M.V. Queen Victoria pulled into Manaus shortly before 09.00hrs and it was not long before passengers could step ashore.
I had booked on the Amazon Experience shore excursion which was entirely by boat.
To begin with, we saw from our two deck riverboat (No.7) as we left the city of Manaus behind, houses on stilts (to accommodate the varying tide levels) of the “ribeirinhos,” (or riverpeople.) The riverbank was strewn with all kinds of activity to begin with. I am not sure that I recognised the floating petrol stations mentioned in the brochure!
Manaus is situated on the Rio Negro. Our riverboat would retrace the steps, roughly, of M.V. Queen Victoria towards the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimoes, the former a clear blue/ black and the Solimoes light brown and muddy. My brochure informs me that this is “This is the birthplace of the mighty Amazon River….the Meeting of the Waters….” Because the waters of these two rivers have different properties, they are vastly different in appearance as they run parallel for several miles. This provided a rare opportunity to see the two rivers, one muddy and light brown, the other, dark blue/black running side by side, unable to mix because of the different properties of the water in the two rivers. The resultant spectacle is a rare sight to behold.
It is very unlikely that I shall here again; travelling along the Amazon River surely is a journey of a lifetime.
(Day 23, 08.37 hrs) This morning, I revised much of what I had attempted to write after such a wonderful but long and tiring day, yesterday.
Thus, I continue!
We continued to Lake January, where a fabulous buffet lunch was provided in a floating restaurant. The local fruits on offer were absolutely wonderful, as were the numerous hot and cold dishes to begin with. I was glad to be one of four people from our “table.”
After lunch, and the inevitable but pleasurable look around the souvenir outlet, where I purchased a replacement baseball cap, we boarded (with some difficulty) one of several “motorised” canoes which would venture “deeper into narrow overgrown tributaries, at times, under a dense umbrella of trees that add to the mystery of this region…” Do forgive me for my numerous quotes from the Cunard Brochure!
We didn’t get to see the Victoria Regia water lilies from our wonderful motorised canoe. But we did get to see them after walking along a marvellous wooden boardwalk construction, around 300 yards. Again we were under an umbrella of trees for a short distance. On the way, we spotted a monkey, At the end, a wooden elevated covered observation platform afforded overhead views of said water lilies as well as lake view I would probably never see again. On the lilies, a sharp-eyed table companion spotted what we believed was a bany alligator.
Eventually, we returned to the river boat where on the outward journey, the plastic garden chair on which I was sitting most comfortably, collapsed sending be spectacularly on my back! Some wise guy told me that I owed the boat owner $100….charming! Needless to say, only my pride was dented and there are no provisions on my excruciatingly expensive travel insurance for acute embarrassment!
We returned to M.V. Queen Victoria by around 16.45, and I to my cabin for a breather and shower, before joining 700 guests who would fill the world famous Manaus Opera House for a well thought out programme of music by Bach, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky.
Marcelo de Jesus was the slick and effective conductor of Bach’s third Brandenburg Concerto, a work I was unfamiliar with by Mozart, Divertimento in three movements, K. 136, and after a ten minute interval, Serenade for Strings, by Tchaikovsky, only some of which was familiar with.
That Cunard had arranged (or that the local authority in Manaus had suggested ?) for the Opera House to be opened was incredible. The performances were well received, perhaps too well as on numerous occasions, the audience would clap in the wrong place! My late friend J.D.R. would be turning in has grave so much so that Buxton would be left in ruins! And on that note…..!
It’s time for breakfast and my fourth of nine malaria tablets. It is a glorious day as we steam towards our next port of call, Santarem.
Thank you all for reading.
David (10.26 hrs 1/2/20)
David's Cruise 