Amazon cruise

I took a taxi from the hotel down to the docks in Belem to catch a boat for a six day trip up the Amazon. I wasn't sure when I booked it whether it was an up market cruise, or a functional trip on a barge. As it happened it was something in between.

It was off season so all deck passengers got a free up grade from a hummock on the lower deck to an air conditioned room but you had to bring your own hummock.

There were plenty of small boats on the river and it seemed that for most of the time there was at least one tied up to our boat.

Local entrepreneurs made money by selling their wares on the boat, tying up alongside and selling fruit, prawns, hot ready made meals in aluminium trays, ice cream and anything else the hungry thirsty passenger may want...irrespective of the fact that there was a bar and a restaurant on the boat.

Our first stop of several on the river, this one is Breves with a large statue of the Virgin Mary.

There was plenty of other traffic on the river. There is no road that connects Manaus with the rest of southern Brazil so everything goes by river for 2,000kms up stream. (There is a road according to the maps but BR319 is not tarmac and guide books describe it as 'derelict'. There is insufficient traffic on it for it to be maintained or upgraded and it is impassable in the rainy season as it is largely underwater. Besides it is twice as far as the river route which is well supplied with ferries).

All along the rive bank are houses and farms built on stilts.

The ferry also took cars but I doubt whether I would trust the loading of my car to the stevedores.

And another view of the communal hummock room partly due to the colours of the different hummocks. Personally I upgrade and had an en suite cabin on the top deck.

It rained several times a day and in between it could get very hot and sweaty....but there were showers to cool off in on the sun deck.

A flooded farm.

Another house on stilts, and some colour.

Even ocean going ships can reach Manaus.

A barge transporting vehicles.

Most of the time the locals build on higher ground and on stilts so they are above the water level but can get it wrong sometimes when the water levels are exceptionally high.

The welder who fixed the boats engine getting a lift to land with his bicycle so he can get home.

More river traffic.

A detail of how the tug pushes the nine barges in front of itself.

A view of the cargo area on the boat.

And finally the boat docks in Manaus...only twelve hours late and at 5.30am...so not much to do and I ws booked onto a four day jungle experience starting in just two hours time!