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Awaiting Your Return From Shore |
Manaus is the capital of the
State of Amazonas and the hub of the whole Amazon region. Located on the
banks of the Rio Negro, the “Meeting of the Waters” takes place four miles
from Manaus, where the Rio Solimões meets the Rio Negro to become the
Amazon.
The city we see today is primarily a product of the rubber boom. When steam
navigation in the mid-19th century opened up the jungle, it spurred the
rubber industry and mass immigration. Under Governor Eduardo Ribeiro the
famous Opera House and broad Parisian avenues were built. For the rich it
was a place of sheer luxury. Palaces and grandiose mansions were erected,
and time was passed with elaborate entertainment, dances and concerts. By
the turn of the century it was an opulent metropolis run by elegant people
who dressed and housed themselves as fashionably as their counterparts in
any large European city. In fact, the year 1899 saw Manaus as the first
Brazilian city to have trolley buses and the second one to have electric
lights in the streets. But the splendor of the “Paris in the Jungle” lasted
barely thirty years and when in 1914 the rubber market began to collapse the
city fell into a rapid decline.
Today, Manaus has acquired new prosperity, largely due to the creation of a
free trade zone in 1966. Many new industries moved in, a modern
international airport opened in 1976, and the floating port was modernized
to cope with the new business. Manaus has become an aggressive commercial
and industrial center for an enormous region. Over half of the country’s
televisions are made here, and electronic goods can be bought at around a
third of what they cost elsewhere in Brazil. This has earned Manaus her new
name “Hong Kong of the Amazon.”
As a river port, Manaus presents an unforgettable spectacle. Although the
real attractions lie in the surrounding forests and tributaries, the city’s
most famous attraction is no doubt the opulent Teatro Amazonas. Completed in
1896 after 17 years of construction and at a cost of $3 million, the Opera
House recently underwent a lengthy restoration program and now shines once
more in its original splendor. There are also several interesting museums
with exhibits geared to provide insight into the human life and ecology of
the Amazon region. |
Awaiting Your Return
From Shore |
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Complimentary
Spirits Await |
Return to Your
Suite and Sail Away to The Next Adventure |
Entertainment
and Dancing Await You |
