After a leisurely morning and a painless Rotary luncheon, we headed out for a tour with a local guide, Rodolpho, and saw several museums, landmarks, and downtown attractions. I will sum up the afternoon with the photos below...
To continue with the fishy theme from my previous post, here are some of the most famous creatures from the Amazon´s rivers: piranhas.
The Japanese colony in Manaus includes a small but impressive museum of fish and insects. This enormous pirarucú is an Amazon catfish that grows to about 9 feet long. It takes in big gulps of air above water and then holds its breath for 20 minutes at a time.
The tanbaqui fish.
Iridescent butterflies.
Everett enjoys some warm and fuzzy spiders.
The Palácio Rio Negro, an example of the lavish homes built by Europeans during the height of the rubber boom in the Amazon from 1870-1920.
The ornate interior of the Teatro Amazonas, built in 1896. Most of its materials were imported: ironwork from Scotland, ceiling motifs from Paris, pine floorboards from Italy, and folding armchairs from elsewhere in Europe.
View from the back of the Teatro. The darker corner of the cobblestone street retains the original rubber coating that dampened the sound of the horses and carriages so as not to disturb the performances inside.
Rodolpho points out the 12,000 pieces of wood inlaid into the theater floor without the use of any adhesives.
The plaza outside the theater with an undulating aquatic pattern reminiscent of the nearby river.
A lopsided neo-Romanesque church downtown. Legend has it that the materials for the missing second tower were on their way over from Europe, but they were lost in a shipwreck.
piranhas AND spiders?! y'all better watch out!!
ReplyDeletehaha. i've been enjoying the posts. have a fun and safe rest of the trip!
--rhiannon