The River Dolphins of Rio Negro

After gathering at the Lider Hotel where the Amazon Explorers Company was located, whe came here, a short drive away.

 

We boarded this river boat and I thought, wow, I will ride on one of these babies. I was wrong. My small group of three was guided through this vessel to the other side.

 

And there it was, our speed boat for the day. And a good thing, too. Way better than the big one.

 

We jetted out of there and pulled up next to the iceman and his boat to grab a bucket or three of ice.

 

 

 

Off we went in direction west, up the Rio Negro and under the new bridge. I explained the design to the people in the boat, including the guide, who did not know why it was built this way. The two big gaps, of course, to permit larger ships to go through, but that left those two big spans without the support that the rest of the bridge enjoyed. Since those two spans could not be supported from below, they were being suspended from above. Good thinking. Also, keep in mind that the river was quite low at this time.

 

Typical traffic coming from way up river and the densely jungled interior. I just remember, some half day away in that direction is a large conservation area, where tourists spend nights.

 

A cell tower to connect even people in the interior to Manaus and to each other. Cellphones have changed the way the world lives and makes war. The guide mentioned that this group of natives that lived here, on this island, were a very unfriendly lot and do not like any strangers at all.

 

 

Above, a small craft heading upriver, but we flew by it. We were going to this cove.

 

There was this barge, manned by a small family, and the man was already in the water calling the dolphins. We were told that this is done only four days a week, to not create an overly dependent dolphin population. I don't think we have to worry about that. There are dozens in the area, and only two or three showed up for their handouts.

 

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