Blogs from Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, South America - page 12

Manaus Known as the gateway into the Amazon and deep into it´s heart we had 2 options with regards to getting there. We could take a river boat which was at least 5 - 7 days upstream which was small crowded smelly but apparentaly an experience or a 1 hour flight. As we where very short on time we had to go for the flight or risk missing out on something later. After our first full day in Manaus of looking for different types of tours into the jungle we decided we really needed a fun night out. We were advised by some of the locals the only place to go on a Wednesday night was a small club outside of town. When we turned up we were a little less than impressed outside but when ... read more

Sept 20, 2008 AMAZONIA, Brazil We are not too sure what to expect with this part of our adventure, but maybe that’s the best part !!! This morning we flew 3 hours to Manaus, a city in the heart of the rain forest on the Rio Negro River about 35 KM from the junction of the Solimoes River that then becomes the Amazon River and dumps into the Atlantic ocean. Or flight took us to Belem for a short stop and we got some great views of the mouth and delta of the Amazon where it dumps into the ocean. WOW !!! This is a serious river ! We spent the afternoon and evening exploring the beach on the Rio Negro and part of Manaus close to the hotel. ( Hotel Tropical - largest 5 star ... read more

Hey everyone!! Got to Manaus first thing Friday morning! Everyone in Brazil is so nice and helpful.... i was sat at the bus stop not entirely sure which bus to get on and when a bus came along a woman came up to me, told me it was going to the centre and told me to get on! And she also came and found me again to tell me when to get off the bus without me even asking her! So nice! :o) Found hostel easily (Manaus is quite small) and treated myself to a room with air conditioning instead of a fan for an extra pound! :o) Was SO hot there! Asked the guy at reception about the boat trips to Tabatinga and he said there are only 2 boats a week, one on a ... read more

Well, here I am sitting in the middle of the Amazon. The funny thing is that you would never know it from the city. It´s a bustling, busy place with tons of traffic and markets selling plastic toys and video games, and cheap knock-offs of famous label clothing. The people here look different than out in Olinda/Recife: they´re shorter, more typically South American looking - I thought I was in Peru or Bolivia earlier today! According to the book I was ready to be assaulted by hundreds of touts every step of the way from the airport. In fact, I have, literally, not been propositioned once, despite an extensive stroll around the Centro area. My hotel is one block away from the famous Theatre Amazonas. I´ll put up pics of it tomorrow - I was walking ... read more

Well, I have been awful with neglecting this travel journal so far too much has happened to sum it all up, I will have a go though! New Zealand was amazing, we hired a car called El Cheapo and drove ourselves around for 2 weeks on the South Island which was amazingly beautiful and then a week and a half on the North. We visited Queenstown where I braved the Canyon Swing which was terrifying and the snowcapped mountains and general Autumny scenery was stunning. We headed to Milford Sound where the clouds were out in force but we managed to see some very big waterfalls which is always nice.. We climbed a mountain for some beautiful views and nearly froze at the top, drove to look at the glaciers, went watching Sperm Whales and seals ... read more