Café com leite

We began our trip towards our lodge by going by the meeting of the waters. The Amazon river begins at Manaus where the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões join together. The Solimões river originates in Peru and has a silty creamy color. The Negro originates in Colombia and due to all the rotting wood that its tributaries flow through, its color is somewhere between that of tea and coffee - quite lovely, actually. The the water of the Rio Negro is also slightly acidic which prevents mosquitos from breeding in it making for a much healthier environment along its shores.

The confluence of the two rivers is simply amazing. When they meet, their waters flow next to each other without immediately mixing. There is a stark separation between the light, creamy color of the Solimões and the dark, rich color of the Negro. I´ve read somewhere that the distinction can be seen for miles beyond Manaus. The other impressive thing is how huge the rivers are. Where they join together to form the Amazon the river is about four miles wide. When the water is high (and the river level changes by many yards, based on the season) the middle of the river can be almost 300 feet deep!