In the morning we had very interesting conversations about Brazilian people and their lifestyles, then I went with Hilder to Ponta Negra for a walk (we tried to get to the ZOO but it is closed on Mondays) and then to the sport club where he does jujitsu. I met his mates and I was watching them fighting. I used to do some martial arts in Poland years ago so I really enjoyed watching the guys. I like the fact that all kinds of martial arts are very popular in Brazil.
I also tried the most disgusting soup I have ever eaten in my life. It is a traditional Amazon soup called Tecaca'. It is very sour and it contains salty prawns and some green plants which you chew forever.
Manaus is a safe city, comparing to the level of crime in other cities. Interestingly, I was told that there are not many car thefts here as it is not possible for the thieves to take the car away - there is jungle everywhere ha ha ha..... The only route out is the one to Venezuela so when a car is stolen, the police know where to look for it.
On Sunday I cancelled my flight to Caracas. It cost me 372 pounds and it would take 22 hours: Manaus - Sao Paolo (12 hours waiting in SP) - Caracas. I went to the bus station and found out that there is a bus from Manaus to Caracas. The trip takes three days but I don't mind as apparently there are beautiful views from the bus (it goes through the Amazon forest and the high mountains in south part of Venezuela). I paid 300 reais = 110 pounds for the bus. I am going to pay 60 pounds cancellation fee for the flight but it doesn't matter as I am still gaining 262 pounds in the whole process.
I bought the flight ticket Manaus - Caracas on my last day in London. I heard from many people and I read on the Brazilian consulate website that you have to have a proof that you are leaving the visiting country within three month (you get a stamp with a date on it when you arrive). Otherwise the airlines will not let you on the board as they pay penalty fees for letting immigrants into Brazil. I had phoned Iberia airlines two weeks before I flew to Brazil and they confirmed that it is obligatory to have an onward ticket (I bought just one way ticket to Rio a couple of months before my trip). Well... nobody checked it neither in Heathrow nor in Rio de Janeiro. Maybe in some cases they check but I think it is rare (as it is rare that people buy a one-way ticket I suppose). Do not make the same mistake I made.
