Feliz Ano Novo!

To everyone reading the blog.

It is still a bit early, not even 11 am, but as I don´t know how I will feel tomorrow after a night out I won´t take any risks and pass on my wishes today.

The last two weeks I have traveled from Belem to Ilha de Marajo (as big as Belgium and in the middle of where the Amazon reaches the Atlantic) - a relaxed place with buffaloes, small villages, beaches, red (really red - as red as can be)Ibisses (birds) and a great place to discover all that by (crappy old) bike (with a chain that fell off at least 20 times on my way back from the beach one day).

Then back to Belem for a night and on to another island - a small one this time - known as Algodoal. I was there for 5 days hanging out with the Spanish/Italian/Dutch from before. Sleeping in hammocks as there were some on a very tight budget - ending up with a face and arms covered with insect bites.

The others are still there but as I am starting to run out of time I continued to São Luiz where I am now. The bus that got me here deserves to get the price of most crappy night bus of Brasil! Most long distance busses in Brasil are very good but this one....??? Was it because they needed more busses because of the busy holiday season? Or because some days before they lost a bus (driver falling asleep - 7 people killed) - I don´t know.
I got a seat all the way in the back as that was all there was left - next to the toilet that smelled (even with the door closed) as it hadn´t been cleaned for a very long time. The seat I got was humid from water (from rain? or the airco?) dripping in but luckily the seat next to it was still free and dry.
Arriving in São Luis - very tired - it has been great to sleep in a bed again! After 6 nights of not sleeping good.

Tonight the plan is to head to the beach for New Years parties, together with a Walloon couple that I met here. Aftet that I plan on going to the national parl of Lençois Maranhesis and then on to Fortaleza and Canoa Quebrada. That´s all for the rest of the trip before I´ll head back to Lima for some days and then back home.

So again, everyone have a great party tonight and a great start of the new year and I´ll see, read, hear you soon!

Getting the cast off


Amazon sunset


making artasanalia on boat 2


Amazon beach in Alter do Chão


Me in my hammock on boat 3


House along the Rio Amazonica


Approaching Belem


Acerola on the Belem market

Reached the end

Did it, made it all the way to the end of the Amazon river. That is to say, in the bay where Belem is as the real place, when there is such a defined place, where it really becomes the ocean is about 120 km from here, which is very close for Brasilian distances.

The last boat I was on was extremely crowded as there are many Brasilians traveling nowadays as the holiday season has started and many travel to their families for Christmas. So, being cramped on the bottom floor of the boat for 2 days can get quite rough. Still, the views were often amazing and as always, it is a very pleasant way to travel.

I have been hanging out with some Spanish, an Italian and a Dutch. I have learned how to make necklaces and other stuff and have bought tons of açai seeds to make loads of things.
The next few days I will be going to Ilha de Marajo to chill, read, bike and beach and then might head to another island nearby Belem for Christmas with the gang.

As so often before I will try to upload a few pics. The connection is very fast here so it might even work!!!

One picture

Only one picture as it takes a long time. Sunset on the Amazon...

Riding on the Sacred heart of Jesus

Nono, I have not been converted to any religion, the title is just the name of the boat that took me to Manaus.
The trip took eventually only 3 full days and nights and was actually very pleasant. A very nice boat, nice people (except for the obese annoying 10 year old neighbour who kept hasseling me)and decent food. Most of the time I spent in my hammock reading or just on the top deck watching the forest and river. A very relaxing 3 days. Hopefully I will be ableto post some pics soon.

Arriving in Manaus I went on the next expedition, trying to get my cast off. After trying at 4 hospitals (1 being too expensive, 3 could´t do it and sent me off)I bought a brace and had two Spanish girls cutting it off for me at the hostel using some old rusty plyers and nail scissors. But, after a half hour I was FREE!!!! It still hurts quite a bit without the cast but with the brace it feels pretty much the same as with the cast, only lighter and I can take it off to take a shower etc.

Tomorrow I should be continuing my travels on the Amazon. Going from Manaus to Santarem where there is a small place nearby caller Alter do Chão which should be very nice. The trip should take about 2 days. We´ll see....

Starting the big trip in a few hours

Yesterday I took the speedboat from Iquitos to Tabatinga, at the tripple border of Peru, Colombia and Brasil. Checking out of Peru, crossing the Amazon, checking back in on the other side, changing money in Colombia, a multi-country day it was!
Then, going to the boat to buy my ticket and getting stuck in a tropical downpoor. Just like a waterfall and just when I was on a motorcycle taxi. Luckily I had a plastic bag to cover my cast!
This morning I went to buy a hammock and installed in on the boat. Now I just have some basic shopping to do, pack my bag and go to the boat which should depart in a few hours and arrive 4 to 5 days later in Manaus.

Getting closer.....

to Brasil.

With my arm still in a cast I can start to feel the difference in between Lima in the Amazon Basin. I arrived this afternoon in Iquitos, my starting poit for descending the biggest river in the world. I have so far only seen it from the airplane as by the time that I arrived in downtown Iquitos it was dark so I only saw the dark area of where the river is supposed to be.

After 3 weeks of being in a cast, my cast doesn't really stink yet as I haven't been sweting much and I have been in cooler climates. That will soon change I am sure as it is tropically hot and humid in Iquitos and I am sure the stinking process will speed up.

Still no photo's here to put on the blog as I put them all on my laptop which stayed in Lima where I hardly had internet. I am hoping to put some Amazon pics on the next time.

typing slowly....

Just a quick one as typing still goes slowly. That is because I broke my right arm about 2 weeks ago while sandboarding. That was on day 3 of the trip I am guiding but things turned out ok. Annelies came down to Arequipa for a few days to assist me at tying my shoes, cutting my food, washing my hair etc.., which was a great help and good fun! In two more weeks my cast should be coming off, just in time for the Brasilian beaches :-)

The trip has been good so far, with a good group. Only in the last few days there have been some issues. At the entrance of the Inca trail, after some hours of waiting, they told me that there was no permit for me to go on the trek. By that time most of the group had already been hiking, just two others had to stay behind too but could eventually start hiking. Nothing to do about it - just bad organisation from the local company? Joker? who knows - but I had to chicken bus back to Cusco where I slept at the Vamos Expeditions office and went partying with the Marlenys, Mario and, being Vamos staff and Joker guide. Good fun but I was looking forward to hiking - even if it is the 3rd time on the Inca trail. Today I bussed and trained to Aguas Calientes and tomorrow I´ll take the bus up to Machu Picchu at 5:30 (auch) to go and find my group. Looking forward to seeing them again and hearing their stories and reaction to the fact that I didn´t show up on the first day of the hike.

More news from Lima soon as the trip is almost over....

Moving offices

Back on the road again.
I was supposed to be in Mexico now, traveling, but just coming back from guiding a trip in Madagascar I got asked to guide a trip to Peru and a trip to Cuba, for Joker travel. After some reflexion I decided to go for it so that I could visit Annelies in Lima and to keep my travel costs down, so I cancelled my Mexico flight (at a cost of 100 Euro) and flew to Lima. Just two days ago Joker finally took a decision about the Cuba trip and say that they found somene else from within the company who will guide the Cuba trip. Mother........s!!!!! Why ask in the first place if you don't want someone from out of the company to guide that trip???

Anyway, now I have time to travel till January 14 and I am in the process of deciding where to go after guiding the Peru trip which will start tomorrow evening and last till nov. 22. So, here are my options:

1. fly to Iquitos and travel all the way down the Amazon to Manaus and Belem and then head to some nice beaches. This trip is long, uncomfortable boat travel - sleeping in hammocks - and might seem boring but I think it could be a real adventure and great to be relaxing in my hammock with some good books. Also this is the hot weather option, which I love, and it is BRASIL :-)

2. head South from Peru and travel through Chile and Argentina to Patagonia. This is the cold weather option (at least down South) but must be beautiful!

So far I am balancing more towards option 1 but I still have some weeks to think about it.

So, since being in Lima I have mainly been hanging out at Annelies' place and helping her out with moving the office to Cusco as she will also start providing Inka Trail treks. So, on Friday we dismantled the Lima office, shipped the big things to Cusco and flew there ourselves on Saturday morning (VERY EARLY) with lots and lots of bags full of sleeping bags, mattrasses and also some boxes with computer, printer etc. Then we spent 2 days taking taxi's around Cusco (never been that much in taxi's in my life all together) to shop shop shop shop... From plastic plates, cuttlery, wash basins etc for the inca trail, racks to put all the stuff on, bunk beds, matrasses, blankets, etc for people staying over in the Cusco office and then finally when the big stuff arrived from Lima we put the desks and racks together. Sunday night the new office was installed and we were ready for a good party at Mama Africa. Mama Africa is a dangerous place, it is hard to get out early and sober so eventually, as we had a 6am flight again we arrived back in Lima more zombie like than human.

Now I still have a day to get ready for my group to arrive. Still have some stuff to do as Joker travel doesn't book anything in advance, so all hotels, tours, busses etc still have to be arranged by the tour leader who normally never gets payed (I am an exception - as I am anti voluntary work for a company that makes profit).

In a seperate post I will try to put some pictures from last weekend. Annelies doesn't have internet right now so I have to use a weak signal from someone elses network so I am not sure if uploading the pictures will work.

Keep an eye on the blog as I will be posting more in the next months!