27 Feb - 2 March - Sailing down the Amazon river

9am came and went and we were told that we would now be leaving at 3pm. 3pm came and went and we were told we would leave at 6pm. Guess what? Yep, we left finally at 8pm. There was so much cargo on the boat now, that we were very low in the water but the water was pretty flat so all was fine. Dinner was chicken and lamb (I think) noodle soup. Those in the know had brought their own cutlery and a bowl so could dive straight in. Those without had to queue up and sit at the only bench to eat as fast as possible. Then when their bowl and spoon came back from being washed, the next in the queue could sit down.

Typical view


Our Geoff


The food was all being cooked with river water, which also fed the shower and toilet. However, the shower and toilet were also feeding the river, which was a murky colour. Best not to think about these things. We all slept on the middle deck, the top deck had a few hammocks (mainly crew I think), a bar, music and a cracking view of the stars in this light pollution free vantage point. Cargo, the kitchen and some toilets/showers were on the bottom deck. More cargo in the depths of the boat. When it rained, it was sudden and ferocious and we dropped the plastic sheeting/curtains to protect us from the battering. But mostly it was good weather and not too hot at all.

Relaxing


The boat sailed non stop, save for a couple of middle of the night dockings to offload people/cargo, which provided some light entertainment. A chap sat above the captain with a searchlight to look out for small boats and big trees floating down river.

Teach me so I can kick your butt, Kirsten


We definitely achieved a different level of relaxation on the boat. With little to do, some people (Heather) slept for pretty much the whole trip, we read, we dozed, we played a lot of backgammon, watched the world go by and lubricated conversation with a fair amount of vodka. When we docked in Manaus at 5am (it was meant to be 5pm that same day!) I was very sad to leave our boat, it had been such a cracking few days. I definitely need to have the hammock out when I get home. Docking so early meant we missed the point where the brown water meets the black water (different tributaries) and runs along without mixing for a bit, which was a shame.

Snooze through it, Heather


Middle of the night docking