There was a floating restaurant on the river that had a live alligator on the front dock. They had caught it earlier in the day and tied rope around its snout. The restaurant owner said he wanted his kids to see for themselves why they should not be swimming here.
Next we drove just over 100 miles to a remote jungle lodge along the river in the Amazon rainforest. Since we were there in winter, the water was very high and we traveled almost everywhere on small boats.
Fishing for piranha was very interesting. We used raw meat for the bait. The fish were very adept at eating the bait without disturbing the hook and it was a challenge to catch them. The guide used a hook to pull back the piranha's lip so we could see its sharp teeth.
The setting was beautiful. We were surrounded by the rainforest trees and the water was so calm that it reflected everything like a mirror.
Beautiful bright orange sky and clouds were part of the evening entertainment. Watching the sunsets never got old.
The rainforest is filled with many amazing plants that have found all sorts of unusual ways to adapt to their environment. Lots of plants climbed to the sunlight by growing vines around the trees. We also saw some unusual seed pods and some interesting bark textures.
When we hiked, we wrapped leather gaiters around our calves to protect us from snakebites. Fortunately, we did not see any snakes.
The Amazon river dolphin is adapted to living in a freshwater environment. Their skin is a pink flesh tone and grey. The snout is somewhat longer than their ocean dwelling cousins.
Shown here are a pair of ladder-tailed nightjar, two black hawk-eagles, a black-fronted nunbird, a vulture, and a fruit bat.
Leaf cutter ants are really a kick to observe. They are so busy moving leaves along a nice neat little path. We also saw a tarantula, a butterfly that was beautifully camouflaged as a leaf, a moth that matched the tree bark, and a brown and green lizard that blended in with the leaf litter on the forest floor.
We traveled just over 100 miles back to Manaus so we would be able to fly to our next destination. Spent several hours exploring the city before we took off.
The Mercado Adolpho Lisboa is an open air market for things like fruits, vegetables, and fish. This is the oldest marketplace in Manaus and it was established in 1882. It was old, colorful, and bustling with activity.
There were some familiar things like bananas and pineapples at the marketplace. We also saw lots of cara, a staple of the Brazilian diet. Cara is a starchy tuber that can be eaten in a variety of ways: boiled, mashed, or as an ingredient in some breads and cakes.
