27 October 2023 Amazon River Day 7

In search of a good night’s sleep

“As Human Beings we crave certainty along with security. People like a diagnosis… whether good or bad… a diagnosis enables a sense of certainty.”
VJC (from a talk for Sangha Live – October 2022)

After last night’s Police search it seems that everyone is sleeping in. There is an urgent call for breakfast at 6:30 am and people make their way to the dining room. By the time I get there at 7 am there is still a huge amount of food left. I think that they are trying to use it all up as this will be the last breakfast on this trip.

It’s still not clear when we will arrive in Manaus as Google Maps suggests the distance as something like 160 km. I can’t imagine arriving before 10 pm this evening but we will see.

Lunch passes uninspiringly and unenthusiastically. I won’t be wanting spaghetti again for some time.

The river is vastly wide in places. It is hard for me to imagine the quantity of water flowing in this system, and how important it is to the global ecosystem.

The afternoon is spent swinging on my hammock, slowly getting closer to the end of this particular journey. It looks like we will dock in Manaus after 10 pm.

Supper time comes but it is the same old fare, although the fried chicken was very passable.

After supper, I wash my things up and start packing things away. The only thing not packed is my hammock otherwise I would have nowhere to sit for the next three hours!

Everyone else is doing the same thing and there is a certain anticipation that after 4 days of sharing the same space and resources, it’s time to part ways.

The boat came alongside in Porto de Manaus at 11:10 pm. It was too late, and still too hot, to walk for 15-minutes to the Ibis Styles Hotel. I walked out of the port gates and just beyond the taxi rank to request an Uber ride. 10 minutes later I was at the hotel. Check-in was quick and I was in my room by 11:30 pm.

Looking forward to Aircon and a proper bed. ‘Do Not Disturb’ notice placed on door and no alarm set for tomorrow.

Good night.

Budget costs;