I can show you a set of pictures of Manaus Brazil that makes it look quite idealistic, a stunning getaway (if you can get there easily – don’t ask about my 36+hour trips) destination, with an interesting history where Rubber Baron’s were once economic kings. Today it’s a thriving economic zone and yet almost an island in the middle of South America. Most of what goes in and out – goes (1000′s of kilometers) down the river.
I went there, along with a crew from Lonely Planet, the Nokia project team, local government and with the warm and welcoming response from Nokia Brazil and the Instituto Nokia de Tecnologia who developed the data gathering project we were there to learn about. A huge thank you to everyone for their hospitality.
Their agenda was to film the human side of a data-gathering project related to Dengue fever. Mine was slightly different. I wanted to get some sense of the life they lead. I was curious to make comparisons with India, as the countries are often clubbed together under the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) umbrella, and found they are dramatically different in so many ways. I also thought I’d come away with new perspectives on “mobile” and and possibly Nokia. In the end I wasn’t disappointed. I also got a great boat trip and day out to the headwaters of the Amazon… the point where it begins.
I didn’t really expect to see quite so clearly how living with flooding is also a way of life and how the river has shaped economics. The climate and water is also one of the risks of visiting. Dengue and Yellow Fever along with Malaria are all possible outcomes. Dengue is nasty. It could hit anyone here regardless of status.
I was also surprised to find that there wasn’t really a burgeoning or growing middle class (it is still a society of rich and poor) and yet I came away thinking of Manaus as a city with a huge opportunity simply based on where it is.
It is also the first city I’ve been to in a long time that has one belt for international luggage arrivals and just 2 immigration officers checking people in. Yet I’m told it has six malls for 2 million people (the two I saw were impressive multistory units that would fit anywhere and followed the “model” with Theaters on top). The hotel I stayed in was a virtually new glass tower etc.
For a taste of the Amazon…a few pictures. I know I will have plenty to write about. You can find more on my Flickr Pages
The team that looked after us was wonderful. Open and willing to share, it was a humbling reminder that we don’t alway “host” the way we should when people visit our side of the woods. If any of the team needs a bed in the Bay Area make sure to look me up.
