Blogs from Amazonas, Brazil, South America

The port of call on March 6, 2023 was the small city of Parintins, Brazil (115,363 people in 2020). Holland America offered only two shore excursions. One was a 90-minute tour of the city on a triciclo “past the major highlights of the city.” Triciclo translates as 'tricycle,' but it's not really a trike but more a tuk-tuk in Asia. The second option was “The Boi Bumba Festival Show.” Since one of my main objectives in travel is to learn of the culture and customs, this was a no-brainer. From the Holland America web site: “The must-see Boi Bumba is one of the greatest folk festivals in Brazil. It is a world full of magic, bright colors, music, dance and folklore -- a feast for the senses. The luxurious costumes and floats, comparable to those seen ... read more

Einen lang gehegten Wunsch habe ich mir schließlich in Brasilien erfüllt…. einmal mit dem Schiff den Amazonas entlang und in der Hängematte schlafen… ein Traum :-) Für mich bedeutete es aber erstmal nach Leticia an der kolumbianischen Grenze zu fliegen. Dieser kleine Grenzort am Amazonas besticht nicht unbedingt durch seine Schönheit, ist aber ein wichtiger Ausgangspunkt für viele Amazonas Touren. Gleichzeitig bildet er mit dem brasilianischen Nachbarort Tabatinga den idealen Startpunkt für Schiffstouren auf dem Amazonas Richtung Manaus. Doch zuerst mussten die Reisevorbereitungen getroffen werden. Zuerst einmal mussten die Aus- und Einreiseformalitäten in Kolumbien und Brasilien erledigt werden. Das passiert alles in mehr oder weniger provisorischen Containerbaracken, eher hemdsärmelig… aber die Stempel im Pass sind wichtig ;-) Weiterhin brauchte ich dann eine taugliche Hängematte... read more

Friday 28 July - Brazil Today we said goodbye to our travelling companions Ismay and Ginny who would be returning to the UK that evening. Keith and I were collected by Hugo for our transfer to the airport for our Amazon trip. As we were returning to Rio a week later we asked Hugo for his advice, he recommended we use the "screaming girls", the ones shouting "taxi, taxi" in the terminal. On arrival at Manaus airport we took rather an expensive airport taxi to the hotel as we were unable to find the Uber driver. The heat and humidity in Manaus hits you like a hot wet blanket as soon as you go outside. Settled into our hotel, which was almost opposite the lovely opera house we met our guide for a tour the next ... read more

Manaus is a city of 2 million located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. There are no roads to Manaus. It's accessible only by plane or boat. There are many Amazon "guides" headquartered there. (Some are even legitimate.) Since last November I had been corresponding with Antonio, a guide I found on the Internet. A typical exchange would consist of me asking ten or so questions and Antonio replying with answers to one or two of them. He sent me a checklist of what to bring—sheet for hammock, rain coat, flashlight, hiking shoes, and mosquito repellant. Any other luggage would have to be left behind in Manaus, he warned. Beyond that, I had little idea of what to expect. I arrived at midnight after a four-hour flight from Rio (Brazil is almost the same size ... read more

What a fantastic way to spend four days. For the better part of last week I was living on a large transport boat headed downstream on the Amazon river from Tabatinga to our destination port of Manaus some 1,200 KM away. I met some great people, had some great laughs, and had a very relaxing journey to the middle of the massive country of Brazil. Our boat was named Monteneiro and was one of the nicer ones that I saw in the port. A few sketchy looking boats were also making the journey and were a little cheaper, but once on my vessel I was glad I paid a little more and at a price of 180 Reals or $95 including all meals I felt it was of good value. On Tuesday the day before the ... read more