As I boarded, I realised the boat was far more crowded than the last Genesis III.
In the first few minutes of passengers moving around and tying up their hammocks, I had to squeeze my way through bodies, hammocks and cargo on the lower deck to get to the next level up. I wondered where to tie my own hammock- maybe it would have to be a couple of feet above another person, like what many families with kids did (effectively creating a bunk-hammock). Then I followed someone's example and found a space along the edge of the boat (ie a passageway), which ended up being perfect (giving me more room and a great view right on to the river in the daytime, with surprisingly virtually no bumping by people walking past, as everyone seemed to have the knack of squeezing under ropes and around sleeping bodies).
The experience was different but just as fun as the first boat- busier this time, different people to talk to and watch, new scenery with a rockier and faster-flowing river and distant mountain ranges, more rain at night, more villages along the way and a stop-over in Santa Isabel, new chapters in my book, more hours (40 vs 36)!
My dark blue hammock hanging up during the day to make room in the passage-way. As shown in the photo, most people had theirs in the central part.
Children would play under and around my hammock, while I read my book.
Large white sand bars and beaches- they became smaller and rarer in the last 20 hours (rocks and rapids were taking over).
Idyllic setting for a house. White beach, volleyball net, canoe on the water, forest behind. Maybe I'll move to the Amazon one day.
One of the boat drivers taking a nap. They took it in turns and carried on through the night, navigating by seeing the difference in the black of the forest and the slightly paler river. Occasionally a large spot light fixed to the top deck would come on for a few seconds for them to check for rocks and underwater sandbanks (which they could make out by the surface currents around them; I couldn't spot this). They knew the river like the palm of their hands.
Reflection of clouds on a very still part of the river.
Kids on board. They were great fun, full of energy and chatter and loved looking at photos of themselves on my camera. This was the cheerful grandson of the boat's owner, who enjoyed telling me jokes, and who was doing a return trip from Manaus as part of his school holidays.
Girl in pink, who with a few others, enjoyed popping all the bubble wrap around furniture up on the top deck!
Brothers Paulo and Ryan, my companions on the top deck one morning of the trip. The sunshine meant that Ryan kept squinting- it was hard to get a good photo of him.
At the end of the day, as we approached Santa Isabel, storm clouds gathered and the heavy rain started. Luckily, these boats have blue tarpaulin which can be pulled down at the sides of the sleeping decks- otherwise, I'd be right at the front of the storm, soaking up all the water.
Pit-stop in Santa Isabel. This was great fun, watching cargo get unloaded, families disembark and board, people reunite, friends talk (and teenagers flirt) from boat to pontoon. Santa Isabel seemed like a nice small town where everyone knew each other.
After Santa Isabel, the boat had to stop for five hours in the middle of the night. The rain was so hard, the drivers couldn't see ahead.
The following morning, I watched dawn and the sunrise from the top deck.
Up ahead, two peaks in a mountain range floated above clouds in a watercolour landscape.
10 am: men drinking beers around the watertank (serving as a table), below the satellite dish on the top deck.
Cartoon time.
Skinning and cutting chickens for lunch at the back of the boat (good pieces went into the blue bucket, skin and unwanted pieces got chucked into the river).
Arrival just down-river of Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira (St Gabriel of the Rapids). Beyond this spot, passenger boats could only go up-river during high-water. I hopped on a pickup wth three others I knew from the trip and we zoomed past forest and fields for half an hour into town.
