Manaus ^169
I became violently ill during the night - no need to go into detail. The boat’s food
was notorious for giving passengers the runs, and I guess I tried my luck too many
times. Finally, I walked to the laundry to hand in our clothes (risky business in my
condition) and returned without incident.
The world was smaller than I thought as a certain Mr Markwood arrived at our hotel
looking a bit worse for wear. Life without money was clearly not highly
recommended. Still, we squeezed him into our room.
Manaus
I felt slightly better in the morning but could still not eat breakfast. Ernest had no
such problem and consumed practically the entire buffet.
Manaus was strange because it was a big city in the middle of the jungle, sporting
several interesting sights. Still, I didn’t expect to find an opera theatre in the middle
of the jungle, but there it was. Manaus’s famous Teatro Amazonas was completed in
1896 and constructed by Lisbon engineers, symbolising the rubber era’s opulence.
Built in a neoclassical style, virtually all materials were imported from Europe i.e.,
Italian marble, glass, and Scottish cast iron. In addition, the road outside the
theatre was rubberised to reduce the noise of late-arriving carriages. I was unsure
whether I was impressed or disgusted by this blatant display of European luxury.