November 6 - 11:05AM - Meeting of the Waters, Amazon River

Woke up early today and headed to the port for our river boat trip up the Amazon. We are actually on the boat now and just left from The Meeting of the Waters. As I sit here and write on the top deck of an Amazon River boat our guide Herman just came upstairs and handed us two caipirinhas. Earlier Kevin and I were debating about whether or not we should have one this early but Herman solved our problem when he walked upstairs with two in his hands.

Let me do a little exposition on how we got to where we are now. Herman picked us up at our hostel at 7:30AM and we walked to the port, about 15 minutes away. Yesterday we had been to the same area that our boat embarked from and we had seen all of the transport boats unloading goods and people. In case you don’t know, here in the Amazon there are tons of rivers, they run everywhere, and they are used as highways. There is no point in building roads when rivers already go everywhere.

We spotted our boat, it was very small, 35 feet long, the standard top heavy, multi story, Amazon River boat design, take a look at the pictures to get a better idea of what it looks like. It is two stories, a deck on top and a deck on the bottom with a steering wheel, bathroom, small kitchen in the back, some ice chests, Herman our guide, a captain and a cook. That’s about all there is to it. As we got situated on the boat Herman asked us if we would like to go up to the market and purchase some alcohol because everything is included in the price of the trip except for booze. The answer was definitely yes.

We went back to the market, got some Brahmas, 48 to be exact and also a bottle of cachaca, the cane rum that is used in caipirinhas. This stuff is crazy and I’ll tell you what I know about it. 80 proof liquor made from fermented and distilled sugar cane and the craziest part… 6 Real or 3 US dollars for 50 ounces of the stuff. Scary. Cheap and alcohol are two words that you shouldn't usually mix. When you drink the stuff it gives you the strong alcohol sensation of actually letting you to be able to preview the hangover you’re going to get for an instant on your first sip. It vibrates the back of your head like a small electric shock.

And now on to more respectable subjects. Our first sight on this boat trip was Encontro Das Aguas, or The Meeting of the Waters, the point where the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimoes meet to form the Amazon River proper. The Rio Negro, as you can tell from the name, is obviously black or dark brown, which is caused by rotting plant matter suspended in the water. The Rio Solimoes is light brown. Because of temperature, acidity and water speed the two different rivers flow side by side for several kilometers at the point that they come together. It is a neat sight to see. An interesting side note is that in many places on the sidewalks in downtown Manaus and in front of the Opera House all of the tile work is an artistic rendering of the meeting of the waters. It is a black and white wavy pattern, a prevalent design theme all around town.

Um, that’s about it for now, apparently we’ll be heading some hours up the river. We’ll see some caiman, fish for piranha, hike through the jungle, etc. We should arrive at our final jungle destination at around 4:30PM after a long ride up the river. You’d better watch your back Colonel Kurtz.

P.S. If you are interested in making some cash by investing in emerging market ETFs the white plastic chair market in Brazil is huge. Things are ubiquitous, inside, outside, cafes, hotels, on boats, everywhere. Also, Skol beer might be a good pick up. As I said, more popular than water. A young lady sitting next to me on the plane to Manaus had one. She looked far from a beer drinker and even farther from someone who would order a beer on a plane. Ham and cheese may also be a smart buy. It’s been available for breakfast everywhere I’ve been, most Brazilian eat it, although the profit margins on sandwiches may be small.

P.P.S. I have to add that the women in Manaus are better looking here than in Salvador. More Latin looking but also fitter.