I arrive in Manaus very early in the morning, still feeling ill from the Amazon river journey, so it was going to be a real struggle to get myself up for trudging around trying to find a guesthouse - luckily I researched a cheap guesthouse and managed to flag a taxi to take me there.

Manaus itself is a very big city in the middle of the Amazon jungle, the population is something like 2million, so again you don't really feel like you are in the middle of a jungle but at least here I can book a jungle trekking trip which is what I have come to the Amazonas region for.

So I managed to book into a place called Hotel Dez de Julio, I think a double room was about 90Reais but with that you got a breakfast (although tried it once and never again) a cold shower but most importantly a great location....it was safe and had a lot of tour operators nearby and even inside the complex.

With Manaus being a big city I was keen to get out of there as soon as possible but as I arrived on Sunday, everything was shut, luckily the hotel helped us out and managed to contact "Amazon Gero Tours". Gero drove to his tour shop, which is about 3 doors down from my guesthouse, greeted us with a big smile and in excellent English welcomed us into his shop which he just opened for us. Here I booked a 3 day, 2 night jungle experience in the Lago Juma area of the Amazon. Gero then drove us to the cash point to pay for the tour and also later that evening drove us to the shopping centre which was about 20 minutes away free of charge...he really was a genuine honest guy who 'yes' is a businessman but also I truly believe he just wants to help us tourists out as much as possible.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent in bed trying to get rid of the fever and thumping headache I had, it's not really that interesting but for any traveller reading this who maybe thinking about eating on an Amazon river boat, I can't express enough...DONT! I was then awoken by torrential rain, this was no ordinary rain this was Amazon rain - I looked out and have never seen anything like it, 1 second in it and you'll be drenched but here in the Amazon the rain can go as quickly as it came, however on this occasion it lasted for a good few hours. A good excuse to get in another few hours rest!

The next day and I felt much better, ready to tackle the Amazon...I got picked up by Gero Tours and started the journey to the lodge where we were staying. The journey was not too bad, it consisted of the mini-bus ride, a speed boat, another mini-bus then a ferry to the lodge...all in all it took only 4.5 hours which was due to the tours efficiency; all the connections were there at precisely the right time to avoid any delays. On the tour was of course Lee, a lovely German couple called Anne & Freddy, an English couple David & Laura who I spent most of my time with, an American family and another couple, not quite the 10 single hot Brazilian nudists that I dreamt about!! During the speed boat part of the trip, we passed the Encontro das Aguas (Meeting of the Waters) which is where the dark coloured Rio Negro meets the brownish coloured Rio Solimoes. The two rivers flow side by side for something like 2km without mixing one bit due to the differences in density, the speed in which they flow and temperature, we did a temperature test by keeping our hands in the water as we crossed the two rivers and the difference was clear...the Rio Negro being very dark, almost black in colour draws the sun and is warm whereas the Solimoes is much cooler. These two rivers eventually combine to create the Amazon. During the second of the mini-bus trips we briefly stopped off for a viewing of the very large lilies which are named after Queen Victoria called "Victoria Amazonica". The final part of the journey was the longest, which was a 2 hours ferry journey, it was spectacular viewing and gave everyone a better chance to get to know each other, so the time flew past and before we knew it we were approaching the lodge.

As we approached the lodge there was a welcome sign and a small jetty where we could dock up, near the jetty was a small palm leaf roofed shelter with a few loungers to relax. I guess it was around 12:30-1pm by the time we arrived as they were serving the buffet lunch, perfect timing by Gero and his tour. The German couple and the American family booked themselves into private lodges which looked lovely, myself, Lee and the English couple David & Laura had beds in the shared dorm, there we met Sarah who was also from England but in another tour group. The dorm was lovely, it was circle in shape and along the edges were single beds and then from the walls to the big pole in the middle of the room were hammocks. All the way around the dorm, a metre from the floor all the way to the ceiling was open to the elements with just a mesh to protect the mozzies from getting in, this was lovely as it gave the whole place a nice breeze in the evening. All beds and hammocks had mosquito nets - well this is the jungle, but it was a nice touch.

That afternoon was our first taste of the Amazon, we went on a boat trip around the flooded forest with our amazing and friendly guide Marcos and within 15 minutes we saw a few pink Amazon river dolphins, they generally do not come near the boat but were playing with us from a distance one minute to the left of the boat then to the right breaking the surface of the water regularly. What a start!!! Although I always said that seeing a sloth is what I would love to see most...well I got my wish as we rowed through the forest the guide spotted one very high up in the trees, no-one else on the boat could see it, it was so high up. Regardless without hesitation the boatman climbed the tree with ease and brought the sloth down into the boat for all to marvel at; the sloth didn't seem to care. They are amazing creature's half deaf and half blind and they sleep for most of the day conserving energy and only really survive due to their tough fur and camouflage, they do have massive claws on their hands and feet but are only used to climb trees and eat leafs, they cannot move fast enough for them to be used as a defence against attack. We were all allowed to hold the sloth by grabbing its fur on its back and holding it out in front of us; this does not harm or hurt the animal in any way similar to picking up a kitten by the scruff of its neck. The sloth is such a funny looking animal, it really made me think of a few people back home namely, Bodger, Evo and Lamming!! We rowed through flooded forest for a while afterwards marvelling in the surrounds, the water for me was another highlight, it was so still and had a mirror surface to it that reflected the forest perfectly including the bright blue sky and clouds, I was truly blown away. We also saw howler and spider monkeys swinging from the trees, iguanas and numerous birds.

The evening's activities were not over yet and after dinner we went out on the boat again for 30 minutes doing caiman spotting - I don't know anything about caimans except the ones I have seen look like small crocodiles. It is pitch black in the boat and somehow Marcos the guide cleverly steers the boat through the flooded forest one more time, whilst shining the torch in the distance trying to spot the glowing red eyes of the caiman. Once spotted, the boat would speed towards the caiman with the torch still pointing at it (this momentarily dazzles the caiman) giving enough time for the guide to reach into the water and capture it. We caught two one small sized which was about 40cm in length and a bigger one approximately double the size of the first...both very strong, so when holding it you have to be firm. Both caimans were released back into the river unharmed but with their macho reptile pride dented! That evening we enjoyed a few Skol beers whilst playing Uno and Spoons the card games.

After a great night's sleep at the lodge the day's activities beckoned, starting with a Jungle trek. Again with our trusty guide Marcos and his machete we donned our long sleeved tops, combat trousers, hiking boots and jungle hats and headed out into the jungle. It must have been our lucky day as we weren't trekking for long and we stumble across a very venomous snake whose tail was on the pathway we were taking, about ten people must have passed the snake unawares. This snake was a kind of viper, pitt or bull viper I can't recall the exact type but all I know is the guides took control but with extreme caution. Marcos tracked the snake as it headed into the bushes, whilst Marco's helper fashioned a fork out of a nearby tree, which they used to pin the snakes head to the ground so that they could capture it unharmed. He told us that the snake can attack from half its body length which I guess was about 50cms and that if bitten you have 2 hours to get anti-venom otherwise your leg will start to rot away and you will lose it, if untreated the wound will become fatal as the venom flows through the body. That in mind a few of us including myself had a feel of how smooth its scales were, I'm just glad it could not spit the venom!!! The snake was carefully placed back into the wild, near where we found it...great...we have to pass that path on the way back and he is now one angry snake!! There were many medicinal plants that we encountered and it was explained to us how the local people for years have used these plants to heal infections. The jungle was immensely damp however there is a particular tree that on the inside is bone dry, therefore for survival you can scrape the bark collecting thin shavings of the tree which can be used to start a fire. Then there was a rubber/gum tree, which if you make a small indent into it weeps the gum, which can be used to make chewing gum - so I tried some, it was pretty bland but my chewing gum for the next few minutes! As the jungle was damp and the mosquitoes love that, I was getting bitten to shreds...no worries Marco has a remedy for that!!! There was a colony of ants on a tree that can be used as insect repellent, so wanting to try it; I placed my hands on the tree so the ants covered my hands in seconds, some biting...you then have to rub your hands and kill all the ants - their particular smell is a repellent to insects - I covered my arms, face and shoulders in it. Time had come for another amazing dangerous find, we enticed a tarantula out of its hole with a small piece of beef...wow the spider is so beautiful although I wouldn't like one to crawl over me! We also passed many large bullet ants, large fire ants, termite nests and wasp nests. As we approach the end of the tour we all had a drink of fresh water from a root of a tree. A small metre long piece of this particular root can give you around 2 litres of water...another Amazon survival trick.

That afternoon the group split into two, the ones that wanted to camp out in the middle of the jungle with no comforts (me) and the others who stayed in the lodge. On the way to the area that we are going to use to setup camp, we had to go piranha fishing to catch fish to eat that evening. Using a rod that was a small branch of a tree and some chunks of beef we started fishing, I loved it, very relaxing and enjoyable.

As twilight approaching and darkness in a couple of hours we head off to the campsite...we arrive to what I can only describe as a blank artists canvas. The guides constructed a structure that would hold the canopy that we'll sleep under, whilst we search for dry wood for the fire and large leafs for the dinner plates! With the fire started and the camp and hammocks all prepared there isn't much to do but the company was fantastic so it was all good, I do recall standing by the fire was actually quite refreshing and the air seemed dryer. Dinner was amazing; we had barbecued beef skewers and the piranha fish that was caught earlier in the day with rice, served on a jungle leaf plate. Getting your mosquito net prepared for sleeping seemed to be the most important task after dinner, tying up each end of the net and tucking the sides under the hammock seemed to be the technique of choice. The noises at night were incredible, there could have been anything out there but despite this and sleeping in the hammock it was pretty comfortable actually.

Early the next morning at around 6am we woke and left the camp at around 7am. My final day's activity was to visit the home of a local family. We arrive at the local families home via boat, whilst approaching the house the wife/mother was skinning a rather large member of the rat family...it looked disgusting but that was their dinner for the evening. We then had a tour of the plantation where we saw a tree snake and learnt how the family are able to produce a sustained food source to survive and at times even export for an income. During the tour we ate fruit from the trees, including fresh Brazil nuts, some half apple half pear type thing and a slimy but tasty fruit that taste sweet and delicious. We all then played jungle football in their garden, what a fantastic way to finish the trip.

That afternoon was time to say goodbye to Lee (who was staying 2 more days in the Amazon, then heading to Rio) whilst I head towards Guyana via Boa Vista...cheers for an awesome 3 weeks in Brazil mate, unforgettable.

On the boat journey home, myself, David and Laura got taught how to play Brazilian dominoes which goes something like this. You have two teams of two, so on a square table you sit opposite your team member. The idea of the game is to get to a pre-defined winning total, say 100 points. Double six starts the game and you have 4 branch off points that you can place dominoes on. You then have to match the number on the table with the same number in your hand, but where you score the points is after you have completed your turn, you add up the ends of all the branches and if it totals in multiple of 5's you receive those points. If a team member cannot play, then it is 20 points to the other team. The game is finished as soon as a team reaches 100 or the first player to use all of his dominoes. If the later, the remaining numbers of the losing teams dominoes are calculated and rounded up or down and the points given to the winning team. If the winning team finishes on a double then they are also awarded a bonus 20 points. If at any stage in the game a player lays a domino and all players including his team mate cannot go, that team is awarded 50 points. If at the end of the first game no team has reached the target 100 points, you deal again with the winning team of the first game starting with any double. So there you have it; Brazilian dominoes...I'm not sure if it makes any sense but it does to me! Me and David seemed to be naturals only losing once to the two Brazilian tour guides who play it all the time, it's quite a simple mathematical game and very enjoyable, we even came up with our winning handshake to rival that of the Brazilians!