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| The meeting of the waters at Manaus |
Encontro das Aguas, Meeting of the Waters, where the clear
dark waters of the Rio Negro meet with the silty ochre coloured waters of the
Rio Solimoes, is the site of Manaus, a city of about 1.6 Million people in the
midst of the Amazon Rainforest. No roads lead into the city, there is one
bridge across the Rio Negro leading to some new housing and industrial
developments. All goods arrive either by air or ship.
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| Solimoes on the Left, Rio Negro on the Right...miles below their meeting |
The two rivers, which so dramatically join here and flow
unmixed for miles before they mingle into the homogenous Amazon River, are the
gateway to the upper Amazonian hinterlands, with the Rio Negro reaching into
Venezuela, and the Rio Solimoes reaching all the way to Peru. From here
hundreds of Riverboats trek up current for days to reach the most remote towns
and villages. The name Amazon River starts from this point down river. Uphill,
the twin tributaries undergo several name changes as they merge with thousands
of smaller rivers and creeks spanning more than a thousand miles radius. Of
course, careening down the Amazon towards the Atlantic Ocean, assisted by
strong currents, covers another thousand miles or so. One is truly in the midst
of nowhere.
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| Manaus Waterfront |
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| Still not yet mingling together |
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| Dockside Activity in Manaus |
Rio Negro is clear, several degrees warmer than Rio Solimoes,
has a high PH level, and flows slower than its partner. Rio Solimoes is cooler,
muddier, less PH and flows faster.
There are more fish in the muddy river, as well as more
agricultural land surrounding it. Ergo, more people live along the Solimoes
than along the Negro.
Manaus, founded in the mid-17th century by
Portuguese explorers, flowered during the short lived rubber boom during the 19th
century. During that time the rubber barons spent lavishly to build opulent
edifices such as the Teatro Amazonas copying Italian Renaissance, the Mercado
Municipal Adolfo Lisboa copying Les Halles of Paris, as well as the Customs
House and various elaborate private mansions which are now museums.
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| Municipal Market |
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| Teatro Amazonia |
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| Custome House after the rain |
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| The jungle is taking over.... |
But, todays Manaus consists mostly of derelict downtown
buildings half reclaimed by jungle vegetation, a large number of slums, and a
long waterfront with floating docks harboring all manner of vessels. Water
levels fluctuate 10 to 12 meters each year, 2013 being a record year flooding
not low lying parts of Manaus, but
hundreds of stilted villages everywhere else (note 2013/14 floods in
Bolivia with thousands of homeless river people as a result). Fluctuations are
due to spring melt from the Andes as well as tropical monsoon like rainfalls.
This far away from the sea there are no tidal movements.
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| Rio Solimoes left, Rio Negro right |
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| Plaque with water levels over the years - 2013 was a record year |
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| Want to travel upriver? Lots of transport available - hammock class up to 'private cabin' class |
There is a conclave of super wealth just west of Manaus,
with inviting sandy beaches along the clear Rio Negro, gated safe communities
of single dwelling luxury homes, gated communities protected by the Brazilian
Army who have a base here, high rises and hotels, lovely shore side promenades
and expensive stores.
Here one does not live on the other side of the tracks,
there are none. Here one lives on the other side of the – unbridged – river.
One the city side, people want 300 horsepower SUV’s which
need expensive gas, air conditioning which needs power, pools, deep frozen food
items, expensive imported vegetables, business clothes, entertainment and
television. On the far side, people own a $400 canoe with a tiny outboard (VW
of the Amazon), leave their window covers open for a breeze, jump into the
water to cool off, grow their own vegetables in raised platforms, and throw a
net out in the evening to eat fresh fish next day, they play music, sing and
dance whilst drinking a cerveza for entertainment….
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High water mark below windows on a house on stilts
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| Rci Man on the Poor Side of Town in his float home with 'pool access' |
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| Float home 'facilities' |
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| High water mark on trees - black versus grey... |
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| Pre Carnival Party on the River |
Even on the Far Side, there is rich and poor. The ‘rich’ own
a float home, which rises with the impressive floods or can be towed to safer
waters. Rich, because these float homes rest on – nowadays – rare huge logs,
whose resin content makes them almost indestructible by water, hence they float
for 80-100 years. But – they cost about US$ 2000 per log, if one can get one,
out of reach for most common river people. Most build on stilts, on the most
elevated piece of land available. However, high water marks show, that in 2013
most of these houses were window sill deep under water, making them not only
very wet, but prone to unwelcome animal and human visitors.
Two people need to be ‘home’ at all times, to ensure that
some friendly neighbour dos not canoe into the front door and make off with
every bit of household good that can be transported away…
The lakes and rivers teem with thousands of different
species of fish, who change their diet twice a year depending on water level.
At high water, they feed amongst the flooded trees, eating and excreting seeds
as well as other food, and thus helping to distribute jungle growth. Living
among flooded trees makes them still easy to catch for a daily meal, but not
prolific enough to support commercial fishing. With lowering water levels they
return to the main river bed, and are caught in immense numbers by commercial
fishermen. Anacondas live in the rivers, with just their noses above water
level, caymans live on and around giant lily pads, and piranhas wait for pray
under floating grass islands. Is one want to swim, swim where the locals go –
they know where it is safe to enter the murky waters. If one is lucky (I was
lucky twice) one gets a glimpse of the shy beautiful bright pink dolphins who
ever so often raise from below, or even get a quick flash of one of the even
rarer black dolphins.
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| Resting at a bus station |
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| River Side Cattle Farm |
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| River Volkswagen without an engine |
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| Evening over Amazon River |
We stayed in Manaus for the Weekend before Carnival. The
local Samba Drome put on a spectacular show (which suffered an almost all night
tropical rain storm). I stayed ‘put’ aboard for the evening, and attended a
more modest version of Manaus Carnival on Prinsendam.
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| Sunset on the Amazon |
