It was 1 am when we entered the mouth of the Amazon. If it wasn’t for the announcement I would never have known it. The Brazilian banks were still miles away and we wouldn’t see jungle till morning. However, intrigued I donned my formal gear (a strange rule… You had to be in formal attire after 6 pm if out in public areas… yes) and headed onto deck to take a look. I was completely alone and the night was inky black and oppressively hot. The only lights I could see were the spotlights illuminating the funnel and railed deck. There were no waves. The water slid silently past. Still and flat. The ship had long since retired to bed so no music permeated the air and no chatter or laughter bubbled up from the bars below. I stood for a minute considering just going back to bed…. Then I heard a quack. Yes a quack! I looked up, and circling the funnel was a flock of about 15 birds with blood red bellies illuminated in the eerie spotlights. They circled the funnel screeching to each other. They were the same shape as ducks but blood red! Just then a star shone through the heavily clouded sky. At least I thought it was a star. But no star could cut through that much cloud… As I watched, it got closer and closer. What was it? To this day I have no idea. I went to the outdoor phone. Called Toms cabin. I couldn’t witness all this by myself. I HAD to share it with someone. By the time Tom arrived the ‘star’ was hovering just a few feet above our heads. It was the size of a sparrow and shared the characteristics of a moth. When it beat its wings, orange flames seemed to wrap around its body obscuring it from view and making it look like a burning oddity floating over the deck. When its wings slowed the flames subsided leaving a seemingly naked moth fluttering banally. I decided something so mental and beautiful deserved a name. After some thought we decided upon Raul (for his south American nationality) Luis (for its light) and Billiante (for its brightness). Raul Luis Brillante entertained us for a few moments more then drifted off into the pitch black. I will NEVER forget that moment. I swear it was exactly like suddenly finding yourself in a Terry Pratchett novel or in Hogwarts. Nothing is recognisable. Fantasy creatures become real and experiences become suddenly childlike. It was wonderful.

As I didn’t have my camera…. thanks to www.viralblender.com/ for the shot.

 Our attention turned to the rest of the life that was now populating our, recently deserted, deck. HUGE moths clustered on the spotlights and casting shadows like the Batman symbol, beetles the size of small eggs crawled over the astro-turf and the air tingled with creepy crawlies that defied description. We must have stood there an hour or more, a girl in a ballgown and a guy in a tuxedo, just looking and enjoying the unfamiliar in the middle of the Brazilian river in the small hours of the morning.  I couldn’t wait for day break and a first glimpse of the rainforest. It proved to be worth the wait!… I have so much to say about the Amazon and many stories to tell so I’ll be adding them bit by bit to save you having to read a small novel each time I post! 😉 Have a great day and hopefully check back at some point. Next time… exploring the jungle and pink dolphins!