Japura

It seems I haven't left the Amazon, the temperature outside is almost as warm as Manaus so adjusting wasn't very difficult at all. Arriving back at heathrow just minutes after the tube and bus bombings brought me back to earth literally. I still can't fully understand how desperate some people must be to do such a thing. Is it really for the righteous cause they believe they have, or the fact they deep down are aggressive and violent people and this gives them opportunity to 'legitimately' give vent to their feelings. I don't know. What a waste when so much good could be done in this world. it also seems the Amazon hasn't quite left me as I'm still not feeling 100% after my bout of illnes on the way back to manaus from upriver. My few days in Miami were useful just to give me a rest but I didn't eat much, nor do very much besides try and keep cool. It was nice to get home and catch up with family and friends which I'm still in the course of doing. Viewing the photo's again it seems as if it was someone else who saw and did what I did. I will certainly treasure some of these wonderful sunsets, which yet I have been unsuccessful at posting but I will give it another go!

Don't know if the photo will appear but its taken me as long to upload it as it did to travel up the Japura(well not quite preaches exaggeration, but not, the view it was stunning)

Well Pam's prophecy was for more than me. Within 24 hours Robert was laid low two. Now after two days he's back on his feet and we are back touring round Manaus investigating the favelas or 'invasions' as they are called here. Its a rather complex situation that we in the North don't always grasp. There are differences too. Taruma where the little church was begun by Robert and one of his long standing converts was given to the people by the Prefecture. An 'invasion' is private land commandeered by an organised group, some who have property elsewhere, some genuinely homeless from the interior. They fight off the police to keep the land. When 12 thousnad people start building little shacks overnight its difficult for the authorities to prevent them! It usually happens around election time when politicians are anxious to curry favour with the voters!

Anyway tomorrow is my last full day in Manaus. Calvin and maybe Robert and I are heading inland to a place where there are caves and waterfalls, about 100 kilometres away. On Sunday I will go out to speak at Taruma church before I head to the airport, so the preacher won't need to be too long otherwise I will be in Manaus for some time to come. It will be nice to finish my visit with the little church there before I leave. I will be in Miami over the July 4th holidays so that should be intersting, heading home on Wednesday night, back on Thursday in London in the morning. So until I next get a chance to blog

Well, have returned from our trip upriver. So much to tell and some of it cannot be shared as you reall need to see the awesomeness of the Amazon as pictures hardly capture it. Even 750 miles upriver from Manaus you find the river bank is the distance from Greenock to Helensburgh. Of course the water is still high from the rainy season and there are parts that completely dry out but it is astonishingly vast. Surprisingly quiet on the upper reaches in that you don't see many boats pasing. Incredibly easy to get lost as we found out on the trip back from Pecasi. A trip that should have taken 5 hours (in the dark) took 11 hours! If it hadn't been for Roberts' intimate knowledge of these waters I doubt we would have got there and back in one peace. The wildlife was not always easy to see but the kind you didn't want was never far away. The mokuto's eat you alive during the day and the mosquitoes took over for the night shift. Everywhere you went you heard the slap of people try to ward off these voracious parasites.

One of the outstanding memories was of the people, especially at Pecasi. A simple but deeply friendly people who truly loved Robert. Paulo agreed to take us into the jngle to satisfy my curiosity. He did not spare us! He set off in his bare feet through swamp and mud ,crossing tree trunks, checking out armadillo holes for game( he had his shotgun sliung over his shoulder, his machete in his hand) the pace never slackened. Within five minutes I was drenched in sweat. After one and half hours he asked if we wanted to go a circular route which would take another four hours or just go back the way we came, guess what we chose to do! Anyway he really wanted to go back and see Brazil play Germany on the telly! What an anomaly these people live in wooden huts, and there is the huge satellite dish outside and the telly standing on a box. They have barely enough food to eat but they have their telly! John Logie Baird has a lot to answer for.

The tales of the river are too numerous to mention here. Save to say it was a memorable experience and at times stomach churning as well as scary. E.G when we got caught in a tempestrale as we started out our journey in the little boat. We all had to sit in the one side to keep the boat from being swamped as the rain thundered down. Robert astonishingly at the age of 70 did this trip and was neither up nor down. AS Pam prophesied before I left I came down with something on the last 5 hours of the trip back to manaus, the details of which I will spare you. Haven't eaten anything for two days and still feel a bit light headed. But the fever has gone and I'm now planning to spend the next few days getting my strength back and seeing one or two things around Manaus which I haven't had time to do yet. I hear you are having sweltering weathre back home? At least here I can go into my bedroom and put on the airconditioning when it becomes unbearing. I wll try to add some of my pictures to this blog though still having difficulty with this part of the technology!

Jack of the Jungle

Fishing for snakes in the Baptistry at Taruma 

By the time most of you will read this I will be heading West up the Amazon on the Ajato, the high speed power boat that seats 120 passengers, probably 200 uncomfortably It’s a 12 hour trip to get to Tefe so it needs a bit of preparation to get organized for it. We will be gone until at least Monday (this is Tuesday, leave tomorrow morning 7am Brazilian time) It’s a problem knowing what to pack. My trekking boots for the jungle as well as my preaching shoes and tie (fortunately don´t need to wear a jacket!), my lotions, potions and repellents for the beasties but they have already bled me dry here in the city, not much blood left to go round! Got to leave room for my hammock and mosquito net too. Robert has shown me pictures of his previous trip with Daphne and Walter his brother and sister in law. Some beautiful sunsets on the Amazon that I look forward to catching.

After we reach Tefe we get a lift to Alvareins where we pick up a pastors boat plus another Brazilian pastor and goodness knows how many others. We need to buy some provisions at Tefe as we don´t know when we will next contact a place that can supply us with food along the Japura. It sounds very primitive! All being well we will get a chance to go on a trek into the jungle on Saturday and hunt some wild game ( with my camera of course), although the locals usually eat whatever they catch. Each little village we stop at we will probably have a brief service where I will preach or maybe someone else. Its so open ended that I don´t really know what to expect. Scary but challenging. However so far the Brazilian people have been very friendly and very attentive, including the children at the meetings we have held at people’s homes in Taruma.

As its been 2 years since Robert has been up river it will be good to hear how he has seen developments and changes. It will also give him an idea of whether going back upriver to work is an option for him. So I will sign off now and it will be possibly another week before I am able to get back online. Hopefully lots of stories to tell!

Jack of the Jungle

As you will see friends, I have been misspelling the Japura. There should be an accent on the last "a" but that was too technical. So if you have trouble getting into my account, try Japura instead of Jaipura, one way or another you should get through. Also click on archives and you will get more updates!!

The wonders of the Internet!!

Myself with some children from New Israel Church
Posted by Hello

Jaipura

I have been trying to add a picture on my blog without success. Also just had news that there are no boats heading up the Solemoines as there is a festival "downriver" and all the boats are heading that way. Might not leave Manaus until Wednesday, travelinng by a Jet speed boat or even fling to Tefe then getting our hired boat to go up the Jaipura. So things are a bit up in the air at the moment.

Well folks, finally remembered my password to add some news. This week has been taken up with doing a little bit of sightseeing around Manaus, preaching (Sunday twice, Taruma in the morning and evening at New Israel) then Tuesday Wednesday Thursday out at Taruma. Robert organised the extra night on Wednesday, just so I wouldn´t get bored! I´ve also spent a good time just talking with Robert and Jessie and getting a much better perspective of what its really like to do long term mission in the tropics.

Tomorrow, Saturday 18th we are heading into the centre at 7am before the sun gets really hot to take some photographs of the old Manaus. We will then go to the Feira (at least that´s what it sounds like). Its the banana market, then some shopping for a hat for me and getting our cabin booked for our sail upriver. In face the trip upriver covers about 500-700 miles on the first boat, then Robert´s managed to borrow a speedboat which will take us up another tributary called the Jaipura. We will pick up another Brazillian pastor on the way. Round trip will be about 1500-2,000 miles. It will take about a week to ten days. We come back on the High speed jet boat which takes about 12 hours. Along the way, where we stop we will hold meetings and preach in the churches on the Sunday that takes in the trip. The weather, well what can you say, hot and humid day and night, Without air conditioning in my bedroom I would have died by now! Surprisingly out at Taruma which is on the river it is cooler in the evening and so far haven´t been bitten by mosquitoes there. Plenty of bites at Robert´s front door mind you. Some of the poor folk at Taruma have been bitten. One lady at the meeting last night was struggling against the malaria. So keep praying that and the repellants and the tablets seem to be working. Well got to go for my siesta. The only time in the day I can get cool.

I will try and post something before I head west on Monday God bless

No not because I've eaten too much but because the Galbraiths have a loving family who don't want to see them deprived of their Maltesers, Fig Rolls, Horlicks, HP Sauce etc etc. I reckon that one of my bags alone is full of goodies for the Galbraiths! Just throwing together the last few things. Got my hotel in miami booked now for the last few days of the trip before I head home. A chance to relax for a few hours gather my thoughts, perhaps visit the Everglades and cherish my memories of the Amazon.

Still find it difficult to believe I'm actually going, but i am, I really am! Don't know when i'' next get a chance to write in a blog but i'll see how the trip goes. My hairdresser encouragingly said to me today, "Oh you going via Miami? I just checked the weather forecast and there are the beginnings of hurricanes lining up over the Caribbean!! Thanks Gary!!

Speak to you all later,

Bye,

Big White hope