Monday in Manaus

The first visit of the day was to CIGS, a zoo run by the military and the only one of its kind in South America. The animals are all inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest captured whilst the army are on training exercises. We were mesmerised by a harpy eagle, spider monkeys, a black panther and the crocodiles.

Next stop was a lunch time presentation at Rotary Club Manaus in the Industrial District where we were warmly welcomed.
Then onto a bi-lingual school which shared its facilities with a university. The school is privately run and featured a swimming pool and a basketball court. I was very impressed with the clever 5 year old children I spoke to who could easily show me where Brazil is on the world map. They weren't so sure where England was so I showed them - that and a brief introduction to Lucas Levia and his importance to Liverpool football club! If I had my way Tranmere Rovers would have been next on the agenda but time was short! Soeaking English us going to be a useful skill for the people of Manaus as they prepare for the world cup in 2012. Taxi drivers are being taught English and it sounds as if there is a high demand for english teachers for the people working in close proximity to the stadium in Manaus.....mmm, I see a possible job opportunity there!

Team arrive in Manaus - Kelly's update

After a fabulous and jam packed first five days in Belem, we arrived in Manaus at 10.30am Saturday morning. We were met at the airport and taken on the bus straight to meet a ballet school. The ballet school operates at the weekend, its charity based ran by the teachers of the school and open to all the children in the city, aged 5 - 17. The reception we got from the children was amazing, we were all really touched by it, everybody was so welcoming and excited to see us, it almost like we were celebrities - the children were actually calling Kat Adele, the singer. They performed a ballet routine for us which was brilliant and that we chatted to the children and had our pictures taken with them. I had a little sing song to Lady Ga Ga with two of the children, they really were little performers. Straight from there we were taken to fish farm place for our lunch. We had a huge buffet of fresh fish and meat and chatted with the new group. After lunch we were taken to a prison, which I was really interested in given Criminal Justice is my area of work. We were given a tour around the prison, it was nothing how you would imagine a Brazilian Prison to be - it was a new building with a new way of working with the prisoners, focusing on rehabilitation and social integration as opposed to just punishment. The governor gave us a guided tour which included taking us to the high risk sex offender unit, it was quite surreal, particularly for the other girls who had not been in a prison before. And what a complete contrast the the morning ballet with the school children! In the evening we met up with some of the Rotaract team and went to a lovely Brazilian Restaurant that specialized in soup, but not any ordinary soup, you could add anything to it, meat, cheese, pasta, It was really unique, I've not seen anything like that before, we even had chocolate soup for desert which was delicious! Seriously the food here is so good although worrying I will need a new wardrobe by the time we leave. Today we have been on a boat trip out on to the river to see where the river Negro and the river Solmoes meet. It was awesome to see the two different colours. We then went to a little gift store out on the river and we all had a go at fishing the biggest fresh fish in the world, it was really good fun, although lots of girly screams from me and Liz as we thought we were going to get pulled in the water. We then went over in the boat to see some animals and the team got to hold a baby sloth and Kat and Steve had a snake put around their neck..scary!! We then walked through the jungle and went to see the giant lily pads, before getting back on the boat and visiting the river communities. Its really hard to believe how much we have seen in the last 6 days. It really is an adventure of a lifetime and non of us have stopped smiling since we arrived (or eating).

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings, will keep you all posted!

Adele and the cast !!

Lunch !!!

Meeting of the waters the black and white river.

The biggest  fish i've never caught!

New team member??

I wont be too much trouble i promise  xx

The giant lily pads in the amazon jungle

There's only one way to get over a phobia of snakes!

Riverside communities

The team hits the river!

after a day looking around Belem hosted by two delightful young Ladies from Roteract we were exhausted> We visited the markets which sold the usual, fish chickens etc etc!  The place was teaming with life and the smells were amazing, not all pleasant but amazing . The stall holders were happy for us to taste the different fruits which were amazing, the were some rather strange looking foods that we gave a wide birth! Lots of arts and crafts and all very local. One thing i noticed there are not many tourists about and we were the centre of attention ( or was it the six young ladies i was with ?? ). The heat is incredible and after a short time you have to take on water or you start to feel tired very quickly. The churches we visited were spectacular and very ornate. We ended up at a wetlands area were we saw mangroves and lots of species of birds. Also huge butterflies much to the delight of kat. The Day finished of at a cultural centre with a display of some cultural dancing.
The end of the day ?  NO  back to the host  shower change close eyes for about 20 mins and out to a samba bar!!  It was a superb place with a great atmosphere EVERYONE dances here it was great and we all had a ball.
Today we drove through a Favela and saw a different side of the town. Quite a lot of poverty here and apparently quite a dangerous area. Then all of a sudden we come across a hotel, it was very nice and we had breakfast with some Rotarians before boarding a speed boat to go out on the river. Before long we were winding our way through the mangroves and into the river communities. It was an amazing experienced and  one  that does not come along too often.
We are well settled in now and  just as we a4e getting to know our lovely hosts we are about to move on. We are going out to dinner tonight for a celebration  and tomorrow we fly to Manaus deeper into the amazon and see what adventures lie there

ate Lago !

The team are looking good!!

Well we have clean clothes !!  I picked them up from the airport whilst the ladies relaxed and ate ice cream with Amanda ( fecury) !!  something not right there???
We are in much better spirits now we are clean. We are doing so many presentations it is untrue. All clubs want us to go but they only have a few members. Tonight we presented to twelve people, that included the team and the waitress!!! We are trying to arrange for the two presentations to be together  tomorrow as it is getting a bit silly !
The Brazilians are being very kind to us and we are trying to adapt to their way of life ( ie slow down a bit !)  I had an excellent day today at the police dog training school  in Belem. They were really good to me and i  met some of the team and their dogs. They put on a display for me and we then had a good discussion about the differences in practices ( mostly in Portuguese !) It was really interesting and i tried not to look too surprised when i saw some very strange ideas about drugs and exposive training.
The Portuguese is coming along and i now find i can understand quite a bit. By the end of the day i am really tired and struggle with it. They all seem quite impressed with our presentation and i think we have done ok although it will become a bit slicker as we go along. We are definitely getting enough practice.

More tomorrow.......

The journey

Well we have arrived in Belem Brazil. We arrived in the early hours of this morning and so i had hoped to lie in but body clock says no! i have only had about 5 hrs sleep after a 18 hrs journey and the sun is seeping in through the blinds and the city is coming alive. The only problem we have is our luggage is still in Lisbon ! We made our connecting flight with 2 mins to spare but they could not take our bags so we have to wait 24 hrs before they are delivered. So hopefully our hosts will help us out to stop us all from smelling !
It was a bit of a shock when we arrived and met our hosts, Roberto and Maria who i am staying with speak no English at all. It was a very quiet car journey home !! I am all up for having a go today though. We always feel "well they will speak some English"  Not here i can assure you. It is going to be a real test for the team. First presentation for the team tonight only one problem no plug adapters as they are in the luggage !  we will get by.
Anyway looking out of my window from the 10th floor of the apartment block the sun is shining and it is warming up at 0730hrs. People are starting to make their way to work and start their day, and we begin our Brazilian adventure. More later..........

Stupid Airlines !!!!!!

How frustrating !!   The airline have cancelled one of our flights and so we have to leave 24 hrs later. We also have the problem that they have changed one of the tickets and our luggage alowance is lower. Not good when your already packed and ready to go !
Well Brazil we are on our way but were gonna be a bit late !!

The final countdown !!

Well I have finished work and the final countdown has begun. Big panic on now as i cant fit everything in my bag !  I went to Liverpool FC today and got a load of gear to take out, we are going to make some kids day !!  Lucas Leiva and the rest of the team have signed a shirt for us to auction at the conference and so as not to be outdone Kat has got an Everton one. How could we leave Tranmere Rovers out !  Yes we have one of theirs aswell. Bits of a programme have started to filter through from Brazil and it is very exciting. We have lots of presentations to do with the first one being on day 1 !
Well i best get on with that packing !!