Brazil – The Amazon – Drifting Along Dave

As I mentioned in my last blog, to leave Columbia I was going to take a boat along the Amazon. I really thought that this was going to be the most boring part of my trip so far, remembering that these boats are not cruise liners, they are basic boats for people and cargo movement. It did sound adventurous though...'Cruising down the Amazon'...evoking movie like thoughts of piranhas, monkeys and snakes dangling from trees. But my sensible self had major doubts. The trip to Manaus, Brazil would take 4 days, 3 nights. I had splurged on an air conditioned cabin which cost around $US250 rather than sleep outdoors on a hammock which was a quarter of the price. My reasoning was that with my camera gear open on the deck, the chances of a 'problem' over 4 days was too great for me to take the risk. Food was included (hello chicken, beans and rice) and so the only thing to do was to keep myself amused for that period of time. The boat left from Tabatinga, Brazil which is joined to Leticia, Columbia without a true border. So for the second time this trip I could walk back and forth from country to country without any passport formalities. So on the day of departure I left to Tabatinga from Leticia without a great deal of enthusiasm for the trip ahead.

There were 2 other tourists on board, Michelle and Sebastian, both Germans, but not travelling together. They took the hammock option which turned out to be a good deal as there wasn't an over supply of passengers on board, probably around 40 others. This gave them enough space, without overcrowding. I think I was the only passenger on board who used a cabin. My main memory of the trip would be how I could go to my cabin, spend a few hours in it, and when I got out the view would be so identical to when I went in. Brown river surrounded by green jungle on both sides for the entire 1000km journey. Only when we arrived at a town would 'action' occur. These towns were isolated and would only receive goods via boat so when we arrived there was a lot of loading and unloading going on as well as the changing of passengers. So other than sleeping, eating and the nightly ritual of playing cards (games of 500) with my German friends, my time was spent on my tablet (no Internet of course) or walking around the decks. Was it boring? Sort of, but I was disappointed when the trip finished. Boat life gets you into a routine, no decisions to make, easy living. Quite the opposite to backpacking around the continent.

So we arrived in Manaus, quite a strange sight, such a large metropolis surrounded by 100's of kms of jungle all around. This city was a boom town in the past when rubber plantations were big business. This brought with it riches that a particular bloke used to build, with European designers and materials, an ornate and 'are you sure you're not in the wrong place' grand theatre, the "Amazonas Theatro". Beautiful and intricate. So the camera went into overdrive, sort of anyway. I am having big problems with the lens that I use the most, not communicating with the camera body, creating either no shots or totally over exposed ones. Not happy, but nothing I can do for a few months. My other main memory of Manaus will be that Indios Manoas Hostel's last ever guest will be me. I was told that 5 years ago they used to have so many tourists they would be sleeping on the floor, but gradually the tourists have dried up (in the middle of a rainforest, irony?) and so it was time to close the doors. Shame, but a life time first for me.

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