Today I am in the 20 degree moderate Chile climate and look back on the days
in Belem and Manaus in northern Brazil with intensity of heat and humidity as
a wonderful adventure.

Flew into Belem and could see the amazing tributery system of rivers
stretching for miles in every direction. Belem is actually about 140 ks up the
river from the sea. It was a searing heat and made for super strong smells
down at the local market right on the river. This market was amazing - you
cant imagine the size of the fish in the huge fish market. The size, the
shapes and the colours of fish were like nothing I had seen before.

Outside there were vast rows of all sorts of fruit and vegetables and then
rows of stalls with medicines and herbs and strange potions (and of course,
natural Viagra which one toothless big smiled lady pointed out to the European
guys walking by...)

Belem was a real working town that is not set up for tourists so it was a hard
place to be at really - hardly a restaurant to be found and when we did find
one to try the local food -well best not remembered.

Manaus however, is a tourist trap, because it is from here that we find any
amount of trips out along the Amazon.

We had one amazing day sitting in a 4 person motorised speedboat (think
primitive though- hard metal seats, small canopy overhead) in 40 degree heat
with water water everywhere and not a drop to drink or to get wet in unless
you braved the piranha and alligators.

First stop was The Meeting of the Waters where the ancient and slow moving
River Negro (which is very black because of the age of the river, slowness of
its flow and the amount of decayed jungle deposited in it) meets the newer and
coffe brown coloured river, to become the Amazon which is faster flowing.

Sitting in our miniscule craft over the ragged line of meeting of the black
and brown rivers is an incredible experience.

Then up the wide expanse of water to visit local native people who live in
houseboats (think simple cabins ) and who present you with a large snake to
wear on your neck when you get out of your boat. It was heavy...ask me to see
the photo.

Most amazing to me was to be presented with a real live SLOTH - or was it
alive one wonders -as it just languishes in your hands and feels cold to touch.
It was alive I was reassured.

Gorgeous beyond belief were the blue Macaus that had been tamed and pecked
around your feet.

We walked along a jungle platform to find ourselves looking down on a giant
Vitoria Waterlillies pond and then suddenly...
realised that on at least 6 of the lillies were small alligators, sunning
themselves.

I was glad we were up high.

We tried to fish for piranhas from the boat but by 2.30pm in that heat with
the hard seats in the boat we were not catching anything except sunstroke.
The boat driver did catch one catfish so that was something.

Back at the hotel with a cold beer and it all seemed like a movie set that we
had been lucky to visit.

Yet another indelible memory in my life to treasure from this fabulous South
American honeymoon.



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