So, now, I’ll try to get back onto the story of our trip to the Amazon. The morning after our spectacular sunset viewing, the drivers from the Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge picked us up promptly at 8:30 and we boarded the vans for the 3 hour trip into the jungle. On our way, we took a ferry that took us across the Rio Negro, passing many floating houses whose residents depend on boats to get anywhere during the high season. Then we traveled west for almost 80 KM on a road parallel to the Amazon River, where the people depend on agriculture and brick production for their livelihoods. We passed some Amazonian creeks and lakes, and saw many locals swimming and playing in their waters. Finally, we headed north for another 100 KM toward the small town of Novo Airao, which sits on the right bank of the Rio Negro, before finally reaching a little dirt road that lead us to this amazing resort, built in the middle of the forest.
The Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge is a small resort that is situated in a vast stretch of untouched Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, along the bank of the Rio Negro. It is aptly named for the Anavilhanas Archipelago, which is the world’s largest river archipelago with over 400 islands. It was impossible to grasp the immense expanse of the river – the island we could see across from the resort was 2.5 KM away, while it was over 20 KM to the opposite river bank. Since the water was at its highest levels, 10 to 12 meters above the dry season levels, much of the forest and islands were submerged. The canals that form between the islands are known as “Igarape”, while the floating islands are called “Igapo”. There is a lot of interesting wildlife that can be seen in the rainforest; however, with the water at such high stages, many of the animals move farther inland. That didn’t stop a wild boar from running across the road right in front of our van as we approached the resort!
We were greeted in the reception area, an open-air room with a thatch roof, with fresh juices made from local fruits (I wish I could remember what they were called) and given an itinerary of the excursions we would be taking over the next few days. After being shown to our cabins, which looked like thatch-roofed huts and were each equipped with hammocks on the porches (and, thankfully, A/C), we were treated to a delicious lunch, prepared in the style of local cuisine. The dining room also was completely open to the outdoors, surrounded by the forest – as the resort brochure claims, we really felt as though we were experiencing the “perfect balance between nature and comfort, adventure and peace.” After lunch we had a couple of hours to explore the resort’s amenities, including a relaxation area – also open-air with many hammocks and a massage table – as well as the swimming pool that overlooks the river, and the bar, library and pool table (where the kids spent most of their free time) in the reception area.
Our first excursion was a tour (by boat, of course) through the archipelago. The tours always began and ended at the “boat-house” – a small building and dock that had to be reached by walking across a narrow wooden plank. Miraculously, no one accidentally ended up in the water in all of our comings and goings. We spent the next two hours getting a lesson about the local plants and animals, and the river itself, while seeing some of the most beautiful natural scenery we’ve been privileged to witness. Our boat entered some of the channels and floated between the trees in the submerged islands – sometimes so close that we had to duck beneath or move branches as we passed. We saw several parrots and macaws in flight, and even spotted a three-toed sloth high in a tree (a rare sighting during the day, given that they are nocturnal creatures). We were all amused by our guide, a Swiss man named Zacharias, with a bit of a dry personality who was describing the habits of the sloth – imagine our surprise when he told us that the animal only comes out of the trees once a week to “shit”! Ian and Alex’s eyes were as big as saucers they stared back at us in pure amusement, and I couldn’t stop laughing as he repeated the word about 6 more times! I really don’t know if he realized that we don’t use that word in daily language, but I wasn’t about to be the one to tell him. Once our lesson about the sloth had concluded, we were taken back to the lodge for some rest and relaxation – Matt and I enjoyed a caipirinha by the pool while the kids played and swam.
After dinner we were ready for our second outing of the day, a “Night Spotting and Sounds of Nature” tour. Once again, we boarded the boat, this time in the dark – we had sprayed ourselves with “Off” to keep away any mosquitoes (this was the Amazon, after all) – and reassured the kids that we were not going to be attacked by any creatures of the night. We really needn’t have worried about the mosquitoes – one of the resort’s claims is that because it sits on the acidic waters of the Rio Negro, the insects cannot proliferate there – this is one of the things that draws tourists to this area of the Amazon. As a matter of fact, none of us got a single mosquito bite during our entire time in the jungle. During our boat ride, our guide would shine a large spotlight into the trees at the edge of the water and looked for the yellow or red reflection of nocturnal critter’s eyes flashing back at us. We were able to see a few small caiman (small crocodiles), as well as an emerald tree boa wrapped tightly around the branch of a tree. More impressive than the animals, though, was the sheer number and beauty of the stars in the night sky – I have never seen so many stars! Though I don’t recognize many constellations, I know that the ones in the southern hemisphere are different than the ones seen north of the equator; however, our guide did point out the Southern Cross. My favorite moment of our trip to the jungle was when the driver turned off the engine and we sat in the still water, in complete darkness, save for the light coming from the stars, and listened to the sounds of nature. It is hard to describe that moment, the feeling of awe and wonder of the world around me, looking at the stars and listening to crickets, bullfrogs, and other nocturnal creatures singing their songs, and sharing that with our kids; I didn’t want it to end. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and after a few minutes of complete peace the engines were started and we were returned to our cabins to rest up for the next day’s activities.
First up on our list of activities for Day 2 of our stay in the Anavilhanas was a hike through the jungle. During this 2 hour adventure, we were taught about the many different plants and their medicinal properties used by the local and indigenous tribes. Our guide showed us huge ant colonies – the ants are allowed to crawl all over a person and crushed onto the skin to provide the effect of a mosquito repellant. We also were shown white powder that grew on the trunk of certain trees and is used for respiratory ailments, as well as to cure headaches. There are trees and plants that provide effective birth control, as well as relief from kidney stones, while others can reduce the blood sugar levels of diabetics. Along the way, we were startled by a herd of 40 to 50 wild boar that ran across the path we were traveling – knowing these can be dangerous animals, we were relieved that they were about 30 yards away from where we were standing and seemed to want nothing to do with us. Toward the end of our hike, our friend Pilar was walking ahead of the group with one of our guides, taking advantage of the photo-opportunities that were everywhere. Out of the blue, we heard a blood-curdling scream and thought she had been attacked by a wild animal. As we rushed ahead to see what had happened, we found a very startled and pale Pilar, who had freaked out when the guide taunted a huge tarantula out of her home. She is not a fan of spiders, and seeing one of the world’s largest arachnoids gingerly crawling out of a hole in the ground left her shaking and nervous for the rest of the morning. I think seeing the tarantula was the highlight of the day for Ian and Alex – Matt and I thought it was pretty cool, too! At the end of our hike, we were lead out of the forest and to canoes that were waiting for us – except we were the ones that had to row back to the resort – Ian and I went in one, while Matt took Alex with him. I was really worried and hoping we wouldn’t tip over and breathed a big sigh of relief when we made it back to the boat house without incident.
It was hot and humid, and after the morning’s activities Matt decided it was time to test the waters of the Rio Negro and actually get in it for a swim. After confirming that there really wasn’t a risk of being bitten by piranhas, he slipped into the dark water and was eventually joined by Ian and Alex. I stayed on the dock and cheered them on while I played the role of photographer. The water of the Rio Negro really does look black, as the name indicates; however, skin seen through the water takes on the dark orange hue of iodine. Apparently, because of the rise and fall of the water between the rainy and dry seasons, so many trees lose their leaves and bark in the river that the decomposition of these creates a high level of humus giving the water its dark color. Feeling refreshed and relieved that indeed there were no piranhas in the near vicinity, Matt and the boys were happy to say they had swum in the Amazon and moved on to the pool before lunch and our next outing. We spent the afternoon feeding Amazonian Pink Dolphins (we really weren’t allowed to feed them – the guides provided the food, while we were allowed to pet the dolphins as they jumped out of the water to receive their snacks) and visiting the town of Novo Airao. In this small town we were taken to two foundations whose purpose is to provide a livelihood for the local people there. At the first foundation, we were able to see them work on their wood crafts and pick up some souvenirs in their little shop – at the second foundation we all had fun smearing the red paint from the urucum plant onto our faces – the women using it as make-up, while the kids used it as war paint – we were quite a sight! Day two was coming to an end, but the magic spell that seemed to have been cast over us had us enchanted and excited about our remaining time in this beautiful place.
To be continued....
To be continued....
