This story really started six years ago in New
Zealand, at the 13th World Orchid Conference, where it was announced that the 15th WOC would
be held in Brazil in 1996. Since I had already been to Rio and the Iguassu Falls in 1983
after collecting in Paraguay, I decided that the only way that I would go to Rio would be if
I could also combine the trip with some exploration of the Amazon River and its huge rain
forest. When the literature started arriving, I was excited to see a side trip to Manaus on
the Amazon and three days at the Ariau Jungle Lodge, which is billed at the Amazon's only
tree-top lodge.
There were nine Michigan people in our contingent, enjoying the very warm
spring, only 3 degrees south of the equator. This was as primitive accommodations as I have
ever enjoyed, however, the food, served buffet style was excellent, with a wide variety of
foods, even for those with queasy digestive systems. The lodge was truly tree-top, with only
soggy wetlands below. It was located about two hours, by boat from Manaus. All of our
ingress and egress were by boat, and the two tree top catwalks to our rooms were twenty and
forty feet above the water. All of the exteriors were painted a dark green to simulate the
jungle. Our rooms were pie shaped since the lodge was circular, with only a door width at
its narrowest. The outside wall was probably about 10 feet wide divided between a small
wired in deck, and the bathroom with fiberboard 2/3 of the way up as your privacy. You
really didn't need that much privacy, as you weren't in the shower that long, since the only
water was quite cold! You truly enjoyed it after a long HOT morning on the River Negro. We
did have a circulating fan, and a 15 watt bulb overhead. I tried to read one night and gave
that up as a lost cause.
Our welcoming party included the staff, several spider monkeys, a
woolly money and a flock of macaws. The spider monkeys were so friendly and dexterous that
if you got close with your drink, they grabbed at it, most of the time won, and proceeded to
finish what was left in the glass, through the straw!! The macaws were beautifully colored,
red, blue and yellow, and would come around mostly after meals, and would pose for photo
sessions as long as you had food. One evening we went on a hunt for little alligators,
called camen. Our guide jumped into the water and caught one that had part of its tail eaten
off. He roped it up and several of us had yet another photo session holding him. We piranha
fished, using fresh meat as bait. I always waited until the bait was all eaten to sink the
hook. John Fancher caught one, but then he had to remove it from the hook!! Saw many orchid
plants up in the trees on the river, however, none in bloom.
While in Manaus we took a city tour which included the world famous Opera
House which was built during the rubber barons' day in Brazil. It has recently been
restored, including beautiful tapestries and roof paintings. On the way back from the tree
top lodge we arrived at the "meeting of the waters" just before dark. Two different colored
rivers meet and the two colors of water stay apart for over two miles. Our slides don't
depict the variation since it was almost dusk, but it certainly explains all of the two
color sidewalks around Brazil, which wave the black and white colors.
On to the spectacular Iguassu Falls. One and one half miles of falls, after
the huge horseshoe falls, which also has a very large ledge upon which you can walk. The Das
Cataratas Hotel is located about a mile from the falls, in the middle of a National Forest.
They have built a long pathway walk along the river, which gives you a multitude of photo
opportunities with the falls cascading through the jungle rain forest. The nice thing is
there is very little commercialism, only nature. We decided to take the 7 minute helicopter
ride over the falls (very spectacular) and the white water rafting trip near the falls (VERY
SCARY)!! While in that area we also visited a new bird sanctuary that had hundreds of very
colorful birds. Many in fenced in areas where you walked among them.
Then on to Rio, the WOC and the host hotel, the Gloria. We really
expected very lush accommodations, however, the bed pallet was at least 1 l/2" thick, on a
wood board. We survived. The show as all the past six WOC conferences was a tremendous show
of the world's orchids!! Two stories , with hundreds of displays, thousands of orchids, good
food, great entertainment, and lots of different orchids for sale. The CITES (export
permits) were easy to obtain, albeit a little time consuming, and our orchids arrived from
Miami the next day in great condition. Several displays left a great impression on me. One
depicted the city of Rio, with its several large lakes right in the middle of its 14 million
population, Sugar Loaf Mountain and the mountain with Christ the Redeemer. The second one
was a very barren sand hill, with 35+ pictures of orchids. The title of this one was the
Amazon Rain Forest after deforestation. They are still burning several thousand acres of
rain forest every day! It is reported that the Amazon Rain Forest is responsible for 50% of
the world's replenish able oxygen. As a reminder, the next World Orchid Conference will be
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1999. You will not want to miss this, as we will
probably not have another WOC in such close proximity, and if the trustees meeting last
spring is any indication of their hospitality, it will be a great show!!
Sincerely, Carolyn Butcher
******************************************
|