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19th of Jan - 23rd of Jan - welcome to the five star luxury cruiser, final destination Puerto Velho. For your convenience, you'll be sharing your room with 60 other people in hammocks and no doubt someone's bum in your face all night. The facilities will consist of three shower/toilet combo rooms that depending on how clean you insist on being for the trip, you may or may not use. Please arrive in plenty of time because like all good transportation, departure will be prompt.
We arrived at 9ish in the morning at the port, after being sardined into the bottom of seatless van for 15 mins - very entertaining but 15 mins was long enough (it's also a very good way for you to get to know the others in group very fast!!). We secured our hammocks and then proceeded to wait and wait and wait - not sure what we were waiting for, but we waited until 5 o'clock in the afternoon for the ferry to leave. Just when we were getting quite excited about moving, the ferry went about 100 metres and stopped........until 9.15pm but then we were off, out of the gates like Red Rum in the grand national (after he'd had multiple bottles of rum and two legs sawn off)
The boat trip was definitely a unique experience that I'd recommend to anyone to try at least once (okay, only once, but it needs to be done). The hammock sleeping was fab as long as you weren't under a leaky rafter or someone else - I personally wasn't to bad off, but as people know with my sleeping habits being in a confined space with me, whilst I sleep isn't necessarily the safest place - apparently I kicked my roomie in the head several times and all she tried to push me or move me, it was to no avail - the vodka may have had something to do with that on that occasion. Over the five days, it was pretty much drink, sleep eat, but for those that have drunk on boats before know that hangovers aren't always the easiest to deal with.
Our tour leader spent most of the trip drunk and at one point the capitain threatened to tie him up - the sod didn't even have a hangover at any point.
Breakfast apparently was bread and sugary coffee - I never rose in time for it (6am isn't a good time to eat). Lunch was at 11ish and consisted of beans, spaghetti, rice and meat. Dinner was at 5ish and consisted of beans, spaghetti, rice and meat - quite a variety and it was always fun trying to guess what type of meat you were going to get.
most people at some point over the week had bad stomachs and even the toilets weren't necessarily the most desirable, you had to bond with them often.
I gave up on the food after a few days and survived on pringles and mentos for the last wee while.
Made friends with the locals - well sort of - they made a lot of money off me from cards - it was 2 reales a hand at gin rummy and these guys are professionals. I did manage to win a few hands, so the inheritance for my nonexistant kids is still in tact.
There was also some poker nights on the ship - the one night we were down to two of us left and 45 reales at stake (just shy of 20 quid, or 50 NZD) me with 90% of the chips - the wind picked up and the game was called off - our poor sport tour leader stole all the chips and Michele and I had to restart the game again the next day - I was out of my zone and lost in one hand.
By the end of the last day, with the port lights shining down on us, there was lots of cheering and dancing for the last hour of the trip - I don't think I've seen so many people excited about land.
5 days to go 1000 kms - it was am interesting time.
23rd - 25th of Jan - Peurto Velho - It's a waiting game for Cameron & Vinnie (our truck and driver). Our boat took five days, Vinnie's can take anywhere between 7 and 9 days. The town itself isn't very interesting and especially in a very religious country, not very much to do on a sunday. On the Monday we heard Vinnie was going to arrive at lunchtime and with very few clean knickers left most people were pretty excited to be getting their backpacks back off the truck.
Because of the delay of the truck we know face two very long days in the truck to get down to the Pantenal for the first of our proper wildlife searches. I've got my pillow so hopefully for the first few hours of each day, the only thing I will see is the inside of my eyelids.
The truck also had an incident with a duck on the way to Manaus from Venezula so we might be travellng al fresco all the way to Rio, if the wind screen doesn't hold up - fun times!.
Hasta tiempo proximo,
besos.
- comments
Michele You go girl - I do however think it is time you wrote in Spanish & English or will that happen when you get to a Spanish speaking country? Will try - need to start speaking it before I can start writing it!!