Manaus

Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st

Journey to Gatwick on train was most enjoyable because we had forgotten we had booked first class. So typical of life that we should be sitting next to someone we knew who had lived in Wivey some years ago. Rail Assist was excellent in guiding us through the complexities of Reading station. We checked into The Hilton, Gatwick at 3.00 pm for a very short stay as we had to book in at 9.00 pm for our flight to Manaus. Thanks to Miles Morgan, we had a delicious meal in Amy's at The Hilton.

The flight was long and tedious. It was made more so because a fault in the galley meant we took off nearer 2.00 am than 12 midnight. After landing at Barbados we had to sit on board for 1.5 hrs whilst medics came on board to deal with two medical emergencies that had happened in the night plus the plane had to be refuelled and crew changed. Landed in Manaus at 10.00 am their time (four hours behind UK).

It didn't take us long to settle back into "ship life" with a shared San Miguel beer at lunchtime. A Brazilian buffet and entertainment was set up on deck 8 for the evening. Absolutely brilliant, tasty and atmospheric in the sultry heat.

What is really going to be the highlight of our stay here is a visit to the opera house tomorrow evening - should be memorable.