Water, Water, Everywhere

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During the last two weeks I have spent over 150 hours on cargo boats, chugging 1500km up the Amazon river, trekked in the Peruvian jungle, fished for piranhas, been in an ayahuaska ceremony and been accused of trying to solicit child pornography. Another episode passes in South America.

I stayed in Iquitos to watch the remainder of England's dismal World Cup campaign. During that time, I paid a visit to the village of Belen, which is referred to as the "Venice of Peru", as it lliterary lies on the river Nanay. It's extremely poor and is a no-go area for tourists at night. The houses either float on the river, or are built on stilts. The river rises by as much as 15m between the dry and wet season. I went for a tour of the village by canoe. Life seemed simple. The men fished, the women cleaned and the kids either went to school or played in the river. The sewage system consisted of a floating wooden sheds which deposited straight into the river. The kids didn't seem bothered when I saw them swimming and playing next to one.

I spent another day visiting a butterfly farm which was also a refuge for animals that had been abandoned. It was run by a Dutch woman who looked like J K Rowling and had the saggiest breasts I have ever seen. The farm played home to several species of monkey, one of which had a permanent erection whilst he was climbing all over with me - lovely!

I'd left booking the fast boat to Santa Rosa, which is near the Peru-Columbia-Brasil border, too late. Not wanting to stay in Iquitos until the next departure date, I went against my instincts and booked a trip with a guy called Walter who I didn't trust, and got on the slow boat to Santa Rosa, stopping in Pevas for a 4 day jungle trip with a guide and a shaman.

The slow boats which ply the Amazon river are primarily large carge boats. They also take passengers and you can travel either cabin class or "hammoca" class, which is about half the price. On Wed 5th July, I met Walter at the boat 4 hours before it was due to leave, so that we could set up a good spot. The shaman arrived and Walter left. The shaman was called Pepe. Once our hammocks were tied, there was nothing to do except guard our gear and wait. As it neared 8pm you couldn't fit any more hammocks on the deck; I even had a guy hang his one up right above mine.

The next morning we arrived at Pevas, where we met our guide for the trip, Renee. My instincts about Walter soon turned out to be right. I'd paid for a 4 day trip, but the boat to Santa Rosa didn't leave when Walter said it did, so I had to cut the trip down to 3 days to catch the boat in time. On all the trips I've done, the food has been both tasty and plentiful. Walter scammed me again, as all I had the next 3 days was rice, eggs and jam sandwiches - the lack of carne was torture.

The next three days involved hiking through the jungle, paddling in canoes, fishing for piranhas, sitting out rainstorms, getting eaten by mosquitos and going to bed in my hammock, listening to the sounds of the jungle. It was great (except for the mozzie part, where I counted over a 50 on my legs and arms - not good when you are travelling in a Malaria region - if you´re wondering why I had so many bites, the damn mozzie net that Walter gave me had holes in it).

On my second night, Pepe gave me an ayahuaska ceremony. This is a traditional ceremony that is performed by tribes all over the Amazon region. The role of a shaman is that of a healer. Ayahuaska is a poweful concoction made from two plants native to Peru. It is supposed to heal the body both spiritually and physically - and it's also hallucinogenic. There's currently a Shamanism conference going on in Iquitos. "Delegates" attend lectures given by shamans, then venture off into the jungle for ayahuaska ceremonies. It's mainly attended by Americans middle-aged hippies, who pay hundreds of dollars for these ceremonies. My 4 day trip had only cost $150.

The ceremony took place in one of the wooden huts at our campsite. All lights were out except for a solitary candle. Pepe took out the ayahuaska, which is prepared days in advance. I had expected it to be in a mystical-looking flask, so I was disappointed to see the drink in a plastic coke bottle. He poured 35ml into a wooden shot glass. It looked like muddy water and tasted like nothing I have ever tasted before. Revolting. My mouth wanted to reject it immediately and wanted to spit it out. It tasted like poison and made me want to heave. The candle went out and Pepe told me to wait half an hour, after which I would want to vomit and go for a dump (hopefully not at the same time). I think this is where the "cleansing" effect comes from. During this waiting game, Pepe got into shaman mode and started shaking a bouquet of palm leaves at me, supposedly to fend off bad spirits, and started to sing and whistle shaman-type songs.

Half an hour was up and I felt nothing, so Pepe gave me another shot. The smell as I brought the glass to my lips nearly brought on the vomit. Soon enough I was starting to feel the effects of the ayahuaska. I felt nauseous and was start to have visions. I never vomitted or had diarrhoea, as is normal, but the feeling of wanting to be sick didn't leave me. The effects of ayahuaska last for a few hours. It focuses your mind to analyse issues in your life, which you then look at with supposed clarity; this is how your spirit is cleansed. Lying back, thinking about life, listening to the chants and sounds of the jungle was all very pleasant, except for the occasional violent vomiting noises from Pepe, who had also taken a dose.

My overall experiences of ayahuaska were mixed. I didn't vomit or go to the toilet, so I'm sure that physically I wasn't cleansed, and as for the spiritual stuff, it didn't bring on a revelation and I don't feel different. If you ask me, it sounds like an excuse for a bunch of Americans to take drugs.

Back in Pevas I caught the slow boat to Santa Rosa, having called Walter, who offered without asking, to wire me the money when I get home - he came recommended in the guide books, so we'll wait and see. We arrived in Santa Rosa the on Mon 10th July. From here I took a long boat to Leticia, which is in Columbia, although it is practically joined with Tabatinga, which is on the Brasilian side, and you can come and go as you please. I stayed in Leticia, which is the more developed side. From the little I saw of Columbia, it left a big impression on me. The people were genuinely friendly and Columbian coffee is the best.

In an effort to meet my sister in Salvador on time, I jumped on another slow boat the next day to head upriver to Manaus. This boat was both bigger and cleaner than the last one, although I turned up only 2 hours before departure, which meant that I had to strap my hammock up right next to the toilets, which obviously did not bode well for a 4 day trip which turned into 5 (on the first night the propeller broke and we were stranded for 5 hours whilst the crew had to replace it).

I had no expectations of enjoying this trip, as I´d already spent 3 days on a similar boat, I thought I´d get bored and be uncomfortable and I´d been told the food was terrible. Luckily I was wrong on all accounts. Although the food was a slight variation of the previous meal everytime: rice, spaghetti, beans, meat - it was tasty and there was lots of it. Meal times were unusal: breakfast was served at 6am, lunch at 10:30am and dinner at 4pm. As we stopped off at more and more villages, the boat got more crowded. When you thought that the deck could not fit any more hammocks, a large family would show up and prove you wrong. Despite the lack of space and the numerous back sides and feet that were too close to my face, I look back at the experience with fond memories. Days were spent lazing in your hammock, reading, sleeping or sunbathing on the top deck. One of my favourite moments was watching the sunset and drinking a cold beer. The Amazon river itself is just awe-inspiring. It is so wide and there is so much water; to think that it all starts from snow on the Andes made me feel very small and insignificant.

I arrived in Manaus on Sat 15th July. Manaus is a big city with a population of 2 million. It´s easy to forget that you are in the middle of the Amazon. Everything has to be shipped or flown in - it´s a crazy city. I stayed in Manaus with some friends I´d made on the boat. We went out for lunch and found a suitable restaurant to fulfill our needs. We had a traditonal Brazilian buffett, where waiters come to your table with skewers of juicy meat and carve you as much as you like in front you. We had a great afternoon. That night the Brazilians guys took to us to a nightclub, that we otherwise wouldn´t have known about. There were no other gringos there. The club was a crowded, sweaty bus ride away. The club formed two open warehouses that were the size of airport hangars. Each "room" had a stage where a live band performed. It was my first taste of Brazilian night life and I was very impressed. Everyone is out to have a good time and the cocktails are great: capirinhas and capetas were particularly good. The bands played "forro" music which is very fast, and is a mixute of samba beats and accordion sounds. The Brazilians love to dance and dance very well - us gringos felt and probably looked like plebs.

I´d planned to fly direct to Salvador from Manaus, but like so many things in South America, it didn´t work out as I hoped. The main carrier in this region, VARIG, is going bust. They have cancelled all their flights, allowing their competitors to bump up the prices. To get round this I decided to last-minute to fly north to Belem and then catch a bus to Salvador. This would not only save me $200 but I would also get to see more of the country. I arrived in Belem early this morning. It´s an interesting city that is much more appealing that Manaus. Tonight I´m taking the bus to Salvador. It´s a 36 hour trip - travelling is not always fun, fun, fun. If you´re still reading, I´m impressed.

Suerte

Jack

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Photos

Iquitos
Most people get around in scooters and tuk-tuks. Cars are rare.

Belen
Typical floating house

Pure tobacco cigarettes
After taking this photo, I was accused of trying to solicit child pornography. I heard a Peruvian man shout, "Hey chino! I know what you are trying to do! I know your country!" He then pointed at the child asleep and gave me the Robert De Niro "I am watching you" gesture.

River Travel
Boat from Iquitos to Pevas

Bananas
Just some of the cargo on board

Piranha fishing in the Amazon
Pathetically small, but it would still give you a nasty bite

Jungle Ca´mp
Pepe the shaman is in the foreground

Cattle Class
All sense of personal space vanished

Comments

[umbogalog]

always reading jack
each part of your journal is amazing mate, now all you need is some pics of brazilian chicks 'amo as mulheres brasileiras!'