Brazil

Arrived in Manaus on the 13th.  Caught bus to city centre, relaxed after overnight bus trip with some cervejas at a very dodgy corner bar, in a rather dodgy part of town.  Yes, I was drinking at 9:30 or so.  But, in my defence, at 9:30 am it was bloody 30° in the shade.  3° south of the equator is hot.  Walked around town a bit with my backpack, in hot sun.  Stopped for cerveja one or more times.  (Have finally managed to switch between cerveza & cerveja – and nearly got myself using obrigado instead of gracias.)  Find a fairly cheap hotel, and leave to find a tour operator for the Amazon.  Walk out of the door, immediately accosted by one such operator.  Did check with one other company for price, but ended up going with this guy.

Walked around town for a while – saw the theatre they built when Manaus was the centre of the world (rubber boom and all that, you know).  Returned to the bar I went to this morning, for some more cerveja.  This time, instead of clients turning up with various salsa CDs, demanding that they be played, as it is the next big thing, they have electronic keyboard, and open mic.  Sweet.  Drunk old men singing recognisable classics in portugese.  Lady (of the night?) keeps brushing against me, even when I give her heaps of room to get past.  Some food at street barbecues, and more cerveja at various spots.  Constantly feeling itches and bites and things, paranoid, after hearing stupid stories about bugs laying eggs in feet (am walking barefoot), and the girl who threw up a 6 inch worm, and the girl in Buenos Aires who had scabies.

9:30pm – still 29°.  With the fan on.