Macapá - Belém (Brésil) : La traversée de l'Amazone

For english speaker, see below in blue...

Aprés deux superbes nuits á bord du ''Bom Jesus'' (bateau avec lequel nous avons traversé l'Amazone), nous voilá de retour sur la Terre ferme : Belém.

09/06/06 :

15h : Nous quittons l'hôtel ''Feirrador''...Bus direction Santana.

16h : Arrivée á Santana

16h30 : Nous arrivons á bord du bateau pour y installer les hamacs, nous avons déjà plus de 50 voisins. Plus de places en bas, nous montons... Très vite, nous nous rendons compte que nous avons oublié les cordes. '' Foch'', un de nos voisins, accompagne Loïc pour aller en prendre. Yacine est á bord, afin de réserver l'emplacement.

17h : Nous installons les hamacs et sympatisons avec ''Anhi'' (barmaid et DJ du bateau).

18h : L'ancre est levée...direction Belém.

Alors que nous prenons nos marques, observés de près et de loin par les locaux, nous avons les yeux rivés sur le fameux ''Rio Amazone'', ce magnifique endroit de la Terre que nous conseillons sans demi-mesure.
Entre les différentes escales de jour comme de nuit (officielles), les heures passent vites, et ces heures sont belles. Les hamacs fleurissent et egayent le bateau, c'est un superbe ''bordel organisé''...le moindre mètre carré est exploité.

A savoir, le ticket de transport comprend, le déjeuner, et le dîner, le PDJ est dèjá inclus comme un peu partout au Brésil. Toutefois, la procédure de rigueur était de déjeuner ou dîner á tour de rôle afin de surveiller les places et affaires personnelles. Nous avons bénéficié des précieux conseils de 'Foch' qui n'a pas manqué de nous présenter chaque escale du voyage...merci á ce super guide improvisé.

11/06/06 - 6.00 am : Arrivée á Belém (Total trajet : 36 heures en bateau)

"Enjoy together..."

Macapa-Belém : Crossing the Rio Amazone

After 2 exciting and lovely nights in the boat "Bom Jesus" we arrived in Belém

09/06/06 :

Leaving the Hotel Ferrador, we took the bus to Santana.

16h : Arrived in Santana

16h30 : We found and got in the boat and started to prepare our hammocks. We noticed that we were already close to 50 passengers upstairs.

We forgot to take cords so thanks to "Foch" our futur neighbor during the trip, Loïc went and bought them for both of us while Yacine was looking at our places.

17h : Hammocks are installed. Then we met the DJ of the boat "Anhi", she also takes care of the bar.

18h : Departure. Rio Amazone "here we are!!!". While we were having a look to this incridible river, we noticed that the citizens were staring at us, we are the only foreigners in this boat. Anyway, crossing the Rio Amazone should be one of the trip that anyone has to do. During this trip, we did lots of stops (only 3 were officials !!!) during the day and the 2 nights and did not notice how fast it was; 36h!!!

Hammocks are everywhere. A soon as somebody leaves his place at a stop, somebody else takes his place. The boat was full all the long the trip. Any square meter is used.

Our ticket included a lunch and a dinner; the breakfast (coffee) was free as everywhere in Brasil.

While one of us was having his meal, the other was looking at the staff.

During this day, "Foch" was explaining to us where we were (in portuguese of course!!!) giving us lots of advices for traveling around Brasil and specially in Belem, city that he knows very well.

Thank you mister "Foch"

"Enjoy together..."