International Destinations

A day trip in the Amazon: venomous centipedes, blow guns, and hunting alligators in the dark

By Sheree Zielke

Photo's by Sheree Zielke

My mind whirled with thoughts of vicious sharp-toothed piranhas, but I couldn’t resist trailing my fingers through the murky brown water of the Amazon. I gasped – the water was warm, like tepid bathwater. Realizing that no fish had bitten through my fingers, I did it again.

I was suffused with an intoxicating joy. Here I was, boating down the great Amazon River in the inky blackness of the night!

We were night-hunting for caiman, the South American alligator.

Our guide, Eni, stripped down to his underwear, stood on the prow of the boat, a big yellow searchlight in hand. The powerful light swept the vegetation-choked shoreline as his practiced gaze sought the ruby glint of the reptiles’ eyes (caiman are South American alligators). When he spotted one Eni was going to jump into the river and catch it with his bare hands.

This was the exciting capper to a day that had begun 12 hours before.

We were on an Amazon cruise aboard the Pacific Princess, one of the few cruise ships small enough to sail the river.

The Pacific Princess had docked at the Brazilian river port of Manaus, and after lunching on the ship we climbed into an air-conditioned bus for our excursion.

Our guide for the day was a local man named Enilson (Eni, for short) with a beaming smile and twinkling eyes. He introduced himself and our bus rattled away through the busy streets.

The city of Manaus, whose name translates as “mother of the gods”, was once the richest in the world due to the rubber industry. It’s now very rundown and grungy.

The eighth largest city in Brazil, Manaus is home to nearly 1.8 million people and it seemed like every citizen was out on the crowded streets.

On our way to the boats that would take us out on the river, we passed the opera house, the Teatro Amazonas, one of the most famous landmarks in Manaus.

Completed in 1896 and restored in 1989, the baroque-inspired, neo-classic pink building draws massive numbers of visitors throughout the year. Our guide proudly informed us that all the building materials (except the wood), and all the decorative elements, like the massive stage curtain, had been imported from Europe.

If you ever visit the opera house, you’ll be tickled by the big gray slippers all visitors must wear when visiting the Noble Room. This prevents damage to the room’s highly polished wooden floorboards.

We soon found ourselves at a dock where boats of all sizes filled the shoreline, including two-story riverboats whose design and colours made them as charming as something out of a child’s fairytale.

Our group was approached by a street hawker carrying on his head a huge basket filled with bags of banana chips. One American dollar later and we were all munching on long, slightly salty chips, very different from the sweet round ones we buy in Alberta.

We were then directed to the upper level, where rows of white plastic patio chairs awaited us. We settled down under the bright Brazilian sunshine and listened to another guide tell of a natural phenomenon we were soon going to see: the “meeting of the waters.” This meeting of the waters is the convergence of the brackish dark waters of the Rio Negro (black river) and the warm brown waters of the Rio Solimoes. These are the two water sources that create the Amazon.

It is amazing to see such a distinct dividing line of colour between the rivers. Further downstream, it’s the waters of the Rio Solimoes that command priority, creating the gravy-coloured stream that flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

We then boarded a riverboat and headed out on the mighty river. About an hour into our journey, we transferred from the vessel to ten-person wooden canoes powered by small outboard motors. After another hour travellling up tiny hidden waterways deep into the rainforest, we reached the rustic Amazon Village Lodge where we were refreshed with local fruits and juices.

Once everyone had changed into more sensible long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and had sprayed themselves with Deet, in defense of any malaria-bearing mosquitoes, we were off on our jungle trek.

Eni was our guide in this, too, and his knowledge of his homeland was remarkable. He taught us about blow guns, how to harvest deadly curare to tip the blow darts, how to trap animals according to their sizes, how to make fire using natural materials, and best of all, how to avoid deadly creatures like the foot-long orange and black centipede that wriggled into our path.

In addition, Eni could encourage any number of wild birds to sing in response to his own birdcalls.

We drank strange, terrible-tasting tea (not harmful, just nasty), and we waited as one of the guides poked around a tarantula burrow. He never did rouse the mistress of the cave, who must have been out hunting.

We also watched as Eni made himself the target of hundreds of red ants by clapping his hands and then holding them towards a giant grey mound hanging from a tree. He quickly swiped at the ants as they swarmed and bit into his flesh. I know they bit because when a large leaf fell on my head, it brought with it tiny red ants that, upon landing on my hands, began to bite with vigour. Luckily, they were easy to whisk away.

Boarding our canoes once again, we travelled to a small village, encountering people and hundreds of yellow birds. We then headed back to the lodge and ate a sumptuous feast by lamplight -- there is no electricity in the jungle!

A quick check to ensure we were protected from mosquitoes and it was back to the canoes. This time we wore lifejackets, all except for Eni who stood like an Amazon chieftain on the helm of our canoe, in search of caiman.

Holding your very first caiman is delightful. We caught a two-year old that measured about two feet in length. He was so armoured on his back and yet so fragile on his underside; it was a very emotional experience to feel the creature’s gentle breathing in my hands.

The caiman was returned to the river, and we were returned to our riverboat, and subsequently, to our cruise ship, but not before witnessing one of the most glorious natural sights ever: a gilded Amazon moonrise.

A day trip in the Amazon, with a responsible guide at the helm, is not only a great adventure; it is a must-do trip of a lifetime.