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Kite surfing
Thanks again to Erick who dropped us off at the airport for our flight to Fortaleza. We were sitting on the fully loaded plane ready for take off when they announced we all had to get off as the air con was not working. Surprisingly like they said another plane was found and an hour later we were loading again. Driving thru the not so nice side of Fortaleza away from the airport we were again glad we flew instead of drove the 10 days to get here. The north is not like the south of Brazil. Here it is less sophisticated, much poorer, and there is garbage and rubble all over.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/...1fe7d22d_o.pngScreen Shot 2015-02-12 at 3.55.38 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The tiny town of Cumbuco is 45 minutes from the capital and is visited almost for the sole purpose of kite surfing. The town itself is not nice and is covered with stray animals and there piles of garbage and rubble everywhere. The wind however is strong and steady. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7372/...75d5aa69_c.jpgIMG_3402 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
We had booked to stay at the 0031 Boutique Hotel. This is an awesome oasis in this grubby town. The gardens and pool are 5 star. We had a view of the sea and the dunes and were only a short walk from the beach.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/...c72fd65a_c.jpgcumbuco 6 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/...e485bcf3_c.jpgDSC09850 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/...1726913e_c.jpgcumbuco 13 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/...9e21fb6d_c.jpgcumbuco 14 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8658/...55dca562_c.jpgcumbuco 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7369/...aa0cdaf1_c.jpgcumbuco 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
The weekends are very busy here with tourists. The have all these Donkeys to ride that are decorated with henna.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/...b0b7ca27_c.jpgcumbuco 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/...eeb931ff_c.jpgcumbuco 20 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7394/...cd49f9c5_c.jpgcumbuco 21 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/...e06c5483_c.jpgcumbuco 88 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
As a n00b to this site I must say I'm very impressed with the mileage you two (3?) have done so far, & I wish you the very best of luck with your travels.
Mick the Brit living in Mizzoo....beer |
Quote:
Thanks a lot. Yes Daniel and I were pretty stoked the day we passed 100,000 km on the trip so far. We just arrived in Madrid to start our European adventures! Cheers Sara |
Daniel was able to rent gear from Kiteline on the beach. He did not ship his own kite gear here due to the 60% duty charge to “import it”. Then he could spend the next 10 days riding the wind.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/...d34b4041_c.jpgcumbuco 18 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/...8d52b5ba_c.jpgcumbuco 48 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/...5e51f88a_c.jpgcumbuco 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/...fe45fce8_c.jpgcumbuco 19 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/...bc414ca2_c.jpgcumbuco 22 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/...e7648ec8_c.jpgcumbuco 49 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Luckily he only needed a friend to launch and catch his kite! https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/...7b65dddd_c.jpgcumbuco 23 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7395/...22d6ec76_c.jpgcumbuco 50 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7455/...6044ffbe_c.jpgcumbuco 51 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8651/...06814692_c.jpgcumbuco 62 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7315/...45a8425a_c.jpgcumbuco 52 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
During the week the beach was deserted.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/...9a194571_c.jpgcumbuco 54 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/...31a88da5_c.jpgcumbuco 55 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7382/...ff910a9a_c.jpgcumbuco 57 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7332/...a5deec30_c.jpgcumbuco 58 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr It was a lot more crowded on the weekends, But Dan got a brand new 2015 kite and harness to use right out of the box. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/...983fa698_c.jpgcumbuco 68 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8638/...e7751fc8_c.jpgcumbuco 59 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/...9cf75ddc_c.jpgcumbuco 61 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7337/...6c098ba9_c.jpgcumbuco 63 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8566/...14cec86a_c.jpgcumbuco 64 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7405/...ba53296c_c.jpgcumbuco 65 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/...1c6ca434_c.jpgcumbuco 69 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7359/...e1831fec_c.jpgcumbuco 71 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7420/...d6731940_c.jpgcumbuco 73 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/...67d9ecd1_c.jpgcumbuco 87 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
One of the local attractions is a buggy tour of the dunes. We did this with our Slovenian friend’s Šanin and Goran. If you want a good ride ask for one with EMOTION.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8665/...1f23eb86_c.jpgcumbuco 90 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/...c8d7db7e_c.jpgcumbuco 92 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/...97600885_c.jpgcumbuco 89 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/...2004f23d_c.jpgcumbuco 99 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7371/...82003719_c.jpgcumbuco 95 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7370/...c158f335_c.jpgcumbuco 101 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/...074106e9_c.jpgcumbuco 102 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8606/...080e2fb3_c.jpgcumbuco 104 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
On our last day we headed to the lagoon for the day. “The Slovenians” were taking lessons with kite pro Dave from Kitebud. He is an awesome guy. He may charge more than the others, but he will have you riding in half the time.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7439/...9cdc2bfe_c.jpgcumbuco 109 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8653/...52689290_c.jpgcumbuco 110 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7314/...1a7dd589_c.jpgcumbuco 111 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/...337ea464_c.jpgcumbuco 112 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7396/...10f4fd8c_c.jpgcumbuco 113 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7410/...352c2191_c.jpgcumbuco 114 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/...2d3789a9_c.jpgcumbuco 144 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7441/...cf8815b1_c.jpgcumbuco 145 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7310/...0c28211c_c.jpgcumbuco 147 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr We loved our time with good friends from all over the world at the 0031 hotel. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8680/...a128c606_c.jpgcumbuco 149 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
The amazon
Our 2 1/2 hour flight from Fortaleza to Manaus was at 10 pm and we landed and were finally at the hotel at 1 am.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8598/...b970e9e7_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-02-12 at 3.56.19 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The hotel has an amazing view of the Rio Negro, which is the largest left tributary of the Amazon, is the largest blackwater river in the world, and one of the world’s ten largest rivers by outflow. A blackwater river is deep and slow moving thru forests with swamps or wetlands. The water is transparent, acidic pH, and darkly colored and looks like tea because of the tannins in it from the rotting vegetation. But this also means NO BUGS!! https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7460/...5f1dafe6_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/...27bde535_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8617/...5e39baefd0.jpg450px-Negroamazonrivermap by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
We were picked up from the dock by motorized canoe and delivered to the Clipper ship “Premium”. We had our welcome talk and a tour of the ship.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7436/...e643dc74_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 5 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/...3b40ccd0_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 13 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/...2fef8a3c_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Heading up the Rio Nego we were followed by a storm that luckily never caught up to us, but it gave us some amazing rainbows. The sunset over the river was very colorful. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/...0ef82917_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 19 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8570/...bb330596_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 25 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/...f6c7892a_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 24 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8592/...fe8fd03f_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 26 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7441/...32c3c525_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 27 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
The first night we set out in the canoes with high-powered spotlights. The guides used these to scan the jungle for the “red reflex” of eyes. Doing this we found all kinds of things including huge poisonous frogs, caimans, snakes, and birds. The sounds of the night jungle are incredibly loud and we were happy to be safe in our boat.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/...12326de6_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 38 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8611/...78191dce_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 33 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr This morning were woken up at 530 to see the sun rise and get out to see who else was up. The reflections of the jungle on the black water are incredible. We saw lots of birds including toucans, macaws, ibis, hawks, parrots, and parakeets. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8633/...4ccd594a_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 40 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8621/...af8d8bc2_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 43 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8615/...def78a77_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 52 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8565/...bac80cdf_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 49 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8564/...aaf7a6e0_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 55 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr These crazy birds build their nests in trees with wasp’s nests for added protection from predators. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8623/...82913978_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 60 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
After breakfast we did a 2.5-hour hike thru the jungle. Here we saw all kinds of medicinal trees and plants. There were these crazy foam beetles and a small bird spider (a big one is 50 cm). Then it was time for some swimming from the boat. This was very good exercise, because you really had to give it just to stay where you were in the very strong current.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8658/...fa68d9fa_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 63 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8643/...1d2c8f74_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 68 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8648/...dcd061b1_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 72 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr This after noon we explored the Anavilhanas Archipelago, which is the world’s largest fresh water archipelago of river islands. It is about 100 km up stream from Manaus and where the river becomes 27 km wider. The preserve has over 400 islands and extends over 90 km of native forest. Here we again saw the incredible reflections in the black water and tons of birds. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/...f59d10cd_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8578/...47681e8f_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 101 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8626/...83ddebe1_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 97 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8596/...b6f9de56_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 98 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8646/...92af37b8_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 95 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8648/...387b7e84_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 99 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8664/...f3ddc894_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 86 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr We also found an egg-eating snake because we saw a large bird trying to pluck it from a tree for a meal. Sara spotted a wild Passionflower hanging over the riverside. There are also a huge number of orchids and bromeliads covering the trees. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8563/...830be8f2_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 90 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8589/...bd963caf_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 102 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
On our second morning we were again up at 530 in order to go Piranha fishing. They live at the rivers edge in the flooded areas and we used chunks of steak for bait. We tried several locations without much success, and then actually bush wacked to get into a new spot. Our boat driver Roberto is a local and not only did he catch all but 3 of our 15 fish, but his were also 4 times the size of ours. Sara did catch one too! You can see why these guys can do some damage.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8644/...50e05f45_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 39 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8562/...7d61589b_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 111 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8619/...bfe91e40_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 113 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8593/...aabb0c0a_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 114 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8666/...7bb51ed4_c.jpgmanaus-rio negro-amazon 108 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
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