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Hi,
Here is the latest on my misadventures!! I was about to leave Belem for a 6 day journey through the Amazon. I had to rearrange
my plans because the owner of the only decent boat wouldnt pay the bribe the maritime police was asking. I was told that with
as little as 10 dollars the boat would be allowed to leave. That's how much a human life is worth - or I should say 300 lives
- are worth in the Belem port.
The boats are wrecked, over-crowded, unhygienic. Its an absolute disregard to the local people who travel on these boats.
The majority being humble and poor, they don't have anybody to speak up for them, getting at the mercy of unscrupulous businessmen
and no protection from the corrupted maritime police. A very different reality from the tourists who pay up to 3000 dollars
to sail through the Amazon on their luxurious boats!
So, there I was, on Christmas day, stuck in a dodgy port, suffering with the locals and learning the true meaning of Christmas.
Being away from their families and having spent all their money on the ticket, these people were still peaceful, helpful and
kind with each other and with everyone around them. They have a wisdom and a peace of mind & spirit that come only from
the purest of hearts.
The following day, all of them left to another boat, worse and overcrowded. My friend Karen and I preferred to wait. By
then we were best mates with the owner of the boat and were trying to help him out in whatever we could; I contacted some
journalists friends of mine to denounce the scheme, talked to the local TV and even complained big time with the maritime
police!
The waiting and the persistence paid off. FIVE days later we left for what would be an awesome journey! We were very lucky
and rewarded for sticking with our original boat, though. There were only 30 people on board; out of 300! It makes a huge
difference. Moreover, we were not on hammocks but in a suite; the only boat that had one! A Sweden friend of mine went in
a hammock on a overcrowded boat and had a hell of a time. I cannot resist to show you a piece of the email she sent me: "Instead
of 40 hammocks hanging neatly in a row, one next to the other, it quickly filled up with a criss-cross spiderweb of hammocks
hanging underneath and on top of eachother, until it reached the amount of 300 +something. I started getting worried having
heard about overfull boats sinking frequently (last week more than 50 people died when a boat sank) and went to talk to the
captain who just laughed at my worries, pointed at a number
written on the side of the boat saying itīs aloud to take 400 passangers, and continued letting more passangers on the
boat. Itīs like a bad joke. Weīre like prisoners in our
hammocks. I feel like a pig or a slave in transport. There are no surfaces or spaces to move about apart from the upper
deck where there is a bar and some plastic chairs. At daytime when the sun is burning, it can only give shadow to app. 20
people; only the foolish stay in the sun. The rest spend all their day in their hammocks, biding their time. At meal times
you have to take turns eating at a table with room for 15 people, or bring it to your hammock, or as some do -eating standing
up. Iīm not a worried person by nature but I really felt claustrophobic my first night here rubbing asses with my hammock
neighbours, trying not to think about the impossibility of getting out of here if the boat would sink. The second day, yesterday,
I felt a bit better though. Staying worried doesnīt solve anything,
besides I couldnīt get depressed here even if I tried, Brasilians wonīt let you. They really are so great, so sweet, so
caring. I love them. And Iīm so happy to finally be making this rivertrip. Iīm in the Amazonas and itīs great".
We stopped off in about 6 cities/villages along the 7 day trip to Manaus. The highlight was Santarem where the clear water
Tapajos and the muddy Amazon Rivers meet. It is an unforgettable sight. The different coloured waters flow side by side for
kilometres without mixing. Half an hour away is Alter do Chao with a pristine beach on the Tapajos River. The most beautiful
location I have been in the Amazon. And so much more; pink dolphins playing along the boat, the star filled sky, listening
to the locals telling the mythical and legendary stories of the Amazon, the
friendliness of the people and the children! Oh, the
children were beautiful!!! They would approach us in their wood canoes, hooking onto our boat with unbelievable ability
for their young age (as young as 6-7 years old). They would, then, come on board trying to sell goods or get anything from
our softened hearts. Also along the way, in the more isolated areas, we would have the heartfelt spectacle of locals lined
up in their canoes, singing tribal songs and waiting for the passengers to throw gifts onto the sea wrapped in plastic bags.
Anything from clothes to food. Once again I witnessed the generosity and
kindness of people who have little themselves. Along came New Year. Another memorable Amazon treasure with fire works,
music and dancing and a delicious banquette on board. And just when we became all too at ease on the waters of the Amazon
River, our adventure came to an end. We reached Manaus and got ready to visit Venezuela. We couldn't miss it, despite the
political turmoil. After a 17 hour bus trip, we got to Santa Elena de Uairem, an easygoing border town of 15.000 people and
a funny Brazilian atmosphere. If everything goes as planned, tomorrow I will set off for Roraima Mountain, a 7 day trek to
Paradise. It was my main reason to come to Venezuela,
I cannot wait!!!!
Hope you are all well and that your 2003 New Year's resolutions are up and running!
Lots of love
Jackie
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