Manaus City Tours

Dear Luciana,

Thank you very much.

Here is a feedback point for you:

The last day of my trip, I made my way to the City Tours, which is a boat trip away from the Marina do Davi, not far from the Hotel Tropical.
This was an enormously interesting experience and shed light on some questions that had accumulated in my mind, during my stay in Manaus. For example, how were the lavish excesses of the Teatro de Manaus financed? Who was it that ordered marble from Italy and cast iron from Scotland to build this theater? Why did they have so much money to burn? Where did the people come from who now live along the river banks, our gracious hosts in Silves and Mamiraua, the ribeirinhos and caboclos?

The answers to these questions, and many more, were provided by the wonderful guide of the museum of the seringueiros, Dona Judit. On the boat going from marina do Davi to the museum, another passenger, a kind lady had told me that Dona Judit is “muito legal” and a “otima pessoa.” I very soon saw what she meant, since Dona Judit is all that and more, an extremely knowledgeable and passionate teacher of a critical part of the history of her home, Amazonia.

What if you offered a trip to this museum? You could even combine it with a trip to the meeting of the waters. For me, it was fun to make my way there by public transportation, but other people might like the convenience of joining an organized tour.

I am still very happy with my trip and wishing I could go back tomorrow!
There are so many things I still want to see… Yesterday I found pulpa de cupuacu in a Brazilian store here in Boston and now I’m happy because I became addicted to cupuacu in Amazonia and I had never heard of it before this trip, so now I can maintain my addiction…. Aside from the horrendous traffic and the dirt/pollution, I have fallen in love with Manaus and the region because people are so kind and generous. Having heard stories about assaults and robberies in Brazilian cities from my Brazilian friends here, I was prepared to defend myself, but after a while I relaxed when I realized that nobody was out to rob me in Manaus. I can understand that you decided to stay and raise your children there.

How is your swimming going?

Best,

Julia