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 TM
Monkey Stole My Sun-Screen,
Amazon Stole My Heart
First time that my heart wasn’t stolen by a
man
By Vladia Jurcova
While landing, I have never experienced anything like
it before. It was the most breathtaking and busiest view I had ever seen.
The city below us was huge, bigger than I had ever imagined. I checked my
watch again, we had already flown for fourteen minutes and we still had not
reached the center of the city. The houses were so close together, one house
literally built on top of another. There was no room in between the houses,
no yard, no space. There was an ocean of terracotta roofs as far as I could
see.
I was amazed and exited. I was looking at the second
biggest city in the entire world from the little window of my plane and I
could not wait to land. I was arriving in Sao Paulo, the largest Brazilian
city. “If Sao Paulo made me feel this way, how am I going to react to seeing
the Amazon?” I thought.
Although reaching the Amazon Rainforest was an
exhausting experience, it was worth all the flight-hours on the way. I was
fortunate because TAM Brazilian Airlines helped me arrange for my
accommodations and activities, the only thing I had to do was to give them a
list of my dream destinations. They negotiated discounts and found guides in
every part of Brazil and made my dream come true.
 The
mighty Amazon Rainforest was my first destination in Brazil. I had to spend
hours on different flights before reaching Manaus. From there, I took
a two hour boat ride on the Rio Negro and finally arrived at Ariau Amazon
Towers Resort. This ecological resort was built on stilts in the waters of
the Rio Negro, literally in the middle of nowhere. Located 35 miles from
Manaus, it is easily accessible, but only by boat or helicopter. A fifteen
minute helicopter ride from Manaus offers breathtaking views of the vast
Amazon Rainforest and its wild life.
 Upon
arrival my fellow travelers and I were welcomed by a native Indian girl
wearing only a bikini made out of bird’s feathers. Looking around I noticed
that everyone was busy taking pictures. “Did they notice how beautiful and
petite this girl was?” I wondered. She was handing out necklaces made
from fresh colorful fruit. I could hear cicadas and birds singing in the
forest and a few tourists were resting in comfortable looking hammocks. I
could not wait to grab my cold papaya drink and check out my room high atop
the tree house.
I had only five days to observe and take in this
diverse environment of the Amazon Rainforest, so my program was very busy.
Ariau Towers is a very impressive project built in 1987. This rainforest
resort gained its fame in early eighties after it was visited by Helmut
Kohl, Jimmy Carter, the King and Queen of Spain, the royal Swedish family
and other celebrities. My room with the balcony was very lovely but simple
in accordance with the life around here; it smelled like a cedar wood.
  As
I learned from my guide, Mike, fifteen years ago there was only one tree
house that offered accommodations and another building on stilts containing
the restaurant and reception area. Now, the resort consists of six towers
with a total of 288 units, including a honeymoon tree house, Tarzan’s house,
two swimming pools and eight miles of scenery catwalks connecting all of
this together. Room cost could be around $200 or more per night, but the
prices vary and discounts may apply.
 The
only means of transportation around this part of the world is by boat and
since my visit fell right in the middle of the rainy season, the boat rides
were quite “wet”. Keep in mind that it rains a lot in the rainforest, but in
any weather, the resort offers several fun activities such as piranha
fishing, caiman spotting, visits to a local village, performances of
traditional Indian dances and best of all, the jungle trek and helicopter
ride. Mike and I found usage of umbrellas on the boats in the middle of
rainforest quite humorous. “Poor western people,” I thought,” hiding from
the poring rain under their colorful western umbrellas.”
Since I weathered such a long road to get there, I took
part in every activity offered. One of the timeless experiences that will
always be engraved in my memory was the breathtaking peaceful sunrise on the
Rio Negro. This river that in some places can be 22 miles wide could be
easily mistaken for a huge lake or sea. I was sitting quietly in a fragile
wooden boat watching a symphony of colors develop in front of me. I could
not differentiate anymore where the river met the sky. The picture in front
of me was enchanting; I stopped breathing and wanted to stop the sun from
rising anymore. I did not want to loose that picturesque moment. On the
way back, we were accompanied by a lovely family of Amazon dolphins. “They
probably came to watch the sunrise,” I dreamt to myself.
 I
did not have to go far in order to observe the wild life. Piranhas and
alligators lived in the river below my tower and the ever-present cheeky
monkeys conquered the resort. All day long, entire families of monkeys hung
out on the catwalks in front of the restaurant in hopes of steeling
something tasty like sun-screen lotion. I had to be careful about leaving my
belongings unattended because the restless monkeys had a well known
reputation of making things disappear.
Natives who work in Ariau Towers are very shy and
hardworking people. The inhabitants of native Indian villages along the
river offer a selection of cheap handicrafts for visitors who want to take
home a little bit of jungle memories. Everything here is made from natural
resources. Local people utilize nature to satisfy their modest needs. These
people are beautiful and seem happy living in traditional simple ways
without the advances of the modern world. There are tribes in the Amazon
Rainforest which are so secluded from the rest of the world that their lives
have not changed for hundreds of years.
 The
Amazon took my breath away and I learned very quickly how to enjoy the
beauty of quaint life on the Rio Negro. I went piranha fishing with the
locals and learned how to prepare their food from fruits, vegetables and
fish. Mike showed me the plant that local Indians use to cure malaria. He
told me the story of his life. He said, “I came here many years ago as an
immigrant from Guyana, unfortunately during my escape I suffered from
malaria.” I learned from Mike that the local Indians found him and cured
him. “I fell in love with this place and never left,” he said.
When white people came to build the resort they offered
Mike a job as a guide. He liked to say, “I am sharing my knowledge and love
for the rainforest with travelers like you, Senorina.” I will never know if
the stories that Mike told me were true, but I chose to believe him. Brazil
for me will always be timeless and unforgettable destination. Thanks to my
passionate teacher Mike and people I met during my trip, all my thoughts
connected with the Amazon Rainforest are filled with respect and love.
Vladia Jurcova
1600 Long Grove Dr., Apt. 1614
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
VladiaJurcova@comcast.net
Tel. 843-345-3275
Images by Vladia Jurcova
1. http://www.ariau.tur.br
2. http://www.tamairlines.com
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