Welcome to the Amazon, where the bugs are definitely bigger and the bites are usually more deadly. This is just a little moth resting on the wall of our ship.
The Amazon is a gigantic system of rivers and forests, covering almost half of Brazil and extending into neighbouring countries. The wide stretch of river, known as Rio Amazonas, runs between the cities of Manaus and Belem. Where the lighter brown Amazon meets with the darker brown Rio Tapajos, richer in silt and therefore distinctly darker, we call this the "wedding of the waters". You can really see the colour difference in this photo.
The forest still keeps many of its secrets. To this day, major tributaries of the Amazon are unexplored. Of the estimated 15,000 species of Amazon creatures, thousands of birds and fish and hundreds of mammals have not yet been classified.
The "Mighty Amazon" is so impressive, spanning about 6 miles in width at some points, that it feels like you're in the middle of the ocean. The Nile is longer than the Amazon, but if you consider the basin dimensions and the effluent from both rivers, the Amazon is the greatest in the world.
What struck me the most as I went on deck and relished my time looking at the river, was its smell. It smells "fertile", filled with vegetation and "life".
The forest still keeps many of its secrets. To this day, major tributaries of the Amazon are unexplored. Of the estimated 15,000 species of Amazon creatures, thousands of birds and fish and hundreds of mammals have not yet been classified.
The "Mighty Amazon" is so impressive, spanning about 6 miles in width at some points, that it feels like you're in the middle of the ocean. The Nile is longer than the Amazon, but if you consider the basin dimensions and the effluent from both rivers, the Amazon is the greatest in the world.
What struck me the most as I went on deck and relished my time looking at the river, was its smell. It smells "fertile", filled with vegetation and "life".
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