was not. About 15 minutes after we left the hotel, it started to rain. This was not your average rain, this is Amazon rain - 20 minutes of very hard and very wet rain. I had no covering and soon was completely wet. My guide told us that it rains nearly every day in the Amazon.
The next day, I had two excursions. The first to a small town in the area which was not all that interesting and the second something I was looking forward to - Piranha Fishing. To fish for piranha one stick one finger in the water and hopes for the best. Just Kidding. One place a baited hook and line in the water and tries to sense the piranha nipping on the bait. The fish are quite smart and routinely eat all the bait off the hook - leaving you with nothing. I caught a small 4 inch / 10 cm piranha which I threw back in the river. Unhooking the fish was an experience as it was trying to bite me. Luckily, it did not succeed - but I now became the boat's designated unhooker.
My group stayed out for a long time and we had the pleasure of seeing the sunset on the Amazon. It is quite beautiful and I was able to get some good pictures of it. On our way back to the hotel, we went alligator spotting. After several tries, the guide found a small alligator and brought it aboard. This type of alligator can grow to 6 feet / 2 meters in length. I was happy to see it go back to the river after holding it.
The next day, I headed back to Manaus by boat. I had an interesting trip in the Amazon and was looking forward to seeing civilization (and a hot shower) again. I stayed a night in a luxury hotel in Manaus and the next day flew back to the US.
Photo Info
I used a Toshiba PDR-M81 4.2 Megapixel Digital Camera. The images were cleaned up a bit with Adobe PhotoShop
Elements (To correct the color balance). Additional Camera Information
The Amazon, Brazil
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| The boat that would take me to the Ariau Towers Hotel. The ride took about 3 hours | The buildings of the hotel are connected by walkways. During the high water season, the water level will reach to the top of the piers | Many macaws (Parrots) live in the area and interact with the guests of the hotel |
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| A different type of macaw | In addition to the macaws, several monkeys live in the hotel including this squirrel monkey | The squirrel monkey is very human looking. They have small fingers which look like ours |
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| The macaws live in this enclosure, but stay outside even during a rain storm | Transportation to sights was by motorized canoes like this one | Sunrise on the Amazon |
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| Another picture of the sunrise on the Amazon | The Amazon is quite calm and makes perfect reflections of the trees | In sections, reeds like this cover the river making travel difficult |
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| The Amazon is a wide river, at Manaus it is over 5 miles/8 kilometers wide | In this section of the river, you see secondary growth but it is quite lush | This is a flooded valley in the Amazon. Note the trees that are partial under water |
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| This tree is a good example of what you see in the flooded valleys | More of the flooded valley | A macaw flying over the Amazon |
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| Sunset on the Amazon | A little later in the sunset. We were fish for piranhas here | After fishing, our guide caught an alligator |