Swimming the Amazon

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We have been in the Brazilian Jungle about 3 hours from Manaus for the last three days. It took two boat rides and two vehicle rides to get here. There is no cell signal or Internet. The only electricity is by generator. We found a guy named Vincente Thomas through Lonely Planet (he was listed under Manaus jungle trekking) and he met us at the airport in Manaus. He delivered us to a floating lodge in the Amazon Jungle. It is low tide season so the Amazon is full of fish and dolphins. They are easy to spot.

We went sunset Piranha fishing the first night. Actually, we watched while other guests fished. We don't eat fish so why torture them just for fun? A few others brought home their catch and ate Piranha for dinner. We are told not to swim in the Amazon with an open cut because the Piranha attack in packs.

The food here is very basic but great for vegetarians. We have been eating fresh salads and fruits along with spicy rice and beans and potatoes seasoned by local spices and herbs from the rain forest. The pineapple is grown by a local family a canoe ride away from here. We visited the family yesterday. The boy holding the parrot is the youngest son. Most people here are eating the catch of the day which includes a million different kinds of fish.

The locals grow various fruits and vegetables and trade with each other to broaden their diets. They also eat fish at every meal except breakfast.

We have been canoeing everyday. There are no land vehicles or roads. Our guide names the birds whenever one flies over. We have seen all sorts of birds including eagles and hawks. Dolphins are jumping and swimming in the Amazon all around us. We spotted spiders, monkeys, a sloth, bugs, frogs, and birds on a long jungle trek. Our guide, Alan, of Pousada Boca Do Juna (www.jumalakeinn.com) took us canoeing at night and he caught a small Caiman (Brazilian alligator) with his hands. He told us all about Caiman while he held it in his hands. Kim woke with a beetle in her bed.

There are people from all over the world staying here. We have met Brazilians, Americans, Dutch, Irish, English, French, Czechs, Canadian, Swiss, and an Israeli. The Brazilians come here specifically to catch Rainbow Bass. They eat as much of it as they catch.

At night we have all been playing cards. Mostly Spoons and Cheater. Like most of the world, everyone speaks English when they are in International groups. Only two Brazilians here (the guides) speak English so all our questions about Brazilian life are directed at our guide. He enjoyed our Catholic priest jokes. Most Brazilians are Catholic.

Everyone here at the lodge seems to be staying in South America longer than us. Many are taking a year to travel South America. The youngest is 21, she is the Israeli, the oldest is an American couple, who are about 70 years old and travel with their tent. The Americans are from Texas; their son lives in Beaumont, where Kim was born. The Irishman is often in southern India doing off-shoring for his large multinational insurance company.

The locals are swimming in the Amazon, so we have have been swimming to stay cool also. There is no AC here. There is no hot water either which is not a concern because it is over 100 degrees (F) everyday with 80-95% humidity. It rains everyday for a few minutes. It rains extremely hard here; like a monsoon in Arizona or India.

We head to Peru next.

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