Once again the Lonely Planet offers some accurate information: "In the more traditional rural areas of the north-east of Brazil, blonde-haired and light skinned women, especially those without male escorts, will certainly arouse curiosity"… add blue eyes and an inability to speak Portuguese into the equation and this 'curiosity' will multiply!

Fresh off my Amazon Jungle Adventure I was ready for my 2 day/night boat trip from Manaus to the next major town along the Amazon River – Santarém. Prior to my jungle trip I had ventured down to the market to purchase myself a hammock (and accompanying rope), bargaining hard in my best Spanuguese to get it for R$20 (£7) which I was very pleased with. I had however chickened out of going down to the port alone and trying to find the right boat (amongst hundreds) and bargaining for a good ticket price. Instead I bought a ticket from a nice man at my hostel, and arranged for someone to come and collect me to take me to the boat; plus this option had the added bonus of not having to carry all my bags myself!

As my companion power-strode through the ridiculously hot streets of Manaus with my backpack, I struggled to keep up with just my small backpack and hammock, trotting a metre or so behind him, weaving in and out of the people and cars as best as possible. Even though on this occasion I was with a male escort I was still getting some very curious glances from the locals!

In this area of Brazil there are no roads connecting major towns, so boat travel is the only alternative to flying. I had heard some bad things about boat travel in the north of Brazil, and so was obviously a little concerned for my safety and the safety of the few possessions I have with me. I chose to put my hammock up in the middle ‘row’ to avoid people bumping into it as they walk up and down the side of the boat, secured my backpack to the post with a flimsy piece of rope and proceeded to watch my things like a hawk. As time passed, more and more people came onto the boat, and just when I was thinking that someone had put their hammock rather too close to mine, someone else came along and set-up home between us… boat travel along the Amazon is very snug.

I was not 100% sure what time the boat was scheduled to leave, but given I am in South America I figured this was irrelevant anyway. Therefore it was a pleasant surprise when 4 hours (and one short nap in my hammock) after getting onto the boat, all the non-travelling randoms got off and we started to move along the Rio Negro towards the meeting with the Rio Amazona to begin the journey.

I took a quick scan to see if I could spot any other Europeans/backpackers on the boat, but it seemed I was the only one. After a little while I wandered to the front of the boat to see the meeting of the waters (again) and met a Colombian man called Sacha who spoke English, and was a seasoned Amazon boat traveller who lives near the small village I was heading for. He was an interesting chap who left Colombia 15 years ago and has been moving around South/Central America making and selling handicrafts, trying to find a place to call home. He confirmed the only gringos on the boat were me, him and a couple from Colombia/Venezuela who were staying in one of the private cabins. He was surprised but impressed to hear I had taken the hammock option, and from that moment he became my best friend on the boat!

For those of you hoping to read something exciting and eventful I am afraid you will be disappointed. The boat journey lasted for two days and two nights, with the most interesting thing to happen (other than the beautiful views all along the way) was that I got sick from the dodgy food they serve. Luckily even that didn’t last too long thanks to Sacha and his home/boat-made herbal tea remedy. I even made it off the boat in Santarém with everything I took on in Manaus, although as I clambered from boat to boat with my backpack to get to the shore I was anything but graceful.

Then followed a half a mile walk to the bus stop. I tried to get cash from the bank over the road as I knew there are no cash points where I was heading, but it didn’t work and I figured I could come back another day as I had enough money for the bus. After a long wait and then an hour on a rickety bus I arrived in Alter Do Chão… it is all worth it – this place is beautiful. It is a very small village with a beach on the Rio Tapajós, just off the Amazon. As it is the dry season and the water is low at the moment, the beach is bigger than during the wet season. It is very strange (but pleasant) lying on the beach and then cooling off in a freshwater river or lake, rather than saltwater sea. Another great way to cool off is with the variety of ice creams they have here… yesterday I tried some avocado ice cream which was a little odd, but tasted good enough.

It is incredibly quiet here, but apparently it gets full of Brazilians at the weekend and becomes a big party village – trust me to show up on a Monday! Despite the lack of hardcore parties here, I’ve enjoyed my first Caprinha in Brazil. I’ve also relaxed a lot here and enjoyed some beautiful sunsets, the busiest I’ve been is to venture back to Santarém to get cash and use the internet… there is internet here, but it doesn’t work. They do however have a fantastic parrot public phone in the plaza, so I guess that makes up for it. They also have many different trees including the cashew tree, and at the weekend there’s a local festival in celebration of the cashew season. Another thing that is plentiful here is the ants, and they are very bitey with a penchant for my big toes… grrrr.

I’m staying in a nice hostel where it’s cheap as I am sleeping in my hammock, which is turning out to be possibly the best investment I have ever made! A little more relaxing here before venturing onto the Amazon again to get the boat… hopefully it will be just as uneventful as the last one :s