World Cup 2014: England fans enjoy the charms of Manaus

Despite last night's result against Italy, the mood in Manaus is one of celebration rather than tension, with most fans just happy to be in the spiritual home of football, reports Jeremy Wilson

Manaus is surrounded on three sides by mostly impassible jungle and on the other by rivers: the enormous Rio Negro and the almost unimaginably more powerful Amazon River.

Usually a quick stopover for travellers wishing to visit the Amazon rainforest, the city has been inundated with England football fans.
World Cup fever has been gathering steam over the last few days.

Banners appeared on balconies, religious services have been celebrated in foreign languages and one of the local newspaper has been translating articles about the World Cup into English. And while most of Brazil's 12 host cities saw anti-World Cup demonstrations ahead of the opener, Manaus has been quiet.

Many fans who arrived early made the almost obligatory boat journey to Encontro das Aguas, The Meeting of the Waters, where the Amazon merges with its tributary the Rio Negro.

Although the two rivers appear to merge, they run parallel to each other in the same channel for four miles, their waters kept separate by their differing temperatures, flow rate and density of sediment.

Regardless of the result last night, the fans who have made the trip to Manaus will go home with vivid memories of Brazil's famous hospitality and good cheer.