7 Days on the Amazing Amazon River

Mosquito nets blowing in the breeze, hundreds of hammocks hung from floor to ceiling, and the worst slop you have ever tasted! This is the typical adventure (and mine) in boat travel up the Amazon river. But it is worth it!!! No other experience has compared to this trip afloat the "government" transport boat traveling from Belem, the mouth of the Amazon at the Atlantic, to Manaus, a large city that sits in the center of the Amazon jungle.  A ship which can accommodate 200 people but carries 500, it is impossible to be alone on this trip. In fact, you may be hanging out in your hammock above the beautiful wooden furniture being transported upstream. One thing is for sure, you will meet plenty of people to play cards with, dine with (if you can stomach it), share stories with, and no doubt share some cachasa with while watching a beautiful sunset. Luckily, to travel upstream, these boats hug the shoreline to avoid the strong downward current. Because of this, you get a close up view of the small villages and stilted river homes which sporadicallly populate the shores. Stops are made in a couple of villages to pick up more passengers or cargo, where it is not unusual to butchered slabs of raw meat or piles of bananas on the docks waiting to be loaded on board. To my amazement, kids were even swimming in the pirahnna infested waters! One sad sight, in my opinion, were the many barges that float pass you carrying massive tree logs harvested from the rain forest. These trees are hundreds of years old and are not necessarily replaced, thus stripping the forests in Brazil of much needed oxygen and habitat for life there. The jungle is captivating in its scenery and the river is impressive because of its size. Birds are everywhere and suprisingly, the mosquitos were not a problem at all, likely due to the fact that the boat is always moving and a nice breeze pervails. I found myself spending my days on the boat on the top, open air deck, where a snack bar provided palpable treats and beer, which I drank daily. There, I spoke with travelers from around the world, making friends with an Australian, an English bloke, a couple of Dutch girls and another Dutch man, and a Japanese fellow who was making his way up to Columbia on his "'round the world" bike trek. Once arriving in Manaus, it feels like you are in just about any other city in Brazil, but for the unusual damp smell and the abundance of waterways which make it is easy to take a day boat trip into the jungle. I suggest using a guide. It is very easy to get lost in the jungle! An interesting highlight is to ride out to view the convulence of the Amazon with the Rio Negro, where for several miles, the pasty brown Amazon sits alongside the black water of the Negro. Fascinating to see. Manaus offers plenty of activities, culture, eateries, and bars. Just try not to imagine that you are surrounded by thick jungle and the only way out is by river boat or airplane.

Enjoy!

Mosquito nets blowing in the breeze, hundreds of hammocks hung from floor to ceiling, and the worst slop you have ever tasted!