DR. Romance Blog

Voyage on the Amazon to Brazil pt XI: Manaus, Day two

Good Friday, April 10 Manaus (day two)

Because it is good Friday in this very Catholic country, everything is closed. Yesterday our guide Andres
told us that even if you wanted to buy a bottle of milk on Friday, you couldn't. So, we decided it would be a good day to take the riverboat tour. After a lot of negotiating on Ronit's part, she found a boat tour at a very good price. We were on a maximum 10-person motorboat with a covering awning, much like the longboats in Thailand. The four of us had our own boat pilot, our English-speaking guide, whose name is O'Reilly (!) and a handsome young man we believe is the owner of the boat . Passengers on the ship took large boats to the lake, and then got into small boats like ours; but we got to travel the whole trip on the Rio Negro (Black River) in our small boat. It was a gorgeous ride. On the way, we saw grey dolphins, lots of them, not only surfacing, but also leaping fully out of the water. We saw many, many beautiful herons, eagles, hawks, buzzards and a yellow-winged bird that was gorgeous in flight. We also saw iguanas in trees, a few of which jumped into the water. There were gorgeous flowering trees, and the most beautiful thing was the many shades and gradiations of green. We passed many houses on stilts and floating houses, which we would call houseboats. On one of the houseboats, a man was taking a shower outside, and I thought he was wearing a bathing suit, but Richard pointed out that his body simply was darker in some places than others.

Then we came into the meeting of the waters, as the clear, dark Rio Negro met the brown, muddy Rio Solimoes (the continuation of the Amazon) O'Reilly told us that the Negro flows at 6 knots, while the Solimoes flows at 3. The Negro is also warmer. We were able to test this for ourselves, putting our hands in the water in each river. Yup, the Negro is quite a bit warmer. At one point the river got so large, I asked if we were in the lake. But, no, still just the river. Not long after, we reached Lago Janauari (Lake January) and sailed across to a little dock, which boasted a large open-sided restaurant and bar, and an amazing market, full of stalls with high quality native art and artifacts. Of course, Richard and I love to shop, so our eyes got huge. We went directly to the shopping, and were going great guns, with O'Reilly following us around, carrying our purchases and translating for us. After a few minutes, however, he told us we were going to walk into the jungle. This is not a prospect that thrills either of us. We are wary of mosquitos, mud, and other jungly things. However, O'Reilly said it would only be about 300 meters into the jungle. He probably encounters a lot of nitsy tourists. We allowed ourselves to be dragged away from shopping -- Ronit and Jacob were eager to go. To our relief, the walk turned out to be on a wooden boardwalk, suspended above the flooded floor of the jungle, with a sturdy handrail. The boardwalk led to a platform reaching into a lily pond. We had the bad luck to be following a huge group of tourists (none that I recognized from the ship, and the guide was speaking Portuguese and English.) The platform was crowded and overloaded at first, but they soon left, and we had it all to ourselves. What a sight! The lilypads are huge --big enough for a person to sit cross-legged on, although they can only bear about 12 pounds before they sink. The Port Lecturer on the ship said he once saw a woman washing clothes in a pond, and she put her baby on a nearby lily pad while she worked. They'd be great for that. They're shaped like dinner plates, with a turned-up edge all around. Underneath, they have huge thorns, which keep them from being eaten by fish and bugs. The lilies are large and beautiful next to the pads. They bloom at night, close during the day, and bloom in three colors: white the first night, the same blossom is pink on night two, and purple on night three, then it wilts and dies, and the lily pad slowly decays. On the boardwalk, we saw many flowers and an uncountable number of termite nests, which look like huge lumps of tar, bigger than a football, hanging on the side of the tree. The termites also protect themselves from being eaten by birds (who relish them) by creating covered pathways to travel out of sight up and down the trunk. After a while, we realized that the termites knew in advance about the rising water, and placed their nests higher than the high water level. The jungle was flooded to a depth of about ten feet, and the boardwalk and platform were built higher than the high water level, on stilts. O'Reilly told us that in the dry season, you can walk on the dry jungle floor, and showed us some stairs leading down from the boardwalk to a "telephone tree" which is a huge tree that the natives used to beat with a log, so the sound would carry for miles. It served as a communication device before any phones were developed.

After the lily pond, we returned to the market and finished shopping. This was the best shopping for native goods that we've seen on the whole trip, at low prices, and directly benefitting the artisans, so we made the most of it. Then, back to the boat for the best part of the trip. Shortly after we left the dock at the market, we motored close to shore, seeing monkeys jumping in the trees, as well as many more birds and flowers. Then, the pilot turned right into a channel into the jungle. At this point the cruise became amazing. We were boating through the actual jungle, with the trees creating a pleasant green canopy over our heads. We saw more monkeys, leaping from tree to tree, and we heard tree frogs trilling. Other than that, and our own voices, there was silence. The green, lovely trees as far as we could see, the boat silently floating along, and the cool jungle air created a magical atmosphere. Vines hung down, looking like someone hung clotheslines down from the trees. We were in awe of the amazing opportunity we had to be in this Amazonian jungle. We were also grateful for our expert pilot, who probably has guided boats through this jungle maze for his whole life. At one point, a small speedboat came toward us, piloted by a boy who seemed no older than 10. Our boat owner called out "Cuidado! Cuidado!" --which is "Careful! Careful!" in both Spanish and Portuguese. The kid slowed down a bit until he was just past us, and speeded up and was gone. It made me think that our boat pilot, who was deftly guiding the boat and also slashing with a knife at tree branches that were in the way, had been just such a boy.

We oohd and aahd at the beauty of the jungle for about an hour, sailing in and out of jungle channels, watching monkeys and birds, and verdant trees and flowers. I'll never forget the experience. O'Reilly said that in dry season, you could walk these paths, and I replied "I'm so glad we don't have to." We had seen everything we wanted to, and we turned down an opportunity to fish for piranha.

Out of the jungle, and on the way back to Manaus and the ship, we experienced a little sprinkle of rain, but not much. When we got back to the ship, we found that it had rained quite hard there. We reached the ship at about 4:30, so we had been boating for five and a half hours. We were ready to go "home" to our comfy cabin on the ship. It's a new cruise, and about half the passengers left this morning, and a similar number of new passengers got on. We "turnaround" passengers have now become an insider's club, and greet each othe like old friends. We smugly watch the newbies getting lost and fumbling around the ship.

There's just time for a light snack, a nap, a swim and dinner. Tomorrow, we plan only to walk out to see the cathedral right in front of the ship, and maybe do a little walking in town.

Voyage on the Amazon to Brazil, Pt X:Manaus, Day 1

Thursday, April 9 Manaus (first day)

We were not scheduled to dock until noon, but about 11:00 the Port Lecturer, Hutch, came on the loudspeaker to tell us we were coming up to a meeting of the waters. Shortly afterward, the waters met right outside our balcony, as the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimoes (the name of the Amazon from here) We met Ronit and Jacob for lunch, and then disembarked, to seek the booth for the jewelry store, which we first encountered in Santarem. Large stores in Mexico and South America often offer tours in exchange for visiting their store, and we were going to take advantage of the offer of a tour in an air-conditioned van, with an English-speaking guide -- all we needed to do was tip the guide and visit the jewelry store. We connected right away, as the air-conditioned store booth was right outside the gangway. After some haggling to make sure the offer was real, we met our guide, Andres, who proved to speak very good English, and also had a great attitude and a sense of humor. During the course of the day, he taught me several Portuguese words and phases, including a bad word. Brazilian Portuguese is somewhat similar to Spanish, with a lot of "sh" sounds replacing ending ts and s's. Then we were off on a city tour. Andreas began by telling us Manaus was called "the island of Brazil" Except for the river, it is surrounded by jungle, and no good roads, so it must be reached by boat or plane, like an island.

First stop was the Opera House.  Manaus was founded in about 1660, when the Portuguese established a fort to monitor hostilities on the river. It grew slowly until about 1890, when rubber became a valuable commodity, and the town became a fabulously rich city almost overnight. The Teatro Amazonas Opera House was built in 1896 with rich materials imported entirely from Europe. It is absolutely gorgeous, in the Neo-Classical style familiar in Paris and Italy. It once hosted the world's finest operatic performers, including Caruso. The performance hall has three tiers of private balconies, and is adorned with gilded chandeliers, statuary and carvings, and boasts a painted ceiling which depicts the base of the Eiffel Tower, as if you were standing beneath and looking up. The huge curtain, which rises straight up to protect its painted surface, is decorated with a painting representing the meeting of the waters. I tried the acoustics by singing in the main hall, and the sound quality was lovely. Upstairs, we got to sit in the boxes, and go across the parquet wood floor with light and dark boards symbolizing the meeting of the waters, to the stunning ballroom. To enter the ballroom, we had to put huge felt slippers over our shoes, which made everything very slippery, so we were virtually skating across the floor. The slippers were to protect the intricately designed parquet floors, made of many different woods forming an intricate design, and put together without nails or glue. It was beautiful. The walls were heavily decorated, with gilt, chandeliers, mirrors and paintings, rather like a French palais. The ballroom is sadly not used for anything but tourism, but the main theater is still used regularly for plays and concerts. Nothing was scheduled during our stay, however. But, I do get to brag that I sang in Manaus' Opera House. The rubber boom that created the Opera House and the lifestyles that went with it ended about 1915 --only about 25 years later. It was a heady and bloody time, because the rubber was gathered by enslaving the native people, and brutalizing them. So, although the end was precipitated by an Englishman who smuggled out many rubber seeds and began a new source of rubber in Maylasia. When rubber was cheaper to obtain, and closer than Brazil, the Brazilian market collapsed. Only remnants like the opera house remain.

Our next stop, The Natural History Museum, was recommended by our guide, who obviously loves it. None of the ship's tours go here, and it was about a 20 minute drive, but worth it. A room full of preserved fish gave us a chance to see the amazing variety of catfish and piranha, as well as the enormous 8 ft. catfish "Pirarucu"  whose giant scales are used for earrings, decorations and nail files. The next room was full of huge fish tanks, containing live specimens. In the next were preserved butterflies, in amazing colors, including an iridescent, jewel-like blue. Then we were out in the sunshine again. A small museum, but quite interesting.

The next stop was at the Military Zoo, which, as the title suggests, is operated and maintained by the local army. The animals were not collected for the zoo, but rather rescued from people who tried to keep wild animals as pets, or rehabilitated from injuries. It's a park-like zoo, not as nice as the fancy ones in the US, but quite well-kept, the birds and animals look healthy, and the park is a lovely place for families. We saw jaguars, leopards, monkies, pessaries (pig-like furry rodents) and many, many tropical birds, including the rare hyacinth macaws.

After the zoo, we went to the gorgeous Hotel Tropical to pay our obligatory visit to the Amsterdam Sauer store. The hotel is gorgeous, and full of high-end stores with famous fashion names. Amsterdam Sauer was one of them. The jewelry was beautiful, but what caught our eye was life-like birds carved from gemstones. These were not as expensive as they looked, and we wound up getting a gorgeous parrot carved of malachite, perched on an amethyst geode.  Stunning!

We piled back into the car, and headed back to the ship, as it began to rain. By the time we had gone a couple of miles, the rain stopped, and we got back to the ship in plenty of time to have a snack (because we missed lunch) swim, get ready and go to dinner, and then on to the Brazilian Folkloric show in the ship's theater. We love these shows, which the ships often bring on in countries known for dance. This one began with a history of native dance, and ended with a wild samba, with the dancers in a variety of costumes, from nearly naked dancers to huge, ornate feathered Carnival costumes. It was exciting and exotic, and very well done. At this point, we can barely keep our eyes open, so we're off to bed. Tomorrow is another day in Manaus, and we have a river tour planned.

Voyage on the Amazon to Brazil, Pt IX Boca de Valeria

From Dr. Romance's travel diary: Wednesday April 8

Boca de Valeria, Brazil (mouth of the Valeria river) is a tiny village, quite basic, and when a ship is coming in, tribes from surrounding areas come in to offer things for sale, boat rides, etc. The jungle is beautiful, lush and green here. We can also see the meeting of the waters here, as the Valeria meets the Amazon.

The village is just a small collection of houses, mostly on stilts, with a small brick church atop a pretty large concrete staircase, and an even smaller schoolhouse.

 The schoolhouse was our first destination. It serves 37 children with two teachers. Children attend from first through fifth grade. The single schoolroom was very neat, with the alphabet and some words displayed on the walls, and a blackboard upon which the teacher had written information in English for us tourists. We were invited in our advance literature from Princess to bring school supplies and other things to give away. The teacher accepted all donations gratefully, and would be responsible for distributing cash, clothing, etc to the people.

Outside the school was the path leading into the jungle. We took the path a short distance, and it had little stands set up on both sides with residents selling handmade goods. Children dotted the village, dressed in outlandish native costumes to invite us to take photos, for which we paid $1.

There was also a captive Capybara, a piglike mammal of the area, for us to take pictures. There are little tours of the simple homes, and also men in canoes offering $5 canoe rides on the river.  We chose just to see the school and the church. Once up the giant steps to the church, we found a lovely breeze up there. I commented to other shipmates up there that if I lived there, I'd be very religious and spend many hours in church, because of the breeze. They all laughed, especially Richard. After a refreshing respite in the church, we clambered back down and got back on the tender. While we were waiting for the tender, I bought a little denim bag, hand_embroidered with "Boca Do Valeria" and some flowers. It would turn out later to be perfect for Richard's computer.

On the short ride back to the ship, everyone got very excited to see a pink dolphin. I saw it, very quickly, as it jumped out of the river and back in. They are amazingly pink, and our lecturer says it's because they eat shrimp and crab, and it colors them. Back on the ship, we are again wilted, even though it's only 29 degrees Centigrade (about 78 degrees Farenheit) but the humidity is very high. We get back to our cabin, and find that there's a lot of pink dolphin activity right outside our balcony. We go out and watch for a while, talking to the neighbors on the next balcony, beyond the wall. To our right on the deck above is a pilot's station which sticks out from the bridge. Looking up, we saw the Staff Captain, Michael, who said "Hi" to us. There were a couple other officers up there, too. They were concerned because a pretty big log, complete with roots, was floating on the river, toward the tender which was moored to the ship.

It went right for the tender, cracked apart as it hit, and floated under without damaging anything.  I called up and asked why all the debris in the river didn't damage the ship, and was told "The ship has quite a deep draft, and it's made of steel. We're much more worried about our little fiberglass tenders." OK. Heard and understood, sir. 

After lunch, I went out on the balcony again. What a lovely time! The day was pleasant, the ship was creating its own breeze, and the islands in the Amazon were peacefully drifting by. This is really what I came for, this peaceful, calm afternoon, sailing smoothly up the Amazon, in the heart of Brazil.   

After dinner, Richard and I wandered a bit around the ship before the production show "Dancing" began.
We enjoyed it very much, and then went back to the cabin, to bed. We dock in Manaus tomorrow about noon, and will be there until Saturday. We're looking forward to touring Manaus tomorrow.

Voyage on the Amazon to Brazil, Pt. VIII, Santarem, Brazil

Tuesday, April 7

Santarem, Brazil

Bom Dia!

Today dawned earlier than expected, when we were awakened at 7:00 AM by the sounds of a band tuning up! We threw on some caftans, and went out on our balcony to see a high school band sitting on the dock right below our cabin. They began to play the most Brazilian music we have heard since we got on the ship. They played sambas, a medly of Brazil 66 songs, and wound up with a rousing version of "Brazil." It was a bit startling, totally unexpected, and joyous. The band began just a bit raggedly on the first tune, but when all the balcony denizens applauded, they suddenly got better. I think they didn't realize they had an audience, since only earlybird stragglers were coming off the ship. We were samba_ing on our balcony, and having a great time, shouting "Obrigada!" "Obrigado!" (male and female 'thank yous' in Portuguese)

I called and woke Ronit up a few moments after we figured out what was happening. Since she's a music teacher, I knew she'd love it, and I was right. They have an inside cabin, so couldn't hear until they went outside.

Later, at breakfast, we were all samba-ing around --it was such fun.Then, we got it together, and went outside. Whew! Even at 10:00 AM, it was hot and humid, and the sun was relentless. We had to walk about 3/4 mile on the dock to get to the little area of craft stalls and taxis. We found a cab and went into Santarem, thinking we'd see the museum and the Cathedral. The Joao Fona Cultural Center (museum) was small, but lovely and interesting, A young woman who spoke some English toured us around. The first room is a re-creation of the first Assembly room (city government) which is lovely, with a very impressive parquet wood floor, wood carvings on the walls, and a council table and fancy chair for the President. The next room was lined with all the portraits of the Prefectors (Mayors) from the incorporation of the town in 1661. Modern portraits were photos. They had a woman Mayor in 1936 -- pretty progressive.

The next room was a wow! A huge skeleton, displayed like our museum dinosaurs, turned out to be a whale, and not a very big one. The next room was Pre-Columbian pottery artifacts. Truly ancient pottery was displayed here. It's quite intricate, a chief's drinking vessel had small figurines on it, and was amazingly well preserved. The pottery room opened back onto the main entry, and we had come full circle. In the middle of the building was a lovely garden, with all the rooms built around it. 

Coming out of the museum, Ronit and Jacob wanted to walk, but Richard and I knew it was too far for us in the heat. We got a cab to take us to the Cathedral, which was surrounded by a  marketplace. We were disappointed to find that the Cathedral closes from 11:30 AM until 6:00 PM, and we would not get to see it this visit. But, we are coming back here, and hope to see it later. We wandered for a while among the stalls, and soon found the most beautiful offerings were the hammocks.

In Amazonia, people live in hammocks. Beds mildew and are too warm.  Hammocks are easily hung, and can be carred with you on boat trips. They carry your belongings, and provide seating and sleeping space on the boats. Every boat is equipped with rows of strong hooks--and no chairs or benches. According to our Port Lecturer, you bring your best and most beautiful hammock when you travel -- it indicates status. There certainly were gorgeous specimins for sale, from about $25 to $40.

We walked for a while, but the heat was oppressive and the sun was fierce, so when we encountered Ronit and Jacob again, we tried to find a boat to take us on a tour, but no one spoke English, so we got a taxi to go back to the ship. Outside the port were some tour agencies, and Ronit spotted a young man who had been leading tours for Princess in town, and we asked him if he could arrange a boat and come with us to give a tour. After some haggling, we reached a price of $100 for the boat and $60 for our guide, George. This came out to $40 per person, half of what the ship charges, and it would be only the four of us on our own boat.

The boat owner paid for a taxi to take us right back to where we tried to find a boat earlier, and we boarded via the customary plank connected to the boat by being wedged inside a tire suspended by a rope. Scary! George was wonderfully helpful, and said he had taught himself English at home, so he could work part-time for the cruise ship tours. His full-time job is policeman, which he said was a 'steady job.' Touring was less reliable, but paid well. George looked about 20, but is really 27, and has a wife and a nine-month-old baby to support.

Our cruise tour was wonderful! The river has a constantly cool breeze, so the temperature was very pleasant, and the upper deck of the boat had a shade cover. We were totally comfortable.  Santarem is actually situated on the Tapajos River, a tributary to the Amazon. The Tapajos is a 'black' river, which means the water is clearer, but tinted dark like tea from submerged

vegetation. The first thing we saw was the "meeting of the waters' where the cafe-au-lait colored, silt-laden Amazon met the clear, black waters of the Tapajos. The waters have different acidity levels, density and speed, so they run side by side for several miles before they are able to mix. We passed igapos --flooded forests. These are trees and grasslands that become submerged in the wet season, which began early this year. Islands of floating grasses and lilies with trees in the center greeted us with the call and the flight of many birds. We also saw houses on stilts, and a charming little church just standing in the water, where people obviously just paddle their canoes up to the front door. We saw ducks, herons, egrets, buzzards and many other species I didn't identify. We came close to the elusive pink fresh-water dolphins, but never actually saw any. George told us a charming dolphin myth: Dolphins love parties, so when there is a big party in a house in the river, the dolphin changes into a man who wears all white, even his shoes and hat. He joins the party, and nine months later, when an unmarried girl has a baby, she can blame it on the dolphin, which is magical, and her parents won't yell at her. Of course, there is no father to be found, because the dolphin changed back into his normal shape after the party.

The river tour gave us a glimpse into the life of the people who live in the river, and sightings of many birds and flowers. A totally enjoyable day.  After we disembarked, George found us a taxi, fixed the price for us, and said good-bye. We got back to the port, shopped for a few minutes at the little market, and then walked the hot 3/4 mile back to the ship. By the time we got on board, we were wilted and exhausted. We went up for a bite to eat, and dropped into bed for a nap.

Richard and I napped so deeply that we had a hard time waking up, and were late going swimming, but the pool was glorious-- warm, salty, soothing and refreshing. We went up late to the Pacific lounge and got in one dance, then on to a lovely dinner, where the Maitre d' made Bananas Foster in the dining room.

We stumbled back to the room, made it upstairs to download e-mails, and then back here to write this. I'm falling into bed very soon, because we have another early day tomorrow, at Boca de Valeria.

Voyage on the Amazon to Brazil, Pt VII: Meeting of the Waters

 From Dr. Romance's  travel journal: Monday, April 6
On the Amazon

A lovely, lazy morning. We're really enjoying having our balcony, where we watch the Amazon flow by, and take pictures.

There are a lot of clumps of floating vegetation, roots attached, and we even saw a log float by. The river is many miles wide so the banks can't be seen, but there are many jungle-covered islands, which give the illusion of banks.

The Port Lecturer tells us the difference between jungles and rain forests is that you can't walk in a jungle without cutting your way through. He explained the much-mentioned "meeting of the waters": The chocolate-colored Amazon is much denser, and has a different Ph from the ocean or the "black rivers" (which we'll encounter later) which are clearer water, dyed dark like tea from the vegetation.  So, it takes several miles for the waters to mix, so we see the two colors of water for a long time before it's completely the Amazon.

The ship dropped anchor briefly at 6:00 AM at Santana to take on two river Pilots who will navigate the Amazon for us.

The Amazon is the largest river in the world by volume, with a total river flow greater than the next top ten largest rivers flowing into the ocean combined. The Amazon basin (area that feeds the river) or Amazonia, covers more than two and a half million miles, or some 40 percent of South America.  It releases up to 300,000 cubic meters per second into the Atlantic, and it's responsible for one fifth of the total volume of fresh water entering the oceans worldwide. There is a debate over whether the Amazon or the Nile is the longest river in the world, depending on where geographers measure the source of each.

I have to keep reminding myself that I'm here, in Brazil, South America, sailing on the Amazon River; but just going to the open deck and feeling the warm and humid air is demonstrable proof. It's about 84 degrees Farenheit (29 degrees Centigrade) and the humidity is 88%.

Omygosh! The Amazon disappeared! While we were at lunch, enormous rain clouds came over,and a downpour began. The fog was soon so thick that we couldn't see more than a few feet away from the ship. Everything else was invisible.

The Captain, dressed as King Neptune,  presided over the "Line Crossing Ceremony" (crossing the Equator) this afternoon which we have done before. It's a lot of silliness, with King Neptune imposing initiations on "tadpoles" who have never crossed the equator before, to turn them into "leatherbacks". This one involved whipped cream, being hosed off, and then thrown into the pool.

 This is the last formal evening of this first leg of he cruise, with a production show called "Words and Music" which salutes composers and lyricists from Berlin to Sondheim. There will be a Champagne Waterfall after the show. A big night, and tomorrow at dawn, we dock in Santarem, our first port in Amazonia.

Voyage on the Amazon to Brazil, Pt. VI: Devil's Island

Dr. Romance's travel notes:

Saturday, April 4 Devil's Island, The Salvations Islands, French Guiana 

We don't reach anchor until 1:00 PM, so it's another leisurely morning, which we need after dancing our butts off yesterday. Our Port Lecturer, Hutch, began a narration as we approached the islands.

There are three islands in the Salvation Island group: Diablo (Devil's), Royale, and St. Joseph's islands. They form a triangle, and were originally known as the Triangle Islands. Although Devil's Island was the scene of the film "Papillon," about a prisoner who attempted escape after escape, The prison really used all three islands. Isle Royale, which is the one we actually went ashore to, contained the Warden's and officers' quarters, as well as most of the prisoners.

It was surprising to find that there is a satellite launch base at Kourou, French Guiana, 9 miles away, which launches nearly half the world's commercial satellites.

The Isle Royale is beautiful, covered by dense jungle vegetation, and is home to Leatherback turtles, monkeys, agoutis (they look like overgrown hamsters) and exotic birds. It is also quite hot and humid. The walking paths are cobblestone and rock, very difficult to walk, and there are many, many stairs up to the museum, which was once the Warden's Quarters. The museum is very sparse and small, but the buildings are of a distinctive style, with white outer walls, brick trim, and blue shutters. There are huge rock walls everywhere, and the steps are also of stone, which makes me think they dug up a lot of stones while building. The Salvation Island name originated in the 1600s when settlers fled the mainland, nine miles across the ocean, to escape the disease-ridden jungle. French Emporer Napoleon III established the convict settlement in 1852, and France did not stop sending prisoners here until 1938, when the truth emerged that two-thirds of the 80,000 prisoners sent here did not survive. There is a heart-rending children's cemetary here, because families often came to be close to the prisoners, and large numbers of children died of disease. Prisoners who died were just cast into the sea.

We tendered in to the island, and started up the rocky path, which gently sloped up to the stone stairsway leading to the museum. A group were gathered at the water's edge a short way up the path, and we found they were watching a Leatherback turtle who was swimming near the wall. He would poke his head up very quickly, then dunk headfirst in the water, showing his tail.  We went through the not very impressive museum, wandered around the accessible buildings, and saw the beautiful view of the other side of the island and the ocean beyond. There is also the Warden's Pool, a man-made, rock-lined pond which was built by prisoners for the Warden's pleasure. The pool was full of people today, perhaps guests from the small hotel on the island. Many fellow passengers wondered who would ever stay here, but I think that, only nine miles away from the mainland, the island would be a nice getaway for French Guianans. As warm as we thought it was, it is probably cooler than the mainland. There were many coconuts along the pathway, and looking up, we could see palm trees loaded with coconuts. Fortunately, none fell, or we would have needed hard hats!

When we turned back, we discovered a path sloping down to the road. We followed it, and were rewarded by the sight of many small monkeys in the trees  and on the wall on our right. Someone had thought to bring a banana, and tossed small pieces to the monkeys, which gave all of us the chance to take photos. There were baby monkeys as well as adults, climbing, chattering and swinging through the trees. Then, on the other side of the path we spotted a striking pheasant, with a bright red head, who indignantly puffed himself up when we flashed the camera at him. We walked back the rest of the path, took our tender back to the ship, and gratefully collapsed into the cool ship's buffet room for lunch. One lady on the elevator made us laugh when she said "OK, I've been there, and I never have to go again."

Our port lecturer has begun his talks on the Amazon, and we're all getting excited about cruising up the great river.

Voyage on the Amazon to Brazil, Pt V: St. Lucia

Thursday, April 2

Castries, St. Lucia, Windward Islands

At dinner last night , the captain announced that we would be underway in about an hour, and be in St.Lucia (where we were supposed to be today) by 8:00 AM tomorrow.  He said he'd announce tomorrow what the itinerary changes would be.  Rumors abound.  We have become friendly with Brad, the ship's computer lecturer, who told Richard earlier today that the problem was already fixed, but headquarters would not let the captain move the ship until approved professional divers checked it out.  The subsequent events seem to bear this out.

Just as the captain promised, we woke to find the ship docked at St. Lucia. We had planned to go in with Jacob and Ronit, find a van and driver and tour around, but Richard didn't feel up to it, so we called their room early give our regrets. We had a leisurely morning, and after breakfast, we decided to walk out to the local market at the port, and while wandering around the marketplace, we found a ferry, or water taxi stand. The ferry would take us across the bay to town, the day was hot, the aribbean sun fierce, and a ferry ride sounded appealing, so we bought our $3 round-trip tickets, and sat in the little shaded waiting area until the ferry arrived. It was a small yellow boat fitted with benches and plenty of shade.

The side windows were open, so we got a lovely breeze as we sailed the short 15 minutes across the bay. On the way, we got a good view of the mountainous island, the green, lovely hillsides dotted with houses. The island's capital, Castries, has 60,000 inhabitants, and a turbulent history of sugar, slavery, and rum. Today, it's a peaceful paradise, with a rainforest and lush hilldsides.

Once we docked in town, we wandered around a bit, talked to some of the people in the public market, did a little bit of shopping, and slowly melted from the heat. Before long, we made our way back to the ferry dock and another pleasant ride across the bay, relishing the cooling sea breezes. Back on board ship, we went up to lunch, where Richard got the pizza chef to make him a four-cheese pizza.

After lunch, a nap. It's a tough life. When the sun was setting, Richard walked on the deck, and I went to swim in the small but lovely salt water pool for half an hour. After showering and dressing, we went dancing, and to dinner.

During dinner, the captain announced the changes in the itinerary. We are going to skip going to Tobago, and have a sea day tomorrow, which puts us back on our regular schedule. We'll be at Devil's Island on Saturday. The captain said Princess would give every passenger a $75 credit on our shipboard account, plus a credit of the port taxes at Tobago. For those of us who are taking the round trip and will be coming back this same way, it's an extremely generous offer. We're not even missing out on Tobago, because we'll see it on the trip home.

Tomorrow, we're at sea.

Voyage up the Amazon to Brazil pt IV: Dominica

Tuesday, March 31:

Dr. Romance writes:

Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies

The day was gorgeous for everyone except the ship's captain, but we did not know this until later in the day. By 10:00 Ronit, Jacob, Richard and I were out on the deck (no tenders today) where an adorable bunch of schoolchildren, age about 5 and in sparkling clean dark blue and white uniforms, were waiting with their teachers. We later learned they toured the ship, and were served a lunch of hot dogs at the poolside grill. Very cute.

We connected with Tomas, a very friendly and knowledgeable van driver, and made a deal to take the four of us around the Caribbean side of the island for about three hours for $50 total. What a difference from St. Bart's! The terrain here is also very different. This is a gorgeous tropical island, lush and greeen, and it rained gently on us a couple of times, so we could see why it's so green. Dominica means "Sunday" in Italian, because this island was spotted by Columbus on that day of the week. It has been nicknamed "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" It is one of the youngest islands in the Lesser Antilles, and still has geothermal activitiy, in the form of the world's second-largest boiling lake. (later, we learn one of the passengers gets burned there)There are 365 rivers, and of the 70,000 inhabitants, 36 are over 100 years old, and no wonder -- It's a gorgeous place to live. The beaches here are all black, volcanic sand, with lush greenery, flowers and fresh fruit everywhere. Domenica was colonized by the British, so they speak English here, and drive on the left side of the road. (It is a different country from the Dominican Republic, on the island of Hispaniola in the Antilles.)The inhabitants also speak a French Creole Patois, like most of the islanders in the area. The island achieved independence in 1978.

We all had a big laugh when I tried to get into the driver's side of the van -- Tomas said he'd charge more if I drove. So, we were off to a great start, and drove through the small town of Roseau, which is quaint and pretty, with the houses painted many different colors. We passed a hillside covered with pretty houses, and Tomas told us that in 1979 hurricane David wiped out every house on that hillside. That was the worst hurricane in his memory. In October, hurricane Obama swept the island, and did some damage, but little is visible now. I told Tomas we had our own hurricane Obama in October in the states.  Off we drove, with Tomas complaining that the government was simultaneously repairing both roads that cross the island, so we'd have to go around the long way. We told him governments were like that the world over. No sense in the plans.

We had a lovely drive, past many banana and coconut groves. The bananas are ready to be picked now, and each tree had one large bunch, covered with a blue plastic bag to keep the bugs off (although we saw no bugs the whole day) Tomas said that when the bunch is picked, the tree dies, but it has already put out a shoot which will be the next tree. We saw the small banana trees coming up from the base of each big one.

Palmolive has a big factory here, making soap from coconut and palm oil. They also make rum from coconuts. Cacao grows here, too, and we saw a tree covered with big red pods of cocoa beans. We got deeper and deeper into the rain forest, driving past lush greenery and spectacular displays like the flame trees, which are covered in bright red blooms on the top, red ginger flowers, and huge flowering hibiscus bushes. Scattered, very brief rainshowers refreshed us.

After about 45 minutes up the winding roads into the hills, we stopped at the entrance to the "eco-tourism site" and paid the $5 to enter the rainforest. A sign said "15 minutes to Emerald Falls" but it probably took us more like 25. The hike was amazing, past huge twisted roots and treetrunks covered with moss and ferns. Ferns were growing everywhere, out of the trees and on the rocks. The birds were calling in the distance, and the trail was well-established, paved with natural stones, and gradually descending in broad steps. We reached a clearing with a bench and a railing, which overlooked a spectacular view of the falls. Emerald Falls and Emerald Pool are well-named, because the pool water is exactly the hazy green of most emeralds. A lovely little brook descends from the pool, inviting us to climb down the many, many steps in several switchbacks that led down to the bank of the pool. Legend has it that bathing in the pool takes ten years off your age, but we hadn't brought suits, so we contented ourselves with breathing in the soft, moist rainforest air, and enjoying the beauty of the place. We gained a couple of years of youth, at least. After a while, we began the long, uphill march back to the beginning of the trail.

This rainforest is so different from the rain forest in Costa Rica --much more moist, with different kinds of trees. The trees here are a banyan-type, putting down many roots, and even connecting across the pool and brook. Up to the edges of the trail, the forest is very dense, and would be impossible to pass through. It feels like the life center of the planet, supplying oxygen and fresh air to the rest of the world.

Once back at the gate, we shopped briefly at the little stands, and I bought two small, handmade, covered woven baskets. Very pretty, but we're holding back until we get to the native villages in the Amazon. We have limited space to carry things back, so we have to be judicious.

We piled back in to the van, and retraced our steps back to town. About halfway down, Tomas suggested we stop at a little fruit stand where they give the fruit away, under the philosophy of "be nice to get nice" that typifies this island. There was fresh coconut, bananas (unbelievable. banana/citrus taste) papaya and sugar cane, plus roasted cacao beans. We tried everything, and listened to the lively patter of the proprietor, who was very funny and entertaining. Then, we put a voluntary few bucks into a coconut shell hanging nearby. No one asked for anything, and we wouldn't have realized a donation was the custom if Tomas hadn't clued us in beforehand. A very fun moment on our trip.

On the way back through town, we encountered heavy traffic, and Tomas said it was "rush hour' at 1:00 PM. The children were coming out of school, and we saw many adorable young girls in navy and white uniforms, with matching blue ribbons in their pigtailed or cornrowed hair. There were other uniforms too, khaki and white, and different styles of blue and white, each designating a different school. Education is mandatory here for every child, from age 3 to 18. At the end of grade school, children take an exam, British -style, which determines whether they will go to a college-prep high school or a trade school. The children looked happy and well-cared for, with little sign of grinding poverty. Although people don't make too much money here, the land is generous, and it's easy to get enough food, and meet basic needs. The island is very productive, and there is enough work that everyone can earn a living.

Back at the ship, we were surprised to find the day had become oppressively hot. It was so cool in the forest and the hills, we hadn't realized how hot it was in town. We were glad to get on the ship. Shortly after we boarded, however, the captain came on the loudspeaker to say there had been a mishap while docking in the morning. A rope had been dropped, and tangled in the propeller. Divers had been working all day to cut it free, but it wasn't finished, and we'd be leaving late. This didn't change much for us, and we had lunch, took a nap, went swimming in the pool, and went dancing before dinner. At dinner, another announcement came on, and the captain told us he had to call in professional divers from Miami, who would be here in the morning, and we would be staying in Dominica a second day. We don't know what this will do to our itinerary. I am confident they'll fix the problem when the pro divers arrive with better equipment. In the meantime, passengers could go ashore tomorrow, and the tour desk would offer limited tours. The four of us were at the dinner table when the announcement came, and as soon as the captain finished, the whole dining room was buzzing. We decided we would welcome a day of rest aboard ship, since we would be coming back here on the return trip, so we plan to stay onboard tomorrow and relax. There's a Caribbean party on the deck tonight, with music, lots of dessert and snacks, so we are going up there.

Voyage up the Amazon to Brazil pt. III: St. Barthelemy

Dr. Romance  writes: Sunday March 29:

This is our second full day at sea, so we're enjoying the ship, and tomorrow we'll be in St. Barthelemy, our first port. We had a lovely day, dancing at night and made plans to meet Ronit, Jacob, and two guys named Richard in the morning for breakfast and to do an independent tour of the island.

Monday, March 30:

St Barthelemy, the Leeward Islands, West Indies.

The day was gorgeous, not too hot, blue, blue sky and even bluer ocean, and there was a fancy yacht in the harbor.

The six of us met for breakfast and proceeded to the tenders and shore. The tender was packed, and we joked about sinking before we reached the island. A ten minute chug to the dock, where we were all greeted by Hutch, the port lecturer, who graciously directed the ship's tour guests to their tours, and talked to us about how to hire a van for an independent tour. We quickly found a van with a driver who spoke pretty good English (main language here is French) and had a lovely hour's drive around the island. I was surprised at how desert-like the island is, much like Southern California, with cactus and scrub trees in the non-landscaped areas. The island, which is hilly like most volcanically-created islands, is dotted with groupings of small, white houses, with colorfully coated tin roofs. in red, blue, yellow and green. These are interspersed with small hotels. No tall buildings here. There are more than 20 lovely beaches, all open to the public. We plan to enjoy one of them on our second stop here, on the way back. Today, we enjoyed the scenic drive, and the good company.

One of the Richards saw a nice villa, perched on top of a steep hill, and said "We could rent this villa and train here" and the other Richard said "Train for what? the Senior Olympics?" Richard responded. "Yes, the Senior Olympics 1k!" and we all had a laugh. Prices here are not a laughing matter. A villa close to the beach can rent for $2,000 a week, and there's a hotel that charges $2,000 per night! This is a hideaway for the rich and for movie stars, but we were told they stay out of the town when a ship is in port. The steep prices keep the island exclusively theirs. Everything has a French flair, and there are very exclusive stores for every famous French couturier. I snapped a picture of a signpost with many arms pointing to Gucci, Chanel, Louis Viton, and Balenciaga. 

My Richard had forgotten his dress socks, and he thought the ones on the ship, at $8 per pair were expensive, but when we looked here it was eye-opening. The first storekeeper we asked just laughed and said, "No one wears socks here" (and it's true -- everyone was in sandals, and many were barefoot.) We did find some men's socks, nothing special, and 31 Euro per pair (about $45) so we decided to try elsewhere. I did find a t-shirt, with St. Barth's spelled out in crystals, that was only $31. What a bargain.

After wandering the winding streets of Gustavia, the town here, we happily got back on the tender, and back to the ship for lunch, a nap, and an early-evening swim and dancing before dinner. A satisfying day.

Cruising the Amazon to the Heart of Brazil, part II

Dr. Romance's travelog: Saturday, March 28 at sea aboard the Pacific Princess:

We woke refreshed, lazed around for a bit and watched a lovely video about the Amazon, narrated by our onboard speaker, whom we are excited to hear later.

Up to the buffet for breakfast, a made-to-order omelet and lots of fresh fruit. Who should we find up there but Ronit and Jacob, so we joined them and continued the great conversation we had going last night. They are really enjoyable companions. After breakfast, I called Ronda, my secretary, at home (cell phones work, but we'll find out what it cost when we get home) to ask her to e-mail me a file that I lost on the stolen laptop. Afterward, we went up to the Internet Cafe to get some help, because we were able to send e-mail, but not receive it. (turned out we needed a special code) Then I had my first go at the tiny pool on deck. which was pretty cool, but not as cold as the hotel pool. It will warm up as we sail. To my delight, the pool is saltwater. There's a very strong wind on the deck, partly from windy conditions, partly from the ship's motion. The rocking is pretty intense, and reminds us what it's like to be on a small ship. After swimming, I got into the hot tub, and guess who's there? Ronit! She's a pretty, blonde woman, probably in her 50s, and there was a man in the hot tub with her, who left as I arrived and said hello. I think he was disappointed to find out she was married.

After the hot tub, I went to the spa to use the showers, which are always better and more spacious than the one in the cabin. But, these were a surprise! There were two tiled showers, one was marked "fog shower" and the other was unmarked, but it had a small curved entryway, like a little hall. At the end was a spacious round shower with showerheads all around. Once I figured out how the plumbing worked, I got to stand in the middle and get deluged with spray from showerheads all about me. This is pure Heaven!

Back to the cabin to change and get Richard for lunch, which was a lovely salad and sandwich buffet. Now we're back in the cabin, settling down for a nap before tonight's big shindig, the formal Captain's Welcome Party.

Later...

What a party! While we were waiting for the doors to open, we went to the casino next door, and played the penny slots, where we won $3.00 Yippee! At the party, the dance band was great, so we got to do our samba in front of all the passengers, we got our new table for four at dinner, with a great waiter, and had a lovely dinner. Then we went to the disco, and had a lot of fun dancing and talking with Ronit and Yacob, two other Richards, and another couple named Patricia and Paul. It was great! We fell into bed, exhausted.