DAY 66. NEW ACQUAINTANCES DURING THE VOYAGE

In the morning, I discovered that my face was all covered in mosquito bites. I said goodbye to everyone and went to look for the ship that would take me to Manaus. On the way I found a shop which sold sports bags, as I did not want to carry the rest of my equipment in plastic bags all the way back. The saleswoman complained that her shop had been robbed last night, and I told her about the pirates. This way we shared our pain.

Here we are – just 100 reals (or 1600 roubles, or 17 dollars), and I am on the ship called “F/B LEAO DE JUDAV”. It has five decks, and now I am travelling high above the river. It is a real cruise ship, not some old piece of metal which I had seen in Peru. It is equipped with showers, drinking water and a café, and its decks are spacious. There is a lot of space. It looks great for a one-day cruise, but I cannot imagine myself travelling like this for a week. That would be a nightmare, although its passengers would probably have thought the same about my journey.

On board, I was encountered by a bloke who was selling phone accessories. He heard me speaking Spanish to the crew and decided to get to know me. It turned out that he was Peruvian and came from the town of Iqui, where there was a huge sand dune (I passed it on my way). He had moved here for love. What a pleasure it was to speak Spanish with him! I cannot do that with Portuguese if I want to. It got to the point where Nicholas treated me to some passion fruit juice and bought me some cake. It’s a shame he will be leaving the ship soon. The other passengers are not so chatty.

Coari is a little away from the main Amazon riverbed, so our ship is surrounded by the black water of the river, which is not yet mixed with the sandy stream. This makes it a great place to see dolphins. They glide just beneath the surface! Another hour of waiting passes by, and we set off.

Not counting on any lunch, I cooked some farinha and satisfied my hunger. What was my surprise when all the passengers of the ship were invited to the buffet – one by one, deck by deck. The lunch may not have been indulgent, but there was still a hot meal waiting for us there. Anyway, it was not my favourite cassava, huh. That is great.

After a meal, the life on the cruise ship does not seem so awful. Although without my phone and without fluent Portuguese, I am quite bored. I do not even know how long the trip is going to take. Some people said it takes 12 hours; others said it is more like 20 hours. I think we will be in Manaus in the morning. It is also an unpleasant journey if one does not have a hammock – the whole deck is lined with them, and people are resting. I have been sitting on a bench looking at the river for the last hour. I tried to sleep leaning on the board, but I was immediately chased away by the staff who said it was not allowed as it was dangerous. On board, one can sleep only behind the yellow line in the centre of the deck.

I made some first introductions. A guy named Jove treated me to some tropical peas the size of cucumbers. They taste awful, I must say. One must chew the pea and spit it out, apparently. I could not finish even one of them, but we got to talk. The people around got a little more animated listening to the tales of my adventures for a while.

When everyone had left and went about their own business, a cautious female voice asked me, ‘Do you speak Spanish?’ That was how I met Leamiri, a Venezuelan woman. She had been living here for two years now, but she missed her home very much. She hated the dictator Maduro who had taken over her country. She told me how she used to live on the coast, running a tourist-oriented business. The flow of guests was endless, because the nature in Venezuela is incredible. But one day there were “external enemies”, “let’s unite”, “let’s close the borders” on the news… and so you know, all the classics from a dictator’s handbook. Things changed in the country, and Venezuelans were fleeing to different parts of the world – to try and build a life somewhere else, far from the place where the low level of life will keep them trying to survive at the very best.

It is so nice to speak Spanish! It has practically become my mother tongue over the last few months.

My companions helped me find an inexpensive hotel in the centre of Manaus and let me use a phone. I only have R$120 left which would be enough for one night (R$68). Hopefully, I will be able to get in touch with my friends and family.

It was well after dark when I met Matheus. He was on his way back from a concert in Tefe, where he sang and danced local music strongly reminiscent of Argentinian cumbia. I talked with him until just before all the lights went out and everyone on the boat had gone to bed. He even treated me to dinner at the café onboard, overruling my objections. Well, in my current circumstances I’d better not refuse food.

After saying goodbye, I went back to my deck. I did not have a hammock to sleep in, so I put my raincoat on the floor and slept in a quiet nook. It is no big deal now.