It was not really the Amazon River. I was in Manaus, and the Amazon River is quite a distance from there. The Negro River, almost as large, is the one near the city.
There is a great hue difference between both rivers. The Amazon has a yellow color, while the Negro River is black, thus the name.
This little episode has taken place about 30 years ago.
I was working for the Brazilian Tourist Board at the time, and that was my first official trip. I was supposed to visit three cities, Manaus, Santarem and Belem, to meet with local officials and learn more about the area. At the time, the Brazilian government was very enthused about the touristic potential of the region. I cannot really say much progress has been done, three decades down the line. It is a tough area do promote, in spite of its attractions, especially to American public who love comfort.
Two people accompanied me, who worked for the Public Relations firm that represented Embratur at the time. One of them was the account manager, the other his young female assistant.
One of the first things we did was take a boat tour of the tributaries nearby the Tropical Hotel. We did not venture too far, but I will tell you, I felt like my days were numbered that day.
It so happens that the account manager was a huge guy, very tall, with an expansive girth, and the vessel chosen to transport us was a very flimsy boat, albeit equipped with a motor.
When my heavyset companion entered the glorified canoe, the thing almost capsized in a big way, and I was already inside it. The black waters were menacing, to say the least, the prospective of finding a hungry piranha in that sea of blackness was not at all pleasing. I must give you a detail I am not proud of - at the time, I swam as well as a ton of lead.
The little boat behaved itself sufficiently, and I did not have an early infarct.
Notwithstanding, I was already concocting some type of excuse, in case I had another fluvial adventure ahead of me.
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