Meeting of the Waters

The following morning, we set out on a boat tour of the 'meeting of the water,' where the Rio Negro from the north, flowing down from Venezuela and Colombia, joins the Amazon river right off of the port of Manaus. Our tour guide, Tiago, met us at our hotel and walked us to the port. We then filed into a small motor boat and head out on the water. The day was absolutely beautiful and sunny with a crystal clear sky and a fresh water breeze.

We continued downstream, pasting the expansive and humming industrial port, employing approximately two-thirds of the residents in Manaus. As the city faded in the distance, the forests and jungle thickened alongside the river. Near the shoreline, Igapos (or flooded forests) house anacondas and a plethora of Amazonian wildlife. We then arrived at the junction of the two rivers, where the Rio Negro joins with the Amazon River. The 'meeting of the waters' is famous for the black murky waters of the Rio Negro swirl together with the orange-hued waters of the Amazon, creating a distinctive contrast of where the two rivers flow. The swirling of the two rivers is visible for miles downstream, as the waters from the two rivers remain unmixed. This phenomenon is due to the differences in temperature, speed and water density of the two rivers. Audriana was the only one of us who braved swimming at the 'meeting of the waters,' but she wasn't the only one. Pink, and I mean flamingo pink, dolphins jumped between the two rivers. It was a very beautiful sight!

Alongside the river, there are floating communities, with floating houses, churches and schools. The buildings are floating on huge tree logs and are tethered by rope and steel to the riverbanks. The ropes are adjusted to compensate for the rise and fall of the river during the wet and dry seasons. Electricity now flows to these communities thanks to the previous president of Brazil, Lula da Silva. To address the low college graduation rate from rural communities, Lula installed electricity into remote and isolated communities to help with schooling and so forth. As a result, the graduation rate jumped from 1% to 21%.

On one of the floating houses, we were able to visit with some native Amazonians: sloths and an anaconda! The sloths were so incredibly adorable and cuddly. The snake, however, was just plain creepy! Even though it was only a baby anaconda, it was still scary. Unlike the rest of the group, I didn't hold it. But I did get to hold one of the sloths! So cute!

To conclude our boat trip, we took a little tour through the jungle to the alligator's habitat. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any alligators, but we saw monkeys, lizards, giant lily pads, and a variety of birds. After, we had a fabulous lunch at a great buffet on the water. The food was delicious and the mangos and bananas were out of this world! It was a wonderful way to end a fabulous boat tour!

The tour of the 'meeting of the waters' was a great experience and illustrated the importance of the Amazon to the people, the culture, the wildlife and the overall ecosystem. I will always treasure this tour!