Tuesday, November 8th, was our first full day on the Rio Negro. We signed up for two boat tours this day. And, we would attend two lectures.
Our first tour left at 8:30am. It was a motorboat ride in the Igarapés (narrow canals) in region of Jaraqui. Everyone picks out a life jacket. You keep that life jacket for your use each day on the tenders (small boats). Here are pictures. One has a yellow boat on the shore. That is a school bus/boat. Note that all these shores will be completely underwater in a few months. November sees the river at its lowest levels and is the beginning of the rainy season.
At noon we attended a lecture “Introducing the Amazon”. It was given at 11:30 in Portuguese and at noon in English. There was a slide show and video clips to illustrate what we were learning about at each lecture. Really interesting. We would attend every lecture.
After a nice lunch, that included beans and rice, we had a bit of time to rest before our next lecture. This lecture was about the “Boto do Amazonas” (Amazon Pink Dolphin).
At 5pm we grabbed our life vests for our afternoon motorboat ride among the islands of Três Bocas (Three Mouths) that are part of the second largest fluvial archipelago in the world. This ride would extend after sundown. Here are pictures.
Our stateroom was on the top set of balconies and the last one on the right.
Yup, our little tender was going to go right thru this narrow, shallow bit of water.
All those holes in the side of the hill were made by catfish. They lay their eggs in them. Of course, this is when the river floods and this hill is completely covered in the rainy season.
This is a lake formed between the islands. The sun was setting and it was simply gorgeous. However, there were rain clouds around where we were and you could see lots of lightning in them. It was a little unsettling to be on a metal boat in the middle of water with lightning in the distance.
As night came on, our guide plugged in a bright flashlight. He would periodically flash the light along the shore. If he saw red dots, he knew they were the eyes of night creatures out for the evening. In this case, there are two Cayman along the shore.
Back to the Iberostar for dinner in Kuarups. More beans and rice for me! The expedition team performed that night. We opted for our room and a good night's rest to be ready for the next day. We learned this day that excursions are great. But, when you get back to the ship, you realize how exhausting the heat and humidity are on our bodies. The cool breeze in the boat helps you not remember that. But, later, it really hits and you are exhausted. In a good way of course.
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