saltwatersteve.com/travel

Got to see how the jungle inhabitants used to process rubber from the trees using smoke. Very interesting. I coated my finger and smoked it until the rubber was hard then pulled it off. Already very solid but still stretchy. Interesting.

Also we got to taste some native fruits of the jungle. First was Bacuri, a bitter yellow fruit that tastes a bit like lemon but I would not consider it citrus. Next was Cupuaçu, a large, brown-shelled fruit with squishy white flesh that Ceciliano had made into juice (with an interesting snot texture, but sweet) a few days prior. At lunch we got to taste the Piranha that Juan (the Argentine we had met) had caught from the dock yesterday. I prefer the flavor of the Pirarucu much more.

Took the trip back to Manaus and took our nasty dirty laundry to the LAVALUX in town - they were very nice and even spoke a little English: “Oh, Wash-Dry” they said when we walked in with our stinky bag. We figured out how to tell them not to dry them with hot air, thanks to our Phrasebook.

Pasta for dinner was great. Oil and garlic (although roasted, not fresh) was just what I needed.