Contrary to my expectations the most active resident on the Amazon seemed to be the human population. I would have been disappointed had it not been for the fact that they were fascinating animals to observe! As soon as we left port it was possible to spot ramshackle wooden dwellings propped up on stilts, with makeshift jettings pushing out into the almost viscous murkiness of the Amazon. Incredibly several of them also managed to fit in a satelite dish that wou...

How do you fancy a six day trip down the Amazon? Go on then! Off we went to the port of Belem, the Brazilian gateway to the Amazon river. Thankfully, I wasn't expecting a Marbella yacht. Our boat was more of a skoda kind of vehicle which looked (and hopefully was!) a little more reliable than the several robin reliantesque boats we passed on our journey. Most passengers on our clunky steel snail were travelling a la hammock. When you first board there is a ma...

We exited Tortuia aka Torture via a meaty looking truck, the kind that any reasonable yummy mummy would gladly purchase to drive her kids to school in the morning. Unfortunately for us the comfort levels on this form of transportation are reminiscent of a rollercoaster at Alton Towers; we have all experienced at some time or other (during many an English summer) are not rain resistant! This would have been perfectly acceptable had it not been for the stray branch...