Manaus, Brasil

---

Day 1 (Monday) - Marta and Andre, who were so helpful in getting across the border, were on the same bus. We were planning on splitting a cab but it turned out we were in opposite directions. The bus terminal had a tourist information desk with someone who spoke English, which seemed great at first. However, this gentlemen proved to be nothing more than an obstacle. He spoke English but either he didn't understand what he was saying or what I was asking because every answer he gave seemed contrary to the last. For instance, I pointed at a map and asked, "Is this where we are?" To which he responded, "Yes, but it will take you a 10 minute bus ride to get there." And so it went until I gave up and decided to press my luck with someone who spoke Portugese. Fortunately, I came across a helpful man with a bit of English who not only pointed me in the right direction but walked me to the bus stop. I was going to the center of town, to which most of the buses were headed, so I was on my way in minutes. I got off at the right stop and was feeling pretty good about getting around until I got off the main drag and found no street signs. I asked for directions but the residents didn't seem to know the streets' names. The best trick was to ask where major intersections were. These the people seemed to know and I could guide myself by these. I found the Hostel Manaus without too much trouble. Fortunately, there were vacancies in rooms and I was very impressed with the cleanliness. I took a shower that I was very thankful for then caught up a bit on my blog as it rained for about two hours. I was going to get more substantial food but with the rain, I only ran a couple doors down to a little market and bought a large water, large chocolate milk, cookies and crackers. They were all gone in thirty minutes. After the shower passed, I walked a bit about town. Knowing that I had some purchases I wanted to make before my boat ride down the Amazon on Wednesday, I decided to take a route down to the main market and port where I believed there would be some shops. I was on the lookout for locks, and a metal chain. I was not finding anything but just before the market, I stumbled upon a store that was owned by the same family as a hardware store. One of the sons walked me the couple blocks to the store. They had the types of locks I wanted, little key locks for the compartments of my bag, and I got three meters of a big, hulking metal chain so that I could lock my bags to a pole or rafter on the boat. Feeling accomplished, I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon just strolling the streets and sights. I was close to the market, so I started there, where I walked through aisles upon aisles of fish, beef, vegetables and fruit. I always enjoy these markets. From there, I walked on the sidewalk over the waterfront down to the port. The port was alive with merchants and salesmen trying to book voyages down the river. "Amigo, Amigo..." was the constant opening line from the hundreds of brokers above the pier trying to capture my attention so I would book with them. Unfortunately for them, I decided to wait till tomorrow so I could find if any English speakers in my hostel had booked so that we could travel together. When I was done with the port, the sky told me that sunset was slowly approaching, so I made my way along another route back to the hostel. Along the way, I picked up some street food for about $1 for dinner, basically two large pigs in blankets. That evening at the hostel. I met Dong Hwan, a Korean national studying in Brazil. Dong Hwan is studying in the southern most part of Brazil but is taking the summer break from school to travel around the country. I ended up talking with him for a while and found that he had booked passage on the 'Amazon Star' for Wednesday. We talked for a while then I called it an early night. It would be my first night in a bed since the last Thursday where I slept in the hot box without air conditioning. At this hostel there was the cheaper option sans air conditioning but I doled out the extra dough, which was well worth it. I was in bed by 9.

Day 2 (Tuesday) - I woke up at 9 after a full 12 hours of sleep and felt great. Breakfast was included so I made my way up to the breakfast landing. While at breakfast, I met Michael, Felix and Jenny (German, Dutch and Swiss respectively). They had taken the boat ride up the Amazon together. They said that the first two days were pretty good but by day three things get pretty old. The ride up and down the river are a little different. The ride up river is longer as the boat is fighting a current. The food up river is included, though the same thing every day (rice, beans and a little meat). The boat travels closer to the river bank up river, which gives a better view of the rainforest. And from Belem to Manaus, the boat takes a longer stop in Santarem, allowing the passengers to take a part day excursion to the little island closeby. It was a pleasure talking with them, so I asked what their plans were for the day. Apparently, they were going to head by the shops around the port, Jenny was going to ask about buying a boat to navigate up the river, and then they were going to head up to the Praia (beach) Rio Negro. I asked if I could tag along and they were quick to agree. Along the way, I showed them the market. Then I stopped to by a sheet of plastic to put under my bags, should it rain on the boat and four meters of rope (enough to tie up my hammock and a little extra). At the port, Jenny went about her task as I booked my voyage on the Amazon Star. It cost me about $100 (220 Reals) and the transaction was basically made on a wooden pier. After Jenny and I had done our business, Felix wanted to buy a hammock for his sister. I had walked through what appeared to be the hammock district the day before and so was easily able to point him in the right direction. While we waited for Felix, Michael and I grabbed a quick snack of a ball of cornmeal like consistency with meat and peas in the middle. These snacks are all over Northern Brazil, taste pretty good and are filling. I washed it down with the local soft drink was so sweet it made Pepsi taste bland. I was not a fan and will not be purchasing again. After the hammock was purchased, we found a bus to the Praia Negro. The Rio (river) Negro (black) is so called because it is so dark that the water is nearly pitch black. On the banks where the water was shallow it had more of a yellow appearance. I waded in to my knees as I had not worn my bathing suit but the water was so warm that it didn't reverse any of the feeling of the glaring sun. We didn't stay on the beach but an hour before we headed up to a shaded vantage point above the beach, where we all ordered drinks and Jenny ordered a meal. The meal took forever, which was stressing the two guys who hoped to catch a bus to Caracas that evening. Finally, the dish did come. When we went to pay, the restauranteur put the screw job on the tourists. What should have been 17 Reals, he somehow wanted 25 for by saying that Jenny's dish was more expensive than advertised and by adding two taxes. We got it down a bit but not much. It is a shame because otherwise it was a pleasant afternoon. But things like that tend to put a damper on things. We caught a bus back and had time to stop at the Opera House, which is a magnificent piece of architecture and a center of town. Done with our day, we hurried back to the hostel so the guys could grab a bite then head to the bus terminal. There I hung out for a while and caught back up with Dong Hwan before Jenny and I headed down to the market to get some fish and vegetables to make dinner. The market was probably a tenth as busy as before but we found some good filets of fish and potatoes. Then we made a long trek to the super market where we picked up some ingredients to make the food, then were back off to the hostel. Jenny said she liked to cook and asked if she could prepare the food. I, being the gentleman that I am, let her. The fish was very good though I have no idea what it was, as were the sides. We were joined by Dong Hwan and a couple others, including a Spaniard who has been traveling South America on bike for the last 11 years with only two 6 month breaks. He was an interesting fellow. I just couldn't get over the fact that he had had no constant friendships for more than a decade. Sure, the experience seemed fantastic but I wouldn't want to sacrifice relationships. Traveling for 9 and a half months seems like it will be difficult enough. And fortunately, I have friends and family meeting me along the way. After dinner, I got talked into going to a bar with Dong Hwan and Jenny. I wanted to get my rest before the boat but when am I ever going to get to experience the nightlife of Manaus, Brasil again? I went out but did not experience much of the nightlife of Manaus, Brasil. The town was dead. There was one bar open next to the opera house, which we sat at a table by ourself while we sipped our beer. We were joined briefly by Colombian brothers (Rafael and Pablo) who I had met briefly earlier but everyone saw it fruitless to stay and we returned to the hostel. I went to sleep around 2 after a shower.

Day 3 (Wednesday) - Woke up early to pack, eat and make an important phone call. Phones in Brazil stink and I had a pain of a time doing it. I felt bad as this pushed back Dong Hwan and my departure. We were going to try and get to the boat by about 10 to claim a spot for our hammocks. I had purchased mine at the hostel the day before (a used one for 10 Reals). On the way, I stopped at the bank and I showed Dong Hwan where to purchase some rope, where I purchased a knife to cut the rope. I was hoping to get some food along the way, so I parted ways with Dong Hwan and made my way back to the market from the previous night, which was the closest one, yet far away. I bought ten bananas, oranges, two litres of water, a grape juice, crackers, and cookies. Walking to the boat, I felt very weighed down with both my backpacks and four plastic groceries sacks. I first walked to the main port where the boat was docked and after I walked all the way there and down a long pier, I found out that since I bought my ticket on the wooden pier, I would have to take a small boat from there to the Amazon Star, which was docked down the river. This was a hastle with all my bags. I had to crawl across 3 boats to get up on the Amazon Star and when I was doing this, I was getting yelled at by another boat captain for rocking the boat. I just kind of laughed as I am not sure how he expected a 185 lb (85k) man with a 30 lb (13k) large backpack, a 20 lb (9k) small backpack and 4 bags of groceries to walk across a small metal dingy without moving it. When I climbed my way on the boat I was exhausted and dripping with sweat.

---

Photos

Bus Stop
Taking the bus into town.

Market 1
Alive with activity, this was a very interesting market to walk around. However, watching one's step is helpful as shopkeeps throw water with fish guts all over the drain covered floor no matter if there is someone walking there or not. I got hit one time.

Opera House
Opened in 1850, this place is massive.

Christmas Lights
Building lit up for Christmas with characters in every window.