January in the Amazon

Jim and Alison spent January 2-18 in Northern Brazil, living on a river boat and scooting around in canoes to get "up close and personal" with the flora and fauna of the Amazon rainforest. We shared our lives and experiences with 8 crew and 24 other intrepid explorers associated with Alison's alma mater, Grinnell College (the trip was organized by Grinnell).

Out of the hundreds of pictures that we took on the trip, these 30 were chosen as "the best." This is a totally misleading statement, because some of the ... (more)

« previous

Sunset Over Rio Negro
We were treated to scenes like this every evening. It's a wonder we came...

The Victoria Amazonica
The good ship Victoria Amazonica, our floating home for two weeks. She's...

Early Morning Caiman
These were the tracks left on a sandbar by an adult caiman (aligator)....

Still Waters
The black waters of the Rio Negro make the perfect natural mirror. As long as...

The Flooded Forest
Certain parts of the river were still over the banks, and many igapo...

Great Provider
Jim, the vegetarian, spent most of his time fishing. Here he is with a...

The Sponge Tree
These freshwater sponges would rather be floating in the river, but were left...

Cashew Tree
This cashew tree was growing alongside the road in the shipbuilding...

Children of Terra Nova
Professor Campbell, our fearless leader, was in search of the agriculturally...

Jim of the Jungle
Mass transit in the Amazon is a bit different than back home. Jim...

Ms. Mata Mata
During on of our nightly canoe trips, we came across this large and unusual...

Daily Life on the River
When we weren't adventuring (or the boat was moving to a new location) we...

The Rainbow Restaurant
Where we took our meals. Note the fully stocked bar in the background,...

The Elder Statesman
Thirty years ago, this man came to the lake at the mouth of the Rio...

Star Fruit
These ripening star fruits were found in a tree growing inside the...

The Littlest Frog
This tiny tree frog wasn't too bothered when we rolled up on his perch....

River of Grass
These folks aren't walking - they're sitting in one of our canoes,...

Pretty Flowers
No idea what these are; maybe an orchid, but that's just a guess. Anyway,...

Cachoeira
Many of the tributaries that feed into the big river are themselves fed by...

Take Me To The River
Another spring-fed channel with crystal clear waters gurgling over a...

Piranha!
The intrepid fisher-people in our group caught a number of these fellows: the...

Brave Cantigalo
Cantigalo, one of the members of our crew, showed us the traditional way of...

Floating Market
Another busy market day at the port of Manaus. Once a place where village...

Teatro Amazonas
The big city of Manaus was once extremely wealthy, a result of the...

Night Falls on the River
Even as we were snapping pictures on this trip, we knew that no photo...

« previous

view all 31 photos

article published 1/27/2002

bookmark with del.icio.us

Comments

Add a comment

Memories
Jim: This page still brings back wonderful memories. I am psyched for the next trip later this month. Just one problem. I am not going!

Mitch
— Mitch, June 11, 2004

Hey, Jim, we loved the pictures, expecially the cashew tree and the little frog and the Amazon from the air.
— Tosh Lee, March 2, 2002

Jim, Loved the pictures.
— Matt Bell, February 7, 2002

Caipirinha?
Caipirinha? Did someone say caipirinha? A thousands thanks for the splendid photos from the cachaca queen... xx H2
— Heidi Hough, January 31, 2002

Wonderful pictures. I am impressed but do they have hotels with running water and boats to bring you to this beauty each day????
— Vernon, January 31, 2002

WHAT A GREAT SITE
I loved your pictures and would like to share your negatives by mail if possible. Yeah, they say a lot. After 3 trips I've nearly given up trying to explain or to photograph what I see, not because I'm blasé but because it just seems I can't get it right. But I sure do appreciate your comments as well as Hubert's. This is a great site. Can we add to your photos or would we make a separate site? I'm confused. Still having saudades?? Of course, you always will. I really enjoyed you and Alison. Jane
— JANE, January 31, 2002

Great pictures and article Jim. Thanks for sending. I was really surprised at how clear the water seemed. Just wasn't expecting it to be clear. Guess I thought all the river monsters would be in it!

The boat looked great. Again, I wasn't expecting such "elegance" in the galley. Were your "state rooms" equally as elegant?

I loved the picture of the kids and the "elder statesmen". Were all the "natives" that enjoyable and friendly?

Thanks again for sharing. I know this was a wonderful experience for both you and Allison.
— Dick, January 30, 2002

Good selection of pictures and entertaining captions. You captured the experience well, although I agree--Ya had ta be there!

Hoist a stupidimento gellada cervaza and salut!
— Mitch Erickson, January 30, 2002

Amazon
I like Brasil and Your pictures Thanks for share She also to mij albums in Worldround and http://community.webshots.com/user/teunis_haveman
— Teunis Haveman, January 30, 2002

Jim, these pictaures are wonderful - thanks for sharing. Where is Allison??
— Linda, January 29, 2002

Jim, Your pictures are quite wonderful and I'm sure the trip was great. Too many little (big) pests for me. Thanks for sharing your pictures of your adventureous trip.
— Sheila, January 29, 2002

Beautiful. Wondrous. Incredible. Steve Irwin would have been disappointed with you and the bushmaster incident. Thank-you so much for sharing this trip that I would never take, too mcuh water, too little dramamine!
— Debbie, January 28, 2002