Time to Float the Amazon.

So as expected the little cabin was hot as hell without the a/c running which made for a restless and sticky night with only the gentle rocking of the boat to help us sleep. We wake to a bunch of action onboard as the crew preps for the 24hr journey across the Amazon River to Macapa. 

First we have to rearrange the parking of the boats so that our large boat is against the dock again. Of course this is done with the South America factor in full swing. They have all the space one could ask for out on the river, but instead they try to turn all three boats at once 180°, as close to the pier as possible. This also means very close to other boats. With much yelling, and I am sure cursing, they manage to swing all three boats around and only scraped one neighboring boat. Then they started stocking the kitchen, loading beverages, general cargo, and at some point last night two cars got loaded onto the lower level by our bikes. Huh? Some of the pedestrian traffic is also loading even though the boat does not leave for at least 4 more hours. Then we realize that they are doing this to secure hammock space. We are amazed at all the cargo that keeps getting carted to the end of the pier (in what roughly resembles a flatbed rickshaw) and then carried into one of the three boats by men with large shoulders.

The horn blasts and within a couple of minutes we are pushing off. Much to our surprise the two smaller boats had pulled away without us noticing. They bobbed in the river waiting for us to get out of the way so  they could once again dock and load. Yay, we are officially floating the Amazon. Ship life is foreign to us as we have never been on a 24r ferry or a cruise ship. This is a relatively larger boat I suppose, some of the others at the dock were much smaller, we don’t have much in regards to entertainment except for the passing scenery as we navigate between mangroves and islands. There are small villages, and random jungle huts scattered along the route. 

Ocassionally the engines slow to an idle as a smaller boat pulls up along side and we receive or lose a passenger, float-by loading shall we say. The entertainment really picks up when a boat load of cargo ties off to us and the “pitch and catch” starts, the most interesting is the boat loads of Acai berries. These get stacked in separate lots on the vehicle deck, separated by lathe panels. We take Acai as a antioxidant supplement back in Canada but never thought we would see the raw product being loaded as we float along the river. It is an organized and efficient bucket brigade process and quickly the little boat is cut loose and the engines return to full power.

Step 1. Tie boats together.

Step 2. Transfer Cargo.

Step 3. Secure cargo in segregated area.

This goes on for most of the day and after finishing our leftovers and bagged lunches we decide to call it a night. It gets dark here at 6pm so there is not much to see except the occasional hut with a light on or maybe a small string of Christmas lights. Power is scarce and usually supplied by solar panels or a diesel generator.

Our little room is like trying to sleep inside a fridge, the a/c is piped directly from the engine room and there is no way to close the vent as the baffles are either missing or to loose to stay in the closed position. So compared to last night where we were sleeping in our silk liners, for sanitary reasons as the mattresses are not clean, and sweating to the point of dehydration to sleeping under our riding gear to try and stay warm. All in all, two night of very little restful sleep. Good thing breakfast is at 6am because there is not much chance of sleeping in and with the sun up we can take in more sights along the river, when the banks are within view. This is after all a very wide river, even at the narrow parts.

Before we know it we are pulling into the Port of Macapa, offloading the bikes and riding off into town to find a hotel. It is 2:30pm and we decide it is not worth trying to push it today. Instead we find a nice hotel, get out of our now stinky riding gear and take a quick walk around town. Macapa is on the equator, just like Quito Equador, except they do not promote it as a touristy thing here. There is a small “park” dedicated to the Equator but that is about it. We tuck in early as we are exhausted from the heat and the last couple of restless nights.

Supper on a street corner in Macapa. It tastes good despite the look on my face.:)

Breakfast is early which is fine because we want to make some miles before it gets overly hot. Full on Brazilian breakfast was a welcome sight after the coffee and bread we were served onboard the boat. We wrestle our riding gear into submission and get outside quickly to avoid creating the PigPen cloud of filth around us, you know the little guy from Charlie Brown who always has a cloud of dust following him, that is us with the added bonus of “au du hockey equipment bag” aroma. We really gotta find a laundry mat.