One of our family excursions was renting "kayaks" and paddling up stream to an enchanted forest

Along the way was a river side restaurant

This was all in typical Brazilian fashion

The man we rented the kayaks from was following behind in his speed boat if we happened to get tired

The "enchanted" forest was not so enchanted but more of a spooky forest

Sam & I were comical boat partners running into bushes and trees

We stopped midway at our lunch spot and ordered the house special:

Stewed chicken with all the fixins

We were mildly surprised when the stewed chicken was the Whole Chicken!

Aubrey took up the first dare and gnawed on the chicken foot

Then Jo and Madison took the challenge and then they all fought over who got to eat the chicken heart

Meanwhile Sam and I were in the corner moaning and rolling in our chairs

Rainforest and a Birthday

Our final day spent with our tour guide Gil was touring the Tapajos National Forest

The Tapajos is a Brazilian national forest in the state of Pará, Brazil

Little one got to enjoy ice cream for breakfast

She turned 3 in the Amazon, 2 in Utah and 1 in Acadia National Park (Maine)

We are turning her birthdays into traveling traditions

Hiking through the rainforest

A giant seed pod A discovered

We watched these beetles roll this giant seed with good success

Rainforest beauty

Stretching rubber from a tree

Our view at lunch time

On our way back into town we stopped at Beloterra

(Random lunch truck that was parked on the side of the road)

"Belterra was founded as a rubber plantation, after the economic failure of Fordlândia, which had been founded in 1934 by Henry Ford. The intention of the US-Department of Commerce in the 1920s was to produce rubber in Brazil and to import it to USA. The advantage of the Belterra plantation over the plantation of Fordlândia 100 km (62 mi) to the south is the flat topography, which enables the use of machinery. In its peak time in the late 1930s some 50 km² (19 sq mi) were cultivated with Hevea Brasiliensis (rubber tree)." Wikipedia

We had contiplated a trip to Fordlandia but its a day boat ride there and another to get back.  Our guide offered to let us stop in on Beloterra for an hour or so.  It was amazing walking the streets.  The design, layout and feeling of the city took Rob and I back to a small city in South Carolina or Georgia.  There were no fences around the homes, cute and tidy gardens lined the streets, sidewalks abounded and the roads we wide and straight.  

We were glad we took the time to stop in on this second rubber city founded by the Ford company 

It's...another boat

After a week in Manaus our family boarded a plane and took a short flight to Santarem

"Santarém (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɐ̃taˈɾẽj]) is a city and municipality in the western part of the state of Pará in Brazil. Located at the confluence of the Tapajós and Amazon Rivers, it has become a popular tourist destination. It is located some 800 km (500 mi) from the two largest cities in the Brazilian Amazon: Manaus, upriver in the state of Amazonas, and the Pará state capital Belém, located downriver at the mouth of the Amazon on the Atlantic Ocean. Because of the crystalline waters of the Tapajós River, Santarém has more than 100 km (62 mi) of natural beaches, such as those of the village of Alter do Chão, known as the "Caribbean in Brazil."" Wikipedia

The little catching her piranhas from the water

Walking through the markets seeing the fresh catch for the day

We hoped off the plane and the next day boarded another boat

Not this boat....I just wanted to catch a picture of traditional life on the river

This would be our home for the next four days

Another meeting of the waters.  This time the meeting of the Tapajós and Amazon Rivers

The girls were thrilled because the tour guide for this portion of the trip let them swim at almost any notice.  Our whole family swam together at the meeting of the waters

I never tired of the endless supply of pineapple

The little looking through her "looking eyes"

One of the most specatular parts of this segment was the tour guide coming back from an excursion with my girls and then excidily letting me know that they had found a baby sloth

You can see the excitement in Madison's eyes

It was ADORABLE and just such an awesome experience

We all took a turn holding and touching this beautiful creature

Sloth's truly move just like they are portrayed in Zootopia

Super S....L....O....W

This little guy kept trying to swipe at us with it's paw but it was so slow that it was funny

Heading back to the forest to return this little guy to its home

One of the beautiful sunsets we experienced

My buddy photograpgher on one of the many bird excursions we went on

Another lazy afternoon spent swimming

A view of our home for the week

Stopped at a town and walked into the "Wal-Mart"

This little shop had everything and anything you might need

Things were hanging from every and anywhere

The church in town

Building homemade kites one afternoon

Manaus the city, part 2

After the Willis' left town we still had a few days in Manaus before flying to our next destination

We enjoyed sleeping in a condo

Having showers we could stand up straight in 

Beds to sleep in 

and air conditioning

We walked to a nearby mall one afternoon and wasted a few hours looking in shops, trying on things at the Nike store and then eventually buying 4 bags worth of stuff and having dinner at the food court

We also continued our afternoon nap schedule, here's the two twinners

On our last evening in town we took a couple ubers to Point Negro Beach

It's a nice part of town with beach access, little snack shacks near the water and a beautiful place to watch the sunset

Of course we hadn't planned on swimming but the little just kept inching her way in

Luckily I had a change of clothes for her in the backpack 

Just happened across this bike rental as we were heading back to our condo

There were reclining bikes that attached to one another and made a long centipede

Of course with the size of our family it made for a long train

With the lead guide in the front we all pedaled away passing people on the boardwalk

It was one of the most memorable moments for me during that trip

My little (big) tribe all working together on the bike-a-pede