Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Amazing Amazon

Travel Quote:  "Don't listen to what they say.  Go see."



After Rio, we hit a few ports before entering the Amazon region - Ilheus, Recife, Fortaleza and Belem.  This was also Carnival week so each of these towns/cities were totally into a festive mood, with party preparations in full swing.  Below are highlights of these ports.

Kids in costume.....

Why did the chicken cross the road?  He didn't.  He straddled it!

 

Church in Ilheus



Great little market in Ilheus






Partygoers out early!


Olinda, outside of Recife
 The old church in Olinda






























 
And then, it was time for "The Amazon Experience".  We spent about a week sailing up the river, crossing the Equator, and visiting Santarem, Boca da Valeria, and overnight in Manaus, Parintins (where we attended the world famous Boi Bumba show) and Alter do Chao, before exiting again and heading north of the Equator to Devils Island in French Guiana.

Highlights for me had to be hanging out with sloths, swimming with pink dolphins (yes, they're really pink!!), taking small boat rides up estuaries along the Amazon, and hiking around in the rain forest.  The Amazon was not exactly what I had envisioned - but I liked what I saw.  It's a HUGE river.  Huge.


Crossing the equator


This is kind of what I imagined the Amazon to be.


I didn't expect a city in the Amazon.......


The houses along the river are all on stilts, because the river rises quite substantially throughout the seasons



 My first glimpse of a pink dolphin



Sloth!!  Look at that face.....  (heart melting)

 The "meeting of the waters"...where two rivers meet in the Amazon, the chemical makeup of each river's waters is so different that they don't really blend.  Very cool to see.

 Yay!  I got to hold a sloth!  They are soooo soft.







The opera house in Manaus is world famous.  It's a gorgeous place.
Again, who would expect there to be an opera house on the Amazon?











We were lucky to be able to see the orchestra having a practice session while we visited the opera house.  They sounded marvelous.










Views from Opera House balcony




We visited this interesting history museum in Manaus.  It showed the various indigenous peoples that settled in the area and how they lived.  Fascinating.








Boi Bumba!!  In Parintins.  Fabulous Samba-esque show!










Traveling in smaller boats along estuaries off of the Amazon




 Pink dolphins! 










This plaque marker shows the various water levels over the years of the Amazon River




 The same afternoon we swam with the pink dolphins, we also went upriver a bit to visit a local village.  The villagers greeted us with song and dance.


Hiking in the rainforest



I have no words for this picture......


OMG, look at these ants!

 William and Robert goofing off!












Stay tuned for more Pig Tales!

1 comment:

  1. So fun to get a notice in today's mail that you had a new blog post! I have my fingers crossed that more will be coming soon!

    ReplyDelete

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