Adelaide's Travel Notes - Brazil

Brazil
Manaus

Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas, is the main entrance for visitors to the Amazon in Brazil. Though very close to the jungle, Manaus is a big city with a population of around 2 million.

A famous attraction is the Meeting of the Waters, the union of the dark waters of Negro River with the muddy Amazon River. Due to the different temperatures and densities of these waters, they mix very slowly. Trips can be arranged from travel agencies in Manaus or from boat owners at Manaus port, and generally include a visit at Janauary Ecological Park.

One of the most famous plants of the Amazon is the vitória régia, a waterlily, with its huge disk-shaped leaves, shown above. These leaves may grow to diameters of almost two meters! Its roots are in the bottom of the lake and its stalks are long enough to allow the floatation of the leaves to follow the variation of the water level.
Its name was given by an English botanicist in homage to Queen Victoria. An indigenous legend says that a young girl, fascinated with the reflex of the moon on the water, fell in the lake and drowned. The moon, pitiful of the girl, transformed her in this beautiful plant.

In this beautiful natural pond of water lilies, resting quietly amidst them, I saw this small cayman. Friends have also seen a small cayman at that place, so I wonder if it is fake!

The river level varies hugely throughout the year. The rainy season lasts from December to May and many channels appear during this period. These temporary channels are called igarapés and an be visited on small boats.

Birds are often spotted during the igarapé trips. Bigger animals are less easily seen in the area, though. Unfortunately I did not have time to stay at a jungle lodge, which offer many opportunities of animal viewing.

We saw these capuchin monkeys and other animals - sloths, caymans and anacondas - at a native people's floating home. Many indigenous people there live in floating homes.

Rubber trees are still exploited, although they can't compete with artificial rubber or even with natural rubber from farms in southeast Asia, to where rubber tree scions were transplanted early in 20th century - which caused the decadence of this industry in the Amazon.

Manaus was a very rich city at that time, due to the rubber. It was one of the first cities in Brazil to have electricity.

Teatro Amazonas is the city's opera house. It was opened in 1896 and its construction took 15 years. All materials were brought from Europe - even the Brazilian woods that were used were worked in Europe. It has 685 seats and every year hosts concerts, opera and ballet presentations. Guided tours are available.

The Customs Building dates from 1906. It was pre-frabricated in England in a mix of Medieval and Renaissance styles. Together with Manaus' port, it was registered as a National Historical Heritage site in 1987.

At Mindú Park, not far from the city center, we can walk along trails to see the ecosystems of the Amazon, some of which are original. Signs identify some of the trees, like the pau-brasil shown here. The colorant extracted from its red wood was the first produce from Brazil that the Portuguese exploited.

Mindú Park is a refuge for the sauim-de-coleira, a very small brown and white monkey, but I didn't see any.

On the left, an igapó, a water pond formed by rain in low areas.

Links
Viverde Turismo
Fontur
PhotoAmazonica
Manaus: Bonita por Natureza, by Manaustur (in Portuguese)
Manaus On line (in Portuguese)
Guia Amazonas (in Portuguese)