Golf in the Amazon

Blogroll, Citizen Journalism, Estilo de Vida 30/06/2011, by Carlos Rix

When I told friends at work I would spend my one week off in the Amazon region, in city of Manaus, many could not believe. “What kind of destination is that?”, I was asked. There are basically two images in the mind of people when you say “Manaus”: the business city and the rain forest (monkeys, gators and snakes). The city of Manaus takes its name from the ancient tribe of the Manaos, found in the area by the first explorers from Portugal. Today, those born in the city now are called Manauaras.

Manaus is surely the best gateway to enter in the Amazon. It does not matter if it is to access and visit the rain forest or to do businees. Manaus has between 1.5 and 2 million inhabitants. It is host to more than 600 big companies in its Free Trade Zone and it is one of the biggest isolated metropolitan areas in the world. There are two major ways to get to Manaus, by boat or plane. Most of all, one interesting fact about Manaus is how little people actually know about it at all.

As I have already hinted, the industrial park is amazing, with hundres of companies, including names like Siemens, Honda, Philips, Nokia, Yamaha, Essilor, Visteon, Kodak, Electrolux, Samsung, Panasonic, among many others, all benef from the Manaus Free Trade Zone laws. This fact gives Manaus a cosmopolitan flavor, as an international, multiracial city. Korean, Japanese, European, North American, you name it, people from all over the planet live and work there.

Well, as you can tell by now, there is a lot to do in the capital of the state of Amazonas. I have already written about this in Manaus is for everyone. It is sure a business city, with its Free Trade Zone in Brazil. Well, I did go to Manaus and had, as I expected, a great time there. What I could not imagine was that I would find something like the Amazônia Golf Resort. I tell you, despite all the above facts I´d never imagine what I was about to experience this time.

I did go. I like it there. Manaus is full of possibilities for business and for entertainment. Manaus is a metrolpolis in the meddle of the rain forest with movies, malls, theaters and lots of people. Now it also has a fantastic professional golf feild. Can you picture this, just about 70km from downtown there is this green which is located in what used to be a farm inside what is now a five star hotel called Amazonia Golf Resort.

I think that with the World Soccer Cup taking place in Manaus that is just the place for a foreign team to stay. It is sure a very confortable and accessible place in the area, just 35 minutes away from the stadium Manauaras are building for the Cup. Every thing is perfect, I was amazed. Great food, confortable and Golf. It was one of my best trips inside Brazil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQONhu9jp10