HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: The group arrives
BUMMER OF THE DAY: The group is tired and cranky
WORD OF THE DAY: The group is here
THE GROUP IS HERE!!!
THE GROUP IS HERE!!!
I was on my way down to breakfast this morning when I got a knock on my door at 7am and there was a tired Mark standing there with a big hug at the ready. It is good to see a friendly face!! I went down to breakfast and when I walked in there were a lot of stranger faces looking back at me, but in amongst the see of faces I saw Julia and Sharon first and then I saw Kate. So BIG hugs all round for the crew and as the morning progressed Kate introduced me to all the new faces of the tour. Some of them I will only know for 11 days as this section of the trip finishes in Caracas but 10 of the new faces will continue on, so having to remember 21 new names will be my mission in the next few days.
They all had 2 hours to freshen up as we were leaving at 9am for our 3 nights in the Amazon Jungle. As they didn’t get to spend any time in Manaus we will be leaving the Amazon a few hours earlier to get back to Manaus a little earlier and visiting the Meeting of the Waters, so I get to see this phenomenon anyway, so it is just as well I didn’t do it during the week. I had to pack a day pack for the Amazon and I was lucky enough that my roomie Maxine was not going, as she had been before, so I was able to leave all my stuff in the room which was good to not have to leave it in the luggage room.
The bus arrived at 9am and after losing one passenger and locating him 30 minutes later we hit the road to see the Amazon Jungle. Man we are off to the Amazon. I’m not really sure what is happening as I have missed all the information leading up to it, but it was an optional excursion that we paid 300AUD for the 3 nights, which included all your food and activities while at the lodge. The drive in the beautiful air-conditioned bus was 2.5 hours which got us to Lindoa Village and the motorized canoes which were to take us to the lodge. The canoe ride, with a motor, took 1.5 hours on the Urubu River which eventually turns into the Amazon River. So with the wind in our hair, we find ourselves in the mighty Amazon and it feels amazing.
When we arrived at the lodge just after 1pm and it is amazing. I got my roomie Kate back and we were given the keys to one of the newer bungalows and a personal tour of room by the owner of the lodge, Antonio, to which the lodge has the same name. Antonio is a Native tour operator and offers safe and reliable jungle tours with experienced native guides, for those who like to feel the real Amazon and learn about its flora, fauna and ecosystem, far away from the city of Manaus. The beautiful ecological lodge is located on the Urubu river bank, 200 km from Manaus. Offering a choice of staying in comfortable rooms with toilet and shower or staying in a bungalow with hammocks, where you enjoy the beautiful view of the river, with shared toilets and showers. At our jungle tower, which also has private rooms, you will have spectacular panoramic views of the jungle and the river, the perfect place to enjoy the beautiful sunset and listen to the sounds of the jungle. Antonio grew up in the South of the Amazon in the jungle along the riverside, a real caboclo. That’s how they call the people from this state of Brazil. His parents taught him all about the forest. How to survive there and what you can use from the forest (fruits, medical plants etc.) As a little boy he went along with his father to the forest to collect rose wood and Brazilian nuts, which we sold. When he got to the age to go to school he had to paddle a lot. He went to school by canoe and had to paddle for a few hours. The teacher, a lady who gave lessons in her house, was also the midwife in town. So if she had to help somebody with delivering a baby, there was no school and he would paddle back home again. In order for him to get food they had to go fishing. Children have to help fishing as soon as they're able to do this. He learnt how to get different kinds of fish and of course how to prepare them. He also had to learn all the eatable things the forest has to offer. Antonio’s dream was to have his own company and work with the native people. This was realized in 2007 when he started with his own company Amazon Antonio Jungle tours in Manaus. It was then he also started building his own ecological lodge on the Urubu River, with help from the native people. The main reason why he loves this job is because he likes to share knowledge and experience of the forest with other people. Showing them how to live and survive in the jungle.
After settling into our rooms lunch was served at the main part of the lodge that also had a view looking down to the Urubu River. The food served was amazing with a buffet of beef, chicken, mashed pumpkin, salads and bread. Drinks are on a consumption basis and a tab was started for each person and we would just fix up the bill at the end of our stay. We had an hour to relax which the guys needed after the last week they have had and then we headed back into the canoes for a spot of piranha fishing on the Urubu River. This river has dark water like the Rio Negro, resulting from organic acids released by the decomposition of organic matters which kills bacteria and other parasites in the water and the lack of terrestrial sediments which makes it safe for swimming, and the area has far less mosquitoes. The Urubu River starts in Presidente Figueiredo and runs for many km's before reaching the Amazon River. Via the Urubu River we travelled up stream by motorized canoe to through the narrow channels and the flooded forest. It was so peaceful in here. Once we entered the flooded forest, which is exactly that, it is dry for 6 months of the year and then during the rainy season it floods to over 5m, the engine is turned off and then we use oars to maneuver through the trees and channels. This was where we had our first stop for piranha fishing. If you do catch anything it goes back to the lodge and cooked along with the nightly dinner.
A piranha is a member of family Characidae and an omnivorous freshwater fish that inhabits South American rivers. They are known for their sharp teeth and a voracious appetite for meat. The total number of piranha species is unknown and contested, and new species continue to be described. Estimates range from fewer than 30 to more than 60. Aquarium piranhas have been introduced into parts of the United States, with specimens occasionally found in the Potomac River, Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri and even as far north as Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin, although they typically do not survive cold winters. Piranhas have also been discovered in the Kaptai Lake in southeast Bangladesh. Research is being carried out to establish how piranhas have moved to such distant corners of the world from their original habitat. Some rogue exotic fish traders are thought to have released them in the lake to avoid being caught by anti-poaching forces. Piranhas are normally about 14 to 26 cm long although some specimens have been reported to be up to 43 cm in length. All piranhas have a single row of sharp teeth in both jaws; the teeth are tightly packed and interlocking (via small cusps) and used for rapid puncture and shearing.
There are various myths about piranhas such as how they can dilacerate a human body or cattle in seconds. These myths refer specifically to Pygocentrus nattereri, the red-bellied piranha. A recurrent myth is that they can be attracted by blood and are exclusive carnivores. A Brazilian myth called "piranha cattle" states that they sweep the rivers at high speed and attack the first of the cattle entering the water allowing the rest of the group to traverse the river. These myths were dismissed through research by Helder Queiroz and Anne Magurran and published on Biology Letters. Nevertheless, a study in Suriname found that piranhas may occasionally attack humans, particularly when water levels are low. Attacks on humans are usually reported around docks where fish are frequently gutted, and entrails are commonly thrown into the water.
So with information at the back of my mind, we baited out bamboo fishing rods with pieces of chicken and threw our lines in and waited, and waited and waited. We actually didn’t have to wait too long before Heather caught our first piranha and after changing locations Mark was next off the rank. They are an ugly fish but we took a wad of photos to make it look like I had caught it. I had a lot of bites on my line and the sneaky devils stole the whole bait off the hook a few times but it wasn’t my day for fish. I don’t know how people enjoy the sport so much, sitting there with a rod in your hand waiting for a fish to bite. Because we were in the Amazon and we were trying to catch piranha’s it was exciting, but to just catch ‘normal’ fish in a ‘normal’ river would be BORING.
After 3 hours of fishing and scooting around the flooded forest we headed back to the lodge where we saw some pink dolphins swimming just near the lodge’s floating jetty. It is strange to see dolphins in a river and not in an ocean but they were beautiful all the same. Dinner was another feast of local dishes and as we were all pretty tired (the group was knackered) they moved the caiman night spotting to tomorrow night so that everyone could get an early night and be nice and fresh for tomorrow’s activities.
It is hard to believe that I am in the AMAZON. The Amazon jungle is directly behind the lodge. I am in the Amazon!!! I have now met the entire group and I have a good vibe about them which is great. I think it also helped that we didn’t get straight onto Rosita; we have these 3 nights before I’m re-united with her. Welcome back to South America, welcome back to Brazil and welcome back to the Tucan group.
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