the Amazon, part I

Time for some more pictures of the Amazon! These are of our first two days there, the first in Manaus, the second in Ariaú, in the middle of the forest.

Fresh fish at the fishmarket by the banks of the Rio Negro. Beauties, aren't they?

O encontro das águas, the place where the Black River (Rio Negro) and the Solimões river meet to form the Amazon river. Both rivers have different temperatures, speeds and chemical compositions, so the water doesn't mix instantaneously, producing this bizarre phenomenon.


Medicin made of snake oil at the market. Cures everything including cancer (says the lady).

Relaxing the the Hotel Tropical. A nice change of pace at 35 degrees Celsius.

Arriving at the Ariaú hotel, in the middle of the forest.

All transportation is done by boat. Kobe and I were lucky and had a guide and boatsman assigned just to the two of us. If we'd chosen an English-speaking guide, we'd have been stuck with a large group of 10 Americans. Nothing against Americans, but you know.... if you can have a private tour, why not?

Pirana fishing! First catch of the day!

They have mean little teeth.

And at night... pirana soup! It feels very manly somehow to eat what you've caught earlier in the day. The stock is delicious, by the way.

Exploring the jungle. The dark, lower part of the tree, marks how high the river rises in the rainy season.

Lauren, the parrot that visits the hotel every day, to see if anything interesting has been deposited in the garbage cans.