this is the ship i took in belem. it has an open section in the centre where most travellers hang hammocks where they sleep and live for the duration of their trip. there are also a small number of private cabins. i rented a cabin, as i had a lot of camera gear and all my backpacking possesions so could not afford to take any rists. the prices are all reasonable for a foreigner but clearly the cabins were beyond the reach of most locals. the trip from belem to manaus took 7 days and 6 nights. we made a number of stops along the way, where the ship unloaded supplies and mail for local communities, and where i spent a few days, including a marvelous day at an indegenous carnaval festival in which different tribes paraded in their own smaller version of carnaval. the trip itself was amazing - the scenery is beyond description in intensity and sheer dimension and beauty. the people on the boat were extremely friendly, very curious about me (i am brazilian born but grew up mostly in the US and Europe) and about life in big cities. i felt absolutely safe, confortable and welcome by all and in every location. the accomodations are reasonably confortable, although understandably simple and basic. we ate most meals on board from the kitchen and they were more than acceptable. but nothing beats the experience of waking and retiring on the river, bathed by majestical displays of colours and sounds from the skies and the surrounding nature. the river is immense, in some places eternal.