6/22/2014 First Day In Manaus



We took a bus tour of Manaus on Sunday morning that left from in front of the Amazon Opera House. As we waited to board, who should appear but our some of our gringo shipmates from the Itaberaba. They had arrived at the dock at 2 am and had stayed on board until 8 am. After this photo, they set out to their respective hotels or to the stadium to pick up their tickets and we departed on the bus for a 2 1/2 bus tour. We liked the town. It had some nice old rubber boom houses, some in need of a little love, and some very fancy places in gated communities outside of town near the very wide Rio Negro. There were a number of bridges, markets, building from the rubber boom time built in Europe and assembled here.

We briefly visited a beach on the Rio Negro which, in Brazilian style, was packed. David even found some guys dressed in football gear. There are six teams that play US football here.

Reunion in Manaus with US football fans we met on Itaberaba.




Opera House stairs and adjacent park, Manaus.

Park next to Opera house, venue for watching World Cup football matches.



On city tour bus in Manaus.

Bridge over Rio Negro, Manaus.



Teatro Amazonas, the opera house built during the rubber boom in 1896

After the tour, we returned to the plaza in front of the Opera house and watched some of the Algeria/ Korea game. The local government had set up two giant TV screen in the plaza with plenty of plastic chairs. Viewers had moved the chairs under the shade of the trees surrounding the plaza to enjoy the game. We then migrated to a nearby bar/restaurant which was packed with Portuguese and US supported dressed in an array of flags and team colors. The food was sold by weight and there were so many people that the patrons, ourselves included, spilled out into the street where we sat watching the Algerians beat the South Koreans.   



Outdoor World Cup viewing, Manaus.



US football fans, Manaus.



Meeting of the waters tiles, Manaus park.



World Cup stadium, Manaus.

US football fans, Manaus.



Upscale Manaus beachside neighborhood.

Friendly Brazilians at beachside park.



Brazilian football fan on tour bus, Manaus.

Bridge over Rio Negro, Brazil.





Brazilian American football player, Manaus beachside park.

After lunch, we returned to the hotel to rest up for the US vs. Portugal game then returned to the opera house plaza and settled in for the game amidst over a couple of thousand rabid Portuguese fans. Before the kick off, on the stage in front of the big screen TV, two very good tenors delighted the crowd singing opera.