Amazon Clipper Cruise

Full Moon on the Amazon

I boarded the Amazon Clipper Premium in Manaus, after five days at the jungle eco lodge.  Again there was an interesting mix of guests:  Two couples from England, a couple from Italy, a lady from Switzerland, a Russian man, who had a lovely young professional guide with him from Turkmenistan, and a couple from Austria.  The Russian did not speak English and kept to himself.  All the rest of us enjoyed getting to know each other.  I taught salsa dancing the first night to the Austrian couple and the second night to the English ladies and the Swiss.  The cruise was well organized and we were busy from wake up at 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. when we finished night tours up side channels of the Amazon.   The weather was perfect, not too hot and beautiful sunsets, followed by a full moon reflecting on the Amazon. 

My accommodations were excellent.  I had a large air-conditioned cabin on the upper deck with a large window.  But I did not spend much time in my cabin.  The top deck offered a panoramic view of the Amazon and shoreline.  The small ship only had a 4.5 foot draft so it was able to cruise about 20 yards from the shore, offering us great viewing.

We saw lots of birds, crocodiles, monkeys, and a sloth.  The second day we went piranha fishing and I caught two red bellies (the kind that bite people).  The guide was German and he had a not very warm, didactic personality, but trying to do a good job and very knowledgeable.  When we returned to the harbor on the third day, we all expressed that the cruise seemed like it lasted a week, not just three days.