Amazon Adventures

— When we went to Brazil for Christmas 2014, we spent a few days in the Amazon. Besides visiting Manaus, e.g., the Opera House, also known as Teatro Amazonas, we had a special day navigating the Amazon River and some of its tributaries. We went where the Solimões and Negro rivers meet and then farther up the river until reaching a native Brazilian village. Right before arriving there, we had several stops and close encounters with some of the wild animals. Above is the scene of us swimming with the Amazon pink dolphins. They were very friendly and not afraid of us. Of course it helped that their handler had some sardines for them. The feel of them rubbing agains your own skin is very strange and rubbery. I never got used to that feeling. Below there are two other shots with a snake and a sloth. We were told that the safe way to handle a sloth is as I’m showing. If you try to hug one, their claws may go deep in your flesh. Even holding it the way I am, the sloth was still trying to get its claws on my arms.