We're At The Amazon!!!

After 3 days at sea, we arrived at the mouth of the Amazon morning early Sunday morning. We have been attending lectures about the Amazon, so we knew a lot of the facts.

1. It is the largest river system in the world.
2. It is more than 4000 miles long.
3. The Amazon supplies one-fourth of the world's fresh water and one-third of the world's oxygen.
4. About 500 years ago, there were between six and nine million people lived in the Amazon River Basin. Today, fewer than 200,000 Indians have survived.
5. There are 1,500 species of flowering plants, 125 species of mammals, 400 of birds, 100 of reptiles, 60 of amphibians, 150 of butterflies and tens of thousands of species of insects.

The Amazon River is huge. At its mouth, it measures 200 miles across. Its average width is 30 miles.

Many rivers flow into the Amazon. In a few days we will witness the 'Wedding of the Waters', where 'black' water from one river runs into the 'white' water of the Amazon. It takes many miles before the waters are mixed together.

Don't get the idea the Amazon River is 'white'. It is quite a muddy brown (all the better for the alligators and crocs to hide in!). I tried to take photos today but my camera battery needs recharging, so photos will come later.

The ship has to make special provisions while travelling on the river. All the laundry facilities on board are shut down to conserve water. We can't keep verandah doors open because of flying insects and high humidity. We are limited to the speed we can travel.

The windows on the lower decks are running water from the high humidity, although it doesn't appear too bad on our floor, the ninth.

I was walked on deck today and was amazed at the number of different insects I saw on the ship. One that was quite intriguing was large and perfectly white. It blended in perfectly against the white walls of the ship. I wonder if it changes colour depending on where it is, or if it is actually white.

I don't think there are any roads in the area we are travelling right now, but I do see occasional flashes of buildings on the shore. If I remember correctly, one lecturer said that all travel is done by river. We will, however, visit some big cities on the River, including Manaus which is Brazil's fourth largest city.

Tomorrow we anchor in Alter do Chio. I don't think there is much of a community there, but we are going on a hiking trip, so it should be fun. I have stocked up on Deet mosquito spray, as the last thing we want to get is Malaria.