By Jack Schulik

For the past five years I have been writing articles for Plano Profile about local residents who have had fascinating travel experiences. For a change of pace, this article is about a trip I took. In September, my wife, Ann, and I spent an unforgettable vacation in Brazil.

Our trip started in southern Brazil at the incredible Iguassu Falls. I have now been to each of the world's three great waterfalls—Victoria, Niagara and Iguassu, and I believe Iguassu is by far the most beautiful. The falls extend for nearly two miles, twice as wide as Niagara. Ann and I stood on the Brazil side where we had a panoramic view of the horseshoe falls called Devil's Throat. The next day, on the Argentina side, we trekked on a series of walkways that snaked right beside many of the 275 cataracts that make up these great falls. Our guide said, "You see the falls from the Brazil side, but you feel them from the Argentina side."

We were traveling with 21 others on a Vantage Deluxe World Travel tour. We flew from Iguassu to Rio de Janeiro. We toured this beautiful city, taking cable cars to the top of Sugarloaf, viewing the statue of Christ the Redeemer (one of the new Seven Wonders of the World), and seeing the beautiful Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.

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The highlight of our trip was the Amazon. We flew from Rio to Manaus, the largest city in the area. The Amazon rainforest is the biggest rainforest in the world, covering over two million square miles (over half the size of the United States). The Amazon is the earth's greatest river, discharging more water than the next seven largest rivers combined. We were there during the dry season. At that time of year the river is only one to six miles wide. In the wet season it can be 19 miles wide. The water level drops 40 feet during the year. While we were there, it was falling seven inches per day. Therefore, we boarded our cruise ship from a floating dock.

Our ship was the five star Iberostar Grand Amazon. At Manaus, we witnessed the dark waters of the Rio Negro, the Amazon's largest tributary, meeting the muddy waters of the Amazon. They then flow without mingling for over a mile. We spent three nights on the Rio Negro and three nights on the Amazon. Two or three times each day, the 80 passengers would split up into four groups and go out in small boats to explore some of the smaller tributaries and experience the grandeur of the rainforest. Birds were everywhere: toucans, herons, parrots, kingfishers, hawks, macaws, and many others.

Ann recalls an interesting experience. "On one of our small boat excursions we stopped along the shore and were greeted by a dozen spider monkeys that proceeded to run over the top of our heads. Everyone laughed. It was lots of fun." On another occasion our small boat stopped at a dock. From there, we fed fish to pink dolphins, one of five freshwater species in the world.

All of our Amazon guides were wonderful. They had grown up in small villages and had an exceptional knowledge of the flora and fauna of the region. They had an incredible ability to spot birds almost hidden in a tree. On a night excursion, our small boats took us to an area where we could spot caiman (crocodiles). Our guide pulled the boat up to the shore, reached over the edge and pulled up a four-foot caiman. He held it up for us to see, while he told us about the reptile.

One day we went fishing. But this was not an ordinary fishing trip. We fished for piranha. Unfortunately, I did not hook one, but several people in our party did. Needless to say, our guides removed the piranha from their hooks.

Oftentimes the small boats would take us to places on dry land. Once we trekked through the rainforest while our guide told us about all of the trees and plants. On three occasions we visited small indigenous villages where we got to meet the people and see how they lived. At one of the villages, we got to dance with the villagers. Ann danced with the chief, while I danced with his wife. Another time our small boat took us to an area where we took a trail to a place where we observed water lilies that grow up to seven feet in diameter.

We went to an old rubber plantation that has been converted into a museum. We got to see how the people lived and how rubber was made. Back in the 1890s rubber was king, and the rubber barons became very rich. With so much wealth they decided to recreate the lavish lifestyle of the Europeans. What better way than to build an opera house? So they constructed the Teatro Amazonas in Manaus, right in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. They would pay performers to cruise up the Amazon and put on operas. We toured this beautiful building with its inlaid wood and marble brought over from Europe.

Ann and I loved the Amazon rainforest. Water is everywhere. There are no roads. All travel is by boat. We watched children returning from school on the small school boat. During one of our excursions on one of the tributaries, our guide asked us to be silent and enjoy the solitude of the beautiful lush, tropical rainforest. Immense trees surrounded us. An incredible diversity of plants covered the land, some with leaves the size of umbrellas. Birds and butterflies flew overhead. It was a magical experience.

We took many pictures. Friends we met on the trip sent us some of theirs. Some of these pictures appear on these pages, but only by actually being there can one experience the mystique of this wonderful region.