sorry for the lateness, it wasn't working

We have finally arrived in Salvador de Bahia! What an amazing city this is. The town is built in town levels; upper and lower, accessible by elevator. The elevator is huge and feels like the tower of terror when descending.
To begin the day, we all had a mandatory briefing at 8am. After the ship was cleared by port authorities at approximately 9am, we were free to disembark. There were 6 massive cruise ships at the same dock so getting out of the port was interesting. A group of 14 of us had decided to head into the town and take a walk around. After leaving the port we were hassled by van drivers because of our large group and we all started to disagree about what we wanted to do. In the end we walked down to a nearby tourist market to browse but decided to return to the port to change our currency. After the hour long wait, everyone was tired and sweaty. Temperatures were 32 celcius and everyone was dripping. Some of the group decided to head back to the ship and others headed back into the town. Leah and I decided to hop a taxi to a less touristy market. After arriving there only to find it was closed due to carnaval we checked out a grocery store, bought some flip flops and then headed for yet another market. Although it had been recommended by our interport lecturer, it was very local and smelly. We soon left and headed back to the original tourist market where we had started. We headed upstairs to the balcony for a local lunch. We met some lovely locals, one of which spoke fluent English and he helped us choose our food and drinks. In the end we had a 600ml beer between us and a large shrimp dish which could have fed 6 people. It had manioc and rice served with farofa (flour made from corn). It turned out to be delicious but we could only eat about a third of the dish. After lunch (and receiving our new friend Manuello’s business card with a ‘call me’ and a wink) we headed back into the market. It took some intense bargaining skills by both of us but we came away with some nice, and cheap, souvenirs. We then headed back to the ship before parting ways for our evening excursions.

So the first night in Brazil happened to be the last night of carnaval, the biggest party in the world. Of course everyone wanted to go and there were many options to do so. SAS offered 2 trips; 1 to the main carnaval in a ‘camorote’ or a viewing box above the street, and 1 to pelorinho, a mellower and more traditional carnaval celebration. Of course it is always possible to organize these trips independently, which many people also did. I chose to do the more traditional carnaval because it was a field program for one of my classes and also ended earlier so I could get back to the ship in time to pack for the Amazon. I had a great time in Pelorinho, it felt very safe and the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. After walking to the upper city and having a brief guided tour of the area, the group headed for a local restaurant for a cold drink. While we were there, a float (the name for a performance group) came down the side street. We were able to watch from the balcony of the restaurant which was really cool. The atmosphere of carnaval is the most enjoyable thing and it is good to see everyone celebrating a common cause and putting differences aside. It felt like one of those movies when everyone is out on their balconies waving in the streets. After leaving the restaurant, I headed back out into the streets with two other girls and we just bought beer from the street vendors and danced to the music as the floats went by. I felt as though a lot of the students were very nervous about being robbed and drew attention to themselves because of it. They had talked to us about pick pocks and the like so I felt that if it was going to happen then it was going to happen. There were a few instances at the main carnaval circuit where people fought back and ended up in scuffles with the locals. The whole time though I felt very safe and didn’t have any problems with pickpockets. At ten o’clock, we headed for the giant elevator to go back down to the lower city to get to the boat. During carnaval it is free but normally it costs 10 cents. After catching the shuttle back to the bus, I headed up to my cabin to finish packing and to enjoy my last shower before four days of filth. I must have been in there for at least 45 minutes! It was difficult not to succumb to exhaustion and lie down for a few minutes but I forced myself to stay awake to be sure I wouldn’t miss my amazon departure. Not only the heat but the fast pace of carnival was enough to wear anyone down!
The group of 60 students met in the union at one in the morning before leaving for the amazon. He group was then divided into two boats of 30. I knew a few people going on the trip but it turned out that none of them were on my boat. It was a golden opportunity to meet some new people. Everyone was half asleep and delirious. After getting our passports and departure cards sorted we headed to the Salvador airport, about a 45 minute drive. Everyone, without exception, was fast asleep when we arrived at the airport. Once inside it was hard to tell that it was 2am. All the shops were open and the lights were bright. We had already been checked in so headed straight for the gate. Passing through security was a slight worry because we all had bottles of water, suncream and bug spray. After scanning my bag, they felt like they needed to search it. I was angry because it was packed so tightly I would never be able to get it zipped up again. So they searched and dug and all they wanted was a nail clippers, which turned out to be fine in the end. I was left to try and repack my bag. I ended up having to put some stuff into another backpack because I could not fit it all back in. I got really frustrated but it didn’t make a difference because they didn’t speak English anyway.
We finally boarded the flight about 2am. The plan was fairly average, although a little less comfortable than air Canada. I was exhausted and pretty much slept the whole time, including right through breakfast. Breakfast was hard bread with a spreadable cheese with a guava pastry. I ended up eating it in the Rio airport while waiting to re-board the flight. Because of the time change, our layover was only about an hour and I again slept in this time. We then boarded for our longer flight to Manaus. This time the plane was huge (BA style) with TVs in the head rests and tons of movies and TV shows. Once again we got a small meal, a sandwich, fruit and bread. I slept through this meal also but ate it after I woke up. We were all relieved when we arrived in Manaus and our guides were there to greet us. It helped that no one checked bags so we didn’t have to wait for that. We quickly boarded the coach destined for the boat. After getting out of the airport the guide realized he had left his bag so we had to go back. Finally we were on the road. I’m not sure how long the ride was because I once again slept. It was a torrential downpour the whole way.
When we arrive at the ‘dock’ it was still pouring so we all put our rain coats on. We walked down the dock but had to walk through the water to get to the pontoon which the boat was docked to. Everyone was miserable because it was wet and cold and we were all tired from travelling all night. We were welcome with some delicious snacks and local dancers. They gave us each a feathered necklace and a straw hat. By the time we left the dock the rain had begun to stop. At this time I was thinking I was in for a hell of a 3 days if it was going to be like this the whole time. What had I gotten myself into? We proceeded to the meeting of the waters where the Rio Negro meets the lighter coloured river. The boundary is very distinct and the waters don’t mix due to differing densities and pHs. By this time everyone had given up on staying dry and was out on the open deck to take pictures. After staying here for a few minutes we continued down the river. It was a good chance to meet some of the people on the boat. After about an hour we reached a small town. Here we were to board smaller boats to go Piranha fishing and to search for Alligators. We waited about an hour to go for the rain to stop. It is interesting that every single town we visited had a gift shop selling jewelry and carved items. We finally boarded the small boats covered in bug spray. We headed into a tributary of the river to look at the large Victoria water lilies. On the way there we were bombarded by local children in canoes with animals (snakes, monkeys and alligators). They encouraged us to take pictures of them and wanted money in return. Once we arrived at the lilies they were huge. They were able to support 10 pounds without sinking. Some of the measured up to 4 feet across. One of the boats broke down here so we had to wait while they changed the boat.
It was now late afternoon and the light was dimming so we headed deeper into the tributary to fish for piranhas. It was quite boring at first because no one was catching anything. Once we began to catch them (I was the first one) they were pulling them out of the water every 10 seconds. The guides kept the fish in the bottom of the boat to later use to entice the alligators. While stopped here we saw some pink dolphins. Although they are fairly common, we were lucky to see them up close. Once it went dark our guides sat on the front of the boats with flashlights searching for Caymans (small alligators). They shone the lights along the coastline. When the light reflects in the eye of the Cayman, it is red. When the guide signaled, the driver guided the boat towards to Cayman. The guide then lay flat on their stomach on the front of the boat and attempted to snatch them up by their necks. Tonight we caught 2 Caymans. The highlight (although terrifying) of the night was when they passed the Cayman around. The boy at the front of our boat freaked and dropped the beast into the bottom of the boat. Just my luck it crawled right at me and crouched under my seat chomping its jaws. I was petrified and could not move. Finally the guide grabbed its tail just as it was about jump and consume me. After returning the Caymans to the water we headed back to the riverboats for dinner.
The food on the trip was fantastic. Each day we had fresh caught fish, fresh fruit, breads, pasta, and other meats as well as fresh fruit juices and coffee. I had brought lots of granola bars in case the food was bad but I was pleasantly surprised. After dinner at about 8 30 we all headed for our hammocks, exhausted from the busy day.
Sleeping in a hammock was an interesting experience. Many people really enjoyed it and bought their hammocks but I didn’t. It wasn’t a horrible experience but it wasn’t the most comfortable sleep I’ve had. I tend to sprawl out when I sleep but I couldn’t do this in a hammock, I had to sleep like a banana because the hammocks were so close to each other. Both night I slept fairly well though because of the soothing rocking of the hammocks and the sounds of the jungle in the background. The morning was always the worst part because I was very stiff and we were woken up by the sun. After rising early we were rushed to eat breakfast so we could begin our day’s activities. Breakfast was interesting, lots of fruit and bread. It was a little heavier than I was used to but enjoyed it nonetheless.
We began the morning with a rainforest hike accompanied by two local men from a nearby town. One hiked barefoot through the forest and the other told stories of having fought an anaconda in his canoe a few weeks before. The hike was fairly easy (being the experienced hiker that I am haha) but extremely hot. We had to wear long pants because of the bugs and everyone was dripping with sweat by the end of the hike. It was beautiful though and we were taught about many interesting facts and species as we went along. In particular, the guides showed us which plants were used for medicinal uses and which were used to make gunpowder. After the 2 hour hike we headed back to the boat for another delicious lunch.
After lunch we docked on an island to visit the village of Acajatuba. The people were Indians and had only been living there for 20 years. We were first welcomed by the chief and then took a walk around the island to see the houses, school, church, hospital and yes, a gift shop. It was really cool to see how the people survived with little influence from the outside world. They grew all their own food and lived very simple lives. There were only 20families here but everyone seemed to be really happy and I didn’t get a sense that they valued material objects one bit. Before leaving, we played a soccer game against the locals and played with the local children. They were fascinated with digital cameras and us taking pictures of them. Although it was swelteringly hot, it was really fun and something you must do when in Brazil. To cool off, some people swam in the river before the boats left, but I chose not to swim as the water was very brown and dirty.
After heading down the river some more we again boarded the small boats to head into the jungle to look for Cayman. This was far more exciting than the first night, even though we didn’t catch anything. Much of the time we couldn’t use the motor because the grass was so thick. We got stuck at least 5 times and had to rock the boat to get free. At one point we went through a wooded area that was pitch black. I was just imagining a giant anaconda emerging from the water and swallowing the whole boat. A little scary but we made it though. Once we were on a more clear part of the river we again looked for Caymans and spotted more pink dolphins. The most amazing thing about this night was the number of stars we could see. Everyone ended up lying on their back in the canoes to watch the shooting stars and look for constellations. Because it was so dark, you could see more stars than I’ve ever seen in my life. It was amazing.
When we returned to the boat they had set up a beautiful beach barbeque for us, complete with tiki torches and fireworks. We first enjoyed a delicious meal while watching the fireworks (one malfunctioned and almost took out the guides). After dinner they played music and we learned how to dance the local dance. Before leaving we had a tug of war between the two boats. Our boat, named Cupuasu (a fruit) dominated and won the girls round and the mixed round. After this we did limbo and played musical chairs. It was a really fun night and a good way to spend our last night on the river.
After retiring to the boats, we again spent the night in the hammocks and awoke for an early breakfast. We headed out in the small boats once again to fish for Piranhas. We did not have a guide in our boat so we fished in virtual silence because our driver didn’t speak any English. Although we only caught one fish, we were able to see an otter. It barked at us as we took pictures of us, apparently out boat was too close to its baby. The otter was far less friendly than the ones at the aquarium and the guide signaled that it might jump into the boat and bite us. That was encouraging as he called it closer to the boat.
Next we headed onto land for another hike. This one was scheduled to be shorter, simply to take a look at another type of forest. Well it turned out to be about 2 hours because we got lost. How many people can say they have been lost in the rainforest? We again were taught about various animals and plants and were taught how to climb trees and make fans out of palm leaves. When we finally found the boats we were all exhausted and very relieved, not to mention hungry. Before going back to the riverboat we stopped in a small Manioc producing village. Manioc is much like potato which is used to make flour and tapioca (which I despise). After demonstrating the process, we were able to try fresh Brazil nuts, which were much better than I expected. At the souvenir shop I bought a few small things to remember the trip.
After returning to the riverboat we had another delicious lunch and then headed to another village. Here we barely interacted with the people and headed straight for the gift shop. I decided to head to the grocery store to see if they had anything interesting. I discovered they were selling Havaiana flip flops for 6 reals. This is about 4 dollars so I bought 2 pairs. The same flip flops cost upwards of twenty dollars in Canada. After a short visit we then headed to a beach for some swimming. I was reluctant but felt I should be able to say that I had swam in the Amazon. The water was like a bath tub, although very dark brown. It was odd that there were small trees growing in the water so it was difficult to walk without being touched by plants. I was kinda freaked out by this but enjoyed it nonetheless. We played volleyball with one of the guides in the water before boarding the boat again via a very rickety gang plank. Because the weather was beautiful, we sat in the sun for a bit reading. We were heading back to Manaus now so I decided to take a shower in the outdoor shower. It was really nice to be somewhat clean after 3 days of not showering. I packed up all of my stuff (only had one more bag then when I arrived) and then went downstairs for our farewell dinner. It was leftovers from lunch time but still did not disappoint. After dinner we exchanged emails with the guides and shared stories from our trip. Our last stop was a hotel near Manaus where we stopped to view a show. The show was quite boring but it was nice to be in some sort of civilization. By 11pm when we left, everyone was about ready to head back to the ship after 4 exhausting days. We unloaded in Manaus, thanking the boat staff and guides for a great trip. We boarded the bus and headed for the airport.
Many people were sick at this point, either with sun stroke, food poisoning or other ailments. I was fine thankfully. Once we arrived at the airport we had to check in. This took a painfully long time because their computer system was down. After finally going through, we waited to board the plane to Brasilia. Unfortunately I was given a middle seat for both legs of the journey and therefore got minimal sleep. This journey was far worse than the outgoing journey because everyone was tired and dirty. When we finally got back to Salvador, we headed straight for the ship. I had a long shower and then headed to the port to make some phone calls and use the internet. After a short time I was feeling sick from all the travelling and lack of sleep so headed back to the ship. I just relaxed for the afternoon before heading to the bye bye Brazil barbeque in the evening. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was really nice, a great way to end our stay in Brazil.
After the barbeque, Leah and I headed back to the room to watch a movie but didn’t get very far before we fell asleep.
We are back into the routine of classes and having some exams and tests because we are a quarter of the way through classes already. It is hard to believe but the trip is flying by. Our next stop is South Africa where I will meet with Al and mum. I am excited to do some day trips here, like visiting Robben island among other things.
Tomorrow is Neptune day! I will leave it a surprise whether I will be shaving my head or not, I have not yet decided but I guess you will all see in may whether I have or not! Until next time xo

Today is Neptune Day. We were awoken at some ridiculous hour by drums and symbols and people screaming and banging on our door. Being the morning person that I am, I rolled over and went right back to sleep. Around nine we headed up to the top deck where people had just finished swimming in fish guts and were shaving their heads. This is the tradition! I was a little upset that they had already emptied the pool because it was something that I wanted to say I’d done. Unfortunately because it is so rough today, they had to empty the pool earlier than planned. Surprisingly, there are lots of girls who are shaving their heads. Most went all the way but some left really short hair cuts. One of my friends shaved her head and was going to send the hair in a box to her parents. I think my mom would faint if I did that, not to mention how my hairdresser would feel! The weather today is very rough so the boat is rocking a lot. It is the roughest the water has been so I think a lot of people will be sick. This made it very difficult for the hair cutters who were sliding around the deck. I find it amazing that so many girls would shave their heads. In the rush of the moment it may seem great but next week when you wake up with no hair, that is a totally different story. My philosophy is that I have spent so much time and effort (and money) on my hair, why shave it if I’m only going to grow it to how it is now right away. If I had plans to keep it short for a while then I may have given it a shot.

One thing that I have noticed about this ship being mostly Americans is the pace of life. Coming from Bermuda, everything moves at a slower more relaxed pace, which I much prefer. A lot of the time I feel very rushed and it’s hard and a little frustrating that no one else understands that not everything has to be done at the same time. Especially on the ship this is the case, but in port it tends to be the opposite. I want to get off and see the countries while everyone else wants to dally around waiting for everyone. It has definitely gotten better as we go on and I feel people are getting more laid back as we go!

I thought I should say a little more about how rough it is today. Apparently we are crossing the mid Atlantic ridge! It started last night when I woke up because the boat was creaking. I have never seen waves this big in real life before. It is really hard to walk on the boat, you feel like a pinball bouncing off walls and other people the whole time. In bed, you can feel the pressure being shifted from you head to your feet as we rock sideways. Everything that was on our sidetables and on the window sill is now on the floor. Even some of the drawers open and close with the waves. At dinner things slide around and off the tables. When we are in port next I will post some videos so you can see better! I have some tests coming up and its hard to imagine how I will be able to study if it stays like this. It is supposed to be worse in the next few days before we get to cape town!