MAO => GRU => ORD

Sometimes you have to take 2 hours back to go 8 hours forward

Manaus to Sao Paulo to Chicago. 

A three airport day with a three hour layover in Sao Paulo. 

MAO - We ate at Bob's Burger

MAO

GRU

Hanging in the Sao Paulo lounge during 3 hour layover

ORD - 16 hours total travel time.

Amazon Adventure Day 13 - Manaus & Teddy Roosevelt Redux

The venue and the show.

The cousins are on their way back to the states. Harlan and I chose to spend another night at the Juma Opera Hotel in Manaus to recover, relax, and enjoy another performance at the Teatra Amazonas across the street.

I started this travel journal by invoking Teddy Roosevelt's memoir about his 1914 expedition down the River of Doubt in Brazil. I thought it would be fun to find and post extracts from the journal that are relevant and/or vaguely comparable to our Amazon adventure. But, until perusing the hotel brochure, I did not realize that at the completion of his journey, Roosevelt stayed in the same building as we are staying now: 

"In the early 20th century, the Juma Opera Hotel building housed the Consulate of the United States of America. Around this time, Theodore Roosevelt, the US ex-President. was officially invited by the Brazilian government to take part in a scientific expedition to the Amazon region and its rivers... During his visit to Manaus, Roosevelt stayed awhile in the American Consulate, in the very same building that now houses our Hotel." - Juma Opera Hotel Brochure

Teddy's description of his stay in Manaus was complimentary to the city, but he was less than forthcoming about his own health at the end of the trip:

"Every one was most courteous at Manaos, especially the governor of the state and the mayor of the city. Mr. Robiliard, the British consular representative, and also the representative of the Booth line of steamers, was particularly kind. He secured for us passages on one of the cargo boats of the line to Para... Belen and Manaos are very striking examples of what can be done in the mid-tropics. The governor of Para and his charming wife were more than kind." -  Teddy Roosevelt, "Through the Brazilian Wilderness"

Candice Millard's biography painted a more complete picture:

"Physically at least, Theodore Roosevelt was not the same man he had been when he left New York nearly eight months earlier. Even Leo Miller, who had endured dangers and deprivations of his own during his descent of the Gy-Paraná, had been horrified when he saw Roosevelt in Manáos, writing that his commander had “wasted to a mere shadow of his former self.” For his trip from Manáos to Pará, Brazil, Roosevelt had been transported to his steamship in an ambulance and carried on board on a stretcher." - Candice Millard,  "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey"

Teddy and me in the hotel bar. 

There were plenty of opportunities for injury and sickness on this adventure. We frequently were wading over slippery sharp rocks in the river. There are many stinging, biting, and venomous critters in the Amazon including bees, flies, mosquitos, scorpions, spiders, snakes, sting rays, electric eels, and piranhas. And we saw most of them over the course of the week, some inside our cabin. 

A couple of uninvited guests in the cabin.

And, of course, for travelers experiencing different cuisine, intestinal distress is always a risk. That said, I am happy to report that except for a minor scrape and a single mosquito bite, Harlan and I avoided all of this while at the Kendjam Lodge. Which brings me to my own tragic injury on this adventure. 

It occurred at the danger filled location of the hotel rooftop pool and bar. Victor, my favorite bartender, was on duty. After a cooling swim, I bellied up to the bar and asked for a local brew in a glass.  As I reached for a sip, I bumped the glass, then lunged for it, grabbing broken glass as it hit the bar and taking a slice out of my finger tip. It created quite a bloody mess. Ever the professional, Victor poured me another one, cleaned up the mess, and procured bandage material. Not necessarily in that order. 

No harm, no foul. 

That evening we strolled across the street to the square...

...where an impromptu concert was underway.

Then we were ushered in to the Teatro Amazonas...

... for another enjoyable performance in that spectacular venue.

Après theater, back to the square and dinner al fresco at Tambaqui de Banda.

Where we ordered the signature dish also named "Tambaqui de Banda". 

A great finish to a wonderful trip. Tomorrow we fly. 

Amazon Adventure Day 12 - Back to Manaus

The morning mist on the river reflected our mood as we gathered our things for the boat ride back to the Kendjam village.There we'll board our Cessna flight back to Manaus.

It was an exciting boat ride downstream through the rapids to the Kendjam Lodge on our first day here. It was even more exciting traveling upstream through the same rapids to get back to the village. There were a few spots where we disembarked and hiked a bit while boats were dragged upriver through shallow rapids.

 And more excitement when shooting up a two foot waterfall between rocks in the river. I was continually impressed with the skill and moxie of native guide boat drivers and paddlers. 

In the village we had time to relax and shop local crafts while waiting for our ride.

Solar array powering Starlink in Kendjam

Then, back on the plane for another 4+ hours to get back to Manaus with a stop for gas along the way.

Our last look at the Iriri River as we took off...

... and a look at Manaus as we landed.

 Back in Manaus, we had one more group dinner at the Juma Opera Hotel, toasting each other and the trip before saying our farewells. Everyone except Harlan and I were to be picked up and returned to the airport a little after midnight this same night, just a few hours after our long day getting here. This apparently due to something they called "work".  We elected to relax and  spend another day and night in Manaus.

I finish the night with an "Insomnia" served by my favorite bartender Victor. 

The Insomnia - Irish whiskey, guarana syrup, basil and lemon juice

Despite the name of the drink, I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. 

Amazon Adventure Day 11 - Last Dance, Last Chance, Last Cast

Catch of the Day (and Week and Year) - HW with Wolf Fish

 Fishing Day 6:

Guide: Ciru
Native Guides: Nee, Bep bu Di
Fishing Beat: 2
Quote of the Day: "It's the dry season. But it's also the Amazon Rain Forest."  - Brian
Other Quote of the Day: "The wolf fish is the stupidest fish." - Ciru
Other Other Quote of the Day:"I told you." - MW 

Rainbow over the Iriri River

Our last day fishing was ushered in with thunder, lightning and a driving rain overnight. By morning the rain subsided. A few light showers gave way to a spectacular rainbow over the boats, a mystical gateway to our last day on the river.   

Ciru was our guide today. We told him the same story we've told every guide the last few days. More wading and less fishing from the boat. And we'd like to get a wolf fish. 

This clip was supposed to end with me catching a fish. It didn't. 

Ciru tried. Anywhere a wolf fish might be found on our beat, he put us in a position to catch one. With some of the most spectacular river scenery yet. We did catch more fish. More peacock bass. More piranha. But no wolf fish. Until...

It was late afternoon. Time was running out. Last day. Last afternoon. Ciru guided me to a spot where a feeder stream flowed into the Iriri. I was casting across the stream to a rock face under a tree. Another likely wolf fish lair. Harlan was wading upriver with the native guides.  Far enough away that we could barely hear the commotion. I saw Nee running back and shouting. Ciru looked at me and said "He has a wolf fish!".  I said "Go get the picture!" There was no way I could get across the stream and to Harlan's location in time. "Wait. Do you have a camera?" Ciru shook his head no. I knew Harlan left his in the boat. "Here..." I tossed my phone to him. "If it locks out, the pin is [REDACTED]". Ciru was across the stream and out of sight in seconds, heading to Harlan's location, carrying my phone with my entire life on it, and with the pin that accessed everything. No matter. Getting the picture was the only thing that mattered now. 

He got the picture. A lot of them.

Harlan later described what I did not see: 

"We spent 7 days at the Kendjam Camp fishing on the Iriri River. Caught 8 species of fish I’d never seen before but the Amazonian Wolf Fish had evaded me. On the last day, in the last hour, on my last cast before heading back to camp I caught this beast. The native Kayapo warrior behind me, Bep bu Di, jumped in to the neck-deep water to net this fish. An amazing experience all around." - HW

Amazing indeed. What a way to finish. Almost mystical. 

With the magicians: L to R - MW, Nee, Ciru, HW, Bep bu Di

Our last dinner at the lodge tasted particularly good. 

A magical day. A magical week. A magical trip. 

All that's left to say is  "I told you."

Oh wait. Almost forgot. The Requisite Daily Token Heller Fish Pic...

Larry also caught a Wolf Fish.

Amazon Adventure Day 10 - The Wallach Double

Catch of the Day - The Wallach Double

 Fishing Day 5:

Guide: Christian
Native Guides: [Didn't get the names]
Fishing Beat: 4
QOD (Quote of the Day): "It was worse in Kamchatka."  - Dr. Fred

Christian is our guide today. We revisit and reexplore the same beat as as our first fishing day on the Iriri with Ezekiel. Which was a very good day. On that first day we didn't know what to expect. It was all new and simply catching fish, regardless of size and species, felt like a cause for celebration and photo documentation. There's just as much excitement and anticipation today on day 5, but we may be a little jaded and set our expectations a bit higher. We explain our objectives for the day to Christian. We want more fishing while wading than fishing from the boat. And we'd like to focus on catching a wolf fish. 

We didn't meet all of our goals for the day, but as far as exceeding expectations, our double catch cleared the bar. We were drifting down a narrow channel between rocks. Harlan was fly fishing portside from the front of the boat. I was spin casting to the starboard side from the middle of the boat. Peacock Bass hit both of us at the same time. We reeled them both in. - "The Wallach Double":

Jockeying for the close-up. 

Definitely the highlight of the day. You might also notice there is bite out of the tail of Harlan's bass. That courtesy of a piranha attacking the bass as he was landing the fish. 

Of course the Hellers have to try and one-up us. They post a triple from their boat, which I grudgingly submit here as the Token Heller Fish Pic of the Day:

The Heller Triple

Not to put too fine a point on this, but it's worth mentioning that you can only get a triple if you have three anglers in a boat that was intended for two. There were two Wallachs in our boat. There were three Hellers in their boat. I think you can see where I am going with this. If Wendy and Robyn were in the boat with us, we would have had a Home Run Quad. 

More stuff happened this day. Some more fish. Some nice scenery. Wildlife. Another whiff on the wolf fish hunt. But everything else was an afterthought after the Wallach Double. Some more pics & vids from the day:

More Fishing

More Fish - Peacock Bass...

Piranha

Skunked again at another wolf fish lair

The Iriri

Back at the Lodge, drinks, dinner and Dr. Fred fish stories were excellent. 

Harlan had three helpings. 

Amazon Adventure Day 9 - "Arise Fishers of Iriri! A Flyrod Day! A Red Day! A Pacu Day!"

Catch of the Day - Harlan Catches Pacu

 Fishing Day 4:

Guide: Joao (JV)
Native Guides: Foguinho, Pebcue
Fishing Beat: 1
QOD (Quote of the Day): "We'll get a Wolf Fish on the last afternoon of the last day." - MW

Back on the river with Joao as our guide. We're now past the halfway point for our fishing days on the Iriri River. Frankly, the experience thus far has already wildly exceeded my expectations for the trip. I'm having a great time bonding with my brother and cousins. We're embedded deep in the Amazon wilderness, surrounded by wildlife everywhere we look - under the water; on land, and in the air. And we're catching more fish, different fish, and bigger fish, than I dared to expect. Great experiences all around.

Despite exceeding all expectations, we still want more. And now we want to catch a wolf fish. This becomes our challenge to the 3 guides we'll have over the remaining 3 days. Spoiler Alert: It doesn't happen today with JV, despite no lack of trying on his part. But we do have another great day on Iriri. 

On The Boat:

Another Peacock Bass

Another Jakunda

Another Bicuda

On The Shore: 

We put ashore and...  

JV hacks us through a jungle trail to one of the many Iriri River braids...

... and prime Wolf Fish water, where....

... we fail to catch a Wolf Fish. 

After lunch, motivated by some mild stimulants, we cut short our rest time and did a little wet wading. To cool off, we took a a quick dip in the river, despite Teddy's warning:

"Piranha habits are in some ways inexplicable. We saw men frequently bathing unmolested; but there are places where this is never safe, and in any place if a school of the fish appear swimmers are in danger; and a wounded man or beast is in deadly peril if piranhas are in the neighborhood. Ordinarily it appears that an unwounded man is attacked only by accident. Such accidents are rare; but they happen with sufficient frequency to justify much caution in entering water where piranhas abound." - Teddy Roosevelt, "Through the Brazilian Wilderness" 

These pics were taken a few minutes and a few feet apart:

Another large piranha today. 

And another Peacock Pose with another nice Peacock Bass

At the end of the day, we went Pacu hunting again. The Pacu is a challenging fish to catch. It is a vegetarian, eating primarily algae, nuts, berries, and leaves. So lures and flies that imitate fish and insects are generally not effective. Both yesterday and today JV put us on a Pacu boil where we could see them taking food off the surface all around the boat. I abandoned the spin rig for my backup flyrod with a green shoefly. Neither of us could entice a Pacu yesterday. Today Harlan hit paydirt and caught several. 

A pacu boil.

A pacu catch.

A pacu. 

That wraps up our fishing for the day. Time for the Heller Token Catch of the Day:

Larry's Rubber Pacu. By his own admission, a lucky catch. 

No wolfies but another great day on the Iriri. Important to note that in the QOD (see above), I made a bold prediction this day. Perhaps it is not so bold. These things seem just seem to happen that way. When Sigrid and I were on a dive trip in Papua New Guinea, we told our divemaster that we wanted to see Hammerhead Sharks. It was the last dive of the last day when we saw a hammerhead swim casually by us. When we were touring in Ranthambore in India, we wanted to see a wild tiger. It was on almost the last game drive on the way back to the lodge that a tiger crossed our path. I think this is called "foreshadowing". 

Anyway, can't say enough about how much I appreciate this crew...

 From L to R - JV, HW, Foguinho, Pebcue, MW

After a day like this, dinner was particularly tasty. 

Forgot to take a pic of dessert. Which was delicious.