In the early morning hours while I was still sleeping the Voyager V had stopped for the fourth time; the city of Amaturá at the crossing of the small river with the same name and the River Amazon. The water of the River Amaturá was black like the water of the Rio Negro and “the meeting of the rivers” here in the city of Amaturá was identical to the “the meeting of the rivers” in the city of Manaus. The River Amaturá was a small and quiet narrow river still part of the rainforest opposite was flooded. My first impression of the city was very good and we would stay enough time for me now to leave the ship and walk through the city.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

The concrete street, the main street, actually the boulevard went approximately fifty meters above the riverbank and still had the original vegetation, different kind of trees and bushes to the side of the river. I enjoyed the quiet but panoramic walk and I could see myself walking up and down the boulevard every morning no matter if the sun was shining or if it was pouring rain. The boulevard was clean, the shops organized and full with merchandise, the indigenous had brought their fruits and vegetables to the small market opposite the main square, the church, the town hall and the school. You feel if a place is right for you and Amaturá was right for me. My second impression of the city was even better and yes, I could see myself walking up and down the boulevard every morning no matter if the sun was shining or if it was pouring rain. How many places have I seen already or would I still see and have that same feeling and hear the same voice saying “Stay” and hear the same voice saying “Move on”.

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The timing was perfect; we left Amaturá at the same time the kitchen opened the doors and served rice and pasta, feijao and chicken. After lunch was the time for all passengers to rest and for me the time to sit at my desk at the snack bar and work on the pictures and on the diary and have a look at the map again and again to study my route. The Voyager V did not have internet, so I could not search for new information. My access to new information was my two friends from Peru, the captain and the copilot from the Voyager V. The timing was perfect; the engine slowed down one more time and the ship approached Sao Paulo de Olivença at the same time the kitchen opened the doors and served rice and pasta, feijao and chicken. We would probably stay here all night depending on the local demand and the time to load that demand off, the experience for the stay in Sao Paulo de Olivença was between ten to twelve hours.

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.

From the approach to the city I had seen that the port was actually quiet distant form the church and the center. The sun started to set and I decided to take a moto taxi to get quickly to the center. The drive was not along the river but instead in a wide circle al around the whole city. I went to one of the supermarkets to buy a drink but saw a freezer with ice cream, had a look through the glass door, changed my mind and had a cone with vanilla. I walked around the square and came back to the supermarket and had the second ice cream, this time a cone with milk. I walked around the square one more time, came back to the supermarket one more time and had the third ice cream, this time a cone with coco. There was nothing more to see or do; I took a moto taxi back to the ship, watched the final minutes of the sunset, met again with my friends from Peru and finally with my friend the hammock.

For a small understanding of the Amazon River travel, I have included a Google Earth map. The red pins mark the locations I have stopped and taken pictures. At the bottom of the page you will find a link for all the pictures I have taken. The link will open in a Picasa album. At the top left of this Picasa album you will find the button for a Slideshow.

Please click on map to enlarge!!!

Please click on “View Album” to see pictures in a Google+ Album.