2013: Traveller memories IV: Manaus - Entrance to the Amazon 1

Hello travelers,

The next experience as an incidental traveler that I want to tell you about my visit to Brazil, has to do with the city of Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon.

Once, I had packed and paid for the lodging, I prepared to leave Brasilia, I still have the impression, that it was very few days to feel the essence of the city, I think that people define the cities and in the case of Brasilia, I did not have the opportunity to meet many people, I only saw them sporadically.

Remember very well, that the weather was cloudy and it had rained torrentially, transport moved quickly along the wide roads without traffic, I wondered, where are the almost 3 million inhabitants? Once at the airport, the boarding procedure was fast, ready, I was heading to the city of Manaus.

The flight time between Brasilia and Manaus was approximately three hours, it is a journey of almost 2,000 kilometers. The flight was quite calm, I occupied the position next the window, from there I could see, including the outlet of one of the engine turbines. The weather was good, through the window I saw large expanses of green foliage that were crossed by a winding river, I wondered, That river, would it be the mighty Amazon or one of its branches or tributaries?

Over the time, I felt the descent of the plane, through the window I saw a dark river with many boats on the banks of a village.

The landing of the aircraft at the international airport of Manaus 'Eduardo Gomes' was smooth and the control procedures were quick and routine. Something caught my attention, was the loneliness of the parking lot.

From there, directly to the Tropical Hotel, the tour took approximately 15 minutes to reach a white building surrounded by greenery with wide spaces. The hotel has a 5-star rating and is located near the Rio Negro and 11 kilometers from the center of Manaus.

At first glance, the hotel was similar to colonial palaces, but it was only the concept, actually this relatively modern building, dates from the 70s of the last century.

The bedrooms are very comfortable, I stayed near the pool area. I just had to cross this long corridor.

Once I had toured the common areas inside the large hotel, it has more than 600 rooms, usually, it must be booked well in advance for the high demand it has.

After completing my first inspection, I set out to tour the exteriors of the hotel, and I began by a small square surrounded by a cobbled road in the area of handicraft shops that gives access to the river area. In these I bought the souvenirs of my stay in that place, among which were stone rings with the two colors that symbolized the union of the Black River with the Amazon River. Both my wife and daughter loved it.

Then I crossed an archway that led me to the green areas that constituted the recreational parks with diverse fields and access to the Black River beach.

I don't know if it was time or day, but the beach was completely alone, I think it closed to the public.

The waters of the river are very dark, hence its name, but its sands were very white. They do not match the place, I suspect they were taken there from elsewhere.

However, from there I could see a large cable-stayed bridge, the second longest of its kind in the world. Jornalista Phelippe Daou bridge, with a length of almost 3,600 meters and with a wingspan at its highest part of 158 meters.

Anyway, I took full advantage of my first day in Manaus, because I knew that the work schedule was very tight, as it had been in Rio, Sao Paulo and Brasilia. Why should it be different?

Thanks for following me here.

We do not see in the next post, on the journey through the Black River to the Amazon River.

Photographs:

Camera/Smartphone: HTC One S

Category: Cityscape - Modern urbanism

Location / Date: Manaus - Brazil / Jun , 2013

Setting: Automatic

Edition: No

Photographer: @janaveda

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