Amazon Adventure Day 2 - Teatras Amazonas and Acclimatizing

 

Acclimating to the temperatures facing me in the days ahead.

Day 2 in Manaus and the process of acclimating to temperature, food, and culture continues apace. I think of Manaus much like climbers think of  Base Camp before ascending Everest. It is a place to adjust to the atmosphere and prepare yourself mentally and physically for the adventure ahead. Like "base camp", our few days in Manaus at the Juna Opera Hotel gives us time to adjust before our flight to the wilderness fishing lodge a few days hence. 

Disciplined training will ensure adequate preparation. 

As a 40 year San Francisco resident I am accustomed to a temperate climate year round. The first order of business is to spend as much time in the heat as possible to get used to what I will experience at the jungle lodge. To that end I found the Juma Opera hotel rooftop pool to be the perfect training ground. My thinking was that spending as much time as possible outside at the pool would quickly accustom me to heat I will experience at the lodge, and so I acted accordingly.

Next food. In general, when traveling to new environs, it is prudent to carefully watch what you eat to avoid the kind of trip ruining maladies that typically afflict travelers. That said, I still had  a couple days to recover before our flight to the lodge on Saturday. And the breakfast spread at the hotel was too tempting to avoid interesting local Brazilian fare. 

Among the breakfast firsts for me were the Brazil nut bread, Tucupi bread, Rice and Brazil nut porridge, and a beautiful selection of fresh fruits including some that I have never seen or tasted and could not name. The fruit was obviously the highest risk to consume, but I could not resist. So far so good.

Finally, the historical Teatras Amazonas is the cultural center of Manaus, the state of Amazonas, and arguably the country of Brazil. I couldn't find a Teddy Roosevelt reference for the theater, but the opening scene of Werner Herzog's 1982 epic Fitzcarraldo was filmed at the theater and captures the ambiance of the Belle Epoque era when the rubber trade was king:

Part of the attraction of staying at the Juma Opera Hotel is the Teatras Amazonas is directly across the street. No opera was scheduled while we were in town, but there were different performances every night. We didn't care who or what was on the stage. We just wanted to experience a performance in that venue. We were told the night's performance was sold out but Harlan finagled tickets at the box office and we were in. 

Teatras Amazonas amid the square opposite the hotel.

We told we should get in line an hour early, as each section had open seating and we might get an obstructed view. So we dutifully got in line early. Soon a young women scouting the line found us and  escorted us with other gray hairs to a shorter VIP line. I guess getting older does have some advantages. 

We were in, in our box seats off to the side. The theater was spectacular. Our seats were great. The show was fun - an assortment of 4 men and 2 women alternating pop songs with indigenous native dancers interspersed throughout. We didn't understand the words but appreciated the music and energy. 

It was great fun and we appreciated the opportunity to experience a performance at the theater. If we can get tickets we'll go back again.