The Evening appetizers varied from cheese and olives, to cod balls (tasted like crab cakes), deep fried manioc that was better than French fries and other tasty morsels.
Breakfast had the most wonderful baked fresh that morning cakes. (often still warm) Some had tasty berries, coconut, pineapple and other surprisingly good cakes. One morning there was cornbread with coconut in it that was moist and tasty. She made the best scrambled eggs. Always fresh fruit at breakfast and manioc of some kind was served at all meals.
One dinner was especially good with some type of enchilada and tasty meatballs.
It was a nice trip on the Rio Negro and the Rio Jauaperi and then we switched to the other side of the Rio Negro and then briefly on the Amazon. Each had its’ own unique flora & fauna. On the other side of the Rio Negro the water had a stagnant look to it with a lot of pollen floating around. It was really intriguing to glide through the trees that were partially submerged underwater. In the dry season it's a sandbar and in a few months the trees will be completely under water at the height of the wet season. Not a lot of wildlife on this side of the river, but very peaceful on the boat and the trees were very interesting. It was fun when we couldn’t get the log jam unstuck and we had to divert from the channel to the Amazon where the water was rougher and we had to put on the life jackets.
We wish there had been a better packing guide, but we really didn't bring too many things we didn't need. There was no "dressing for dinner". From the afternoon motor launch we went as is to dinner.
Back at the hotel that morning they stored our bags. The guide got them to waive the hourly fee since we had such a late flight and wouldn't retrieve them before 3:00.
We had a 3 hour city tour which included some great buildings and sights along the way with a stop at the floating market, Mercado Adolfo Lisboa which included a fish, meat, vegetable and trinket market. We also had a tour of the beautiful opera house, Teatro Amazonas. Many of the shots are taken out of the van window.
entering the floating market
this was shipped from Liverpool, England
meat market (me on the right)
fish market
the sell this
to get this.....
we stopped at this store to shop
Andrea bought a hammock
Carnival body puppets
street market
St. Francis Church
Opera House
the tiles signify the "meeting of the waters"
an orchestra was practicing
they were so good it brought tears to my eyes
from the balcony
model made of Legos
inlaid floor
chandelier from Murano, Italy
moth in the square
not sure why she was modeling a gas mask....
Then we came back and said our goodbyes to new friends made on this adventure. It was hard saying goodbye to everyone. I’m sure some of us will keep in touch.
Rob had dropped his camera towards the end of the trip and he was stressing that he only had a short time in LA before continuing on to New Zealand for a kayak and camping trip. I said as soon as we get back to the hotel (with internet) he could go online and order one that he could pick up at a store. He asked if we could help him with that. It had started to rain and we waited it out in the lobby of the hotel. Since his camera was bought in the Netherlands, it wasn’t possible to order the same one which is what he wanted since he had the batteries and chargers etc. He and Greg put their heads together to see if the one he had could be fixed. It was discovered that all he needed to do was physically push the lens all the way back in and it would work. It no longer would go back on its’ own and it refused to turn on until it was forced in. So, hopefully that will get him through the rest of his 7 month journey around the world.
The rain lightened and we went in search of some simple food for lunch. We walked the beach area and they seemed to only have juice and junk food. There was a small mini mart that we almost bypassed when out of the corner of my eye I saw some bread/pastry filled things. They were meat and cheese and hot and toasty fresh. There were tables out back and we ate and bird and people watched.
they were preparing for a concert that evening
Common Ground Dove
Red-capped Cardinal
Wren
After finding food we walked back to the hotel to talk to the tour desk and see what we had time left to see. I really wanted to see the botanical garden, but it was an hour and a half round trip plus he said it would take 3 or more hours to tour once we got there. So, second choice was Mindu Park/Bosque da Sciencia. It was pleasant walking around the park and they had giant river otters, manatees and we saw a sloth. We had ice cream and it was a nice way to spend the rest of the day. It's a research center and they do some great work there.
Giant River Otter eating a fish
resting after eating the fish
caiman thinks he's hiding....
teeny, tiny lizard
craft shop
menu with everything made of manioc
there was a museum there
be careful with those eggs....
we went for a short walk before dinner
an ant carrying a huge leaf
Yellow-browed Sparrows
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Festive Parrots
Pale-vented Pigeon
For dinner we ate at the churascaria at the Tropical Hotel and despite it being a buffet and you had to stand in line to get the roasted meats instead of them bringing it around on skewers, it was very tasty. Great scalloped potatoes and garlic bread and more! Compared to the not so great lunch we had at the hotel our first day, this was only a couple dollars more and very good.
hallway at the Tropical Hotel.....it reminded me of The Shining
We hung out in the lobby until midnight when we were transferred to the airport. Rob & Klaske came about an hour later and we chatted until it was time to board.
We got a couple hours sleep on the plane and were about a half an hour early. We grabbed some breakfast and waited for our Road Runner pick up. The guy was late, but that gave us time to eat. He said he had the wrong time down and he was actually early by his time. He wasn’t very personable and despite us telling him we lived in Panama he kept treating us like we were tourists.
This is the end of this journey. While I have included a lot of photos I think it’s easier to look at them in Picasa where they can be viewed larger. So, if you are so inclined check them out! https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/myphotos
Our next adventure is next month to Coiba National Marine Park. Hoping for good snorkeling and some close shots of parrots and other birds.
Next week is Carnival here so it will probably be a zoo here. Let the fireworks begin!
