We didn’t sail last night!
Something wrong with the “lifting gear” to get the tenders back on board and more importantly to be able to launch some of the lifeboats.
Spares are on board and they were working overnight to fix this and to also build a gangway should we want to go ashore today.
Gangway in place and we shall be setting sale at around 24 hours late.
In the meantime, it’s 11:00 am as I sit here typing, occasionally viewing the dock area and watching the vultures spiraling around....no doubt awaiting a fallen tourist.
A quiet day on board today, we set sail at 16:30 on our way back down stream to Parintins for a short stay and an afternoon Boi Bumba show.
Reports of several robberies of jewellery in the town yesterday.
Folk had been warned about showing off their wares, but still they do.
Only themselves to blame I’m afraid.
Also talk of a crew member being mugged by a gang of ten for everything he was carrying and wearing after he got separated from his mates whilst out in the bars
Inhabitants of this city are in the main very poor.
Today we off on a “Jungle Trek”
A forty five minute fastboat trip upstream into the River Negro and an entirely different aspect of the geography. The river is, as it’s called black, but we are now seeing clay cliff faces topped with forest.
Our landing spot is about 100 yards to the cliff face, I say cliff, it’s probably about 300 feet high.
We walk into the jungle and then start our ascent up through the forest stopping off at strategic locations to learn the basic skills of jungle survival by Ray Meares teacher.
So I now know, how to make fire, a one man shelter, animal traps and how to find water.
All very good, but we’ve not seen one animal or a bird, which is not really surprising I suppose, when there are two boat loads of folk on the various tracks around this jungle. No self respecting jaguar, or come to that toucan, is going to accidentally going to bump into us....certainly not in broad daylight.
I tell you what though, I haven’t been so wet for many a year, the sweat is literally dripping from me, shirt and trousers wringing wet and when I bent my elbow, it was like turning the tap on with the amount of fluid dribbling from it.
Back to the meeting point with a well earned chunk of fresh pineapple and a Brazilian canned drink somewhat akin to Red Bull....niiiiice and certainly needed.
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