Departing
We left for Brazil on January 1st, the day after the New Year. This was my first time going on a trip outside of the country with people who were not my family. I was very excited to be on my own in Brazil and to be able to learn about the country with my peers. Studying water issues, energy issues, and natural resource management here is a once in a lifetime experience.
Day 1: The Brazil Experience
We landed in Sao Paolo on the 2nd, and took our connecting flight to Manaus within the hour. Flying into Sao Paolo I initially noticed that the buildings were so closely packed together. Also I noticed that the land was very green and almost looked like the south of the United States to me. This first contact I had with Brazil was amazing, I could not believe that we were there. When we got to Manaus, we drove in a bus to our hotel where we unpacked our stuff. Driving through Manaus on the way from the airport I noticed that many of the buildings here were dilapidated in some form or another. This is always something that surprises people from the United States, I feel like, because in the US we are used to facilities being in good shape as to avoid lawsuits and other things like that. It seemed as though many citizens were on their own in that retrospect. At the Taj Majal hotel, which we stayed at in Manaus, we unpacked our things and went down the street to eat at the local restaurant. The buffet style restaurant served all kinds of fish and beef, as well as vegetables, rice, and bread. When the first bite of food hit my mouth I knew that we were in a different country. The food tasted much different from in the United States, where everything is covered in oil and salt. Each food here seemed to have its own flavor. When we left the restaurant, we went to Sun Sebastian Square to see the city with our tour guides Rafael, Marcus, and Tayke. This was a great group of knowledgeable guys who were very interactive with us as students. We saw and understood many things about Manaus, be it hikes or a guided tour through the city, because of our tour guides and Dave, a local in Manaus whom Tait had brought along on previous trips.
Manaus means “Mother of the Gods” in Portuguese, which probably had something to do with the fact that Manaus is built in the middle of the rainforest, one of the world’s natural wonders. During the years 1819-1912, the city became rich because of industries booming in the growing city. Rubber was one of the first big industries here, and created a lot of money for the building of the city. Those that were wealthy who built the city were known as rubber-barons, because rubber was the first big product to be used in Manaus. The rubber trees could not grow close together, which was why the forest originally was being cut down. With little soil nutrients, the Amazon was used for growing rubber since rubber trees didn’t need many nutrients. The rubber was used throughout the city and was a major cash crop. The Opera House, which was built in 1869 in Sun Sebastian Square, used rubber to line the paved streets around the large music house, as to not disturb the presentation going on inside when residents would arrive in their carriage outside. The opera house, “Teatro Amazonas” was built by two artists and had a very old time look to it. The European settlers influence on Brazils architecture was very easily seen in this opera house. In this square, 40 years later in 1912, the last building was built. The architecture of the buildings in the square could provide information as to who lived in the building when it was built. When you see a simple building, with some windows on the front, it meant that a simple person lived there, or someone who just worked their job. A big building, or an architecturally complex one, usually meant that a rich family lived there. The governor of the Manaus at the time was Eduardo Ribeiro, who was a black, homosexual man. He was a republican and had a high military positivist command. Though he was well liked, some saw him as a threat. At the time of his death, he had a rope tied around his neck, though it is still believed that he may have been poisoned.
After we walked through the square, we took another bus to the Amazonia Musa, or museum of the Amazon. This museum wasn’t like any other that I have heard of or been to. This museum was located in the Amazon Rainforest and is used as a conservation tool. Located on the edge of a protected square of rainforest, the museum aims to teach people from all over the world why we need to conserve this natural resource before it is too late. The development in the area is harming biodiversity here, and every five years, the amount of fish species caught and brought back to market decreases by half. We arrived and immediately saw a fish that I was dying to see. In the video we watched about the Amazon Rainforest, we saw a fish known as the water monkey. This fish will jump out of the water to eat a bug or a seed that it sees outside of the water. They have vision that allows them to see outside of the water and in the water at the same time, which makes them a very unique species. When we arrived at the museum and saw one of these fish, I was very happy. They don’t look like any fish we have in New Jersey that’s for sure. We then went on a tour of the museum. We saw a man-made fish catching trap in the lobby and then headed into the rainforest. The first place we went was a lake. It had lily-pads the size of a car tire with spikes on the bottom, which I tried to touch; it hurt. We then went to see an anaconda in its cage, which was hard to spot even though it was so big. There was also a room here that had different species of snakes found all throughout the amazon. The snakes are being held in case there are population issues in the area.
When we left the room containing all of the snakes, we went up to the top of a lookout tower in the rainforest. This was one of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen. When you looked out at the vast layout of tree canopies and slight hills, you could imagine the city being 100% filled with these trees. Today there is a city that seemed to pop-up in the middle of the vast forest. The brick, stone, cement, and aluminum houses are tightly packed on streets paved on the flattest land in the city. This is because the Amazon is not a very forgiving place to live. The treetops had a mist surrounding them, which was evaporating water coming off of the leaves due to the heat and sun. I looked out and imagined what I would see if all of the buildings were gone and all I could see was evapotranspiration coming off of trees in the place of the buildings.
Manaus means “Mother of the Gods” in Portuguese, which probably had something to do with the fact that Manaus is built in the middle of the rainforest, one of the world’s natural wonders. During the years 1819-1912, the city became rich because of industries booming in the growing city. Rubber was one of the first big industries here, and created a lot of money for the building of the city. Those that were wealthy who built the city were known as rubber-barons, because rubber was the first big product to be used in Manaus. The rubber trees could not grow close together, which was why the forest originally was being cut down. With little soil nutrients, the Amazon was used for growing rubber since rubber trees didn’t need many nutrients. The rubber was used throughout the city and was a major cash crop. The Opera House, which was built in 1869 in Sun Sebastian Square, used rubber to line the paved streets around the large music house, as to not disturb the presentation going on inside when residents would arrive in their carriage outside. The opera house, “Teatro Amazonas” was built by two artists and had a very old time look to it. The European settlers influence on Brazils architecture was very easily seen in this opera house. In this square, 40 years later in 1912, the last building was built. The architecture of the buildings in the square could provide information as to who lived in the building when it was built. When you see a simple building, with some windows on the front, it meant that a simple person lived there, or someone who just worked their job. A big building, or an architecturally complex one, usually meant that a rich family lived there. The governor of the Manaus at the time was Eduardo Ribeiro, who was a black, homosexual man. He was a republican and had a high military positivist command. Though he was well liked, some saw him as a threat. At the time of his death, he had a rope tied around his neck, though it is still believed that he may have been poisoned.
After we walked through the square, we took another bus to the Amazonia Musa, or museum of the Amazon. This museum wasn’t like any other that I have heard of or been to. This museum was located in the Amazon Rainforest and is used as a conservation tool. Located on the edge of a protected square of rainforest, the museum aims to teach people from all over the world why we need to conserve this natural resource before it is too late. The development in the area is harming biodiversity here, and every five years, the amount of fish species caught and brought back to market decreases by half. We arrived and immediately saw a fish that I was dying to see. In the video we watched about the Amazon Rainforest, we saw a fish known as the water monkey. This fish will jump out of the water to eat a bug or a seed that it sees outside of the water. They have vision that allows them to see outside of the water and in the water at the same time, which makes them a very unique species. When we arrived at the museum and saw one of these fish, I was very happy. They don’t look like any fish we have in New Jersey that’s for sure. We then went on a tour of the museum. We saw a man-made fish catching trap in the lobby and then headed into the rainforest. The first place we went was a lake. It had lily-pads the size of a car tire with spikes on the bottom, which I tried to touch; it hurt. We then went to see an anaconda in its cage, which was hard to spot even though it was so big. There was also a room here that had different species of snakes found all throughout the amazon. The snakes are being held in case there are population issues in the area.
When we left the room containing all of the snakes, we went up to the top of a lookout tower in the rainforest. This was one of the most beautiful sights that I have ever seen. When you looked out at the vast layout of tree canopies and slight hills, you could imagine the city being 100% filled with these trees. Today there is a city that seemed to pop-up in the middle of the vast forest. The brick, stone, cement, and aluminum houses are tightly packed on streets paved on the flattest land in the city. This is because the Amazon is not a very forgiving place to live. The treetops had a mist surrounding them, which was evaporating water coming off of the leaves due to the heat and sun. I looked out and imagined what I would see if all of the buildings were gone and all I could see was evapotranspiration coming off of trees in the place of the buildings.
Day 2: The Amazon River
The second day of our trip was spent on a boat on the Amazon River and Rio Negro River. We left the hotel early, around 7 am with little food in our stomaches since the hotel did not provide us breakfast that early in the morning. When we left I had a nice ham and cheese sandwich in my hand which got me to the boat. We walked down to the river and saw some of the city on foot. I noticed that there are many stands in operation, selling food, news, and other items which locals or even tourists may be interested in. When we arrived at the river, we saw just how busy the fishing market is on a summer morning. There were people moving briskly in all directions, and many people standing around. There was no real dock for the boats, as you could see large fishing vessels conglomerated on the beach, either resting from an early morning of work or waiting to be taken out. These boats seemed to be able to hold many paying customers. Whoever owns the boat may take people out to catch their own food and then they get payed by each customer. When we went into the market, you could see just how much meat the Brazilian public eats. There were large tambaki and piraruku on many tables, waiting to be bought. Shrimp and other crustaceans were also present in large quantities. All workers at the market seemed to known exactly what they were doing. They were quick with their movements and handled the fish as though they had been doing it a very long time. The rest of the market was mainly for tourists. Gift kiosks took up an entire section of the building and contained items from spices and herbs to carved piraruku statues made from wood. There were all kinds of hand-made gifts that you could buy. I got a parrot keychain for one of my sisters, though neither of them wanted it so I now have it on my keys. People in the market seemed accustomed to having tourists and were very friendly when you would try to talk to them, even if they didn’t understand you. Tourism is very popular in Brazil and some people need the money that they make off of tourists to survive.
One-fifth of the freshwater in the world is found in the Amazon River, and the Amazon River Basin is five times the size of Texas. Along the Rio Negra, you can find many Indigenous tribes that have braved the conditions caused by urbanization in Manaus. Decreases in biodiversity, changes in water quality and condition, and warmer weather have caused problems for many citizens here, but for indigenous tribes as well. We went to see one of these tribes on the second day of our trip. We got on a yacht that was nicely rented by our group leader, and started on a journey into the Amazon Basin. When we got the site where the indigenous tribe was, I saw a little boy sitting on a rock in the water. He was only about 5 yards from shore, but it was just a very silly sight for me because I felt as though I was that boy, because that is something that I would have been doing if I was in a native tribe growing up. Nobody really seemed to be very worried about what he was doing as well, though I am sure one of the tribe’s people was keeping an eye out for him. When we walked into the hut where the tribe lived, there was jewelry and all kinds of different tribal symbols and representations. Dream catchers hung throughout the hut, and there was a sense of belonging in the hut, though it was just a roof held up by columns and a well-worn floor. The people in the tribe knew we were there to see how they lived, and what their rituals were. I was amazed to see so many normal people choosing to live their life away from the norm of society. They all seemed very happy and healthy and I was pleasantly surprised when the group was brought up to perform a dance with the tribe’s people. When we left, we took some pictures and said goodbye as though we may see each other again.
After this the captain drove us to a floating structure in an out cove of the Negra river. The houses on the river basin are almost all built to float, since the rainy season can change the volume of water in the rivers drastically (about 77,000 square meters of land is submerged from the dry season to the rainy season). The river will reach its widest point during the rainy season as well, as it can be 31 miles across. When we reached this floating structure, we realized it was built for tourism. There were many workers ready for us to arrive, as it was a sight where you can pay to have someone lure the River Dolphin to the structure and take pictures with it. I really enjoyed this because I went in the water and seeing the dolphin up close was very amazing. They are so big and their jaws are so strong. They can snap their jaws together to grab the fish and it will ring in your ears, as the sound is so sharp. I also was having a hard time seeing it when it was underwater. I could only feel it bumping my leg. This is because of the tannins in the water. Tannins come from the soil and cause the water to appear black or brown. This is why Brazil is known as the black-water capital of the world. One upside to the tannins causing the river to be a very murky color, is that there are fewer insects and organisms that survive off of the water, including insects. The plant material in the forest causes the color as the river runs over the nutrient rich soil, and the pH of the water is 3.8-4.9, so it is very acidic. When we left, we sailed past where we started off and headed to lunch. On the way there, our professional scientist, Colleen, gave us a presention on climate change in amazon river basin. The River basin acts as a water vapor sink, with 52,000 gallons of water entering the basin every second, and 200,000 meters cubed of water entering the Atlantic Ocean every second. The Dog Head region gets the most rain, and the Igarape river is the clearest and coldest river in the basin. The forest in the amazon basin produces its own rain, as the sun heats up rainwater trapped within the forest, but recently this process has been affected by human activity. Forest degradation has increased by about 29%, and IBAMA (The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) responded by prioritizing funding, increasing and creating new positions, and better monitoring of these positions. Loss of health within the Amazon Basin has been proved to affect agriculture, biodiversity, and human and wildlife health. Most of the clear water here runs through the mountains and over less easily eroded rocks, giving a pH of around 6-7. This part of the river basin, however, is a collection of waters that was brought down from the mountains, running over all kinds of excavated and exposed soils containing different nutrients, causing the river to run very dark and murky.
After the presentation, we arrived to eat lunch at a floating restaurant on the Amazon River. The food was astounding, with three different kinds of fish, cooked in different ways, and many different meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, and dishes that I have never even seen before. The food was excellent and afterward we were able to go see wild monkeys. These monkeys were called Capuchin monkeys and were quite a riotous bunch. They knew we were coming as we started to hear their calls when we walked up the ramp. The monkeys jumped down to investigate us and eventually knew that we were just another group of people who were willing to feed them bananas, so they loved us. Between the river dolphins and the monkeys, I started to think about the effects that tourism and human intrusion have on these species everyday lives. The dolphin is losing food by the second and overfishing has caused a great loss in fish species in recent years, and these monkeys are very accustomed to being fed by humans. This causes me to wonder whether or not feeding wild species such as these is a bad thing for the health and overall strength in population of these wild animals. The monkeys didn’t seem to be thinking too much about that. When we left the restaurant, we went by another gift shop and we were out. Someone bought a flute type instrument and we were playing some awful tunes until we reached our next destination. The meeting of the waters is where the Rio Negra and the Rio Solimois meet. The Rio Negra is older and carries tannin filled water. The Solmois is newer and flows much faster and colder, carrying far more sediments. When they meet, the waters do not initially mix, but flow side by side due to density differences. We stopped the boat here and enjoyed a swim next to the meeting of the waters, though if you made your way into the Rio Solimois waters, you were in for some trouble as the water could have floating debris or could sweep you away in the current. Me and my friend Tyler decided to jump from the second story of the yacht, which was a lot of fun, as we decided to do a backflip. On the ride back, I was very tired. I saw a lot of trash floating alongside the boat as we neared the city and wondered what kind of trash cleanup efforts went on in Brazil compared to the US.
When we were riding back from the meeting of the rivers to the bus, I went down to lay down in one of the cabins for a bit. While I was down there I thought about what an interesting day I had and how much fun living on this river would be. It is very dangerous, but for someone who came from generations of families living along the basin, I can imagine that the thrill of living on such a beautiful and providing river would be a lot of fun. When I came up from below deck, our group had gathered on the bow of the boat for some dancing and eating, and of course, pictures. Many people in our group were dancing and laughing and I enjoyed all the company. When we got back to the hotel that night, Heather and Georgie did a presentation on the Amazon River Basin. Around 75 inches of rain is annually dropped in the river basin. I also learned that the amazon river once flowed west, but as the Andes mountains have risen, the river started to flow east and out into the Atlantic Ocean. I also learned that the Indigenous people, who are guaranteed certain rights, are not being given such rights. They are still not afforded government healthcare, though they are supposed to be. Whether they want to or not, they are supposed to be given that right, so if they are not taking the opportunity, they should still have the option. Environmental issues in the river basin include deforestation, urbanization, pollution of the water, and erosion due to exposed sediments and land reclamation is causing changes in the rivers flow. These issues are all due to human activities on land that otherwise would be covered with trees.
One-fifth of the freshwater in the world is found in the Amazon River, and the Amazon River Basin is five times the size of Texas. Along the Rio Negra, you can find many Indigenous tribes that have braved the conditions caused by urbanization in Manaus. Decreases in biodiversity, changes in water quality and condition, and warmer weather have caused problems for many citizens here, but for indigenous tribes as well. We went to see one of these tribes on the second day of our trip. We got on a yacht that was nicely rented by our group leader, and started on a journey into the Amazon Basin. When we got the site where the indigenous tribe was, I saw a little boy sitting on a rock in the water. He was only about 5 yards from shore, but it was just a very silly sight for me because I felt as though I was that boy, because that is something that I would have been doing if I was in a native tribe growing up. Nobody really seemed to be very worried about what he was doing as well, though I am sure one of the tribe’s people was keeping an eye out for him. When we walked into the hut where the tribe lived, there was jewelry and all kinds of different tribal symbols and representations. Dream catchers hung throughout the hut, and there was a sense of belonging in the hut, though it was just a roof held up by columns and a well-worn floor. The people in the tribe knew we were there to see how they lived, and what their rituals were. I was amazed to see so many normal people choosing to live their life away from the norm of society. They all seemed very happy and healthy and I was pleasantly surprised when the group was brought up to perform a dance with the tribe’s people. When we left, we took some pictures and said goodbye as though we may see each other again.
After this the captain drove us to a floating structure in an out cove of the Negra river. The houses on the river basin are almost all built to float, since the rainy season can change the volume of water in the rivers drastically (about 77,000 square meters of land is submerged from the dry season to the rainy season). The river will reach its widest point during the rainy season as well, as it can be 31 miles across. When we reached this floating structure, we realized it was built for tourism. There were many workers ready for us to arrive, as it was a sight where you can pay to have someone lure the River Dolphin to the structure and take pictures with it. I really enjoyed this because I went in the water and seeing the dolphin up close was very amazing. They are so big and their jaws are so strong. They can snap their jaws together to grab the fish and it will ring in your ears, as the sound is so sharp. I also was having a hard time seeing it when it was underwater. I could only feel it bumping my leg. This is because of the tannins in the water. Tannins come from the soil and cause the water to appear black or brown. This is why Brazil is known as the black-water capital of the world. One upside to the tannins causing the river to be a very murky color, is that there are fewer insects and organisms that survive off of the water, including insects. The plant material in the forest causes the color as the river runs over the nutrient rich soil, and the pH of the water is 3.8-4.9, so it is very acidic. When we left, we sailed past where we started off and headed to lunch. On the way there, our professional scientist, Colleen, gave us a presention on climate change in amazon river basin. The River basin acts as a water vapor sink, with 52,000 gallons of water entering the basin every second, and 200,000 meters cubed of water entering the Atlantic Ocean every second. The Dog Head region gets the most rain, and the Igarape river is the clearest and coldest river in the basin. The forest in the amazon basin produces its own rain, as the sun heats up rainwater trapped within the forest, but recently this process has been affected by human activity. Forest degradation has increased by about 29%, and IBAMA (The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) responded by prioritizing funding, increasing and creating new positions, and better monitoring of these positions. Loss of health within the Amazon Basin has been proved to affect agriculture, biodiversity, and human and wildlife health. Most of the clear water here runs through the mountains and over less easily eroded rocks, giving a pH of around 6-7. This part of the river basin, however, is a collection of waters that was brought down from the mountains, running over all kinds of excavated and exposed soils containing different nutrients, causing the river to run very dark and murky.
After the presentation, we arrived to eat lunch at a floating restaurant on the Amazon River. The food was astounding, with three different kinds of fish, cooked in different ways, and many different meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, and dishes that I have never even seen before. The food was excellent and afterward we were able to go see wild monkeys. These monkeys were called Capuchin monkeys and were quite a riotous bunch. They knew we were coming as we started to hear their calls when we walked up the ramp. The monkeys jumped down to investigate us and eventually knew that we were just another group of people who were willing to feed them bananas, so they loved us. Between the river dolphins and the monkeys, I started to think about the effects that tourism and human intrusion have on these species everyday lives. The dolphin is losing food by the second and overfishing has caused a great loss in fish species in recent years, and these monkeys are very accustomed to being fed by humans. This causes me to wonder whether or not feeding wild species such as these is a bad thing for the health and overall strength in population of these wild animals. The monkeys didn’t seem to be thinking too much about that. When we left the restaurant, we went by another gift shop and we were out. Someone bought a flute type instrument and we were playing some awful tunes until we reached our next destination. The meeting of the waters is where the Rio Negra and the Rio Solimois meet. The Rio Negra is older and carries tannin filled water. The Solmois is newer and flows much faster and colder, carrying far more sediments. When they meet, the waters do not initially mix, but flow side by side due to density differences. We stopped the boat here and enjoyed a swim next to the meeting of the waters, though if you made your way into the Rio Solimois waters, you were in for some trouble as the water could have floating debris or could sweep you away in the current. Me and my friend Tyler decided to jump from the second story of the yacht, which was a lot of fun, as we decided to do a backflip. On the ride back, I was very tired. I saw a lot of trash floating alongside the boat as we neared the city and wondered what kind of trash cleanup efforts went on in Brazil compared to the US.
When we were riding back from the meeting of the rivers to the bus, I went down to lay down in one of the cabins for a bit. While I was down there I thought about what an interesting day I had and how much fun living on this river would be. It is very dangerous, but for someone who came from generations of families living along the basin, I can imagine that the thrill of living on such a beautiful and providing river would be a lot of fun. When I came up from below deck, our group had gathered on the bow of the boat for some dancing and eating, and of course, pictures. Many people in our group were dancing and laughing and I enjoyed all the company. When we got back to the hotel that night, Heather and Georgie did a presentation on the Amazon River Basin. Around 75 inches of rain is annually dropped in the river basin. I also learned that the amazon river once flowed west, but as the Andes mountains have risen, the river started to flow east and out into the Atlantic Ocean. I also learned that the Indigenous people, who are guaranteed certain rights, are not being given such rights. They are still not afforded government healthcare, though they are supposed to be. Whether they want to or not, they are supposed to be given that right, so if they are not taking the opportunity, they should still have the option. Environmental issues in the river basin include deforestation, urbanization, pollution of the water, and erosion due to exposed sediments and land reclamation is causing changes in the rivers flow. These issues are all due to human activities on land that otherwise would be covered with trees.
Day 3:
When we woke up on the third day, breakfast was served by the hotel luckily. This however did not mean that we were able to eat. The food was put out just 15 minutes before we left on the bus for a hike through the rainforest. We got food at a local gas station, and in an hour or so, we arrived at our destination. We were briefed by our tour guides on what things we may encounter and the layout of the hike that we were about to take. The trees here all have a purpose. Many are used for medicine, as the rainforest is known as the worlds medicine cabinet. We also learned about one tree with a base that actually acts as a calling device. Another tree here actualy uses its roots to move the whole tree if it is not reaching enough sunlight. When we got to the base of the hill, there stood a large cave opening. The cave was made of sandstone and had flowing water through it, the same flowing channel that carved the walls of the cave over time. Inside this cave was very cold, dark, and wet. The walls were covered with these insects called spider scorpions. There was also a wandering spider, which is one of the most poisonous spiders in the world. I did not know this at the time and when I found out, I quickly got one last look and turned to walk farther away. As well as insects being in the cave, thousands of bats could be seen hanging or flying around. At the very back of the cave was the breeding grounds for these bats. When we turned all the lights off in the cave, there was a sense that you would not be able to make it out if the lights never got turned back on. That is because inside the cave, there is absolutely no light. If you followed the water, you could however, make it out before you became too disoriented. When we exited the cave, we walked down the river a bit, seeing some turantulas in their holes along the bank of the river. We made our way to a small pool underneath a waterfall. Here we took some pictures and talked about what we were doing next. While hiking, I kept my eye on watch for movement of any type of bugs or animals, but I didn’t see very many. When we left the hiking trail, we took a bus to a local village style restaurant, where you could rent a house. Here we ate pasta and rice as well as fish. There was also a hot sauce here that was so hot but so tasty as well. I enjoyed the food here very much, and they had a bottle of soda, which after the hike was very good. After eating, I sat down to take a look at the surrounding area where this restaurant was. There was a large lake at the bottom of the hill, with treacherous looking woods behind it. In the lake stood an egrit, and there were many vultures standing on a tower just to the left of the lake. We took a walk down towards this lake, and I was surprised to find that we were walking into the woods. When we got to our destination, we saw a campground with some shacks, and then there was a wooden trail that led to flowing water, which got louder and louder as we approached. This was a waterfall, and in the wake of the flowing water, there was a very deep river that had a jumping point along it. We spent at least an hour jumping endlessly into the river, doing different funny things each time. I had a great time doing this. The river was dark and tannin colored and was moving fairly fast. The water was not very cold and it was very dense and heavy, meaning it was hard to keep yourself floating without exerting much effort. After this, we went to a geo-park. Here we learned about how the flow of water affects the surrounding rock structures and about how tectonic plates expedite the process of rock transformation. When we got to the park, immediately you could hear the flow of a river, one that had a lot of water flowing through it. We learned about the way the rocks here formed through visualizing patterns on some of the sedimentary rocks. The sedimentation over time created rocks with dune layers and flat layers. This is due to the rest and flow of water over this area over time. Dune layers in the rock were seen as on an angle in the rock profile, while resting water would have created a flat layer in the rock profile. The rocks were molded by these patterns of water movement over time and created the features that we saw.
When we left, everyone was very tired. We got back to the hotel and went out for dinner at a local restaurant in Sun Sebastian Square. The atmosphere was very nice and the food was delicious. I could sense the European influence in Manaus very much, as the environment was very oldschool and the square in which we ate at was very old. There was a large fake Christmas tree in the square which also added to the uniqueness of the area. We see Christmas as a winter holiday, but in the southern hemisphere it is a summer holiday. The tree was a very nice sight because it represented the shared rituals that Brazil has with the United States, but also the fact that the holiday is still a little different in this foreign country. At the restaurant, I enjoyed a plate of Tambaki with some vegetables and rice, as well as a large lemonade drink. After this, me and a couple of group members made our way back to the hotel to get our things ready for the flight to Rio.
When we left, everyone was very tired. We got back to the hotel and went out for dinner at a local restaurant in Sun Sebastian Square. The atmosphere was very nice and the food was delicious. I could sense the European influence in Manaus very much, as the environment was very oldschool and the square in which we ate at was very old. There was a large fake Christmas tree in the square which also added to the uniqueness of the area. We see Christmas as a winter holiday, but in the southern hemisphere it is a summer holiday. The tree was a very nice sight because it represented the shared rituals that Brazil has with the United States, but also the fact that the holiday is still a little different in this foreign country. At the restaurant, I enjoyed a plate of Tambaki with some vegetables and rice, as well as a large lemonade drink. After this, me and a couple of group members made our way back to the hotel to get our things ready for the flight to Rio.