Manaus: Day 3

(Riverboat –Day 2)

I woke up long before our 6am wake-up call and was all ready to go when the rest of them were rolling out of their hammocks. Ten minutes after the wake-up call, we were in canoes and heading to go fishing for piranhas. I did not catch a single fish, but I watched others around me succeeding. We then headed back to the boat for breakfast and then to the other side of the river for a 3 hour rainforest hike.

On our hike we saw many different plant and tree species that can be used for many purposes. Our guides stressed jungle survival skills and taught us which trees were the best to use to start fires and which were good for medicinal purposes. Also, they taught us how to get water from vines if you could not find anything else and how to use certain branches of the palm trees in order to make a shelter.  We had the opportunity to try Brazilian nuts and also a sap from a tree used to treat ulcers and other gastrointestinal ailments.

Next, we went to a local village called Acajatuba Township where we saw the school and were able to walk around and see how the indigenous locals choose to live.

After the township, we headed back to our boat for lunch and started our way back down the river and back to the ship where we said our last goodbyes to Manaus and started our way back out the Amazon.

Manaus: Day 2

(Riverboat-Day 1)

Our second day in Manaus, we boarded a riverboat and headed to see the meeting of the waters. The meeting of the waters is where the Rio Negro and the Solimões River meet up but do not mix. We then headed to an island where the Solimões River started for a hike in the rainforest. Some of the group had the opportunity to hold sloths and we saw the Giant Water Lilies.                

The guide told us a story about how the water lilies came to be…He said long ago there lived an Indian woman who had white skin. Another Indian fell in love with her and tried almost everything to pursue her, but time after time she continued to refuse him. He became angry and very jealous. One day while she was standing by the edge of the water, he came up behind her and pushed her in. She could not swim and she died in the water that day. Turned out she was a Goddess and in the spot where she died, a giant water lily grew. Angry with himself that he had killed her and could not see his love anymore, the Indian turned himself into a beetle only able to see his love when he pollinates the flower of the water lily.

We had not yet set up our hammocks and had a 4 hour boat ride downriver in order to reach the dolphin sanctuary. Tired and worn out from the day before everyone passed on the concrete floor on their backpacks. All of us sleeping on the floor were awoken when the winds picked up and the thunder sounded. Lightning bolts and rain fell out of the sky with a ferocity that can only be seen in movies.

We arrived at the dolphin sanctuary after our 4 hour boat ride up the Amazon. I decided not to swim with the dolphins. Instead I watched and took photos. I did not want to get wet, the dolphins were seriously creepy looking, and I didn’t want to chance the waters.

Next, we boarded a canoe and went out to go caiman spotting in the dark. I ended up sitting with a bunch of the guys and we were spotting more caimans than the guide. Our guide eventually caught a small caiman and we all had the opportunity to hold it and take pictures. While we were cruising around in the canoe, we were only a couple inches from the water. Fish were jumping out of the water and into the boat…not kidding. I got hit in the face 3 times by different fish. The guide said they were piranhas but I think he was joking…hopefully. Afterwards, we headed back to the beach where we met up with the other boats and a Brazilian barbecue awaited us.

At the beach, I had the opportunity to hold another caiman and was invited to dance with one of the guides. I thought more people would be dancing with us, but turned out it was just the two of us dancing with everyone sitting around watching. Kind of awkward but it was a lot of fun. He spun me in every direction and so fast that I could not see what was happening around us.

After the luau on the beach, we headed back to our boats where we were rocked to sleep in our hammocks while listening to the sounds of the Amazon.

Happy Thanksgiving from Manaus! Monte Salem Orphanage and School.

Sea Olympics!

Passengers are divided into "seas" (including: Adriatic, Aegean,
Arabian, Baltic, Bering, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Red, Yellow, and a
sea specifically for the Lifelong Learners, Professors and children of
faculty-this year the Vitamin 'C'). The student seas are generally
determined by the hallway of their deck. The seas then compete in an
all-day Olympic challenge. Opening ceremonies were held the night before
and no classes are held during the Olympics. Events this year included
synchronized swimming, pull-ups, dodgeball, Jeopardy, a lip-sync,
backwards spelling bee, wet t-shit relay, frozen t-shirt contest, and
more. The winning sea gets bragging rights for the rest of the semester
and a grand prize which is the opportunity to disembark the ship first.
The Aegean Sea (the sea I am in) led the ship with our sportsmanship and
creativity...everyone participated and dressed up. We, however, came in
3rd overall missing 1st place by only a few points.

The Smell of the Amazon

I wish I could send certain experiences, smells, and sounds home like I can send pictures. This morning I woke up to a bright sun shining through my window. Fighting to gain consciousness, an aroma wafted through the room awaking me in an instant. We had entered the moth of the Amazon and could tell instantly. The color of the water changed from a beautiful blue to a murky brown. And the smell that awoke me in an instant was the smell of timber and burning sugarcane coming from the land we were sailing next to. The smell was unexpected and incredibly strong but in the couple of hours we have experienced it, it has become almost comforting…Reminds me of summers at home sitting around the campfire or camping in the middle of the woods.

Stopping for awhile in Macapa, 2 Brazilian diplomats left the ship and the US Ambassador to Brazil entered the ship. This morning we had the chance to hear from the Ambassador and his wife sat through our Marine Biology class with us.

3 weeks until a Bittersweet Farewell

Crazy to believe we’re almost done with our trip. Only 2 ports left and a couple weeks at sea.

Exactly 3 weeks from tomorrow I will back in the states, and then a short week after I’ll be home.

The last couple days have been filled with writing papers, last minute extra credit assignments, and getting ready for finals.

AND I have finally been able to register for classes back home for next semester. Only classes on Mondays and Wednesdays! Whoo!

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With so little time left, I am beginning to think about my homecoming. While I am SOOO extremely excited to see my family and friends, it is going to be a bittersweet return. I have formed a small family on the ship and it will definitely be weird not seeing the girls every day. I can see that I have made lifelong friends with a few of them and am excited to see what life will bring us in the next couple months and years. So much has already changed since we started our voyage and the past couple months has taught us things about ourselves we were previously unaware of. We have grown and matured and while I don’t think I will do Semester at Sea again, it has had a lasting impact on my life.