We have had our first experience of the rainforest, complete with rain!
Today was our one official sightseeing day, although in reality every day here is promising to be full of new sights and sounds.
We had been booked onto a day long boat tour to see the famous 'Meeting of the Waters'.
Manaus is an amazing city. It is quite literally carved out of the rainforest: a sprawling mass of concrete, commerce and people, right in the middle of the Amazon jungle. It's growth was fueled by rubber production at the end of the 19th century. Today it is a busy port, with huge ocean-going container vessels and the occasional cruise liner docking at its harbour.
The fact that vessels of this sort of size are present give you a feel for the vastness of the river network here.
Manaus is located near the point where two mighty rivers converge, the Amazon and the Rio Negro: the black river. And it really IS liquorice black, which is in stark contrast to the chocolate brown colour of the Amazon.
These two great rivers (the Rio Negro alone is 8km wide) meet 15km on from Manaus, and the result is a remarkable natural phenomenon. Rather than immediately mix together, black and brown run side by side for about 6km without mingling.
According to George (our guide for the day and fount of all knowledge) this is caused by differences in the temperature, velocity and density of the two rivers. But whatever the reason, the effect is pronounced, as you may be able to see from the photos below.
Next, the boat took us into the flooded rainforest to visit a native Indian village. We like to think we know all about flooding in Worcester, but the people who live by the Amazon could teach us a thing or two!
According to George, the Amazon rises and falls by up to 20 metres every year, an incredible fact considering how vast it is. The high water level it reaches every year was clearly visible on the bark of the trees. As a result, large parts of the rainforest are flooded annually and if you happen to live in one of these areas there's no point building your house at ground level.
Houses are therefore built on stilts or - more commonly - built to float!
We stopped off for lunch at a floating restaurant in the middle of one such floating village. The food was amazing: fresh fish, unusual vegetables (I have absolutely no idea what some of the things I eat were) and tropical fruit.
After a brief detour into the jungle, via a raised boardwalk, to see a beautiful water lily pond (see photo below), we then travelled further into the forest on fast canoes.
This was great fun, and we glimpsed something of the sense of fun of the local people, despite their extreme poverty. As we passed young boys in their boats out exploring, each held up what they had captured that day in triumph: a fish, a sloth, a snake, even a caiman! As we passed one floating house, 5 young boys jumped into the water in unison, just to get a cheer from us as we passed.
I'm really looking forward to our planned trip into the interior next week, when we visit Tefe, because I am sure we will see more of this simple love of life.
When we arrived back, Andrew wanted to pop in to see some of the folk that have been on his heart for the 6 months he has been back in the UK.
One of these visits left a very poweful impression.
Nazarè and her husband Valdir are very poor. They live on rough ground next to one of the busiest roads in Manaus. Their house is made of brick, roughly mortared together. It had been raining all day so it was damp. I noticed the fridge was rusty.
Andrew told us how he would play football with Valdir from time to time. However when we arrived it was clear that he was not a well man. Indeed, Andrew didn't even recognise him at first, so changed was he.
Nazarè told us that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer a month before. He had had his stomach removed and had been brought home to die.
Nazarè herself was also not a well woman. She was being treated for leukemia and was unable to eat any solid food at all. A married couple, living in desperate poverty, staring death in the face.
A stark end to a special day you might think?
Not at all.
Nazarè radiated joy.
Why?
Because her husband had recently put his faith in Jesus. His illness had caused him to re-examine his life and face up to death. And he had put his faith in Jesus to take him through death to new life.
Nazarè was thrilled that though he was going to die, she would be reunited with him. Despite their extreme poverty and desperate situation, Nazarè's face was therefore alight with the biggest smile you can imagine.
It was a tonic to the cynical sophistication that so often dismisses faith in the UK.
All in all, a day full of new experiences and sights with much to remember.
I have found myself marvelling again at the staggering beauty and variety of creation and the breathtaking imagination of our Creator.
And yet the abiding memory of the day is that simple house by the side of the road and one woman's smile, which testified with an eloquence far better than words to the breathtaking grace of God.
