They had a cook who worked specifically to make eggs and you could watch her. While watching you got to choose anything you wanted in it. I made up this recipe that then became my favorite: white scrambled eggs cooked with sausage and herbs.
We took a local bus to downtown Manaus, in which I got to watch the local kids getting in and off. The downtown was crowded with people selling things everywhere.
Our first stop was the Municipal Market, a must see in Manaus. It is located near a port where a lot of products arrive and are unloaded from the river boats. Opened in 1906, the Municipal Market is built with cast iron and is a copy of the famous “Les Halles” Market in Paris. There you find people selling fish, meat, fruits, vegetables and local handicrafts. I was dying of thirst but not for a regular drink, for coconut water, my favorite in Brazil.
We then walked around making conversations with people, already buying souvenirs to take home. Everybody was friendly and wanted us to try or show us things. A lot of the fish and fruit you see there are unique to the Amazon region.
Next, we visited the Opera House. Like the Municipal Market and other famous buildings here, the Opera House was built during the Rubber Boom years at the end of the 19th century, and most of the material used in the construction, imported from Europe. We got a tour of the building in English. My favorite part in the building was the ballroom dancing hall. Because the floor was so old and delicate, you had to wear felt flip-flops and you could slide on the shiny floor with them.
When we got back to the hotel it was already nighttime but we still made our way to the pool because it never closes, and it is great to swim in a hot night, with all the lights on underwater.
