March 10 - A little detour on the Amazon

Because of water levels and because the Brazilian authorities gave permission, we stopped for a few hours in an area called Canacari  here on the Amazon.  This afforded some of the passengers another opportunity to go for a zodiac ride this afternoon.  The rest of us stayed on the ship and did the usual sea day activities.

The scenery is much the same as it has been on the days we’ve been sailing on the river except that there seems to be a lot more debris.  I’ve seen lots of whole trees moving downriver and lots of leafy branches.  There must have been heavy rainstorms  further upriver. It’s not the most exciting landscape to sail by.

Kind of boring scenery when you've seen it for close to 1000 miles

I'm guessing that the bridge watch keeps a close eye on things like these trees as we cruise along

In the morning I heard a lecture on the state of the Amazon region.  It was interesting in that this lecturer seemed to have a different opinion about how Brazil’s recent election might affect policies to protect the region from some other people who have spoken about it.  At this point about 16% of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared, primarily for cattle farming.

We had our last trivia game for this segment, and since two of our members are getting off in Manaus on Sunday, we had a team luncheon in the dining room. We didn’t win but we weren’t on the bottom either. In fact, I think we improved a little. Maybe there’s hope for the last segment of the cruise when we resume trivia on sea days.

In the evening I arranged for a girls’ night at the Thomas Keller Grill.  We had a lovely time and laughed a lot.  I think the Old Cubans, a new drink that I tried for the first time not long after boarding the ship, that we all had made us a little mellow.  Afterwards we went to the show which was okay, not as good as some we’ve seen. I don’t know where the days go but they sure are zipping by.

March 9 - Santarém, Pará, Brazil

Think of the hottest, muggiest day in August in Virginia and you might come close to what it’s like here in Santarêm today.  We’re anchored about 500 miles up the Amazon from the ocean and 500 miles downriver from our next stop in Manaus.

Here are a few facts and figures about this place.  The city of Santarém has a population of a little over 300,000.  I found that remarkable for a place that’s pretty much in the middle of miles and miles of nothing but rainforest. Here’s something even more amazing; the city occupies an area of 8,836 sq. miles of which only a very tiny portion is urban.  This area as well as most of the Amazon region was settled by many different indigenous tribes who farmed (corn) and hunted.  In 1542 a Portuguese named Francisco de Orellano attacked a settlement of the Tapajós Indians. It wasn’t until forty years later that a  European settlement was started and finally in the middle of the 18th century the name Santarém, after a Portuguese city of the same name, was given to the principal settlement at the meeting of the Amazon and Tapajós Rivers.

That leads me to talk about something else.  Here at Santarém the Tapajós River and the Amazon meet at a place fittingly called ”the Meeting of the Waters.”  The Tapajós has blue-green water while the Amazon is a muddy color.  At this point where they meet both rivers carry so much water that for several miles the rivers flow next to each other without the water mixing so you can see a distinct color difference.

In the morning I took the shuttle bus from the tender pier to a drop-off point along the river.  I don’t know why that was picked as the place to stop because aside from an overlook of the river and one little shop there was nothing else.  I did get a good picture of a great white egret posing on a railing for me.  We stayed for less than 30 minutes and took the bus back.  On the return trip we passed through a vibrant shopping district.  Most of the stores were completely open on the street side and obviously not air-conditioned.  They didn’t appear to be geared for tourists but rather were filled with things necessary for ordinary life.

Isn't this a pretty guy?

Open air stores along what must be the main street

Why is Santarêm here?  Brazil is one of the major exporters of soybeans in the world.  Much of the deforestation of the Amazon region is due to increasing farming of soybeans and cattle.  Santarém is a principal port for the shipment of soybeans, most of which go to China and Russia.  There were huge barges with storage containers on them loaded with soybeans waiting to be loaded onto freighters.  Brazil has not changed its exportation policies despite the conflict in Ukraine and in fact is one of the biggest importers of Russian fertilizer to help grow its soybeans.  It’s a very circular arrangement.

Some of the soybean barges

In the late afternoon I took a zodiac tour to a place across the river from the city.  We went into what looked like a marsh to see what wildlife we might encounter.  There was a Brazilian guide with us to point out things.  The first thing I learned is that the area we were going through is dry land in the dry season and cattle graze there.  What I thought was marsh grass is actually wild rice which the cows feed on.  Our driver took the zodiac through places I thought we’d get stuck so that we could get close to trees where we saw a couple of large iguanas and all kinds of birds.  We rode through an area that had Victoria water lilies.  These are huge green discs that can reach a diameter of 10 feet and on which some animals can actually lie.  The ones we saw weren’t that big and the only things on them were large snails.  Evidently the underside of the lilies is very spiky so fish can’t nibble on them.

What looks like marsh grass is really wild rice

Do you see the iguana sleeping on the tree in the middle of the photo?

                                                                       Victoria lilies

This is the waterway we rode through. No wonder they had to clean the prop and the intake.

See the black and white bird sitting atop the tree? I can't remember its name but it isn't a great white egret.

We had to stop several times so the outboard could be lifted out and the props cleaned off of the greenery we’d accumulated.  At one point an alarm went off because the water intake was blocked with muck and grass. That took a major cleaning. I can’t remember the names of all the species of birds we saw but there were a lot.  Evidently early morning and late afternoon is when they are more active.  When we made our way out we had to stop at a restaurant with a very long dock because the owner owned the little waterway we rode through and we had to pay him his toll.  As we headed out we rode to a place where the waters met and saw some of the pink dolphins for which this part of the Amazon is famous.  These are freshwater dolphins and much smaller than their saltwater relatives.  They don’t jump out of the water either although they did occasionally come up and part of them could be seen at the surface. I didn't get a picture because catching them coming up was so hit or miss so I confess to stealing this photo from a site on the net that had a photo so you could get an idea of what I saw.

So that was my zodiac trip on the Amazon.  I was pleasantly surprised that we didn't run into many insects except for some dragonflies.  There were no swarms of mosquitoes, flies or gnats.  However when I got back on the ship every stitch of clothing I was wearing was drenched because it was so hot and muggy and the sun is so intense. There was a disco party on deck tonight and I didn't go. I didn't need to be soaked again so I stayed in air-conditioning.  Tomorrow is another day cruising up the Amazon.

March 8 - Lazy days on the Amazon River

Today is our second day cruising on the very brown Amazon River.  Here are a few facts about this body of water.  It’s the second longest river in the world after the Nile. It flows eastward across Brazil for a little over 4,000 miles from the Andes Mountains, where it originates in mountain streams which combine to form the river,  to the Atlantic Ocean.  A photo taken from orbit showed the river to be about 235 miles wide at its mouth. The Amazon carries the largest volume of fresh water in the world accounting for nearly twenty percent of the water discharged into the oceans. During the rainy season the river can rise as much as 30 feet; consequently there are no bridges across it.  One can only cross by boat. The average depth of the river is between 66 and 160 feet, but there are places where it plunges to about 330 feet deep.

The water we’re sailing through is a muddy brown color and the shoreline is an endless line of green.  The trees all look to be the same height with very rarely one that has grown a little taller.  Every once in a while we pass what looks like a house or shack along the river’s edge.  There’s no sign of electricity at these places.  With binoculars I can see that they all have some kind of ramshackle dock. That reminds me that I must say that the river is very wide. I’m not a very good judge of distance, but to see detail on the shore I have to use binoculars.  We did take on two Amazon River pilots because apparently the course of the river is constantly changing and they can help to prevent us from running aground.

Not very exciting pictures I know but they'll give you an idea of what the last two days scenery has been.

This morning a Holland America ship, the Volendam, passed us going in the other direction.  Aside from that we’ve passed a couple of small barges carrying containers.  Just before noon there was a tiny boat with a single man aboard that approached us and waved.  I think he was excited to see us because there aren’t many ships like ours that come along in these parts.

We’ve had more lectures on weather, flora and fauna of the area,  and exploration of this region. Of course we’ve had trivia, bridge and art classes.  The problem is not finding something to do, but rather how can you fit in everything you’d like to do.  What can I say, life is tough.

March 6 - King Neptune pays a visit

Today was our second of several sea days as we approach and then sail up the Amazon. This afternoon we were privileged to have King Neptune, his queen and his court, including several mermaids, visit us.  He came aboard to make sure there are no Pollywogs on the ship when we actually cross the Equator later this afternoon. The passengers and crew who hadn’t ever sailed across were subject to trial for their misdeeds and then ordered to kiss a fish, be slimed and then jump in the pool. Once they’ve completed that they are Shellbacks, eligible to cross the Equator. 

That's King Neptune on the right with his beautiful bride

Some of the members of the court

One of the lovely mermaids who held the fish to be kissed

The ceremony is great fun and included a pretty large contingent of people on the ship. The rest of us who have already sailed across the Equator sat like a mob in the French Revolution declaring all of them guilty of their various crimes and then yelling for their punishment. I think it’s one of those rites of passage which you have to physically experience because it’s difficult to describe in words the fun we had.

The pirate queen leading the Pollywogs to their trial and fate

This fellow got the worst of the slime treatment

Aside from that on these lazy sea days we’re back to the pattern established before, namely eat, go to a lecture or two. Eat, play trivia… You know the drill by now. We did experience an unusual occurrence today.  Our team tied for first place in trivia! First time that’s happened.

This evening there was another party for Seabourn Club members, people who have sailed on Seabourn before. Ninety percent of the passengers have.  Collectively, we have 130 years’ worth of cruising days among us!  We have a couple of ladies on the ship who each have more than 1200 days.  

After the party I dined at a table hosted by the new Guest Services Manager, Diana from Romania.  She joined the ship in Buenos Aires and is on board along with her husband who is the restaurant Maître D’.  That’s something Seabourn does which I think is quite nice.  They hire and permit couples to work on ships and even adjust their contracts accordingly.  Several staff members with whom I’ve dined have been on with their spouses and they’ve told me that some cruise lines won’t allow that.  I would think it makes for happier staff.

The pianist Rustem Hayroudinoff played again for our after-dinner show.  He is absolutely wonderful. I had dinner with him last night and he was a very interesting dinner companion.  He’s Russian born but has lived in London for more than 30 years and teaches at the Royal Academy of Music.  He had some very interesting insights into the war in Ukraine and the Russian psyche.  His mother and some other family members still live in Russia.  One thing not about world affairs that he spoke about at dinner came to mind when he played tonight.  He had said playing on a ship can be problematic because, as he put it, the piano is bad.  While it’s a grand piano, there’s no one here to keep it in tune and it’s being played very frequently by all kinds of players doing all kinds of pounding on it. Plus it’s being moved around constantly for different kinds of shows.  As he played tonight I wondered what it would be like to hear him play on a properly tuned and maintained piano in a venue with the right acoustics.  Even without those he sounded great.  

Tomorrow we’ll start our journey up the Amazon.  We’ve been asked to conserve water because the ship can’t take on any water while there and we’ve been asked to keep lights on our verandas to a minimum so that we don’t attract too many insects who might enter our cabins when we open the doors.  I start my malaria pill cycle tomorrow morning to hopefully prevent contracting it.  Ta-ta for now.

The accused being led to their inevitable fate

March 4 - Natal, Brazil

Today we were docked in Natal, Brazil, at the northeastern tip of the country.  It’s the Brazilian city closest to Africa and Europe.  The city was founded on December 25, 1599 by the Portuguese, hence the name Natal which is Portuguese for Nativity or Christmas.  The city has a population of more than 800,000.  An interesting fact that I read is that during WWII because of the city’s proximity to Africa the US built an air force base here and used it to support troops fighting in North Africa.  Another interesting fact is that Brazil was the only Latin American country to send troops to fight in Europe.

Friends and I took a shuttle to the Handicraft Market in the center of town across the street from one of the many beaches.  Like many of the buildings in Recife yesterday there is mildew and mold all over them.  I think because of the high humidity they would have to be scrubbed continuously to avoid it.  Another thing is that there is graffiti everywhere but that’s ubiquitous nowadays.  Just from my ride in the bus it seemed to me that Natal was less prosperous than some of the other places we’ve stopped.  There was a lot of trash and debris along the streets. I didn’t get a picture of it but we passed a pink motel called L’Amore Motel.  I have a feeling it was the kind of place where you can rent the rooms by the hour.

The craft market was full of what Al would have called trash and trinkets. There were lots of mugs, dolls, magnets, and bags with Natal written on them.  We walked through the market and then decided it was time to catch the shuttle.  We just missed one so we had to wait but at least it wasn’t exceedingly hot because there was a breeze from the ocean across the street.  The beach did look nice but there were big waves coming ashore so I’m not sure how good swimming would be. 

In the early evening there was a country and western hoedown in the club.  After dinner a magician put on a magic show.  I didn’t have high expectations, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed him.  I’m still trying to figure out how he did some of his tricks.  He had a very engaging and funny personality which contributed a lot. 

Beginning tomorrow we have several sea days coming up, including the day we cross the Equator when the pollywogs aboard who have never crossed the Equator at sea level will be duly initiated into the realm of shellbacks by King Neptune himself.  It’s a very solemn occasion indeed. I’ll take some photos so you can see for yourselves.

Until later…

March 3 - Recife, Brazil

Today we spent the day in Recife, Brazil, the 4th largest population center in Brazil. The city itself has a population of more than 1.5 million and it’s the capital of the state of Pernambuco. It was founded in 1537 by the Portuguese and its harbor was a major port for shipping out the sugarcane produced in this part of Brazil.

I came here ten years ago and when we visited then we took a tour to Olinda, a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its many colonial buildings.  Since I’d been there then, I didn’t book a tour this time. There was a shuttle bus to take us to a former prison which has  been converted into a craft market.  Each former cell is a shop.  I went with one of my new friends on a mission to find cooler clothes and  carnival supplies for a carnival party we’ll be having in a week or so.  We found none of the latter.  I guess they all were bought up during the actual Carnivale, and here I was looking forward to getting some feather boas and glittery masks. I did buy a couple of those floaty, tropically printed dresses which I will probably use for bathing suit coverups.

The temperature was about 90° and the humidity was so high you could practically cut the air with a knife.  After we wandered around all the little shops we headed back to the ship. I dropped my things off and headed up for a salad and to snag a table in the shade out by the pool for an afternoon dance performance by a local group.  They performed for a little over an hour and the two principal characters wore what looked like heavy costumes.  I don’t know how they did it without succumbing to the heat. I’ll post a few pictures but won’t even attempt to try a video since I haven’t had much luck with those.

After dinner the entertainer was an absolutely fabulous Brazilian guitarist named Diego Figueiredo.  Wow, could he play!  He played with such passion that I think we were all mesmerized. I think he did a lot of improvisation as he played and I suspect that if he played the same selection tomorrow night it would be a little different because of the improv.  Of the entertainers we’ve had he definitely ranks up there as one of my favorites. After the show I went down to the Club for a little dancing and then it was time for bed.  I think the heat and humidity really got to me today.

One last photo because I'm obsessed with sunsets.  I took this as we sailed away from Recife and I thought it turned out pretty well.

March 2 - Patterns

We’re in our second sea day before we reach Recife, Brazil tomorrow.  I, and many of my fellow passengers, have fallen into a pattern, much of which centers around eating and drinking.  I get up around 9 AM and go up to the Colonnade for a light breakfast and a cappuccino.  If there’s a lecture that sounds interesting I go there.  Yesterday there was one about the pet trade in South America and that sounded like it would be depressing so I missed it.  On the whole the lectures have been good and I generally make at least one a day.  Next comes trivia after the captain’s noon report. Then it’s time to eat again, and my friends and I go to the Patio Grill near the pool and have a salad made by the wonderful Samuel.  There are lots of veggies and nuts to choose from and he mixes each salad individually. The waiters come around with drinks of the day; today there were two, first strawberry daiquiris then caipirinhas which are the national drink of Brazil.

In the afternoon there are other lectures from which to choose along with art classes, an ice cream social (more food), bridge for the bridge players, line dancing class, or the ever-popular nap. At 4 PM there’s afternoon tea (we haven’t eaten for at least an hour) followed by either another lecture or pre-dinner show.  Then you can guess what comes next – more food.  And so it goes on. I’ve learned about colonization, ocean currents, the history of Brazil, migration of birds and a variety of other things which are interesting and probably guaranteed to never come up in trivia.  Somehow, the days seem to fly by and before I know it a week has passed and then another. It’s very easy to get used to this.

Today as we ate our salads we saw for the first time on this cruise flying fish zipping along just above the surface of the water.  That must mean the water is getting warmer as we head north. Aside from those, we’ve seen quite a few birds trailing us looking for tasty things we’ve churned up in our wake. 

The show tonight was a change from the usual.  We had a classical pianist who performed a concert of Chopin and Rachmaninoff pieces and was superb. As I looked around the audience seemed to be awake and listening which sometimes isn’t the case.  A few nights ago we had a very energetic trio of British soul and Motown singers who did back flips in addition to singing and there was a couple in the front row snoozing away.  I couldn’t figure out how they did that because regardless of whether you liked their music, the performers were so energized right in front of them it seemed impossible to sleep. 

Okay, I’ve rambled enough.  Tomorrow I haven’t booked a tour. I’ve been to Recife before.  Instead a friend and I are going shopping.  Somewhere along the Amazon we’re going to have a Carnivale celebration where we can dress up. My wardrobe doesn’t include any feathered boas or glitzy masks  so I’m going to see if I can find some. Até mais tarde.

Oh, we had a lovely sunset yesterday and here are a couple of pictures of it.