Post 114: Down the Amazon, from Belem to Manaus

Fellow adventurers,

Sorry for the long delay in updates, we have been on the move non-stop and without internet connection since our boat left Belem's port two Wednesdays ago. The ride down the river was a long and sometimes trying one. I wish I could report that it was the thrill of a lifetime, but to be honest most of it was spent in an on-board cabin watching movies and wasting time as the boat slowly made its way upriver to Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas region of Brazil.

We arrived an hour later than we had been told to the dock, thanks to some confusion in the local timezone and a recent switch in daylights saving time, but luckily had many hours to spare before the boat even managed to leave port. That time was spent meeting other gringos who we would occasionally share beers and conversation with over the next 6 days. Before completely settling into our bunk bed cabin, June managed to get us an upgrade to a suite with a private bathroom and double bed. While having a private bathroom was nice, it was rather rusted and smelly. The only source of water was from the river, leaving it a nice brown tint. The room took on a rather foul smell after a few days, leaving us wondering if we had made the right choice. The boat was more modern and much bigger than I had imagined it to be. I originally envisioned a wooden multi-leveled trawler, similar to those commonly seen on the Mississippi, but instead we rode something more akin to a miniature cruise liner. The boat finally departed late in the evening, and we celebrated with some beer as we watched Belem drift out of view.

Over the first few days we ate as the locals did, and enjoyed cheap, basic meals below deck in the canteen. That was until we both became slightly food poisoned yet again, and vowed not to try our luck that way again. The last 4 days of the trip we subsisted on snacks we had brought aboard, our trusty jar of 7 dollar peanut butter and a selection of Cup'O Noodles or Ham and Cheese grilled sandwiches from the 'Lanchaneta' at the aft of the ship.

We lazed about most of the days as the evergreen shoreline of the Amazon slipped by us, kilometers after kilometer. Little villages, cow pastures, homes, churches and schools teeming with life all dotted the riverside for our viewing pleasure. Occasionally the boat would dock in a town or city to drop off or pick up more people and goods. Sometimes we would even be greeted by locals who would incredibly attach their canoes to the moving vessel and board to sell fresh water shrimp or local fruit to passengers. We even caught a glimpse of some river dolphins swimming next to the ship. Some nights we enjoyed beers and watched the stars and full moon rise with our fellow gringos while chatting about our many experiences travelling. On the lower decks, hammocks lined 5 rows deep. We strung up our own in case we felt the need to relax and swing.

Along the way somewhere we became delayed and our boat did not end up arriving in Manaus until late in night of our expected arrival day. We had originally expected to be off the boat around 4pm but instead ended up spending another (our sixth) night sleeping aboard before finally stepping off into Manaus early Tuesday morning.

Gavin y June