We are sailing in a very unique part of the world, where the muddy brown waters of the Amazon River meet the clear blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The actual mouth of the Amazon measures in the hundreds of miles, and the flow of the river extends for as many miles out to sea as well. Today we began crossing the Amazon Bar, the shallowest area before entering the mighty Amazon River. Captain Frank advised everyone to lash everything down in our rooms and also be careful walking around the ship and using the stairwells. And for that reason, our room attendants had already brought in the chair and lounge pads on the veranda last night. With normal rainfall, these conditions are to be expected, but as it turned out, none of turbulence, winds, or currents produced a problem with our navigation. The only thing we noticed was that the aqua-blue waters of the Atlantic slowly turned to a muddy caramel color as it mixed with the river water. We can expect this for the next 8 days or until we leave the river in a week or so.
The ship is now headed for a service stop at Macapa, Brazil at the beginning of the river. It is there that we pick up an experienced river pilot and some Brazilian officials. The stop is scheduled from 6 to 11 am, then we will be on our way to the first port of Alter do Chao the following day. For the last couple of months, we were not sure that this vessel would be able to transit the river due to low water levels and an abnormal amount of rainfall. Several cruise lines cancelled their sailings, so we figured that might happen to us too. Nothing worse than being stuck on a sandbar, as Captain Frank knows. Obviously, conditions are better than predicted, and the Captain is going to make it a successful sailing.
To insure that we can safely make it up the river, we have been asked to reduce our freshwater usage in regards to bathroom facilities. In other words, use only the minimal amount of water that we each need daily. We have been asked to reduce the amount of laundry we turn in for this upcoming week. With the reduction of waste water, it should help keeping the ship's draft as shallow as possible. In addition, they hope not to have to take on local fresh water for the health and safety of all onboard. This was the same message we received back in the 90's while sailing on the Pacific Princess up the Amazon. So nothing has drastically changed over the years.
Highlights of today were the port talk on Manaus, Parintins, and Santarem and a cooking demo with executive chef Neil. We had an invite to a complimentary regional wine tasting just for our small group of President's Club members. If we drank wine, and were interested in purchasing one of their packages, we would have attended. It was held at 1pm in the upper dining room. It is always nice to be asked, even if we do not always attend these affairs.
Another announcement was made regarding wooden souvenirs that we all like to collect in these exotic places like the Amazon. All wood carvings bought in Brazil will be collected at the gangway and kept in a freezer for 24 hours. This prevents unwanted pests from damaging your items and also entering the vessel. The use of insect repellant was also advised when going ashore. When traveling in this part of the world, we always take an anti-malarial prescription from our doctor, which we began today. One of us takes a pill for seven days, while the other has a 21 day series. Truthfully, in all of the times we have visited here, we have never seen a mosquito. There are always interesting moths and other non-biting bugs, but never mosquitos. Best to use the spray and forget about it.
There is a Brazil team onboard helping with arts and crafts projects, lecturing on discovering Brazil and legends and myths surrounding the country and teaching ballroom dancing the Brazilian way. At 4pm, there was a class that taught the skills of Capoeira – a form of coordination, rhythm, and self-defense skills. The traditional way resembled martial arts and created by the slaves 400 years ago. It was banned back then, but re-appeared as a kind of dance. We have witnessed this display and can compare it to watching fighting chickens with lots of powerful kicks and blows.
Dinner was good tonight with a few new items on the menu. We both ordered the beef tataki appetizer, one spinach and mushroom salad, and a mozzarella/tomato salad. Mains were thick and juicy rack of lamb and a veal piccata with risotto. Both were served piping hot. Dessert was a shared tres leche pudding tasting like intense vanilla.
The entertainer this evening was a repeat performance of Camila Andrade, an international vocalist. We believe she was well-received with her first show. One can also find entertainment in the Explorer's Lounge and the Rolling Stones Lounge. The Ocean Bar and Billboard Onboard also had music venues, although we have seen few folks attending after the late seating.
Bill & Mary Ann
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