Free-Range Thoughts – Brasil

24 September 2024

Life is good. I sit in the hotel bar in Rio de Janeiro, enjoying a cold Antarctica Original Cerveja, catching up on writing, watching YouTube, checking out news, hearing English around me even tho sometimes drowned out by fire alarms blasting.

The bartender goes about his business. I do too.

It has been a very busy 3 weeks. Time to collect my stream-of-thoughts. So many impressions, experiences, feelings. To answer the muzac piped into the lobby, yes Cindy, “girls they wanna have fun.”

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Floating Down the Amazon

12-13 Sept 2024

My 6th day on the river begins with a dawn excursion hunting for sleepy wildlife, and a large breakfast followed by a hike to a private sandbar. I stay on the boat enjoying the views and a strong, cooling breeze.

These would be rather quotidian experiences if I were not in the Amazon. Nothing is mundane or ho-hum when surrounded by this ecosystem. 

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Floating the Amazon Basin

10-11 Sept 2024

Day 4 – Sunrise over the Rio Jaueperi

I awake to a beautiful sunrise over Rio Jaueperi, the beginning of a new day. This is as far northwest as we venture, about 150 miles from Manaus. Sounds begin to reverberate across the river as the jungle awakens to another day of struggle and survival. Seems a perfect moment to spread some ashes, to watch them shimmer and drift with the river current forever a part of the Amazon. 

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Floating Up the Amazon

7-9 Sept 2024

Clouds, heat, humidity 90%, slight breeze occasionally 

I am ecstatic to be departing Manaus, convinced being on the water, temperatures cannot possibly be worse. 

The Amazon represents a wilderness about the size of continental USA. Its Amazon River flows massive, discharging more water into its ecosystem than any river in the world.

The Amazon, and its supporters, claim it to be the longest river system in the world, something the fanboys of the Nile River hotly dispute. Weaving and meandering from the Pacific to the Atlantic, over a distance of 2,330 miles, its drainage system is unsurpassed, providing water, flora and fauna to nine countries.

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Manaus, Brasil

5 Sept 2024, Thursday

High 97°, low 81°, humidity 68%

Teatro and murals of Manaus

Manaus serves as the capital of Brasil’s Amazonas state. This busy city is not only rich in history but acts as the gateway to the Amazon Rainforest. I have seen it described as the gaudiest city in South America, if not the world. Representing a mix of urban life and natural beauty, I am here to experience both. I lodge in the historic district, making it easy to explore major sites. 

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