Equipo Williams

It seems like we’ve been in Brazil for weeks, even though it’s only been a few days. As Marcus wrote in the previous post, our stay in São Paulo gave us a few days to get used to being in a country where nobody speaks the language or really knows the culture. We’ve had to get used to living without a car (we walk or take Uber when it’s far), and we have to remember to put the toilet paper in the bin rather than in the toilet.

Ordering at restaurants involves some mix of a English, Spanish, poorly pronounced Portuguese and a lot of pointing, though before we even get to the ordering part there’s usually a big negotiation with the kids about what they want, why the restaurant probably doesn’t have it, and why we just don’t know what that dish is even after using Google translate. Some food words just don’t have translations. Like Marcus, I’m happy to just take a chance and eat what I get, the kids, not so much.

Yesterday our day was mostly taken up with the trip from SP to Manaus. There wasn’t a direct flight (or maybe there wasn’t one at our price point) so we connected in Brasilia. We found a restaurant at the airport that offered pasta with tomato or cheese sauce for the kids, French fries and beer for the adults. It was a big relief not to have to argue about that order.

Towards the end of the three hour flight to Manaus, we got to see some spectacular thunderstorms over the Amazon. When we landed in Manaus, it was clear we’d entered a very different climate. Whereas SP was moderately cool and rainy, Manaus was hot and much drier than I expected for being surrounded by rainforest. Also, it was so smoky that even the airport air smelled like campfire.

A guide from our tour operator came to pick us up after we collected our bags. During the 30 minute car ride into town, Luis explained that this was the hottest and driest year anyone could remember and that the fires this year were particularly bad. He explained that when we start our tour we will need to walk down the dry part of the riverbank to get to the boat, and the walk is much more challenging than normal due to the dry conditions.

Luis also explained that Manaus was founded in the 1600s when the Portuguese built a fort to protect their claim on the area against the Dutch and Spanish. Many indigenous people already in the area were caught up in the struggle, and also intermarried with the Europeans. Then Manaus really booked in the late 1800s and early 1900s due to high demand for rubber for tires. Eventually some Englishman smuggled seeds out and set up rubber plantations elsewhere, ending the Amazonian monopoly and leaving the city with many opulent but degrading buildings. Today the city has about 2 million inhabitants and has prospered again recently due to special tax status and manufacturing activity. In particular small electronics are a key product; they’re small and can be transported out on the River.

Our hotel is quaint and has plenty of character. Meaning interesting art, comfortable but shabby furniture, and that funky smell common to all warm and damp climates. Overnight those beautiful thunderstorms came to Manaus and the roar of the thunder was incredible. I’m used to big Midwestern thunderstorms but this was much more intense than any thunderstorm I’ve experienced. There were a few big strikes nearby but mostly it was just an hour or two of torrential rain and rumbles that seemed to shake the whole building. Syd slept right through it! We confirmed in the morning that it was a typical storm, nothing special for the area.

While exploring the city today, we enjoyed the fancy old buildings including the opera house. We (especially Syd) didn’t like the garbage and smells. We enjoyed some ice cream and trying to watch an annular solar eclipse, which was mostly obscured by haze. We liked the bustling street life and many small vendors selling drinks, snacks, clothes and cheap toys. We noticed a lot of street cats and dogs and plenty of people sleeping on the street too. It’s definitely a gritty city with plenty of working class people but also many who are very poor.

Tomorrow after breakfast we will head out into the Amazonas and discover more.