Keepin' it real... again: Four days on the Rio Amazonas plus one night on the dock

Four days floating along the Amazon River and I finally made it to the mouth of the river to a town called Belém. The town is actually huge with many skyscrapers. And it is hot! Jungle hot with an occasional rainfall to cool things for a few minutes before it turns steamy again.

The boat ride was rather uneventful with the exception of meeting some great friends. As I entered my cabin, my first friend was someone who I already know from Venezuela. We met on the tour to Angel Falls before parting ways. He was on motorcyle, making his way to Brazil.

Being on a boat for so long also creates many moments to talk to others. Of the 300 people on the boat, there were probably 10 non-Brazilians, many Gringos, and a few Colombians. My Portugese skills are definitely lacking, but the strange thing is that Brazilians understand almost all my Spanish.

The food was poor, either stewed chicken or beef with black eyed peas, spaghetti noodles and rice. I chose to eat of few of the meals, but not all and relied on my stash of fruit, carrots and peanuts. Fortunately there was a layover in Santorém a town at the midway point.

No sickness to report, though one of the beef meals did start a war in the stomach that I survived without incidence.

We arrived into Belém at midnight, and after waiting a while for them to find my bike in the cargo hull, it was prudent to stay on the boat for one more night. The area around the docks were very sketchy and no taxi cabs around.

But now I am waiting for a bus to Recife for MARDI GRAS!!! It will be a two bus operation that will last 33 hours on the road, plus a few more to wait for the second bus. Oooooof.

my bathroom cabin and toilet...