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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Feb 15, 2009 07:00 PM Amazon - this is not a cruise ship!
¨Lucho¨ arrived finally at 4.30 p.m. This is old and dirty junk boat with capacity of some 150 passengers plus cargo. I was lucky anyway - this boat is not big and gives some privacy to the passengers on the upper deck (if you can consider privacy staying with 20 other people). But I saw there much bigger boats with the real crowd aboard.
¨Lucho¨ has 3 decks. The lower one is for animals, timber, fish containers and so one - you must pass through it going up. I travelled with 4 black bufallos and a number of pigs -the smel wal not so nice... Then there is middle deck with one big hall which can accommodate like 120 hammocks. At the end of the deck there is little shop, 3 toilets/showers with a nice view if you left the door open (it is hard to afford closed door)
An then there is upper deck with few crampy cabins and and the breezy space under the roof. Yopu have to be as soon as possible on board to put your hammock there - this is the most comfortable place to travel.
Captain charged me ¨gringo price¨´- 80 soles to Iquitos (locals pay 60, 1 USD is worth 3,20 soles) Later, ashamed by locals /I complained to them/ he gave me a cabin ("cama") for this 20 extra soles. It is like extremely hot and stinking can of sardines but it is worth to have is to protect you luggage during multiday trip (bring your own lock). We departed at 7 pm. It takes 3 days to Iquitos - they say. The exact time of saling depends on the number of visited villages, capacity of cargo, water currents etc. Ahoy!
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Feb 14, 2009 07:00 PM By boat upstream Amazon river...
The decision was not easy. Data: 6 days on the boat to Tabatinga and then next 3 days to Iquitos. 9 days in total. Or turbo-prop flight Manaus - Tabatinga and then 3 days on the boat. I took the second solution.
Only one little airline: Trip flies to Tabatinga. They operate from terminal 2 in Manaus airport (I did not know about that - but you will save 15 minutes of sweaty walk from the main terminal 1). The flight on little ATR took me 2 hours 40 minutes. There were great views of the Big River en route.
Tabatinga lies at the conjuncjon of 3 frontiers: Columbia, Peru and Brazil - can you find on the map this remote place?
We landed in the empty airstrip at 2 pm. The only transport to the river port here is a taxi. I - the only tourist was asking people about the boats to Iquitos-Peru and they say there will be a boat tonight at 7 pm and then the next on Wednesday evening.
No reason to wait here 3 days till Wednesday! Go!
On the post of Policia Federal in Tabatinga village I got the Brazilian exit stamp - I took me only 5 minutes. Then in the ¨port¨on the huge Amazon River I took a little boat (5 reais fare) and after 10 minutes sail I landed on the other side of the river - in Peru.
They call this village Santa Rosa. Immigration Officer was plaing cards for money on the boat landing. I was waiting patiently more then an hour when they will finish... Then I got the stamp to my passport. Welcome to Peru!
But where is my boat to Iquitos? They hope it will come in the evening. I do hope too!
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Feb 13, 2009 07:00 PM Manaus - in the Amazon - ready for the carnival
This was again TAM hopper flight - before I landed in Manaus we visited Belem and Santarem = 3 flight segments - hot sandwich and beer on each one, like a dinner...
It was 1 o´clock local time when I got my backpack in the Manaus airport terminal. Do not trust tourist information desk and taxi drivers, that in the night there is no bus service to the town. Taxis ask for 49 reais...
When I was waiting patiently the bus 306 appeared and they took me (I was the only passenger) for 2 reais to the city. Day fare is 1 reais...
Hostels are located here close to the main city landmark - Teatro Amazonas. I made a choice of Manaus Tour Trip hostel.
Sorry it is overpriced (showers downstairs), they will try to charge you for the full day if you will come early am. They switch off a/c for the whole day, but... next time I will try Australian hostel...
I took a walk around the town (I have been here years ago). The atmosphere has changed. The river is still wide and there are little passenger ships departing upstream to Tabatinga (360 reais - up to 6 days) and downstream to Belem (190 reais - 4 days) - hot news worth a gold! Do yo want me to take this one to Tabatinga?
Manaus is getting ready for the carnival - it is already ouverture - a lot of beer on the streets (3 cans for 5 reais), a lot af music and perofmance - I hear a noise in the evening...
I bougth a hammock for travel on the deck of the ship - the last expensive costs like 10 USD...
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Feb 12, 2009 07:00 PM Amazonia on the horizon!
Back in Sao Luis I took in the morning city bus 403 (1,70 reais) to the New City on the other side of the river where the best beaches are... The one in Calhau looks to be nicest, but can you try to survive there in the temperature of 40 deg Celsius? Ufff... But the place is nice with a palms and bars - just for the pictures.
I am getting ready for the evening flight to Manaus. I study the last expensive way to get to the airport (the taxi cost 35 reais). There are motocycle taxis in the town - they will charge me like 3-4 reais for the ride to the Praca Deodoro and then there is city bus for 1,70 called Sao Cristovao to the airport terminal. That´s the backpackers life! You have to save your pennies! Buses are rare, so it is advisable to allow plenty of time...
It seems that I´ll spent St Valentine´s Day in the hot capital of the Amazonia. Best wishes to all lovers!
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Feb 11, 2009 07:00 PM Only 3 deg. south of equator
It is hot and humid in Sao Luis - I am only 3 deg south of the equator and on the level of the sea!
I decided to take self-organized day tour to Alcantara. It is on the other side of the Bay of Sao Marcos. To get there you have a choice of the catamaran (10 reais OW but no shelter onboard in case of the rain) or Diamantina motorboat (12 reais each way). It took me 1,5 hour on Diamantina to cross the bumpy waters of the bay.
Alcantara in the 17th century was the hub off the cotton and sugar producing region. Now it is seepy colonial village with plenty of picturesque riuns, churches, colonial houses. No bank, no noise, no supermarket...
On the main square there is high fronton of former Matriz church and Brazil´s most well-preserved pelourinho - whipping post - like a pole where slaves were punished...
I was walking few hours in the heat taking pictures - also of the friendly local people - before I took return boat at 4 pm.
Great day!
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Feb 10, 2009 07:00 PM Sao Luis - from UNESCO list...
What brought me here? Around one million people live now in Sao Luis located on the sea coast. River separates the new and the old part of the city. I live in the old one.
Some people call Sao Luis Brazil´s last charming capital. The cobbled streets of the Old Town are lined with colorful colonial mansions noted for their Portuguese tile facades. Many of them, overgrown by tropical plants still need restoration but yes - the old city has a charm and it is worth to be placed on UNESCO World Heritage List. There are plenty of souvenir shops, free museums and bars (a large bottle of ice-cold Sol beer costs 2,50 reais).
You will find also internet cafes (2,50 reais per hour) and tour agencies dedicated mostly to the Brazilians (-Senhor fala Portugues? - is the first question). People are polite and I think that regarding safety Sao Luis is better then Salvadaor. I was teaching the manager of my hotel what the word -laundry- means... I took a lot of pictures. Tomorrow I plan to cross the bay by boat to the old Alcantara.
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Feb 09, 2009 07:00 PM Brazil B...
Yes, now I know that there is Bazil A (the educated and developed south) and Brazil B - in the north of the country...
It was evening when I landed in Sao Louis - the capital of Maranhao State. They have tourist info desk in the airport but they do not know a single word of English. They are nice people anyway - they started to look English-speaking person in the airport and after 15 minutes they found somebody, who understood what is going on...
-The last bus to the city departs at 9 pm - in 5 minutes! I started to run to the bus stop and I got it! They charge 1.70 - but again they do not understand where I want to disembark - I landed on Praca de Deodoro... -Pousada Vittoria, rua Alfonso Pena! - I was repeating to the people on the street. They do not know... At least somebody show me the direction. Empty streets... Looks dangerous. I found the policeman. Can you imagine: He does know where is the street (some of them have double names).
It was 10 pm when I - sweaty and tired - found the pousada (pension). *Vittoria* was full. But next door there were a room in the upmarket Pousada-Hotel Colonial. We comunicated writing digits on the piece of paper... Nobody speak English...
82 reais for the a/c room with full breakfast. Lucky me!
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Feb 08, 2009 07:00 PM Sun, sea and the beaches... Brazil...
Can you imagine that in the cold Europe? Yesterday at sunset time it was 31 deg. Celsius here!
I have 150 m walk from my Pousada Acacia to the Barra Beach. You will see there a lot of pretty local ladies. Oh, la la.... I was already swiming there and it was great despite of quite high waves... But this is just little, crowded city beach...
For those who want to escape from the crowd to ilyllic tropical location there are nice beaches out of Salvador. If you want to stay for a long time in the picturesque slepy village take a daily catamaran to Morro Sao Paulo. It cost 70 reais each way from Baixa Maritime Terminal so this is worth to go there if you plan to stay longer (there is youth hostel).
To have just a short marine excursion across All Saints Bay and enjoy the skyline of Salvador from the sea you can take a public ferry (40 min, 3-4 reais each way to the island of Itaparica). That´s what I did yesterday...
Today in the evening I´ll fly further north - to Sao Luis...
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Feb 07, 2009 07:00 PM The charm of Salvador -Bahia
Do you remember my adventures in San Salvador? Now I am in the other Salvador - Brazilian city located in the Nordeste, in The Bay of All Saints.
As a tourist destination Salvador with its colonial past, the afro-brazilian culture and its monuments can compete with Rio. The old part of the city called Pelourinho - the real gem - is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO...
Salvador - Bahia is located on the hills. I was walking whole day the stone cobbled streets visiting old churches (San Francisco is the most ornate and impressive - they charge 3 reais entry fee) taking pictures in the strong sun and enjoying the scenery. There are plenty of art galleries, souvenir shops and colour street stalls. Undoubtly you will find famous drummers in the streets - they are preparing for the carnival - it starts on 19th Feb this year.
But this gem has also a shaded side: poverty generates the crime. I saw many poor people sleeping just on the sidewalk. In the main streets there is plenty of discret Policia Militar and you feel safe. (It is still less of them here then in Kinshasa). But it is not advisable to go out of the main trails. I know the traveller who lost the camera in the middle of the day only a block away from the main square...
I survived... It is still the great place to be...
Boa noite! I am going to enjoy the sunset with my camera!
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Feb 06, 2009 07:00 PM Brazil, Brazil...
Brazil is a wide country. Once (years ago) I spent hours and hours on the roads, crossing country mostly by bus. But now I had no time to spend...
Did you hear about Brazil Air Pass? TAM airline (recently Star Alliance member) offers to the foreigners 4-segments ticket for their domestic network. The trick is to find the way fly as far as possible for the money you pay. They have many hopper flights: the plane starts eg in Iguazu, fly to Rio, onward to Salvador and then to Recife. As long as the number of the flight is not changed they treat it as one segment.
That´s what I do. I took a flight Iguazu-Salvador. Is is worth to know that they incuded all taxes (nightmare of the travellers) in the price of the ticket - on depature you pay nothing extra.
Service is good - they serve hot sandwiches and even free beer on domestic routes!
I landed in Salvador-Bahia at 8 pm. There is tourist info in the nice, modern terminal - The bus to the city has a stop just out of the arrival hall! - they said. I was waiting for this bus 1,5 hours. Sorry... It costs only 4 reais (taxi drivers wanted 80)...
It was not easy to find Pousada Acacia (Former Pousada Milagres) in Barra quarter. I landed there at 11 pm, it was still 24 deg Celsius. The place is worth to recommend - it is quite, clean, old villa. For 80 reais You will get queen size bed and king size breakfast with fruits, ham, cheese, eggs, unlimited home-made juices and cakes. Oh, mom! The only disadvantage is that nobody here speaks English - bring your phrasebook with you!
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