CAMP GREEN PLANET, Manaus

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As soon as we had checked into our Manaus hotel , we were literally "attacked " by tourist guides in the lobby wanting to sell us a jungle trip package.....It was sort of a "light" tourist trap , not really bad but also not what I would have anticipated. First thing , they took us to the "Meeting of the Waters" , the conflux of Rio Negro ( dark water ) and Rio Solimões (muddy type bright water) and the waters of both rivers flow next to each other in one river bed which now is called Rio Amazonas without mixing , for some 5 to10 km or so.....( pic # 1) , we didn't get that close though but you can see the Solimões water way in the back.... next off we went to fantastic ( watch it , irony , but not sarcasm) Camp Green Planet ( the shack in the middle of the river in pic # 2)... This was some kind of experience , having to share just about everything with other tourists that we didn't know ( yet ). Pic # 3 shows the communal dormitory and not even I believe that I was able to sleep under such circumstances... and I was not even the oldest in the group..... Pic # 4 demonstrates the daily activities..... jungle walks , alligator stalking , piranha fishing, meeting an indigenous family ( which was true , but they , of course , were totally assimilated and just pretending to be still in their "natural condition") . Pic # 5 finally gives a faint idea of how we were fed during these 48 hours in Camp Green Planet , no running water or electricity, in the evening only thing to do was socializing or feel small and lost under the vast sky full of stars in the middle of the jungle and nowhere....

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This is not a real "What to do" tip because what else would you do in Camp Green Planet ? This is WHY you're there in the first place... So , on the first afternoon we went Piranha fishing at a place where they supposedly live in abundance , put the bait on the hook and waited patiently...( pic # 2). After about half an hour our group of nine people had caught two Piranhas.... the others must have been out for lunch..... I didn't catch any but borrowed one for a silly photo op (# 1). Fernando , our indigenous , very knowledgeable and nice guide demonstrated to us with a leaf the bite reflex of the Piranha.... (# 3). Looks to me as if he was cleaning the piranhas' teeth. That same night we went out in the darkness in the boat to stalk and observe the dangerous , monstrous Amazon alligator..... Well.... seemed they also were all out for dinner and just left baby alligator home alone..... this little and cute one in Fernandos hands was the only one we got to see (# 4 and # 5). Maybe it was the time of the year (May) , maybe we were in the wrong spots , but during my Camp Green Planet stay I saw only 2 piranhas , 1 baby alligator , 1 ( one ) ant ( a very big one though that supposedly bites and hurts a lot , Fernando found it during the jungle walk and showed it crawling on a wooden stick) , 0 (zero) mosquito ( I'm not complaining about that !), probably a few birds that I can't remember anymore and two dogs at the home of the indigenous family... So much for the Amazonas wildlife... But I still liked the whole thing because it gave that adventurous feeling and the wildlife by not showing itself to us was left in peace , right..? What does the Amazonas wildlife need silly tourists like the ones from Camp Green Planet anyway ??