We have finally arrived in Manaus after 6 long nights in a hammock on the ferry up the Amazon river. I was never so glad to see a bed and shower as I was this morning when we checked into the hotel. I have come to the conclusion that a hammock is fine for lying in for a few hours next to a pool, while reading and have a snooze, but it is not conductive to a good nights sleep. However, the lack of a good sleep may have had something to do with being squashed in with 120 plus other hammocks, the drone of the engine all night long, the fluorescent lights being kept on or did I mention - being squashed in with 120 plus other hammocks. You have to experience it to understand it.

Morning of departure from Belem we hit the supermarket for snacks and water before having a very hearty lunch as there was no dinner on the ferry the first night. We were picked up around 2pm and taken to the docks to meet our boat (Once de Mayo - 11 of May). The boat wouldn't be departing till around 6 or 7pm but we needed to be there are little early to get a good hammock spot. No chance - to the untrained eye (ie, a gringo's eye), the boat already looked full. However, we marched on and tried to figure out where we could squash in. One of the crew members helped me put up the hammock and then it was time to wait. Best course of action was to stay in the hammock, because as more people got on (more, we said) they of course needed to put up their hammocks and it was much better to be in your hammock and spread out so it looked like there was no space next to you. This worked a treat for the area where I was, some of the others didn't stay with their hammocks and when they got back, found hammocks had been strung up below, on top and to the side of them.

So we set sail around 6.30pm and with a nice breeze, settled in ready for the long haul. After the first visit to the combined toilet / shower I decided I would not be having a shower for the next 5 days. There were 2 toilet cubicles each for men and women and the shower was in the same cubicle. It was bad enough having to go to the toilet, there was no way I could stand the smell for a shower, although to the credit of the workers, it was kept relatively clean. I crawled into my hammock for a restful nights sleep. Hmm, not to be. Around midnight I crawled back out and sat on the bench for a while. My back was just not going to put up with it. My hammock wasn't stretched out enough so I was like a banana. After a while, I curled up on the floor underneath my hammock, figuring I would get more sleep that way. Ha... About 2am, Carlos (purser on board) was obviously checking on things and seeing me on the floor shook his head. I shook it back at him and explained that my back was a little tender and there was no chance I could sleep in that 'thing'. He asked me if I wanted it re-hung out in the aisle. It was worth a shot. So now, instead of hanging the same way as everyone else, I was perpendicular and my hammock was a little more strung out. By this time, I was not tired so I read to about 4am and finally fell asleep to about 6am. Not a good first night but I hoped with my hammock in this new position, the following nights would be better.

The days took on a "Groundhog Day" feel. People started moving around 6am, a 'lovely' breakfast of coffee, porridge sludge and a ham and cheese roll was served. For some reason, I decided not to partake. Then it was either time to read, do Sudoku puzzles, watch the passing scenery, watch out for the river and pink dolphins (of which we saw a few) or have a snooze. The boat was often quite close to the shore line and I was surprised by how many houses we passed on the way. There was also quite a few wetland areas that we passed, that appeared to be waterlogged islands but I'm not sure. On the first full day, we had quite a few locals out in the canoes in the hope that we would throw stuff out to them and then before I knew it, one boat with kids in it, had actually come aside the boat, threw their rope up and attached it to the boat and within minutes were on the boat, some begging, some selling prawns. Incredible. By the end of the day, we had a few more boats do the same thing. I didn't envy them their paddle home as they stayed attached to us for quite a while. However, we were going against the current so they would have an advantage heading back.

We also stopped at a few towns along the way. The first one was the craziest - before we had even been tied up, the vendors had jumped aboard selling everything from icecream and bread to weird doll hats (look at the photos). It was also a time to make sure we were watching our bags.

After 3 nights on board, the next day we stopped at Santarem about 5pm in the arvo and had to 8.30pm to go to town and get some decent food - although to be fair the food on board was OK (apart from brekky). Lunch and dinner was always some concoction of spaghetti, rice, meat, veges and sauce. They were big servings so often for lunch, I would get a toasted ham and cheese sandwich from the bar. However, my mission in Santarem was to find a hotel or hostel that would let me shower. Along with 2 others, we eventually found one that charged us R5 each, but it was the best money ever spent. Shower was cold (that was fine, nice and hot outside) but it didn't stink and there was no toilet in sight. We then walked down to the waterfront and witnessed an amazing sunset. After a dinner of pizza and a quick stop at the supermarket we returned to the boat to find it was less crowded than before.

On board, I befriended 2 young boys that would often come up to me, either to say 'Bom dia' (good day) or sit with me for a while. Played some noughts and crosses with them and had small conversations. They liked for me to repeat their phrases in Portugese. One of the boys had an older sister who had a 9month old baby. She was gorgeous and I spent some time with her. There were a few children and babies on board and one thing we all said was how well behaved they all were. There wasn't much space for them but they didn't complain. You hardly ever heard the babies cry, they were always in someone's loving hands. At Santarem, a young couple got on board with a 12 day old baby. They were headed to Manaus to see a doctor because there was something wrong with one of the baby's eyes. We would never contemplate getting on a boat for 3 nights, sleeping in a hammock with a newborn to see a doctor, but for the locals this is a way of life. One thing I would change if I could was their preference to throw things in the river. They could be standing next to the garbage bin but they have no problem with letting it go overboard. I was on a mission with the kids to try and get them to use the garbage. It seemed to work but I'm sure they will go back to their normal ways. Littering is definitely a way of life in South America as is spitting - but the less said about that the better.

The last 2 nights on board was rather cold and I'm sure due to that along with the fact a few people had colds, I have now come down with one along with a ripper of a cough. We were meant to arrive in Manaus last night, but we were behind time and didn't get in to about 9.30am this morning. I was glad to see the "Welcome to Manaus" sign on the hill as we came into town. Majority of us had been ready from about 6.30am to get off. We piled off the ferry, like kids about to go to the circus and piled into some combie vans for our ride to the hotel where our beloved beds and showers were waiting.