Sunday: We quickly confirmed our suspicions, Manaus is a dump. SO we got on with hunting down a jungle expedition to start Monday morning. We booked with Antonio's Amazon Tours, a company based in the Manaus Hostel (which we would stay in on our return). Antonio himself helped us plan our trip which we could tailor to our liking. We opted for 5 days / 4 nights and set early Monday.
Monday: Hoorah, we left Manaus! After a 2.5 hour coach journey we were dropped off in a dusty amazonian village, from there we went by boat for 1.5 hours to the lodge on a branch of the Rio Negro. We opted for the Rio Negro because the waters are (apparently) safe to swim and more importantly, there are no (well very few) mosquitoes. The lodge was brilliant, we had the use of a private room with en-suite or if we chose, hammocks to pitch anywhere on the site, or on any of the surrounding beaches. At this time of year, the water is very low, meaning there is no swamp but many beaches and the conditions perfect for jungle trekking.
The first day was spent on the water fishing for piranha, first we had to catch the bait, little sardine-like fishes then we went in the deep to search for the vicious red piranha. Lynne brought home the bacon with one, David a miserable zero. Luckily our guide bagged many more and we were able to feed the whole camp that night with our catch! After dinner we were taken on a night boat trip searching for Caiman Crocs. It was just us two, Leo (our personal guide for the week) and one other guide. They took us up river for 30mins until we found the perfect baby caiman on the shore. Up to this point, we were enjoying the trip underneath the clearest night sky we have ever seen and in absolute silence with the exception of the jungle animals. So Leo swooped down and grabbed the croc to give us a closer look and to explain a little about the fella. Apparently, this black caiman is one of two species to be found in these local waters, and the largest they grow to in this area is 2m, so we had nothing to be worried about!!! Lynne was terrified and almost capsized the boat in 
her panic! However, the little croc behaved and let us handle him and see his teeth before Leo placed him back in the water. As we started to head back, the chain of the boat motor snapped leaving us stranded in the pitch black with one paddle...we were both very concerned especially with 2m crocs in the water and a hole in the boat that e hadn't noticed due to the darkness, our two guides didn't seem worried though and settled in for a long paddle back as we scooped out the water threatening to make us croc food. The shore of the lodge was a very welcome sight.
Tuesday & Wednesday: We were up at the crack of dawn, literally, to see the sunrise and to prepare for our jungle trek. Immediately after breakfast we got going with a 2.5 hour walk into the jungle behind the lodge to find our camp for the night. Here we pitched the hammocks, had a wash, made a fire and prepared & cooked lunch before a small siesta set us up for the afternoon's adventure deeper into the jungle. We saw lots of wildlife and amazing plants. 
Leo, aged 27 also, grew up just down river and has never left the area. He speaks fluent English and so gave us a fascinating tour of all the wonderful plants and their uses. He also taught us some useful jungle 
survival tips. Overall we walked for near 6 hours and so when we returned to camp we were knackered. It went dark very quickly underneath the canopy of trees but we had a nice fire going and cooked a feast to help send us to sleep. However, for two St Margarets softies, it wasn't that easy to sleep with all the noises of the jungle, truly amazing!! This wasn't helped by the fact a Jaguar was seen on this trail the night before, confirmed by some of it's paw prints near the camp. A bit of a sleepless night all in all. Before, there are no mosquitoes in the jungle, there are however, horseflies!! These horrible creatures rise at 5am and do not depart until 7am or until they have had their fill of your blood!! They swarmed around our mosquito nets testing it for holes to get in at you. They can pierce through cloth and so you have to be careful your hammock is not anywhere near the net.....we both survived the experience (David with one bite only!). They were reason enough for us to stay only one night in the jungle.
After a jungle breakfast, we hiked a further 2.5 hours, ending up at the shore where we were met by another guide and his boat to take us back to the lodge and lunch. In the afternoon we went fishing once more, this time for Peacock Bass. This trip was much more successful and we each bagged 2 beasts. Not an easy feat as the fish are real fighters so Leo had to teach us the correct 
technique to real them in. It was a lot of fun, and we both loved spending the time in the sunshine on the water in the stillness of the unique location. So once again, the Hendersons turned providers for the whole lodge that evening!! That night was spent in a hammock on top of the watch tower; it was incredible to be atop the tree canopy and listen to the incredibly wide range of noises escaping the jungle around us, although a monkey fight near by did have us a little on edge!
Thursday: The morning was spent back on a boat downstream dolphin watching. We were lucky enough to see all three types, pink, grey & black. We then chilled out on a beach and enjoyed a swim in the river (ignoring the large fish and other nasties in there!). We relaxed in the lodge all afternoon after a hectic few days. 
After dinner we headed out back on to the river in pitch darkness to witness some night fishing. The locals wear a pair of goggles and take a torch and harpoon into the water. The fish sleep amongst the submerged tree trunks for safety and so the locals dive amongst them and kill the fish as they doze. It requires a surprising amount of skill, but David was disappointed not to be allowed into the water to try after being promised by one guide. (Probably for the best though considering David's records of injuries!).Friday: Our last day in the jungle! We were up early to take a boat across the river for an alternative view of the sunrise. We then joined some other guests to visit a local family who live traditionally relying on the river for their livelihood. This was quite fascinating and a world away from our life in the UK. We arrived back to Manaus (Boo!) in the early evening.
Saturday & Sunday: We don't want to give this city any more blog space, beer, pizza and a new hat were the highlights!
We finally left at midnight on Sunday to Rio de Janeiro!!
Frank aka dad says:
ReplyDeleteThe picture of you attempting to "kiss" a peacock bass could be construed as cruelty to fish and denying those horseflies a bit of your blood does seem somewhat "mean". In the meantime I'll try and keep the RSPCA at bay.
Not noticing a hole in the bottom of the boat also seems somewhat "cavalier" - although it all adds to the excitment of what sounds like a great trip and experience.
Lucky the little Caiman's mum wasn't watching - she might have though he was on his way to "Gatorland" - at which point her reactions may have proved "interesting".
Picture of the "new hat" purchased in Manaus would be nice?
Stay safe and well.