...on the banks of the amazon river is just one of the many remarkable features of this port city of manaus.manaus is the name of this brazilian metropolis located just beyond the river and rainforest. the city was named for its richness of resources we were told, by her first inhabitants. the origin of the city's name, celebrates the Manáo (Mother of the gods) Indian nation, the most important ethnic group in the region, historically distinguished by their courage and bravery. when the colonization of the area took place, the indigenous peoples built their city around the fortresses that were erected by "outsiders" who began their own battle for this treasured land.
the europeans that came here soon realized a very profitable resource--rubber. and the struggle to dominate this product ensued. throughout the 18th and 19th century, german barons, the english, the portuguese, the dutch...all came to this place.
building their empires and then plundering it too. the rubber industry was so intensely lucrative, the german baron who lived in manaus decided early on to never marry so we were told, just so that he would not have to share his wealth with a wife.
he erected a beautiful home, which is now a museum. one of my pix that will later be included is of a baseme
nt vent below this residence. we were told that this is where the slaves were made to live.
nt vent below this residence. we were told that this is where the slaves were made to live. the english brought with them technologies that allowed the city to survive the rising river banks. floating docks is just one example. bridges joining the forest and the city demonstrate how the city and her inhabitants have adapted. homes are built on stilts to keep them above the water.
in addition to such practical matters, the europeans also fancied replicating a city here in the jungle that would approximate their homelands. we're told that this was the driving force behind the creation of just one of manaus' crown jewels--the opera house. it features elaborate tile work on a very ornate dome; interiors of in-laid wood flooring throughout; three levels of balcony seating; beautifully adorned walls painted with depictions of earthly and heavenly scenes.
during our time at the opera house (pictured at left), we were enchanted by the sounds of a performance that had been scheduled for our visit i suspect. the music that was offered included classical music and indigenous. care to guess which one i liked better?
the musicians were extremely talented and i must say, the music really moved me.
later in the evening, one of the south american experts along on this trip had arranged a rare opportunity (we hoped) for an "unscheduled" excursion so to speak. this was to be a visit to a religious service called: candomble.
candomble is a hybrid of religious practices; the religious practices of slaves who were brought here from africa and the religion of the colonizers (you may wish to google this to learn more about candomble). christianity and catholicism. candomble is practiced at night apparently (practitioners and followers alike, driven underground by mainstream religious observers), and so, those of us who wanted to witness this service, assembled in great anticipation at 8:45pm.
we waited until about 9:30pm for the guide to finally reveal to us that our opportunity, well, took another direction. it seems that there was some family in urgent need of the candomble high priest, to make a house-call. as these services are held in an impromptu fashion, on friday and saturday nights...the "planned" service we were to attend, was now cancelled.
here's where the real "adventure" began...we walk across the ramps that join the ship to the port. navigate through a whole nightclub scene directly situated in the building facing the docks. the place is jammed with people; tables; food; music. the most interesting thing i noticed on the tables were the beer dispensers (me, the none-drinker notices beer dispensers). the beer in this club/restaurant is sold by liters i am guessing; in varying sizes. there is a container/reservoir that sits atop a spigotted base. people can dispense their beer, table side. reordering only when the pitcher runs low. much more efficient and far less wasteful than individual bottles! that's what i call: gettin' yo' drink on.
now we have wound through the ramps and are street level. we now board the chartered bus searching the city, at night, for an underground religious ceremony that can even include animal sacrifice--yes, you read right. and yes, i was not at all comfortable with that possibility. people fall into trances at these services and the event can be "wild". not unlike the get-down with the get-down: baptists/pentecostals/evangelicals/back-wood appalachian mountain, snake toting, tongue-talkin' variety we might find in the good 'ole US of A.
winding streets and narrow ones at that, made the trip all the more harrowing. worried about side-swiping parked cars and running over playing children in the streets long after 10pm added another layer to this candomble service we were "hunting". at least we were not on foot in this humid place. i would never have been able to do that. and our bus, praise the god of AC (yes, i know, cfc's are bad)--was climate-controlled.
as we passed through the neighborhoods of manaus, WE soon became the attraction. who are these strange people traipsing through our streets, i'm sure was the thought in the heads of the children who saw our bus. we even passed a house where children were bouncing up and down on a make-shift "jumper" such as we see back home. all the while, eyes fixed on the bus rumbling down their little street.
indeed, what folly it was for us to go, literally for all intents and purposes, on this night-time jaunt. into a city that we were warned was too dangerous to traverse even by taxi in the daytime without lots of trepidation (indeed, one of our shipmates got jumped by two men and a woman--beat up pretty good we found out later...two very bruised eyes to prove he'd been in the wrong place at the right time).
needless to say, we received different reasons why each location we went to, failed to produce a candomble service for us to attend. one reason: the service is only held on saturdays (why then did our guide attempt to take us to one on a friday? i ask you?); in another moment, the day that said service takes place, is on tuesdays only. again...why didn't our guide know this? such is how things go down, in brazil. mañana don'tcha know?
well, supposedly this particular religion has been driven more and more underground over the years. and so, it is not a slam-dunk, ever, that one would find a service of candomble. especially not in a city located on river banks vs. the coastal areas of brazil where the slave trade was much more well-established. we are told that in coastal regions, candomble practitioners are more plentiful (however, i would question that too as a result of having watched a documentary here on ship about the ever-growing popularity of evangelical christianity in brazil and of course, the well-established presence of catholicism here as well as throughout most of latin america).
finally, at about 11pm, we abandoned any notion that we would attend a candomble service. now what to do? a vote on the bus was taken and it was decided to try and go to a local club to take in some traditional "afoxe" or "forro". another hybrid of decidedly european, african and indigenous influences showing up in music.
the first stop was more of a night-club scene with attendant 20-somethings waiting on line to get in; recorded vs. live music pumping; scantily clad young women sporting very high heels; young men surveying all who pass by.
this was not going to meet the needs of this "mature" audience (people aged 60+) at all. especially at 11pm. beauty rest is vital at this age.
so next we "decide" to return to ship. but not without stopping one more time. on the way back to the good ship lol-li-pop, we peeked in at punto negro. this is a highly popular beach area that has a very nice boardwalk scene. lots of families walking about, even late at night. an enclosed court for volleyball and/or soccer; a stage for music/dance. seemed that remnants of the recent christmas celebration continued -- a beautifully constructed "tree" was a focal point. there were food vendors; artisans selling crafts; amusement park type of rides and a giant slide. all lighted in festive fashion for the time of year i suppose.
once all the "adventurers" returned to the chartered bus, we drove back to the dock. on our way, passing many festively decorated homes and businesses. 'tis the season. and so, what christmas would be complete without snowmen? here in manaus, the snowmen are only made of lights. snow would never remain solid in this tropical city located right at the equator.
by the time we reached our drop-off, it was about midnight. we walked through the ramps and the nightclub once more. only by this hour, the tables and chairs that were occupied by energetic brazilians what seemed just moments earlier--empty. restaurant--empty. i was so surprised to see that. that was almost as surreal as being here is.
The most important journey you may take in life is meeting people halfway - Henry Boye
later in the evening, one of the south american experts along on this trip had arranged a rare opportunity (we hoped) for an "unscheduled" excursion so to speak. this was to be a visit to a religious service called: candomble.
candomble is a hybrid of religious practices; the religious practices of slaves who were brought here from africa and the religion of the colonizers (you may wish to google this to learn more about candomble). christianity and catholicism. candomble is practiced at night apparently (practitioners and followers alike, driven underground by mainstream religious observers), and so, those of us who wanted to witness this service, assembled in great anticipation at 8:45pm.
we waited until about 9:30pm for the guide to finally reveal to us that our opportunity, well, took another direction. it seems that there was some family in urgent need of the candomble high priest, to make a house-call. as these services are held in an impromptu fashion, on friday and saturday nights...the "planned" service we were to attend, was now cancelled.
here's where the real "adventure" began...we walk across the ramps that join the ship to the port. navigate through a whole nightclub scene directly situated in the building facing the docks. the place is jammed with people; tables; food; music. the most interesting thing i noticed on the tables were the beer dispensers (me, the none-drinker notices beer dispensers). the beer in this club/restaurant is sold by liters i am guessing; in varying sizes. there is a container/reservoir that sits atop a spigotted base. people can dispense their beer, table side. reordering only when the pitcher runs low. much more efficient and far less wasteful than individual bottles! that's what i call: gettin' yo' drink on.
now we have wound through the ramps and are street level. we now board the chartered bus searching the city, at night, for an underground religious ceremony that can even include animal sacrifice--yes, you read right. and yes, i was not at all comfortable with that possibility. people fall into trances at these services and the event can be "wild". not unlike the get-down with the get-down: baptists/pentecostals/evangelicals/back-wood appalachian mountain, snake toting, tongue-talkin' variety we might find in the good 'ole US of A.
winding streets and narrow ones at that, made the trip all the more harrowing. worried about side-swiping parked cars and running over playing children in the streets long after 10pm added another layer to this candomble service we were "hunting". at least we were not on foot in this humid place. i would never have been able to do that. and our bus, praise the god of AC (yes, i know, cfc's are bad)--was climate-controlled.
as we passed through the neighborhoods of manaus, WE soon became the attraction. who are these strange people traipsing through our streets, i'm sure was the thought in the heads of the children who saw our bus. we even passed a house where children were bouncing up and down on a make-shift "jumper" such as we see back home. all the while, eyes fixed on the bus rumbling down their little street.
indeed, what folly it was for us to go, literally for all intents and purposes, on this night-time jaunt. into a city that we were warned was too dangerous to traverse even by taxi in the daytime without lots of trepidation (indeed, one of our shipmates got jumped by two men and a woman--beat up pretty good we found out later...two very bruised eyes to prove he'd been in the wrong place at the right time).
needless to say, we received different reasons why each location we went to, failed to produce a candomble service for us to attend. one reason: the service is only held on saturdays (why then did our guide attempt to take us to one on a friday? i ask you?); in another moment, the day that said service takes place, is on tuesdays only. again...why didn't our guide know this? such is how things go down, in brazil. mañana don'tcha know?
well, supposedly this particular religion has been driven more and more underground over the years. and so, it is not a slam-dunk, ever, that one would find a service of candomble. especially not in a city located on river banks vs. the coastal areas of brazil where the slave trade was much more well-established. we are told that in coastal regions, candomble practitioners are more plentiful (however, i would question that too as a result of having watched a documentary here on ship about the ever-growing popularity of evangelical christianity in brazil and of course, the well-established presence of catholicism here as well as throughout most of latin america).
finally, at about 11pm, we abandoned any notion that we would attend a candomble service. now what to do? a vote on the bus was taken and it was decided to try and go to a local club to take in some traditional "afoxe" or "forro". another hybrid of decidedly european, african and indigenous influences showing up in music.
the first stop was more of a night-club scene with attendant 20-somethings waiting on line to get in; recorded vs. live music pumping; scantily clad young women sporting very high heels; young men surveying all who pass by.
this was not going to meet the needs of this "mature" audience (people aged 60+) at all. especially at 11pm. beauty rest is vital at this age.
so next we "decide" to return to ship. but not without stopping one more time. on the way back to the good ship lol-li-pop, we peeked in at punto negro. this is a highly popular beach area that has a very nice boardwalk scene. lots of families walking about, even late at night. an enclosed court for volleyball and/or soccer; a stage for music/dance. seemed that remnants of the recent christmas celebration continued -- a beautifully constructed "tree" was a focal point. there were food vendors; artisans selling crafts; amusement park type of rides and a giant slide. all lighted in festive fashion for the time of year i suppose.
once all the "adventurers" returned to the chartered bus, we drove back to the dock. on our way, passing many festively decorated homes and businesses. 'tis the season. and so, what christmas would be complete without snowmen? here in manaus, the snowmen are only made of lights. snow would never remain solid in this tropical city located right at the equator.
by the time we reached our drop-off, it was about midnight. we walked through the ramps and the nightclub once more. only by this hour, the tables and chairs that were occupied by energetic brazilians what seemed just moments earlier--empty. restaurant--empty. i was so surprised to see that. that was almost as surreal as being here is.
- chartered air-conditioned bus through the streets of manaus on a friday night, with an english speaking guide: $10.00
- ice-cream on the pier at punto negro in manaus: $1.00
- adventure in manaus, brazil to find candomble : priceless.
The most important journey you may take in life is meeting people halfway - Henry Boye
