From Jungle to Opera House - WTRD 56

Friday, March 4, 2016, Worrall Travel R Day (WTRD) 56

Manuel presented us with a typical Amazonia breakfast this morning.  I can't remember the names of some of the fruits, but we had tapioca rolls filled with fruits and salty cheese.  It was certainly a departure from granola and yogurt, but very good.

After our breakfast, Luis picked us up at 9:00 am.  We made one stop at the ATM then headed many miles towards the outskirts of Manaus.

We arrived at an area that was once out of town, but now is incorporated into the town.  One of the government officials set aside a large tract of land as a nature preserve, and it has now become an outdoor museum with exhibits of reptiles, fish, plants, trees, and frogs,  The museum guides were knowledgeable, but spoke limited English.  Both Luis and Archie served as our translators.

The Amazon is bio-diverse with unique plants and animals.  We had the opportunity to see a prehistoric fish living in the aquarium.  It is the "bridge" animal between fish/gill breathers and air breathing reptile/amphibians.

The fish does not have gills but a nose that sticks out of the water to breath.  It holds fresh air in its intestine and can stay underwater for up to 45 minutes, absorbing the oxygen and carbon dioxide.   It does not need to exhale.  The fish, also has what appear to be small little legs.  A very interesting animal.

We were also able to see an oil eating aglae, that thrives on oil, and naturally cleans up oils that seep from the ocean floor.  Originally, a marine aglae, it has evolved to being a fresh water algae.

Of course, there were many other exhibits and things to see at the eco museum, butterflies, snakes, anthropological information of indigenous people living in the jungle.

Indigenous fishing nets and traps

Looking up searching for monkeys.

A sticky fruit

Viney Root Art

Dragon Fly

The last thing we did before leaving the park was to climb a 40 meter tower high above the tallest trees in the jungle.

The view from the top, looking down on the canopy gave us a bird's eye view of the jungle.  We had hoped to see some monkeys, but it was so warm and midday, they were undoubtedly taking a siesta in the shade hiding from the silly people climbing the tower in the sun.

After our learning experience at the museum, we had a leisurely lunch, followed by a tour of the old Opera House in the Historic section of Manaus.  This building was constructed in the late 1800's. All the materials with the exception of Brazilian wood used to make the furniture, were shipped over from Europe.  In fact, the beautiful artwork on the ceilings was painted in France before the building was completed.  There were many European immigrants to Manaus who wished their new city reflected European culture and it was imported here.

What is remarkable about Manaus is that this large cty is in the middle of the Amazon jungle where the only transportation for building materials (other than wood) was originally by boat and now also by plane.  There are still no continental roads into Manaus.  Cars and trucks are both imported and produced by major car companies here in Manaus.

Black and White Mosaic represents the meeting of the waters - Rio Negro and Amazon

 We were too late to go to the market, so we went to down the river and watched the fishing boats and the sunset before returning to our accommodations.

All is Well With the Worrall Travelers in the Amazon