dancing down the amazon.

     
     Our final day on the Amazon is not one to be forgotten! That morning we woke up early, had breakfast and we’re off, cruising to another indigenous village. The people there did a ritualistic dance for us and then had us do it with them. It was a lot of fun! I was slightly disappointed in the experience though since it was the second “indigenous village” that we visited and, though I am sure the people we met were native peoples living in an isolated village, I wonder how much of what we saw was real and how much had been developed to show to tourists. From there, we cruised back to Manaus. We said a sad farewell to Anand G and the rest of the crew.
     A small group of us decided to hold off on the showers for a little bit longer and explore the city. We walked through a market and tried different foods and drinks along the way. We met up with the rest of the people from our trip back in the port and shared a giant pitcher of the local beer.
     I was thankful for this trip. Not ten days before, I would get anxious when I couldn't hear the vibration of my phone. A day was not a true day unless I checked Facebook, at least twice. I knew what Rihanna had worn to latest award ceremony and that Brad Pitt and Angelina were definitely still together. Now, I couldn't tell you any, much less than all, of those things. And, that is ok.
     Looking back at our first day on the riverboat, it feels awkward. We had nothing to do but talk to one another as our boat cruised to the spot where it anchored for the night. In fact, I remember times when all of us just sat in silence because we were unsure of what exactly to do. We didn't know each other. We didn't have our phones. I am not afraid to admit that it was weird. But, somewhere between the meeting of the rivers and piranha fishing, we changed. We learned to go with the flow, not always knowing what we were going to do 10 seconds or 10 minutes or 2 days from now. We learned to experience the Amazon, in that moment with the people around us. And, that was cool. Yes, it will go down in our memory books as that one time we slept in hammocks on a boat in the Amazon but I think it was a lot more. Everyday on the boat there is a quote of the day, one of those quotes from a few days ago seems to sum up Brazil perfectly, for me. Jawaharial Nehru said "We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only seek them with our eyes open." In that sense, Brazil was where I learned to open my eyes.

the group, at the indigenous village