Janet's Journeys: Amazon

We have been exploring the Rios (rivers) and Furos (small waterways that branch off from the Rios) of the Amazon for the last couple of weeks. The electronic charts are not the most accurate (according to them we are motoring on land at times). We tried to find paper charts, but apparently they have not made paper charts of many areas for quite a while. Between the electronic charts and images from Google Earth that Rick had downloaded while we still had internet connection, we have been able to navigate into many interesting places. The water is deeper than you would expect and the biggest hazards have been floating logs and large clumps of water hyacinth. There have been a few troubles raising the anchor in the mornings, but only one that required Rick to get in the water and cut something off the prop. The water is so brown that you cannot see a few inches into it.

The weather has been comfortable in the mornings, quite hot in the middle of the day and usually cools off nicely in the evening. We have had very little rain, only once have we been able to fill the water tanks with rain water. Before that we had started bathing in the river like the locals. We are all a little nervous about what may be in there that we can't see but all the locals bathe in it so we assume it is safe.

As we travel, frequently the residents paddle out to us in canoes and little boats. They are curious about the boat which is so different than the local boats and hope for something to be given to them (this seems to be in the areas where a yacht has been before). We have handed out candy, cookies, headbands and balloons. In some places it is the first time a yacht traveled past. The people are very friendly waving to us and greeting us with Bom Dia (Good Day). There are so many different and beautiful faces in Brazil. We have enjoyed our visits to communities and the visits on Voyager. We have stopped at two communities, Santa Monica and Bueussu do Rio Jacarezinho. At Santa Monica we saw the school which was not in session and the local saw mill. At Bueussu the local pastor and his family came out to greet us and invite to his home. We spent four days at Bueussu getting to know the local people and attending the evening service at the church on June 3. Suza even sang at the service. It was a big deal to have foreign guests and they made us feel like celebrities.

We have seen wonderful wildlife as we have traveled. The famous Amazon pink dophins, small black monkeys, parrots, a few toucans and numerous other birds. The beautiful iridescent blue butterflies and others with less exotic coloring. We have tried the local açai, goiaba (guava), coconut, caju (a type of cashew fruit) and brazil nuts. There are more biting insects than one can imagine and of course it seems I am their favorite course. Rick and Suza get very few bites without much effect, while I have many all over. I will not miss the smallest creatures of the Amazon.

The local industry is lumber. There are little saw mills all along the rios and furos. From what we have read there is concern about the deforestation, but from what we see it is still the primary way for people in this area of the Amazon to make a living.

We are popular with the local people

This could be your dinner

lumber .....

We have not met anyone in the Amazon who speaks English and we do not speak Portuguese, but we seem to be getting by with our phrasebook and Portuguese/English dictionary. We are expanding our vocabulary daily. We are now in Afua and plan to provision for the balance of our time in Brazil and the journey to French Guiana. Time to start working on French!