[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9UTEYWs6UPo/UytgSDuzfpI/AAAAAAAAafA/7q1Tc1V-KaA/s144-c-o/P3080238.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992989592502107794″ caption=”My lovely hosting family, but we were sleeping with four people in one non ventilated room…” type=”image” alt=”P3080238.JPG” ]

Entered the probably calmest Amazonian channel
Pos: here
Loc: Canal Jurupari
Acc: tent inside house
Dist: 48,1 km
Start: 6:40 End: 16:40

The day was calm and quiet, I sucked up the pleasant view of the lush green jungle, listened to the howler monkeys singing their noisy song a couple of times per day which sounds almost like the masses inside a soccer arena. At the south western tip of Ilha Caviana de Dentro I was planning to turn left into the Canal Jurupari, past many villages and hidden single houses. The tip is shallow mash land again with many black buffaloes on a wide grassy area, not a place to land and camp…

I was rather worried whether I could turn at all into the canal, as on my chart it showed all shallow green area, but when I saw one of the larger boats ahead eventually turn in behind wide sand banks and a small green leftover island, I knew it was open.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-t8aVFA8JC5A/UyteVLdoahI/AAAAAAAAahM/oHv5KuE1dUc/s144-c-o/P3080232.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992987447093914130″ caption=”My eyes are getting a green lush jungle over load on paddling every day here!” type=”image” alt=”P3080232.JPG” ]

Inside the canal it took a long while paddling along the edge to get away from the shallows, the current was almost nothing in here. Once in the deep water are again, lush jungle changed frequently with flat wide green marsh fields, each spot occupied by at least one farm house and their many buffaloes, cows, pigs, goats, horses and dogs. I kept on paddling in a low following current until it was time to hopefully pick a house for the night.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0xceg07uUpo/Uytf5iflppI/AAAAAAAAafA/DUFZ_wsNLGs/s144-c-o/P3080237.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992989171263055506″ caption=”The water buffaloes occupy each inviting looking piece of marsh land. It is soaked anyway and hard to access, best via the rivers.” type=”image” alt=”P3080237.JPG” ]

I tried twice to stop on a sandy small bank before the meter high steep grassy clay bank out of sight of houses, I thought, but always there was always one somewhere and always animal tracks. So I rather entered a somehow convenient looking small channel leading to a house where I spotted a lovely teenage Senorita with her mother and young brother working around the simple wooden house on stilts. Fresh laundry was hanging outside, and it looked like a clean inviting place to me to ask for a night’s rest.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0snYYwKkuSM/UyterKjwJWI/AAAAAAAAafA/ml4SYuMPs3E/s144-c-o/P3080234.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992987824808273250″ caption=”Jungle, jungle…no landings!” type=”image” alt=”P3080234.JPG” ]

It was a bit tough to park my kayak between a few other canoes and boats and to get out and up the meter high mud sandy river bank and balancing on some logs over the swampy ground up to the friendly people. They happilyagreed to my request to stay the night, and helped me unload my kayak and to get inside the house. A big bucket of clean river water asked to wash your feet before stepping on the board walk leading to the house.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Lr5NDG1k5VY/Uytgdx–WqI/AAAAAAAAafA/SxLA5rRHwA0/s144-c-o/P3080239.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992989793896520354″ caption=”The landing jetty on the river of my hosting family” type=”image” alt=”P3080239.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-H2ysXdfJf2s/UytiwY1AvRI/AAAAAAAAafA/nElx3k2V4KQ/s144-c-o/P3080241.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992992312584617234″ caption=”They had the luxury living in two building, left for sleeping, right the kitchen and a small room for sleeping.” type=”image” alt=”P3080241.JPG” ]

It had two sections, one was almost empty with just a mattress leaning vertically against the wall, two wooden benches and a small altar. The woodenfloor was very even and painted dark red in a tidy manner. The otherhouse, connected by a narrow short board walk, had a small bedroom, a wooden table with four chairs, and the open well organized clean kitchen with a wood fireplace for cooking. Another very narrow and long, elastic board walk was leading to the outhouse and to a baby duck cage. Some goat houses on stilts, pigs running around and the cows and buffaloes of the family occupying the rest of the area.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yLBQlGGAXJM/UytjTMEKbAI/AAAAAAAAafA/zjHUx92Lmjc/s144-c-o/P3080242.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992992910453926914″ caption=”They may become one day lovely, but also very yummy ducks…” type=”image” alt=”P3080242.JPG” ]

I was greeted really friendly as a welcome change in the day’s routine, no generator or TV here, but Christian signs everywhere, a very tidy and simple house and warm hearted active people making their living probably mostly from the farm. The husband and the older brother came in soon, and the whole family took part in putting up my tent and being curious about my gear. I planned to put simply my tent outside on the wide wooden porch on planks, but they invited me to stay inside the empty room.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-npEg42FN1Kc/UytlStq9_eI/AAAAAAAAafA/AHlZMGwVNFA/s144-c-o/P3080244.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992995101318446562″ caption=”The really tidy kitchen” type=”image” alt=”P3080244.JPG” ]

Well, I agreed and made my little private tent site inside as I did quite often in other houses, they found my actions obviously very
funny! But it was a bad deal versus outside with more privacy, as surely this was also a bedroom, the mattress was used by the parents andthe young man slept in a hammock. So four people in one room, additionally they were closing the wooden window shutter early to prevent mosquitoes coming in, but also fresh air… and the snoring father… plus the parents really listening to Christian prayers and songs up to 11pm and from 3am on again during the night from obviously a small battery radio or such. Earplugs…strange. Don’t they sleep at night? Or did some guru tell them to run the radio to influence their subconscious mind during sleep?

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Fw3Nxi5bwP0/Uytjg0HsspI/AAAAAAAAafA/4q4xT1K1PWg/s144-c-o/P3080243.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage18Brazil1CayenneToAmazonasDelta#5992993144544473746″ caption=”Goats, pigs, ducks, chicken, dogs, cows, buffaloes, horses, all there!” type=”image” alt=”P3080243.JPG” ]

Anyway, we had spent a lovely family evening with many jokes and fun together, no TV distracting these people. They admired my small gas stove, as I do always prefer to cook my own meal in time and people never say anything like “leave it, you are invited to eat with us” and just let me do what I am doing. Besides I prefer to pretend I am a Vegetarian though especially this family was later really dining at the table “in style” while I just finished my own cooked meal at the table which they seem to have no problem with. I rather donated a small bag of rice to the family budget to thank them for their hospitality!

We had fun teaching each other later some words in our own languages, did some funny gymnastic movements together and I was very ok I wasn’t myself distracted by my computer updates but rather enjoyed the few evening hours with this lovely family!