Manaus

I left my ipod and 'portuguese bible' somewhere in Boa Vista, and it's been hard to let them both go. Horacious road from Boa Vista but I never thought I'd be zig zagging through pot holes in Brazil. Left around 8 am, and got into Manaus (about 2 million people) around 7. Found the mall that Balark, my host, mentioned but it was another 3 hours with some help from a local guy before we found each other. The next day included a breakfast from the maid Nazare, then Toolio took me down to Balark's lighting store, then down to centro to find a boat to get to Belem. I had my sights set on the 'road' to Porto Velho, but after my conversation with Balark last night, I changed quickly. It is no more than a communications path for telephone lines, and involves passages through rivers. His friends father, who is a minister tried the journey this summer (dry season) and came back with broken ribs, and had to be transported all the way back by boat.

Today Toolio and I did some shopping to prepare for the boat: rain coat, sunglasses, 3 souvenirs for mom & jodi, and heje (hammock) for sleeping. We had some laughs at the fish market as well, where they showcased all the local species. Many concerns with conservation, as the market was just full of huge fish, and I wondered who was eating them all. I love Manaus, and the Amazon area. Balark and Toolio are unbelievable hosts.