After a six day sail up the Brazilian coast, we entered into the Amazon river for a two day sail to Manaus. As part of that experience, the US Ambassador to Brazil, Thomas Shannon (with his wife and several staff members from the Embassy), joined us for a historic visit. He is the first Ambassador to sail on the MV Explorer. Simply, it was an honor for him and his crew to join our community. More so, he was a remarkable ‘guest’. He immersed himself in our culture all the while providing depth and insight to an already robust voyage experience.
On day one in Manaus, I ventured out into the city alone. I visited the city center in the morning and then headed out to a local university – Federal University of the Amazones. Although the facilities look modern and the academic programs are substantial, who wants to study in the heart of the Amazon jungle? While there, I walked in on a Futsal game – think indoor soccer, but in an open air building. It was fantastic to see culture-in-action especially in a country where futbol (soccer) is cared for and played so passionately.
Day two was spent on a Semester at Sea program that took us into the jungle to hike and swim in caves and waterfalls. Tremendous! It was a fantastic day dipping and diving in pols of water in the heart of the jungle.
The last day was spent on a boat ride to visit the ‘Meeting of the Waters’ – where two rivers come together (of two different colors) to form the Amazon. There is an amazingly clear distinction between the two and it is fascinating to watch the rivers meet and mix. The rest of the day was dedicated to visiting Amazon River island communities and learning about how they farm and collect rubber from rubber trees. These communities seem to live in extreme poverty and are at the will of the river. I am not sure how the government or organizations might assist except for providing opportunities for them to share their stories to tourists (such as myself.)
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