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To travel from Manaus to tabatinga we had two options, either fly or take a boat down the amazon. With hindsight flying would have been the better option but we didn't know that at the time so off we went and got onto a reasonably big boat with three decks, a little shop selling sweets and sodas and a dining room.
Our romanticised view of amazon travel lasted about ten minutes (after we set off 2 hours late). The reality of tree, tree, tree, bush, river, river, river, river, river river, river, river, river, tree, bush, river dawned ... Boredom was coming!
We had packed enough essentials of biscuits, crackers, tang ( a Brazilian flavouring you add to water), mangoes, oranges and a melon along with books and sudoku. The main saviour was our deck of cards, mammoth games of Chinese patience and yanis ensued!
We were lucky, we managed to afford a cabin, pure luxury by boat standards. We didn't have to sleep in a hammock, which previously we hadn't been able to sleep in at all! And our bathroom was passable I guess and not used by 200 other people! Our luck ran out when the bed bugs appeared! Little devils.
Down a deck were nearly 200 people in hammocks ranging from babies to elderly.It was quite a sight all these people in their beautifully colourful hammocks swinging in the pleasant evening breeze with an Amazonian sunset creating a backdrop fit for Hollywood, but the reality made us extatic with joy when finally after 1400km of river we pulled into tabatinga!!
We didn't stay long in tabatinga, it's a Brazilian frontier town with little going for it, so we hopped over the Brazilian-Colombian border to a pretty town called leticia. From here we washed away the boat (and the bed bugs), caught up with family and did a little trip out to monkey island via a family with the most exotic pets! We hugged anaconda, tortuga, monkeys and the highlight for me was the sloth. A real life teddy bear! She automatically hugs you when you pick her up and just sits with her cute face and adorable eyes and hugs you for as long as you want to hold her! I want one!
Next was a stop to monkey island where literally hundreds of tiny monkeys have learnt that humans = bananas so as soon as you arrive you are mobbed by tiny hands and feet!! Hilarious having monkeys nest in you hair ... Plus Derek got peed on so I couldn't stop laughing!!!
Off to Peru tomorrow ....
- comments
Penny Hahahahaha! Dez got peed on! How funny is that!!! Seriously tho guys you sound as if you are having THE most amazing time. ( How many times am I going to say that during this blog life? ) Must speak soon can't wait to see your brown faces !! Love you both lots Mum xxx ( and Alan too of course xx) :)