We flew into the Manaus airport, right during this crazy tropical rainstorm. We took a short shuttle to a dock, the fun part is that the only way to get to our hotel was by boat. We ran down the dock and got on the boat, completely soaked. It was so neat riding through the Amazon! We finally docked at the Ariau Amazon Towers, our amazing treehouse hotel.
Since there were no restaurants around all our meals were eaten in here, all you can eat :) This is a better view of our treehouse hotel, in rainy season the river rises all the way up to the bridges.
We spent most of our time there on this little boat with our guide, cruising the Amazon. Because of different temperatures & densities, merging rivers don't mix, (black and brown rivers).
We went on a hike throught he jungle and learned all about the different plants, wildlife and how to survive. Some ate little worms that came out of coconuts (you had to pinch off their mouth or it could eat your insides)! Tom almost killed a couple of us, he thought the vines would be a little stronger, but they all came tumbling down and somehow didn't land on us. 
That afternoon we went out pirahna fishing. It was so cool! We all got bamboo rods and plenty of cow hearts to put on the hooks. They were sneaky little guys and if we weren't quick they'd eat the meat right off before we knew it. 
To finish off the awesome day we went out crocodile hunting that night. We shone a big floodlight while going up & down the river until we saw one. Then our crazy guide moved in, jumped right out of the boat into the river and jumped on this little guy. We couldn't believe it! We all got to hold him. Those who wore sandals got tons of mosquito bites, i'm talking 20-30 just on their feet.
We all slept great after such an adventure-filled day. The next morning we headed off on our boat to visit a local family. We got to see their daily life and how they are completely self-sufficient, living off the land. Everything they need and use is right there. The guys got to climb trees to get some Acai berries, Tom was the only one that made it to the top. 
We then went straight over to a local village that was going to be featured later that week in Brazil's version of Extreme Makover Home Edition. Leaving, our engine wouldn't start so we were stranded for an hour or so, in the middle of the day. there was a small fishing boat there, so we all had to find our own little piece of shade. Finally the guys got it running!
We were all a little dehydrated and overheated after that, so we just relaxed the whole afternoon. This was cute treetop pool. We were all a little sunburnt too, so Dave spent the afternoon in a nearby hammock.
We loved playing with the monkeys, despite the signs everywhere telling us not to feed them. We spent the evening learning to make ornaments from tree palms and hanging out with the nurse. These are Emily's feet :(
We could see the Manaus temple when we rode into town from the boat. We also drove by it and it's beautiful. We were so sad to leave Manaus, but we know we have many more great adventures to come :)
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