March 3 - Day 18

While I am enjoying this trip of a lifetime, I am also glad we opted for only 3 weeks, as the steady pace of visiting, sight-seeing and travel is starting to wear me down. As usual I got up early and had an excellent breakfast with Salete and Amoedo courtesy of Johanna. After breakfast the 3 of us went to the fish market located near the docks in the port. It is the largest I have ever been to. It covered about a hectare of space and there was every kind of fish and food that had their origins in the river. Salete did some serious shopping here before she made her selections at a few different "fishmongers". These fish would soon show up as delectably prepared dish for either our main meal, lunch, or the lighter meal at supper time. When we got back, Amoedo and I walked a cross the street to where there was small organic fruit and vegetable market. There both Amoedo and the vendors went to great pains to show me, identify, and explain all about the different fruits and veggies on display. Despite my lack of skill in Portuguese and their similar lack in English, I still managed to get the gist of what was being said. As well the vendors graciously allowed me to taste several fruits I had never seen or heard of before. I found 2 types of fruit to be very intriguing and particularly delicious. Amoedo purchased several of each along with other fruits and vegetables that he was going to take back for Johanna to work her miracles on. We had another tremendous lunch. It wasn't easy not to over-indulge because the food was so delicious. As an aside, I found when that I got back home I had actually lost 1 kg despite the amount of food that I was being tempted with on a daily basis. After a nap, Amoedo took Patti, Luana, Nae and me on a tour of the city, this time to the industrial quarter located close to the port facilities. In the 1950 's, a Free Economic Zone of Manaus was created and out of this evolved the Manaus Free Trade Zone Superintendence, SUFRAMA, an autarchy with its own legal status and assets and having financial and administrative autonomy. Tax incentives and the subsequent complementary legislation created comparative advantages in the region with respect to other parts of the country and as a result the Manaus Free Trade Zone attracted new investment to the area. This gave the economic means to allow for regional development in order to lift the Amazon out of the economic isolation that it had fallen into in the time after the rubber boom. Today the Port of Manaus is an important commercial center for ocean-going vessels traveling the Amazon. In fact, it is the main transport hub for the entire upper Amazon Basin. It imports beef from the hinterlands and exports hides and leather. Important industries in the Port of Manaus include manufacturing of soap, chemicals, electronics equipment as well as shipbuilding, brewing, and petroleum refining. With so much industry and commerce, the Port City of Manaus has become a sophisticated cosmopolitan center and it was quite evident that Amoedo was quite proud of how the city had grown and how the quality of life had improved for its inhabitants. Nae did so much translating for us and we were happy for her presence. An exhausted Luana slept through most of the tour and when she woke we teased her about her abilities as a tour guide! He also took us to a ferry terminal where there was a much smaller fish market on the edge of a wharf but which gave a good cross-section of the abundant fish that were harvested from the river. We watched several ferries come in and disgorge their cars and passengers and take on a new load. As well innumerable smaller river boats came and went doing a great business ferrying passengers to different places on the other side of the Rio Negro. We were treated to an afternoon thunderstorm of monumental proportions but we were sheltered from it by the large roof over the wharf. After we came back, Nae, Luana, Johanna, and I went shopping for food and drink for the small party being planned for the evening. On my suggestion, it was decided that we would serve Brazilian hot dogs which I thought were fantastic! We went shopping at a large supermarket. I was allowed to spend some of my own money (you don't know how difficult that is to do because they insist on paying for everything!) and I bought a liqueur for Amoedo, some wine for Worney, and some wine and beer for the party. Luana, Amoedo, and Worney were going out for the evening to a graduation party for one of their friends and they all got wonderfully dressed up. Luana's and Nae's friends started arriving. What a wonderful group of people she has to call her friends. We had the most excellent hot dogs with other wonderful hors d'oeuvres accompanied by beer and caipirinhas. After much visiting, Patti and I retired at 1:30 a.m. while the rest of the group finally went home at 4:30 a.m.