Monthly Archives: May 2014

Manaus, capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, has a unique cuisine influenced by its location on the Amazon River in the heart of the Amazon jungle. The city has colossal fresh water fish, mouth-numbing plants, communal street tables with … Continue reading →

As the moon rose over the Rio Negro, I stood god-like upon the water in the middle of the river. God-like! I may have nearly died a very human death to get there on the back of a motorcycle taxi, but still. … Continue reading →

“Have you seen the Amazon rainforest?” my mother asked. It was a fair question. But even after living two weeks in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas, which is 98 percent Amazon rainforest, I still couldn’t answer “yes.” In … Continue reading →

Three degrees south of the equator and 900 miles up the Amazon River, in a run-down Brazilian port city stands one of the greatest opera houses in the world, built in 1896 and the inspiration for Werner Herzog’s film Fitzcarraldo. Who knew? Certainly not I, … Continue reading →