Gran Adventura de South America 2023 (Brazil)

 Please excuse typos and errors

I start with a little wisdom from Rascal Flats. 

Life is a Highway

Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here, and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind

There's a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with US to the distant shore

We won't hesitate
To break down the garden gate
There's not much time left today, yeah 

Life is a highway
I wanna ride it all night long
If you're goin' my way
Well, I wanna drive it all night long

Feb 15: Welcome to Brazil. Today we traveled from Iguazu to Sao Paulo onto Manous. There were a few bumps in our travel day, but we arrived Manous around 10pm.

Our driver to the airport, Sebastian, had a flat tire on his way to pick us up. He arranged for a friend to drive us, which only delayed our departure from the airport by about 15 minutes. The border crossing was uneventful. We patiently navigated the endless lines at the airport, only to find our flight was delayed by an hour. We had planned on a short layover in Sao Paulo, we ran to our connecting gate. The departure door was still open, we quickly handed our boarding passes to the gate agent. Everything looked promising, until other passengers from our flight started running up to the gate. Without a word, she walked through the doors and closed them in our faces. The plane was still there but we were denied entry. We were rebooked on the next flight to Manous – 6 hours later.

A young women from Germany, who spoke english, took on the great injustice for our group of eight. She was a real spitfire. She demanded some form of “compensation”. She was relentless. In the end she got us a food voucher, but it became a spectator sport watching thjs future lawyer hammer on the poor supervisor.

We arrived Manous and Jordan and Eliana met us at the airport. It was great meeting Eliana in person. We settled into the condo and we are excited for our time in Manous.

Feb 16: First full day in Manaus. 

Manaus is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about 11,401 km². Located at the east center of the state, the city is the center of the Manaus metropolitan area and the largest metropolitan area in the North Region of Brazil by urban landmass. It is situated near the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the only city in the Amazon Rainforest with a population over 1 million people.

We settled into our condo. It is only two blocks from Eliana's apartment. A thunderstorm rolled through this morning bringing with it torrential rain. We lost power for much of the morning. We walked to a nearby supermarket and bought some food for the condo. In the afternoon we Walked through a nearby park with Jordan and Nicolas. 

Feb 17:  Today was taken up with our search for wedding clothes. we decided renting was better than buying.  Maurina found a beautiful mother of the groom dress at a shop a block from our condo.  I rented a suit, shirt and tie. Then the quest began for shoes. We learned the importance of Uber in towns like Manaus. Traffic is ridiculous and driving is each man to himself. 

I went for a morning walk. I love exploring the neighborhood around the condo. Each day I hope to push out a little further and in different directions. It is fun getting to know the little community within a bigger city. There are some beautiful oasis homes behind closed gates. Security seems to be a priority with multi layer security systems and razor wired walls. Sidewalks are narrow and not meant for casual walking. Traffic does not yield to pedestrians. 

But in every new culture, you see things that catch your eye. This Jeep truck selling a fruit I had never heard of, Pupunha, set alongside a congested intersection. 

Pupunha is a species of palm native to the tropi

cal forests of Central and South America. It is a long-lived perennial plant that is productive for 50 to 75 years on average. Its population has an important genetic diversity, leading to numerous fruits, colors, and qualities. The fruits are edible and nutritious but need to be cooked for 30 minutes to five hours. They also benefit many animals in the wild. 

Jordan and i found a street side vender and sat in the humidity and enjoyed a cold coke. Eliana was not feeling well this evening, so for dinner we stayed in the condo and played games and ordered in Pizza. 

Feb 18: Today was a mall day. Clothes shopping and shoe shopping. The result of packing light for our one month adventure. 

Feb 19: we were up early today to drive to the waterfront and join a tour of the Amazon.. We departed port around 9am. There is an abundance to write about from our adventure on this single day. Jordan, Eliana, Nicolas and Maurina and I enjoyed a memory packed day exploring  some unforgettable sights and natural wonders. 

The busy port of Manous actually sits on the Black River or Rio Negro. The head waters of this slow moving river starts in Columbia, winds through Venezuela, and becomes the largest tributary to the Amazon River. The floating piers are designed to rise and fall with the changes of the river. I read that it may rise up to 30 feet in the rain season of June and July. The river takes on a black color due to the organic material it collects as it passes through the jungles. 

The tour took us across the river to a small broken down dock where we could get off the boat, at a cost of 10 Reales (about $2). Then for another 10 Reales we could jump into the dark waters of the Rio Negro and swim with Pink Dolphins. We were quite literally all in. Maurina was beside herself with joy after this experience of a life time. I think it was a bucket list experience she did not realize existed until this day. As we treaded water, the dolphins would swim under us, sometime bumping into us.

The Amazon river dolphin is the largest species of river dolphin, with adult males reaching 185 kilograms (408 lb) in weight, and 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length. Adults acquire a pink color, more prominent in males, giving it its nickname "pink river dolphin"

After reboarding the boat we cruised along to one of the weirdest acts of nature I have ever seen. It is a place where the black waters of Rio Negro flows into the cream colored Rio Solimoes to form the  Amazon river. The warmer slow moving Rio Negro meets the colder faster moving water from Solimoes. The waters from Rio Solimoes originate high in the Andes Mountains. For a length of about 4 miles they run side by side before blending together. This is called appropriately "The Meeting of the Waters". Apparently this unusual phenomenon can be seen from space. 

Next we went into some back water indigenous villages that line the Solimoes River. The wooden homes are built up on stilts to accommodate the changes in water levels. Many actually are floating on large logs and anchored to the shore. It is obvious these villages have adapted their economy to cater to the many tourist that arrive via tours like ours. Our first stop offered us a chance to fish for the giant Pirarucu fish. Like a trout pond back home, these giant fish are held in pens designed to let tourist fish (for $10 Reales) using wooden poles with a heavy cord attached to the end. 

The piraruca, or arapanima, is an air-breathing fish that plies the rainforest rivers of the Amazon. One of the worlds largest freshwater fish species and can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh up to 440 pounds. The fish in the pens were about half that size. They are an air breathing fish and you can hear their gulp of air when they surface. 

On the next stop the tribe members, dressed in native indigenous

"costumes" put on a performance for us. It was interesting and certainly staged for well. After the performance, they brought out a variety of animals, reptiles and birds which inhabit the jungle around their village. For 10 Reales you could pose with an animal and have your photo taken.

We contributed our share to the local economy with the following photos. 

After our visit to the Amazon version of a petting zoo, the boat pulled into another floating dock where we enjoyed a fantastic buffet lunch. One of the items I chose was fried Parauca. A great tasting white fish. 

After lunch we went on a walk through the jungle on an elevated platform. We saw an alligator and a sloth. The platformed walkway was a bit rickety and sketchy.  

After a little souvenir shopping we headed back to port. A huge thunderstorm slammed into us as we headed back and we spent much of the trip below deck out of the hard rain. 

Prior to the mid-17th century, millions of índios (Portuguese for Indians) lived across the Amazon Rainforest in 2,000 nations. Three tribes resided near here: Tamurãs, Barés and Manaós, the namesake for the city of Manaus. The majority of indigenous Brazilians died from European diseases or harsh treatment as slaves on rubber plantations. Only 200 tribes remain today. Some are together on their ancestral land or

government-established reservations.

I read an interesting piece on the commercialization of the indigenous culture. Good thing or bad thing? Why should the village people not benefit from the tourist industry that seems to thrive in Manous? They are giving the tourist what they want. I am not sure how the arrangement works with the tour operators, but I wonder if they give the tribe a cut of each ticket they sell. of course they also bring tourist to the village to buy souvenirs and pose for oictures. 

Eliana cooked us some amazing lasagna for dinner and we hung out and shared a few laughs. 

Feb 20:we stayed close.to the condo all day. The rain was falling most of the day. I am amazed at how hard it rains here. Maurina and I enjoyed the opportunity to go over to Eliana's apartment and help prepare gifts for wedding guests. It felt good to be useful. We had lunch with them and even fit in a game of janga. Last night Eliana and Jordan came over for pizza and  we watched a movie while Maurina had her BSF call. 

Most of all we have had a chance to get to know Eliana better. I am afraid we tire Jordan out with all the translation. I wish we could speak the same language. Other wedding guests will be arriving soon and so getting time with just her and Nicolas might become more scarce. 

The Teatro holds 701 seats

Feb 21: We visited the Teatro Amazonas or Opera House today. it is the cities most famous landmark. The Space Needle of Manous. It is a magnificent structure! Our timing was perfect as we walked up and were able to slide into an English speaking tour. 

 The whole incongruous, magnificent creation, designed in a pastiche of Italian Renaissance style by a Lisbon architectural firm, cost over R$6 million. After twelve years of building, with virtually all the materials – apart from the regional wood – brought from Europe, the Opera House was finally completed in 1896. Its main feature, the fantastic cupola, was created from 36,000 tiles imported from Alsace in France. The theatre’s main curtain, painted in Paris by Brazilian artist Crispin I have received do Amaral, represents the meeting of the waters and the local water-goddess Iara. The four painted pillars on the ceiling depict the Eiffel Tower in Paris, giving visitors the impression, as they look upwards, that they are actually underneath the tower itself. The chandeliers are of Italian crystal and French bronze, and the theatre’s seven hundred seats, its main columns and the balconies are all made of English cast iron. If you include the dome, into which the original curtain is pulled up in its entirety, the stage is 75m high. Looking over the upstairs balcony down onto the road in front of the Opera House, you can see the black driveway made from a special blend of rubber, clay and sand, originally to dampen the noise of horses and carriages as they arrived. Regular performances continue to be held at the theatre.

We enjoyed the tour and paused afterwards to have a cup of coffee in the alcove off the main entrance. This was a center piece for the wealthy rubbed barons in the late 1800's. The rubber industry  was the primary economy and brought Europeans here to reap wealth from the Amazon and the cheap indigenous labor. Eventually the rubber tree was introduced to a similar climate in Malaysia and the industry here declined until WWII when the Americans needed rubber during the war and Malaysia was not an option. we were told during the tour that the American military occupied the Opera House during the war as a center for rubber extraction. 

From the opera house we walked to Palacio Rio Negro, a mansion that now serves as the governor residence. But it was closed for the holiday. We ended up at a small cafe on the water front for a beer and a plate of French fries. 

Maurina and I hung out at the condo for the rest if the afternoon and evening. 

The Amazon rubber boom was an important part of the economic and social history of Brazil and Amazonian regions of neighboring countries, being related to the extraction and commercialization of rubber. Centered in the Amazon Basin, the boom resulted in a large expansion of European colonization in the area, attracting immigrant workers, generating wealth, causing cultural and social transformations, and wreaking havoc upon indigenous societies. It encouraged the growth of cities such as Manaus and Belém, capitals within the respective Brazilian states of Amazonas and Pará, among many other cities throughout the region like Itacoatiara, Rio Branco, Eirunepé, Marabá, Cruzeiro do Sul and Altamira; as well as the expansion of Iquitos in Peru, Cobija in Bolivia and Leticia in Colombia. The rubber boom occurred largely between 1879 and 1912. There was heightened rubber production and associated activities again from 1942 to 1945 during the Second World War.

Feb 22: Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. We went with Jordan to Lent service at Igreja Largo Sao Sebastian. This beautiful historic church was built in 1888. Arriving a little late for the start of the service, we crowded through a mass of people at the entrance and inches our way to a stairway to a small and equally crowded balcony. It was a nice service, I gusss, as it was done in Portuguese and all the Catholic tradition. The vocal music, which echoed through the stone structure was very cool. The priest found us up in the balcony and allied an ash cross to the top of our heads. 

The beautiful little Igreja Largo São Sebastião, built in 1888, and, like many other churches in Brazil, with only one tower due to the nineteenth-century tax levied on those with two towers

.I continue to reflect on the "meeting of the waters". So much of the old architecture in operate the imagery of this natural phenomenon. We saw it in the Teatro. In the central plaza. On sidewalks throughout the city. Even on the floor of the balcony of the church. I think there must be a meaning, that runs much deeper then the two rivers which run side by side. At least a meaning the city founders recognised. 

I have found nothing to support my hunch, but I think it represents the joining of two vastly different cultures here in Manaus. The indigenous culture and the European culture that met here in the amazon. They existed side by side in those early years before blending together over time. Only a hunch now. 

In front of the Teatro, the wavy black-and-white mosaic designs of the Praça São Sebastião represent the meeting of the waters, and are home to the Monument to the Opening of the Ports, a marble-and-granite creation with four ships that represent four continents – America, Europe, Africa and Asia/Australasia – and children who symbolize the people of those continents.

We went to dinner with Eliana, Nicolas, and her mom Neide. It was a nice evening. Two days until the wedding. 

Feb 23: Day before the wedding. Today may be the warmest (most humid) day yet while we've been in Manaus. Today was a day of preparation. Maurina and Eliana's mom Neide went on an outing to get their nails done. Jordan and I went out for lunch and picked up our rental suits. The rehearsal was held in the evening. We had a chance to meet much of her family and friends. The evening was full of laughter and joy. We tried hard to understand the language and they all went out of their way to include us. 

Eliana family seems very nice and I could sense their love for one another. They all had driven from Boa Vista, a six hour drive, to be here in Manous. Her big brother Arturo, seems to be super nice and a protector. He will walk her down the aisle. 

Like most weddings, they are dealing with an unexpected hitch. The wedding rings are not ready. After several delays and unanswered phone calls it became apparent through the day that the rings would not be ready. The jeweler offered substitute rings and they were delivered around 11pm. 

The meeting of the waters became another metaphor as I reflect upon the wedding rehearsal and the marriage. Two cultures merging into one. Mixing together to create a beautiful union. Reinforcing what the Bible says "and  two shall become one".

Feb 24: Jordan and Elianas wedding day. Our entire South American Adventure was planned around this day – and it has finally arrived. The wedding would start at 4pm. Jordan needed to get to their hotel in Praia Ponta Negra by 1. Camera man would meet him there for some “getting ready” photos. Maurina and I would tag along. We never were quite sure how our transportation was going to work. As Maurina said “we would stick with the groom, they won’t start the ceremony without him”.

The river beach at Praia Ponta Negra, about 13km northwest of Manaus near the Hotel Tropical, is a very popular local excursion, and on weekends is packed with locals. Once the home of the Manaós, today the beach is an enjoyable spot for a swim, with plenty of bars and restaurants serving freshly cooked river fish.

The brother in law of some relative of Elianas picked the three of us up and drove us to

the very  remote wedding venue named Chacara. We joked that it was located at the actual end of the earth. It was a beautiful venue on a river that fed Rio Negro. I was a little worried that we did not arrive until 3:30. Maybe cutting things a little too close.

The Wedding and live stream for family back home was set to begin at four. It quickly became very apparent that the ceremony would not start at four. At 4:30 other members of the wedding party started to arrive. Around 5:00 the musicians made their appearance and started to warm up. Around 5:30 the pastor arrived. Meanwhile, back home,  family was tuning in to Instagram for the live stream. Around 5:30 Maurina said that Eliana was putting her dress on. The wedding started at 6:00. But the ceremony was well worth the wait. 

Eliana was beautiful. Her long walk down the aisle with her brother was so perfect. Watching g the look on Jordan's face as he watched her every step, every breath was a parents dream for their child. He is obviously madly in love with her and captured by the thoughts of a life with her. 

It was an amazing ceremony. Small and intimate. Most of those who attended were in the wedding party. There was a ten seat table set up at the reception for the family of the groom. Maurina and I set there alone until some of Elianas family, her sister and brother, broke protocol and joined us. They were so sweet and welcoming.

I really like her family. I wish I could communicate with them. I really think they are much like our family – a Brazilian version. They really enjoy each other and their love for one another is obvious. The reception with and open bar and bottomless glass of Champaign lasted until 11. The dance floor was well used. Jordan and Eliana was well celebrated and photographed.

Feb 25: The day after. Maurina and I caught an uber to the newlyweds hotel for a planned breakfast before they left on their honeymoon. It turned out only being Jordan the two of us. Eliana was sick through the night and her family did not get the memo. We enjoyed a final meal with Jordan before we left him in Manaus. After a walk along the waterfront, we returned the  rented suits and dress. The two of us went to lunch and enjoyed some alone time along with a couple of Mojitos. We hung around the apartment and tried to get some rest. 

This is our last day in Brazil. Tomorrow it is on to Miami by way of Panama. We leave a piece of us in Manaus. We leave uncertain when will see Jordan again. One of Elianas family members teasingly said "Jordan is now Brazilian. He speaks Portuguese. His children, if he has any will speak Portuguese. we must learn Portuguese". I, we, are tired and a.little sad for us. But very happy for Jordan and our new daughter-in-law Eliana and our step grandson,Nicolas.