The Amazon

Last Tuesday we began our adventure into the Amazon, jumping aboard a ferry to take us from Belem at the mouth if the Amazon delta all the way up to Manaus, the capital of Amazonas way way upriver.

Our little Drago family were put up on the top deck, 17 little hammocks all lined up together (Well 15 actually, they forgot two).  It was pouring with rain when we jumped aboard, but the rain had cleared, the sun had set and several drinks had already been drunk by the time they finished loading the seven thousand boxes of tomatoes onto the bottom deck.  It was quite exciting to depart, you could almost hear the cheers of joy above the noise of the engines.

The days and nights on the boat all kind of blur into one.  We did bring a shit tonne of alcohol with us, so maybe thats partly to blame.  The nights consisted of talking shit and laughing, playing uno and shithead, mafioso and therapy, and dancing to the god-awful brazilian music (the same 10 cds over and over, including a chipmunks version of rolling in the deep. I'm not even a huge fan of the original version) with brazilians of somewhat questionable character.  The days involved waking too late for breakfast, staring out at the river and the trees and trees and little houses and 5 year olds driving their boats and trees,  laying in the hammocks attempting to read but falling asleep to the rocking of the boat, playing more cards and dominoes with the kids on board, scouring the wide water for pink dolphins (did glimpse a few!) I had such grand plans for my time on the boat (do some spanish study, read a bunch of books, organise photos,  plan the next stage of my trip) but very little of it happened, I just surrendered to laziness and it was quite delightful.  In that time the forest just went on and on, and the river never really got any narrower, although we did weave around a bunch of islands and flooded forest.

When we finally got to Manaus a day late it was good to be on land, in a bed and get to eat something other than chicken rice and beans.  But I'm so so glad I did the trip, and especially with such great company.  In Manaus we had to say goodbye to each other, tough since I've spent the last 40 days or so in such a nice group.  But there was no time for tears as I set out tree climbing then on another little tour out into the forest to the Gero jungle lodge.

The tree climbing was fun.  I've never done any sort of climbing so even getting the harness and all the gear felt cool.  Clambering 30m up the rope and standing atop a branch overlooking the river was just magic, if a little scary!

The next day I set out to the Gero jungle lodge which involved a 3 hour journey out of Manaus via bus, speedboat, combi and another boat.  That last section as we set off into the trees was where I started to get really excited - The Amazon Rainforest! I was finally here!  The lodge was very basic, with wooden bamboo walls and thatched roof, and all the hammocks and beds together in one big room with the kitchen and dining hall downstairs.  After lunch we went out canoeing to spot some animals and saw sloths (including one up close, man those things are cool like a cross between an alien and a muppet but better), a bunch of hawks, terns and kingfishers, and pink and silver river dolphins.  Floating quietly under the canopy of the flooded forest was so fucking beautiful I almost cried.  We headed back to the lodge at sunset and had an early night, falling asleep to the (quite loud) sounds of the forest.

The following morning we went for a hike into the forest where our guide Mateus showed us a bunch of medicinal plants and the original coco tree that chocolate comes from, and we tried some of its fruit which was quite nice.  At one point four of us got distracted taking photos and lost the rest of the group.  Ah! Lost in the Amazon!  We went back and took what looked like another path, and just as we began counting our collective water supply and discussing rationing we found the rest of the group again, phew!  But hey, I was lost in the amazon (for two minutes) how many of you can say that?  The afternoon was spent piranha fishing, quite fun even though I didn't catch anything.  And at night we went caiman spotting, with the local guide catching a little one and bringing it onto the boat for us to hold (I just patted it - there there poor little caiman).

The next day we visited the house of some locals and saw how they make their canoes and process manioc from their small plantation.  The place we went to had just gotten electricity last year, and the hut was really really basic.  That afternoon it was time to go home, which was easier said than done because our captain had to drive our tiny little boat in the driving amazon rain - it got a little hairy!  As did the combi ride, we got very close to getting bogged but made it through.

So now I'm back in Manaus planning the next adventure - to Venezuela with my mate Kate - should be awesome.  But I'm definitely getting into the Amazon again, maybe in Peru, because I absolutely love it!