arriving in brazil

after arduous night-flight of 12hr arrived in Sao Paolo without sleep and 3 hours lost in space. First suprise is that the brazil is just as smoke free as europe in airports so I rushed out at the first opportunity to the front exit; bang slap into a sauna. The humidity hits you like a damp cloth. My connecting flight was a 2hr wait but paid off as they seated me in business class on the flight to Manaus. I would not pay for the privilige but you can appreciate the experience of laying down with your feet up, food and drink on demand and remote tv and music and games, but most of all a sleep. On arrival in Manaus my host and his wife were waiting for me and it was the best decision I ever made. Not only is the climate daunting, the dense heat is overwhelming, but you,re immediately in the bush. Clive and Niacee (who is local) took me to their guesthouse which is fantastic, bordering within yards onto pristine jungle. Getting my breath back seated in the garden, very large vultures (uguru) circle around and royal eagles (6ft wingspan or more are on the prawl for monkeys in the treetops. Just a bit later an iguana crawls out to eat some leaves followed by toucans attacking the ripe papayas much to the annoyance of Niacee. By this time I have been here 2hr.