Day 2 - Tuesday, May 19, 2009: Amazonas, Rio Negro

By Ngosong Fonkem

Today, I woke up quite early, about 7:30 a.m. or so. Last night, I slept in a hammock on a riverboat. It was the first time I had ever travelled on riverboat, or slept in a hammock. So it was a very educative, but also an adventurous experience. I woke up, brushed my teeth, ate a quick breakfast and then joined the rest of the team.

We began our daily activities with a canoe ride down the Amazon River. It took us through some river paths into the jungle. Our guide Anand Pooran was very informative and we saw a wide variety of indigenous plants, birds and a few animals. Some of the plants were growing right out of the river, while others were so tall and large that it seemed quite surreal. The boat ride must have lasted about an hour to two hours. When we returned to the riverboat, we went into a gift shop which was also floating on the Rio Negro.

After the looking over the Amazonian arts & crafts, we returned to the riverboat and had lunch of fish found in the Amazon river and local vegetables. We then hit the books where we read articles and readings on the Amazonian rainforest, deforestation, and environmental justice.

About 4:30 p.m. we visited an indigenous homestead to further learn how Manioc (Cassava) is made (a staple food of the area) and also how the indigenous life can be along the Rio Negro. After visiting the indigenous family, we walked down to the bank of the Rio Negro for a quick swim.

We returned to the riverboat, ate dinner, and began our first “classroom” seminar where we sat on the deck of the boat at sunset and discussed our earlier readings. Following a vigorous discussion about the environmental problems in the rainforest, we enjoyed the descending night sky and sounds. We played a game called Mafia until bed time. Overall, my second day in the Amazon was quite exciting. I was able to see and do things that I had never envisioned doing at this time.