MANOUS: PARIS OF THE JUNGLE

On Saturday, January 15^th we celebrated my brother-in-law’s 79^th birthday Indonesian style, with champagne and cake and our waiters singing their traditional “punjang umurnya” (long life and be well song).

900 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest lies a city of 2 million people called Manous. Located at the meeting point of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimoes, which later form the great Amazon River, Manous began as a fort in 1669. Rubber trees grew only in the Amazon and in 1839 when Charles Goodyear patented rubber vulcanization, German immigrants established the rubber industry. Slaves were sent into the jungle to collect latex and rubber barons amassed huge fortunes. By the late 1800’s Amazonia held a firm monopoly on rubber production.. and prosperous Manous became known as the “Paris of the Jungle”. Rubber barons built a lavish Opera House, importing Murano chandeliers and tiles from Italy and celebrities from Europe came to entertain the wealthy families. Today Manous is bustling cosmopolitan city, everyone has a cell phone and a motorcycle, an international airport brings tourists to see the “Meeting of the Waters” and land trips through the surrounding jungle.

We took a river cruise in a 10 seater, motorized canoe for a closer look at the meeting of the black Rio Negro and muddy Rio Solimoes. It was amazing to see the two rivers flow side by side but never mix. Our guide explained why: the Rio Negro is warmer, is acidic and has few fish, the Rio Solimoes is muddier due to high sediment content, is cooler and has many fish. They do meet eventually and form the mighty Amazon. We followed a Brazilian custom and tossed a coin into the rivers and made a wish.

We saw small houses along the banks of the river which were built on huge balsa wood floats so that when the river rises, sometimes 38-40 feet, the houses will float. The only means of transportation for the Amazonians living here is by boat.

We walked through the rainforest jungle to see the huge water lilies in a swamp. The pads are up to 3 feet across and can support the weight of small animals. A truly incredible experience.

Did you know that the Wildlife Conservation Society has a $50,000 reward for any live snake 30 feet or longer? The reward has never been claimed for 100 years. We looked and looked but couldn’t find one!

PARINTINS

Our next stop along the Amazon was the 200-year old village of Parintins. Each year it celebrates its indigenous heritage with the Boi Bumba Festival in June. We were fortunate to be able to see a special show put on for us in the city’s new convention center. This colorful event is the Amazon’s answer to Rio’s Carnival; dancing, music, singing, drums, lavish costumes, floats (it reminded me of our Rose Parade), 100 dancers celebrating the joy of life. I was invited to dance on stage! We were treated to the famous Brazilian drink: a caipirinha, made of sugar-cane rum and lime juice – what a powerful drink! We danced back to the ship to the beat of the drums still resonating in our heads.