Trip to the Amazon

 

Letitia, Colombia with the Brazil border in the background.

When we came to Colombia we came with two objectives. The first was to do deep long-term maintenance on the boat since we have now lived on the boat full-time for 10 years. The second objective was to travel throughout South America. 

The busy market street in Letitia on our way to the boat.
 

In the past few months we have spent a lot of time getting into the work and a lot of time working on lining up the contractors to do some of the bigger and more complex tasks.  In furtherance of this objective we have a local helper who is doing a lot of the physical work so I can focus on the other projects that I need to do. But, we took a few days and left the boat to do some travel while our helper did some tasks we needed done.

Looking across the water to Fantasy Island

                                                    An Amazonian delicacy Mohohoy

The Letitia Waterfront
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first trip was over 4 days and we traveled to the Colombian Amazon. The Amazon is the largest fresh water system in the world and is in 5 countries. It starts in Peru and has tributaries in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela although the bulk of the river is in Brazil. So a little tip of Colombia borders on the Peru and Brazil at the Amazon.

Our hotel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The primary Colombian town on the Amazon is Letitia. Letitia is a town of about 50,000 people and across the Brazilian border is the town of Tabatinga with a population of about 70,000. So combined the community has about 120,000 people. It is served by 2 airports and the river. Letitia has an international airport and Tabatinga has an regional airport that provides service to other parts of Brazil. These two towns are surrounded by tropical rain forest. There are no roads to them from anywhere and everything comes in by air or water. The Amazon is the major highway.

The blue circled area is the part of the world we're talking about. Peru is to your left and Brazil is to your right.

Our trip started early on Monday 8 July. Our flight from Cartagena was at 6:30AM so we got to the airport about 0430. Check in was quick and easy. There are 2 airlines that provide service from Cartagena to Letitia, Avianca and Latam. We found the fares on Avianca to be much cheaper and we've flown Avianca before. Each airline has 1 flight a day from Bogota to Letitia.

Closeup showing Letitia to the right and further up river is Puerto Narino.

So after our layover in Bogota and the flight we arrived at Letitia about 11:30 AM. Letitia has a tourist tax that they collect at the airport. It is currently 20,000COP which is about $5 USD. I didn't ask about senior citizen exclusion although I should have. We found out later some of the fees are waived for seniors. 

Scenes from Tabatinga

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite by accident we found our airport shuttle. Linda had tried to call the hotel about transport and we looked over all the information before we left and found nothing about airport pickup. When we tried calling the hotel before we left there was no answer so we were pleasantly surprised to find a valet holding a sign for our hotel.  He asked our names and he didn't have us on the list. But, then he showed us the list and we were on his list but with no arrival information. So we got a comfortable ride to the hotel.

 The Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we originally talked about going to the Amazon we agreed we didn't want to sleep in mosquito nets at night. So, after reading lots of reviews we decided to book at the Decameron hotel which was pricer than most of the others but it included breakfast and dinner, air-conditioned rooms, hot water, a pool and guest services. Decameron is a chain and has several hotels in Colombia. We also bought bug repellent and bug repellent soap in Cartagena. The soap is made in Colombia and is 22% deet and is supposed to last for 8 hours. 

A river cruise boat plying up the river.

Our bus pulled up in front of the hotel and we walked in. We were immediately impressed. The reception desk told us our room wasn't ready so we were guided to the guest services and booked a tour for the next day. We then found our way to lunch in the restaurant and continued to be impressed. When we saw our room we were totally impressed. The room was simple, but very comfortable. We weren't sleeping in mosquito nets. 

With our bags stowed we went out for a walk and walked across the border and around in Tabatinga, Brazil before walking back to our room for dinner.

Our first stop at Monkey Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meals were included and we found they had a fixed menu for breakfast and had 8 different menus for dinner that included an appetizer, soup, main course and desert. It also included water or carbonated water. Drinks were extra but very reasonably priced. The portions were not huge but were sufficient and the preparation, presentation and service were very good. The restaurant wasn't gourmet but it was good quality. 

This little guy jumped when I took the picture.

                                                                 Got a monkey on my back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Located about 4 degrees southern lattitude brings into play many factors. In the southern hemisphere it is winter and the dry season. As a result, the level of the river is about 30' lower than it is in rainy season. There was also no standing water or mud and I can safely say we saw no mosquitos anywhere around the town.  

More Monkey pics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main event of our trip was a 1 day tour up the Amazon to Puerto Narino with some intermediate stops. Puerto Narino and Letitia are the only two Colombian ports on the Amazon and the two largest towns. The Colombian border on the Amazon ends shortly after Puerto Narino and turns north away from the river. There is a long history of how Colombia got this little peninsula jutting into Brazil and Peru and bordering on the Amazon and most of it within the past 200 years. Currently the Colombian Armada (armed forces) has a large military base outside Letitia I assume to quell any claims from others that might be interested in this little spit of territory.

Lush jungle foliage on Monkey Island.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since we wanted to maximize our tour we paid extra to hire a guide that spoke English and we're really glad we did. He was very knowledgeable and knew many of the people we met. We met in the hotel and the guides led us through town down to the river bank to board our launcha for the trip.

The Shaman narrating the ritual 

                                                       Linda adorned for the ceremony

Music to the drums
 

                                                                               My head dress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Letitia waterfront is along what appeared to be a creek that led off into the main river. On the other side of the creek was an area called Fantasy Island because it just appeared. Several years previous some debris piled up at that spot and built up debris and sediment to make a large island. There are many houses on it but the government doesn't recognize it and there are no services to it. When we saw it the water was only maybe 50' wide. But in the rainy season it becomes 150 meters or more wide. Residents travel back and forth by boat.

Looking down river from Port Narino.

Shops, stores and services along the river

 

The passenger dock for Puerto Narino. As the water rises during the rainy season the floating dock moves up the stairs and will be close to the level of the dock in the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going down the creek we saw docks full of small power boats, canoes and many buildings sitting on pontoons so they could rise and fall with the river. All along the creek houses and walkways were built on stilts for the rainy season.

Our lunch spot
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going up the river was fascinating. The water was muddy and full of hyacinths and lily pads growing autonomously. There was also lots of debris floating down. In spots the river was wide and in other spots the islands made it narrow. We passed lots of traffic on the river that ranged from large commercial craft to small home built ones. A common site was a canoe type boat of varying size with what looked like a lawnmower engine with a long shaft and a prop. They were everywhere.

The observation tower and views in Puerto Narino

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first stop going up the river was at Monkey Island. Walking down a jungle trail it didn't take long before the monkeys were all over us. As far as I could tell nobody was feeding them and they were just curious about us and wanted to play. The island had typical jungle foliage that was lush despite the obvious signs it was the dry season. The monkeys were fun.

I love Puerto Narino with images of the Amazon dolphins.
 

Our second stop was at a Ticuna village in the territory of Macedonia. The Ticuna are one of the several indigenous tribes that live in the Colombian Amazon. We went into one of their large houses where they had craft tables set up for sale and performed the Pelazon ceremony which is the coming of age ceremony for a woman. A local Shaman narrated the event. Our guide told us they had the best crafts so we indulged and bought gifts there.

Our last stop at the Lotus Flower Resort

                            Wild macaws
 

 

 

 A Pink Lotus flower

 

 

 

After our brief stay we motored on to Puerto Narino. At several points along the way we saw Amazon gray and pink dolphins. We even saw some of the gray dolphins jump. The Amazon dolphins are smaller than their offshore cousins and the pink look totally different.

Heading back to our boat over the wooden walkways

 Late afternoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived at Puerto Narino on a nice new dock structure that we had to climb up because of the low water. The entrance fee was waived for us being senior citizens. We proceeded on to our lunch.

                                    Stands on the produce market in Letitia
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a large, very nice restaurant that was busy with many people having lunch. It was a cafeteria-style lunch with as much as you wanted to eat with several fish dishes, multiple kinds of rice and some other delicacies. After eating more than we should our guide told us about an observation tower and helado stand to visit. After visiting them we were running short on time and just visited a chocolate factory to buy some samples and headed back to the boat. 

A restaurant along the street showing all 3 national flags on their sign

An elevated walkway from the central district.

 A levee to keep water out of this area

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived on the dock we found we were the first ones back. When our guide arrived he told us that in Colombia they always tell you a time earlier than they want because everyone will show up late. We didn't get the memo and thought the time was the time. At lunch we met a man from Bogota who was traveling with his son and they spoke English so we had a pleasant conversation. 

Elevated walkways to elevated homes. Many of these walkways were one or two boards wide.

                    A stream running under the walkway even in dry season

 

 

More elevated homes and the walkway between the rows of houses.

 

 

 

 

On the way back down the river we spent more time dolphin watching that caused us to miss a stop in Peru so we went straight to the Lotus Flower Nature Preserve as our last stop. The grounds were beautiful with some resident Macaws, lotus flowers and Amazon catfish. But, with the sun setting we headed back to Letitia and the end of a long day.

Displays in the Ethnographic Museum. 

                    Blowguns and poison darts

Adornments from ceremonies

                                         Hunting spears

 

 

 

 

 

Our second day we got up later after getting up early the previous two days and spent the time leisurely walking around the town. We went through the public market and the Ethnographic Museum and ended up in the pool enjoying the remainder of the day.

These were taken outside of the museum and the lighting makes them hard to read. The display to left is the annual level of the river by month.

 

This chart shows the rainfall in the Amazon region. The interesting point is that one line represents rain in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere. When one is low, the other is high. 

 

 

 

That night Colombia played in a semi-final round of the All-Americas Cup and won to move on to the Championship. The win was followed by fireworks, horn blaring and lots of party music. Always a party in Colombia.

 

Our room had a screened in porch with this nice hammock.

The next day, we got up late, had breakfast, checked out and flew back to Cartagena. Our adventure was over.

Debris and hyacinths floating in the river
 

It was a good trip that left us interested to go back again. All the flights were on-time, comfortable and we had no issues getting through the terminals. The Amazon is a sight to behold.

 The Amazon

  

 

 

Replacing the Bilge Hose

In 2024 our boat is 21 years old. We've been living on it for 10 years. Reason and prudence dictate that in addition to the normal and routine maintenance that we've been doing routinely that it's time to do some deeper maintenance. We came to Cartagena where labor is cheap with the intent to do many of those projects.

The "before" picture of our auto bilge pump hose.

We are getting bids on many projects such as the bottom replacement, rigging, gelcoat and canvas. But, one project I thought I could do as a DIY project was replace the bilge hoses. Bob Johnson with his usual overbuilding used extremely good materials in all his work and the hoses were no exception. I've had to replace a few hoses in the past, but, I thought it would be good to replace the bilge hoses. Our automatic bilge pump is critical to the survival of our boat so the hose is of paramount importance. If it is leaking or gives way the pump efforts are totally negated.

The bilge pump laying out on the floor before the new hose reached it. 

My original intention was to replace hoses on both the automatic and the manual bilge pumps. But, after replacing the automatic and reviewing the condition of the hose, I decided not to replace the manual bilge hose. The hose we did replace was hard and replacing the manual hose would be more difficult than the automatic for reasons I will explain later.

Like all of the mechanical elements of the boat, the bilge hoses are installed in the early stages of construction when there's not much in the way. Later elements are added that make access to the earlier resources more difficult. We added to that complexity when we added the generator and many of the electronics as the hoses, wires and cables ended up running through the same passages as the bilge hose.

From the bulkhead in the lazarette to the bilge, the automatic hose is on top making it easier to access than the manual hose that is on the bottom of the two. Also, the manual hose is longer and goes through the bulkhead in the lazarette on the side meaning that inside the bulkhead the hose makes a 90 degree turn which would be extremely difficult if not impossible to execute. 

The new hose section mounted without cable ties. I will have to get the right ties when we travel in the States. 

In my original zeal and naivete I estimated the hose length and bought hose based on running a tape measure through the existing hose. After buying the hose I discovered a document online with the hose package for the boat and it was way more than I had estimated. After removing the old hose I found the hose was about the length on the list and far more than I estimated. We had enough to do the one hose line that I definitely want to replace and to do some of the other small pieces on the manual pump..

The more I thought about the work the more trepidation I had. From previous experience replacing hoses I knew it was not going to be easy and that obstacles would emerge that I could not foresee and I was right about that. I also knew I could not do it by myself so fortunately I had a local guy that I inherited from another cruiser. He is much younger than me and is local and knows his way around the area.

To pull the new hose through we tied it together loosely. On some past hose replacements I used a hose connector that I joined with 5200 which is almost permanent. But, this hose made several twists which would make it impossible for a connector to go through. So we thought tying it would give it some flexibility. So we began pulling and pushing. As hose came through I worked it through the other access points and then pulled the old hose from the bilge.

Also did a service on the engine.

Well, on the first pass under the refrigerator after lots of pushing and pulling the line broke the rubber and pulled out of the old hose. So we would have to work the new hose through on it's own. I used a steel tape measure to go through and find a path and tied a line to it and pulled it back through. 

In our boat the inside of the bulkhead of the starboard lazarette can be accessed from the panel in the aft cabin that provides access to the packing gland. We were able to get in there, albeit very tight, to help feed the new hose through and I was able to reach it under the refrigerator and pull it through.  That was a momentous achievement because it was the longest path without direct access. Although the next move proved to be equally difficult even though we had better access.

 

One of the really difficult passes was getting the hose through the locker under the sink and through the floor locker under the nav station. I had to disconnect the chair arm in order to get access to cut the cable ties and get the hose through. In the back of the picture you can see one of the old cable tie mounts that I haven't replaced yet because I can't find the thick straps that were used.

Pulling hose under the refrigerator into the galley floor panel proved easy once the hose was through. So the next step was to get the hose from under the galley floor into the lower locker under the sink. We tried many times to pull the new hose through with the old hose but the new hose would not go through the bulkhead. After we had the hose completed and I was going back looking at it, I believe part of the reason was because my helper had the hose going over a cable that it should have gone under. Since the hose combo wouldn't pull through we decided to undo the connection again and try pulling a new line through using the steel tape. This time pulling the line and the helper manipulating it in the galley we were able to get it into the floor locker under the nav table. At this point we were 80% of the way with one last turn to go. 

To get through the last portal took a lot of effort and then we had to  pull enough hose through to make a reasonable connection to the pump. After making the connection we began putting the pump into the bilge with the suspension rod and the plastic screen on the bottom of the pump to which the rod was connected broke off. This was after we had already replaced several rusted out hose clamps on the pump assembly. We decided to use hose clamps to secure the bottom piece but the ones I had were either too big or too small. 

 

This is the hose that I used. It's comparable to the Shields hose used in the OEM.

Before we fixed the problem I noticed that the hose ran over a cable bundle that it needed to go under. so we pulled the hose back out and then worked it back through correctly. Then we were able to get two clamps cris-crossed around the pump to hold it all together. and successfully put the pump back into the bilge after testing it. After going back over the line pushing the hose into position, we cut the hose and attached it to the vented loop in the lazarette.

After we cleared out the other locker in the cockpit we worked on the section of hose from the vented loop to the discharge port. That hose went in without much difficulty. The spec sheet says it is a 12 foot section but we put in 11 ft. There were two cable ties securing the hose before its exit that we had to cut. 

So now we have a new hose on the automatic bilge pump. The hose didn't look that bad so we're not doing the manual bilge pump since that's used less, it will be much harder to replace and the automatic line is the more critical one. That's the one that has to work all the time.