Answers for
Audioconference 6
(August 27)
1. Aeronwy Cording, Ashgrove School
How many people are on board the riverboat?
Where do they come from and what are they like?
The riverboat that I travelled on this week had about
300 people on it. Except for myself and an English guy,
they were all locals. The people were a mixture of
professional (I spoke with an engineer), tradespeople,
and farmers. The people are pretty relaxed – because
its hot, many are dressed in t-shirts, shorts, and
sandals. Physically, the people are very brown because
most are a mixture of European, African, and Indian.
There were lots of people returning to SantarΘm after
having bought cheap stereos and other electronic
equipment in the duty-free zone of Manaus (although they
have to pay some duty at a customs stop when the
riverboat passes into the Brazilian State of Parß).
2. Sarah White, Drury School
Could you please describe the view you had from the
riverboat?
The view was very boring. On trips downriver, the boat
sails in the middle of the Amazon. Because the river is
so wide, the banks are a long way away and there is
little detail to see. Just some trees and farms in the
distance – though every now and again you stop at a
small river town.
There will be more to see when I travel to BelΘm, because the
river narrows into several small channels where you can
see the houses and people living on the riverbanks. The
channels are dangerous sometimes, and there are a few
wrecks of sunken ships.
3. Stella Li, Epsom Normal Primary School
Do you swim in the river and is it safe?
I’ve swum in many of the small rivers around here
(though not in the Amazon, itself). People know of all
the nasty animals – but the chances of anything
happening are very very slim. For example, piranhas usually only
bite if there is blood in the water and generally leave
people alone. The alligators
are very shy of people, and will only attack if provoked.
And the sound of splashing around generally scares away
the stingray, and electric
eels.
Of course sometimes the unexpected does happen –
but its very rare. I’ve swum in the river many
times, and met other people who have too. I only know of
one incident.
4. Nicki Moore, Lochiel School
How often does the boat stop at towns to restock
provisions?
There are quite a few little river communities where
the riverboats stop to drop off or pick up people.
Usually the boat has arrange ahead to pick up a few sides
of beef or fresh fish. Other items such as rice and
softdrinks usually last the whole journey through –
although a boat travelling from Manaus to BelΘm takes five days,
and the company may choose to top up with fuel and food
at SantarΘm
(about half-way along).
5. Laura Bolderston, Lowecliff School
What do the riverboats
look like and how are they powered?
The riverboats are usually big wooden boats, two or
three decks high. Most of the deck are open-sided but
with railings to stop people falling off.
The boats are usually painted white with blue or green
trim and are very solid looking. They are powered by big
diesel engines built into the back of the boat.
If you have Internet access there are some photos on the Amazon
Adventure website. If you don’t have Internet access
you might be able to find pictures in books about Brazil
or Amaz⌠nia in your public library.
6. Emelia Lindsay, Ashgrove School
Is there any lighting or electricity on the boat?
Yes, the diesel engines also generate electricity.
There are lights are night so that people can still see.
They also, operate the refrigerators in the small shop at
the back of the boat – and for the big sweeping
searchlight at the front of the boat that they use to
look for floating logs and other obstacles at night.
7. Elizabeth Zeinoun, Drury School
How fast does the river flow and how high does it
rise?
The speed of the river varies depending on its width
and how close it is to the ocean. The rivers in Peru,
where the water is flowing down mountainsides and through
narrow canyons, can be very fast. The water is generally
slower in the wider sections of the Amazon – and
there may sometimes even be tidal surges from the ocean
forcing the flow to slow or even flow backwards close to
the riverbanks.
The amount of rise and fall varies. In some places the
difference between high-water and low-water seasons is
about 10 metres. In other places (nearer the coast) the
difference is only one or two metres. Nearer the coast
there are also tidal flows influenced by the ocean.
8. Frank Ben, Epsom Normal Primary School
Are there any safety rails or lifejackets onboard
and are they safe?
The boats have safety rails around all the deck. The
safety rails are made of heavy-duty wood and are very
solid. The boat also has lifejackets on the decks just
above where the hammocks are tied (though I was told
there are no lifejackets in the cabins). But sometimes
the boats are overloaded and there may not be enough
lifejackets to go around. It is also important that the
lifejackets are checked regularly but I’m not sure
if this is always done.
I have a feeling that if the boat capsized (especially
at night) it would sink very quickly and that few people
would be able to reach for and put on the jackets in
time.
9. Michael Kolarik, Lochiel School
How difficult is it to navigate on the river,
especially at night?
This depends on whereabouts on the river you are. On
the lower stretches of the river it is very wide and
navigation is fairly straightforward (apart from the
narrow channels around Ilha do Maraj≤). You just have to
be careful of floating logs – a searchlight is swept
back and forth at night to see if there are any in front
of the boat.
But further upriver, and on the river’s small
tributaries, there are many little channels which
navigators must know. To make things worse, the course of
the rivers sometimes as a result of rising and falling
floodwaters rise and fall – meaning that maps
quickly become out of date. Navigation at night is more
dangerous (more floating objects, sandbars, and more
places to get lost).
10. Greg Russell, Lowecliff School
What is the food like on the riverboat
and what is the strangest meal you have eaten?
The food on the riverboat is simple but filling. Rice
is common, plus a kind of soup with chunky bits of beef,
and chicken cooked in various ways. Breakfast is often
just a breadroll with a filling of scrambled egg.
I’ve avoided truly strange meals. An Australian I
was with ate something like a huhu bug in the rainforest
taken from the inside of a plant (he said it was coconut
flavoured). And I was supposed to get a meal of cooked
piranha but it never eventuated.
11. Jacob McKerrow, Ashgrove School
Are there any hygiene problems on board the riverboat?
I don’t know if they would pass New Zealand
standards for the kitchen and bathrooms – but they
are good by Brazilian standards. The food hasn’t
made me sick. The toilets sometimes get messy at the end
of the day – but they are regularly cleaned.
I’ve seen worse, even in New Zealand.
12. Erin Hartshorne, Drury School
How did you communicate with the locals on the boat
if they do not speak English?
I speak a little Portuguese
– which is improving slowly with practice. So I can
manage simple conversations. But sometimes people talk
too fast or say things that I can’t understand.
There is only so much I can do. Sometimes other Brazilian
people who can speak English help translate for me if I
get stuck.
13. Stuart McClelland, Epsom Normal Primary School
Have you ever tasted the water of the Amazon River?
I caught some mouthfuls when swimming, and it just
tastes like normal water.
I don’t drink the water normally. Drinking
untreated riverwater can make you sick (I already caught
giardia, possibly from food cooked in local tapwater).
14. James Casey, Lochiel School
Do you fish off the boat? What do you catch? Are
they all edible?
The boat travels down the river at a speed of about
20-25 knots, which is too fast for fishing. Most fishing
is done from small canoes or using nets. There is a wide
variety of fish ranging from sardines and small piranha to large
tambaqui and pirarucu
which can reach up to two metres long.
15. Laurence Oakley, Lowecliff School
From the riverboats,
how many different villages have you seen?
There were a few small river towns where we stopped
briefly – but the towns are very widely scattered
apart. In the 800 km between Manaus and SantarΘm there were
only three or four small towns.
16. Chris Pettet, Ashgrove School
Are there any animals on board the riverboat?
Not really. A couple of people had pet dogs (small
ones) which were travelling along with them. And at night
the lights onboard the riverboats attracted big flying
bugs, some mosquitoes,
and other insects.
17. Katherine Leask, Drury School
How does it feel to be travelling down a river with
piranha
and alligators
under you?
The main part of the Amazon river is so big that you
don’t really think of it as containing wildlife.
Especially since you are on a big boat which separates
you from it. You don’t actually see any wildlife
from the boat.
It is much more exciting travelling on a small canoe
along some of the smaller channels where you can
occasionally see alligators and other animals, and even
reach down to stick your hand in the water.
18. Matthew Owens, Epson Normal Primary School
Are there any other tourists or adventurers like
yourself on the riverboat?
I met an Englishman who was doing his own little
adventure – visiting some parts of Brazil where
tourists don’t usually go. He was stopping off at a
small river town called Obid≤s where there was an old
Portuguese fortress left over from the river wars
(several hundred years ago) when the Portuguese fought the
English and Dutch for control of the Amazon river.
Peru seems to be the place for adventurers. I met some
people who had cycled down from the United States (though
they had travelled by plane across some difficult areas).
There were also people who’d spent weeks travelling
along the rivers through remote areas on river rafts and
small canoes. Unfortunately some travellers in the past
had been very stupid – forgetting to take insect
repellent and learning how to survive in the area if
anything went wrong. Many inexperienced people have died
– people who didn’t take repellent sometimes
die from infections or insect-borne diseases. Others have
gotten lost, poisoned or have starved in the jungle.
I learnt that if you are going on that sort of
adventure you have to do a lot of planning and need to
learn about the places you are travelling through.
19. Mark Findlater, Lochiel School
Do the river
dolphins play around the boats as we often see
in New Zealand?
No. River dolphins aren’t as playful as their
marine cousins – they don’t dive or jump out of
the water so much. They just spend most of their time
fishing and searching for food. Perhaps the years of
hunting have meant that dolphins are now wary of people,
so stay away.
20. Matt Wilkinson, Lowcliffe School
Have you ever nearly capsized and do you have to
dodge things on the river?
No. All my trips have (thankfully) been very safe and
without incident. But the boat drivers have to be careful
of floating logs – hitting one can put a hole in the
hull of the boat and sink it. At night there is a big
searchlight on the top of the boat that sweeps back and
forth, helping the driver to see any floating logs at
night.
It is more difficult upriver, closer to Peru, where
boat drivers have to watch out for even more logs, plus
sandbars, and navigate through narrow channels.
Part 2
1. Sione Ofanoa, Onehunga Primary School
What makes the riverboat
go?
Riverboats have big diesel engines built into them.
This gives the boats a distinctive
"chuga-chuga-chuga" sound as they travel along
the river.
2. Amy Land, Ponsonby Primary School
Who was the most interesting person you met on the
riverboat?
This time the journey was fairly short and I
didn’t get to know the people around me very well.
But when I travelled from SantarΘm to BelΘm in January, I
met goldminers who’d earned big fortunes then lost
them. Their were also people who believed in the old
folklore tales of the region.
3. Naomi Wimsett, Redwood School.
How fast do the riverboats
travel?
I’m not really sure – they travel along at a
fair speed. I’m guessing, perhaps, 20 to 25 knots.
4. Adam Jones, St Joseph’s School
Why did you choose to travel on the riverboat?
Because I thought it was interesting. Sometimes you
learn a lot more about a place and its people by
experiencing things as the locals do, rather than the
sterile environment of airliners and fancy hotels full of
tourists.
5. Donald Robinson, Waimata Valley School
What is the riverboat
like inside and out? What are its safety features?
The riverboat is a big wooden boat, painted white with
blue or green trim. The boats are built very solid. They
have two or three decks, where people hang their
hammocks. The decks have open-sides, but have railings to
stop people falling or slipping off. There are
lifejackets stashed in racks within the roof (above the
hammocks), but often the boats are overloaded and there
aren’t enough to go around.
I have a feeling that if the boat capsized it would
sink very quickly making it difficult for people to get
off in time.
If you have Internet access, there are some pictures of the
riverboats in the Photo Gallery part of the Amazon
Adventure website. If you don’t have Internet access
you might be able to find pictures in books about Brazil
or Amaz⌠nia in your public library.
6. Eleanora Cakalouska, Onehunga Primary School
What sort of food do you eat on the riverboat?
The food is very simple. Often there is a soup with
big chunky bits of beef. Sometimes it is served with rice
and local food called farinha which looks (and tastes)
like sawdust. They also serve chicken cooked in various
different ways.
The food is served at a table – where the food is
put into the middle of the table in bowls, and everyone
helps themselves by dishing it into the plates I front of
them.
7. Tam Scholes, Ponsonby Primary School
Are there any dangers in travelling on a riverboat?
There are lots of people – everyone is very
relaxed so there is no threat of violence or trouble from
the other passengers. The biggest danger is theft because
the luggage isn’t in a very safe place, so it is a
good idea to keep close-by it whenever possible.
The only other danger is if the boat hits a freak wave
which capsizes it or strikes a floating tree which puts a
hole in the hull (these incidents are very rare).
8. Matthew Tutt, Redwood School
Do you eat fish from the river?
Fish is a common food here. Lots of places here serve
fresh fish – often it is mixed in a casserole, but
sometimes it is served on a bed of rice with little salad
(I think this is the nicest way). There are many
different types of fish in the river. Some of the bigger
ones have meat with a texture similar to chicken.
9. Emma Dawson, St Joseph’s School
How long was the riverboat
and how many people were on it?
The riverboat was about 50 metres long, and had about
300 people onboard. I was on another riverboat back in
January which had more than 500 people onboard. It was
very overloaded.
10. Roanna Robinson, Waimata Valley School
Who was travelling with you on the riverboat?
There were lots of local people on the riverboat
– many returning to SantarΘm after
visiting friends and family in Manaus, parents with
young children, plus some local business people
travelling for their work. There were even a few
professionals such as engineers.
Most local people (from a variety of different
backgrounds) find that air travel is just too expensive
for them, so use the riverboat instead.
11. Pauline Foliaki, Onehunga Primary School
What animals have you seen from the riverboat?
Almost none. The riverboats travel in the middle of
the river – away from the riverbanks. Because most
of the land along the river, below Manaus, has been
developed into farms or subjected to hunting, there are
few, if any, animals to see. The only exceptions are
birds flying overhead, and the many insects which are
attracted to the boat’s lights at night.
Insects include big flying beetles and mosquitoes
(which fly onboard if the boat stops at a remote area
around dusk).
12. Laura Lyttleton, Ponsonby Primary School
What are the washing and toilet facilities like on
such a crowded boat?
There are few facilities. There were only four
combination toilets/showers for everyone onboard. They
were very cramped . I think the showers used riverwater,
and I’m not sure is the sewerage from the boat was
treated before being discharged (it probably
wasn’t).
The toilets were cleaned regularly, but sometimes if
you went in the late-evening/early-morning the place was
a mess and smelly. At one point, one of the bathrooms was
entirely flooded with dirty and oily-looking water
because the shower discharge hole was blocked – but
when I returned afterwards it had been cleaned up.
13. Belinda McAdams, Redwood School
Do they have electricity onboard? If so, how is it
generated or do they have batteries?
There is electricity onboard. I think it is generated
by the same diesel engines which power the boat. The
electricity is used for lighting and for a refrigerator
in the ship’s shop for cold softdrinks and beer.
There are a few cabins onboard, which have power sockets
too.
The power here is 110 Volts – not 240 Volts like
in New Zealand.
14. Rebecca Thompson, St Joseph’s School
Were you able to get much sleep on the boat and
where did you sleep?
Like most other people on the boat, I took a hammock
with me. I was able to hang it up on deck, giving me a
place of my own to sleep and relax. Almost all people
travel in this way – and there are lots and lots of
hammocks on the riverboat decks.
There are also a few cabins with bunk beds onboard,
but they are cramped and must be shared with other
people. I’ve heard that they’re not as
comfortable.
I slept okay – though sleeping in a hammock takes
some getting used to, and I was always aware of other
people moving around me. The hammocks all swing together,
like bunches of bananas, when the boat is travelling
through big waves.
15. Joshua Bayliss, Waimata Valley
What plant life grows alongside the river?
There are usually lots of trees growing alongside the
river – although the biggest trees have long since
been cut down, leaving the forests looking a little
scraggly. In some places (where the water flow isn’t
great) there are floating grasses and huge water lilies
called Vit≤ria Regia.
16. Ale Sefo, Onehunga Primary School
What is the most gorgeous animal that you’ve
seen?
The nicest animal, though I only saw it briefly, was a
Golden Tamarin. This is a type of monkey that is very
small. It looks like a small fluffy ball of golden fur
which climbs through the trees. It has a very cute face
– and looks a little like a teddy bear. It is about
25 centimetres long.
17. Chris Hatten, Ponsonby Primary School
Is the water any more or less polluted in this
section of the Amazon?
There are lots of factories near Manaus, which produce
discharge into the river. This isn’t good, but there
is lots of water flowing by so it isn’t as bad as
the discharges doesn’t create as much pollution as,
say, the discharge into the smaller rivers by goldmines
and oil-companies elsewhere in the Amazon.
Personally, I feel that the pollution occurring in
remote areas (from oil and goldmining) is worse
because it there is no one nearby to monitor the
companies’ actions, and they can potentially spoil a
bigger eco-system – poisoning the surrounding
rainforest, animals, and people. I saw some bad-looking
rivers when I flew over a goldmine in Peru.
18. Alastair Long, Redwood School
Have you seen any hydro-dams on your adventure so
far, and what effects have they had on the environment?
I haven’t seen any hydro-dams. I think that I
would have to travel a little out of the way to get to
them. But there are lots of projects to build dams in
the Amazon. The problem is that the Amazon basin is so
flat – building a dam invariably means flooding a
very big area. This kills the rainforest and all the
animals that live there. It also deprives some remaining Indian tribes of their
lands and hunting areas.
Big modern cities and factories need electricity, but
building giant hydro-electric dams in the Amazon basin is
potentially more devastating than building nuclear power
plants. Developers and environmentalists will probably
never be able to agree.
Some modern research stations and houses in remote
areas have solar panels because there is lots of strong
sunlight. These are fine for domestic uses but are
unlikely to provide sufficient energy for the giant
factories being planned here. Perhaps there are other
alternatives.
19. George Grey, St Joseph’s School
Did you make any stops along the way?
The riverboat stopped at three or four little towns
between Manaus and SantarΘm. These
stops were for people getting on or off at the towns.
There were also lots of people who came onboard the boats
at these stops, selling fruit and other snacks to the
passengers.
20. Mitchell Teesdale, Waimata Valley School
What are the noises of the Amazon? What bird song
do you hear?
There are few noises to be heard from the Amazon
riverboat because the noise of the engine, rushing water,
and the people drown out whatever noises may be coming
from the shore.
The best places to hear sounds are in the rainforest,
or drifting on small river tributaries. Here you can hear
lots of birds, and insects. Some of the bird songs are
very beautiful – one bird called a piha makes a
sound like a "wolf-whistle". Another bird
called an oraphendala makes a sound a little like a
cow-bell. The insects are occasionally so loud that they
sound as if they’re riding through the tree-tops on
tiny Japanese motorcycles.
 
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