Today wasn't a total loss. At least Captain Rens was able to stop the ship within four miles of The Salvation Islands and Devil's Island and do a 360 degree turn for all of us to see the islands we were missing today. We were close enough to get some photos of these tiny islands as well as the coastline of French Guiana. The complete turn of the ship took no more than 20 minutes, then we were on our way towards the next port of Belem, Brazil.
At breakfast we had been discussing the need for the yellow fever vaccination, which was a specific requirement for entering Devil's Island. These days, one vaccination is considered good life. Many of us have repeated the shot every 10 years, so we are well covered in that area. There was a "grey" area where some of us were unable to get re-vaccinated due to health issues. In that case, we used to be asked for a doctor's note explaining that. Well, it wasn't that easy. One of us had to go that route, but getting the "letter" required an appointment with a pharmacist who gave the letter with an official stamp on it. Without that stamp, a doctor's letter was useless. And it wasn't free. Anyway, as it turned out, all of the worry was eliminated when the port was cancelled. And we do not see on the itinerary where any other port requires the yellow fever vaccination. Years ago, we had to produce the CDC pamphlet we carry with the vaccines listed and stamped for Brazil and some other connecting South America countries. Not sure this is still in effect when traveling overland on overnight trips.
And guess what the refund on the port tax was? A whopping $2.13 per person. Wow….
A whole new itinerary had to be created for our day at sea now. It included the usual suspects as well as a fun scavenger hunt and last minute unplanned lectures. We kept busy doing online work and writing and taking some time to do laps around the promenade deck. Well, at least one of us did that. The skies had been mostly blue when we arrived to the Salvation Islands, but soon turned cloudy with rain showers off and on most of the day. Every time we went to sit on our veranda, the showers began. At one point after leaving Devil's Island, we spotted a large fish like a dolphin or bigger jumping high and crashing. But only one. Later in, we saw flocks of terns above the water. Then all we saw was rain.
The situation with the inoperative exhaust fan is still ongoing. We had two phone calls from Kumar and a visit from the plumber who came to check the damp carpet. Obviously the broken fan in the bathroom is not in our room, but elsewhere. The air-conditioning team has not been able to locate the problem yet. They will be digging deeper tomorrow…..we hope.
Captain Rens came on with his noon talk and gave the updates on the weather and seas. The ship is doing 13 knots, and the next port of Belem is 553 nautical miles away. The temperature was 81 degrees, and the winds were 14 knots. We still have some motion with the ship with sea swells at 3 feet. The depth of the water is shallow at 105 feet, and tomorrow's weather will be much the same. We expect partly cloudy skies and more rain showers.
Lunch was room service mini burger sliders, which have been consistently good. It works for us ordering from the kids menu to keep portions nice and small.
Currently there is an Oi Brasil cultural ambassador team teaching Samba, Latin aerobics, Brazilian martial arts dance, capoeira, and partner dance. We saw one class happening in the Crow's Nest at 5pm yesterday, and they were learning a wild and crazy dance. Two NFL football games were televised for the folks to watch too.
Dinner was good with some nice choices of wedge salads, and more Latin-type appetizers like chicken tikka kebabs. Mains were one barbacoa (BBQ) slices of beef and rigatoni with chicken meatballs. Desserts were a panna cotta and a plate of fresh-sliced melon. The Pinnacle Grill turned into Morimoto by Sea this evening which features fresh fish, sake, and more.
This evening's entertainment was provided by two lady instrumentalists titled "Gold Strings Duo". They promised classical and contemporary violin tunes.
Looking forward to another lazy day at sea.
Bill & Mary Ann
