Manaus to Tabatinga: Part III

As was mentioned in Part I of the boat journey narrative, the Monteiro was carrying a massive and varied amount of cargo that was destined for a multiple ports on the river. For the first three days of the trip we did not stop at any ports even though we did see several go by. We assume that this is because there are other boats that cover these cities on short return trips.

On the back half of the journey we stopped frequently. When the boats nears a port that it will be stopping at, several long blasts are issued from the airhorn to announce our arrival. As soon as the boat is secured to the small floating dock, the crew of the boat, dock workers from the town, and even passengers earning their passage up the river began unloading cargo. By hand. It was clear that everything on the boat was packed in a specific order so that the goods for the first port of call were on top or closest to the edge of the piles. Offloading proceeds at a furious pace with the ship's accountant keeping tack of everything and double checking all of the counts and figures with people on shore. At each of the stops some cargo is also loaded onto the boat to be taken farther upriver.

As soon as all of the cargo is off of the boat the air horn is sounded again and the boat sets off. It is important to note that this unloading of the cargo takes place at any hour of day. If the boat reaches a port at 2:00 in the morning, all of the guys go to work. Sometimes for 6 or 7 hours straight.

One of the concerns when the boat is in port is the people who get on the boat to sell you things. This is the most dangerous time on the boat, because of the increased likelyhood that something could get stolen. Rebecca and I took turns guarding our stuff and we managed to not have anything taken.