(^160) Day 2
On waking, our boat was manoeuvring up a narrow channel thick with lush
vegetation on both sides. Here villagers rowed to the boat to collect what people
threw overboard, it seemed passengers brought bags of clothing for this purpose.
Each item was tightly wrapped in a plastic bag and then dropped overboard for
villagers to collect.
All day people continued rowing towards the boat as the ship sailed close to the
riverbank. If they were fast enough, they could latch their canoes onto the boat,
get on and sell their wares (mostly cooked shrimp). Everyone on board supported
them, and the shrimp were shared for all to enjoy. At one stage, our boat slowed, a
canoe latched on and offloaded homemade juice. The Brazilians are such an
accommodating bunch.
It wasn’t long before thick clouds gathered and rain bucketed down. The storm
ended equally quickly, revealing a spectacular sunset over the Amazon jungle. At
20h00 our boat anchored at Gurupa, where more passengers waited. The quayside
resembled the boarding of the Ark, and we couldn’t believe that people had that
many possessions in the middle of the jungle.
Capturing the forest’s density and the Amazon’s vastness on camera was quite
impossible. I tried, but to no avail; well done to those who’ve managed. It’s an
extraordinary area, almost impossible to describe.
leana
(Leana)
#1