Penknife
Indian
Contemplative
On arriving in Manaus we had the option to spend a few days in the town or simply spend one day there and then jump in a motorised canoe and head into the Amazon jungle at Urubu for two nights. I chose the latter.
Initially I had planned to go see the town's famous Opera House but on arrival at our hostel I received word that my grandmother had passed away. It was a sad shock that pulled me back into the real world as up until now I had been happily living in my little holiday bubble. Instead of exploring the town, I took some time and tried to come to terms with the loss of a loved one, and the sadness for not being at home.
The next morning we set off to a jungle lodge in Urubu, travelling one hour in a motorised canoe. I was sitting towards the back of the canoe and my pants got completely soaked from the spray of the river - this was cause of much hilarity for our guide Francisco (Frank). On arrival at our lodge accommodation we had a fabulous buffet lunch and then headed back out in paddle canoes to see the flooded forest. This is area was exactly as it sounds, a forest that partially submerged due to river flooding, the stillness of the water and the superb water reflections were breathtaking. It really was an inspirational place, great for anyone in a contemplative mood, and suited me perfectly with its serenity, as the place commanded respect and silence. We found ourselves whispering when talking to each other without being told to do so. One of the other canoes spotted a snake and a marsupial-like creature but we could only see Toucans, Kingfishers and Dolphins. The water was so smooth that it was impossible to tell where the tree reflections started and the actual trees ended - this effect was even more pronounced in our sunset/night canoe ride, shining torches into the pitch black darkness and seeing eerie mirror reflections while not being able to tell what way was up. It actually hurt my brain trying to register what I was seeing - we seemed to be suspended midair in the darkness. You really have to experience it to understand, but WOW!!! I do not have any night photos as I did not bring my camera along for that ride. On our evening canoe Frank caught a baby caiman, who had us all entranced with his cuteness - yes, I realise that I am calling a crocodile cute!! We also tried our hand at piranha fishing again and I successfully managed to catch one this time round as well. I seem to have lost my touch though as I just caught one whereas Kirsten caught three, this being her first outing. Still, I was happy with my one little nipper. On arriving back at the lodge poor Angela was terrified by spying a large tarantula on the wall of her cabin - she has quite a phobia about them and he nearly traumatised her for life. Frank came along and saved the day by plucking it from the wall and removing it to a more suitable tree. Kirsten and I had a lovely tree top view of the flooded forest as were were staying in the top room of the 'tower', above us was a nice viewing deck where you could chill out and watch the world go by.
We set off on a third boat trip at sunrise the next morning. Watched a few pink dolphins peek through the surface of the river, saw tons of birds, heard hundreds more. No sign of snakes or monkeys, but then I did not expect to, as they tend to be deeper in the jungle and not at the waters edge. After breakfast we headed off out for a jungle walk, headed a good bit into the forest and learned loads about medicinal trees (tiger balm, quinine, and many more). We came across the largest black wasp I have ever seen and a theraphosa blondi spider who was huge! It tried to ward us off by rubbing the irritant hairs on its back with its hind legs, we stepped away from its territory and headed further along the jungle path.
On the journey back the heavens opened and we experienced a proper rainforest rain shower. It was incredible. I have never been so wet in my entire life (and that's something coming from an Irish person). The raindrops were ginormous, pelting down relentlessly, there was no cover to be found anywhere, not one single dry spot in the forest. It was amazing to witness and experience. My poor waterproof boots didn't stand a chance and were squelching pools of warm water by the end of the hike. We made back for camp and had lunch. Next up was an option to sleep outside deeper in the jungle. However due to the afternoon's deluge half the group opted to stay in the nice warm chalets with the tempting buffet dinner. I however had no problem donning my soggy boots and trekking deeper into the jungle, thankfully six other hardy souls went with me, plus our two Indian guides Christophe and Cellsung.
On arriving at our camp, we went to gather firewood; a challenge in itself to find anything dry that would burn. After collecting a nice amount we strung up our hammocks and the guides went about starting the fire. Dinner was going to be rice, carrots, onion, potato with chicken and sausage. In order to eat we had to make our own spoons using some wood and Christophe's machete. Finishing touches and ornate designs were done using Tony's penknife. We were all quite pleased with our efforts at the end of the evening. Dinner was amazing and we used palm leaves as plates. We also divvied up our goodies for dessert, a packet of peanut M&M's, some chocolate and fruit chews, and choc Oreo cookies. Once darkness fell we didn't stray too far from the camp. Christophe went off exploring what glowing eyes were. Usually they were frogs, so again no sign of snakes. On retiring to the hammocks for the evening, giddiness set in and shadow puppets were demonstrated - much hilarity ensued and we all went to sleep snickering.
The next morning we awoke to the gentle sounds of the jungle, I have gone from being a very light sleeper who can only sleep in a bed, to one who can sleep anywhere anytime regardless of the situation - so that's one big plus alone for me from this trip! At 6am we made a breakfast of hard boiled eggs, crackers, pineapple, oranges, barbecued bananas and coffee. Then it was off for another trek into the jungle, delving deeper in the hope of seeing some howler monkeys. Again we came up short but the trek was great fun, Christophe made all the ladies Amazonian crowns from the palms and bracelets from the fibres of a tree. Too soon it was time to return to camp, have lunch and head back to Manaus.
There were two Austrailans staying at the lodge who were doing an intensive 10 day Amazon experience. They were learning survival skills, and when I saw them last were heading off to speak to an Indian chief in order to get permission to hunt and kill a caiman. I'm not sure I'm too keen on that idea, but I know that had we stayed longer we could have ventured further into the jungle and increased our chances of seeing some bigger wildlife. But Amazonian wildlife is well adapted to its environment, animals are incredibly hard to spot as they are so well camouflaged.
Many travellers leave the Amazon underwhelmed, having expected a Discovery Channel encounter with jaguars, anacondas and spear-toting tribes. Surprise, surprise, that doesn't happen. The quintessential experiences are more sublime than they are superlative: canoeing through the flooded forest, dozing in a hammock on a slow boat chugging up the river, waking up in the jungle to the call of what seems like hundreds of birds or the cry of howler monkeys. It's only if you have unreasonable expectations, or too short a visit, that a trip here will feel disappointing. I was very happy with my experience as it was exactly as I expected and had been more or less what I was told I would see.
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