February 28, 2012 – Day 55 – Santarem, Brazil, cont.
We arrived on time to find another cruise ship, Aida Vita, at the pier. We had to anchor out a way, and use our tenders to get ashore. First the local authorities had to clear the ship for entry. Although we are still in Brazil, we are in a new state. Each state has its own entry procedures. Usually it goes very smoothly and quickly. But not here. We waited and waited and waited. Finally they came and we were allowed ashore.
We had a tour scheduled for 12:30. Due to the delay it left at 1:30. We are off to see the highlights of Santarem. But first the tender ride. The ride across the current to the pier was not bad. We were one of the earliest tenders to arrive and there was a riverboat tied up at the normal landing spot. Our “abnormal” landing spot required a big stretch up from the tender to the pier above. Some passengers ended up putting a knee on the dock because they could not raise their foot that high. Others were "hoisted"out of the tender. The grumbling subsided, and we headed to the tour bus.
The bus was a local transit bus without air conditioning. With windows opened wide the flow of air made it tolerable until the rain came. Fortunately that was light, and did not seem to bother anyone.
We visited a church, the lookout over the meeting of the waters to see fresh water meet the muddy Amazon, and a small museum. All were nice, but the best was yet to come. We drove ½ hour out of town to a site that had rubber trees and a plant that yielded a kind of flour and tapioca. We got to see how the rubber trees were tapped in old times, and how flour and tapioca were made from the root of the plant. This was informative and enjoyable. We got back to the pier ½ hour before our scheduled last tender. We were in the normal boarding place, and all went smoothly. Back on board we learned that because of the delay in clearing-in, we would be leaving later. We could have stayed ashore a bit longer, and done more for the local economy. Maybe next time.
A local folkloric group was brought aboard for the evening entertainment. They were outstanding. Their energy and gyrations were incredible. One dancer in particular drew everyone’s attention. After the show Anne said that she did not think the guys would ever get their eyeballs back in their heads. Guess that is why my left eye is still blurry. What fun.
February 29, 2012 – Day 56 – Boca Da Valeria, Brazil
We arrived in Boca Da Valeria this morning in a pouring rain, By the end of breakfast at 9:30 the rain had stopped, but many folks were deciding to stay onboard. This is a very primitive small town, and they did not want to ruin their shoes. We opted to run the risk. We sure are glad we did.
Frank, our port lecturer, had warned us that, when we got off of the tender, there would be many young children eager to grab our hands and walk with us. This sounds good, but the problem is, they expect to be paid for this. We managed to run the gauntlet without becoming attached. We were saving our dollars for other photo ops, which were to be many.
This town is built on stilts to avoid the floods that come in June and July every year. The water was already higher than normal for this time of year. We started our tour at the church where we climbed up the high steps to see a small room with no pews. It did have a box for the expected donations. We played our part.
Next, was a walk along the only path in town. There are no streets. Transportation is by flat-bottomed boat on the river. We passed several youngsters in native garb, feathered headdresses, and costumes. Some of these we photographed to the smiles of the cash recipients. Other children offered a chance to photograph them with their sloths. These cute, docile animals clung to the kids and posed for all comers.
At the end of the path was a house, open for visiting. This was a modest building, but the nicest in this part of the town. There was a large gathering room, a kitchen/eating area, and a bedroom. The “bathroom” was outside near the barbecue grill. In the bedroom were a double bed, a hammock, a television set, and, on the floor, a long shaft motor for the owner’s boat. In the kitchen were a refrigerator, a propane stove/oven, and a washer. Pots and pans were stored along one wall with a table along another. There were three large windows (openings without glass) facing different water views. Two were toward the Amazon. The third faced the local river. These large openings provided marvelous views. On the table was a donation box labeled “Donations Four House.” We obliged, and hoped others did as well. The elderly owner of the house nodded his appreciation as we left.
On the way out of the house I was looking for the generator that provided power for the electric appliances. To my surprise I located a pole with electric wires and a street light on it. These were throughout the town. We never learned the source for this electricity.
As we returned to the tender pier, a floating raft provided by the people, we decided to take one of the boat rides being offered for $5 per person. A man led us to his boat and we climbed in, as it wobbled under us. This was definitely not a Holland America approved tour, but it was so much better than many they offered elsewhere. We were taken to an area where huge lily pads grew. Some were blossoming. Our guide killed the motor, and paddled us into the pads and out again. He motored up the river through trees and vines and into a large bay. There were more houses back here. On one shore was a home with 3 riverboats pulled ashore. The man was replacing worn boards in the hulls of these. He had a workshop, separate from the house, with a saw, and wood drying racks. Gauging by the sawdust piles he has been doing this for some time.
An hour after we started out we returned to the dock. What a fabulous experience. Not only the boat ride, but the town as well.
Back on the Prinsendam the captain described this stop as something out of National Geographic. It could not be better said.
March 1, 2012 – Day 57 – Manaus, Brazil
We have reached the end of the Amazon. We are approximately 980 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. This is a city of 2 million people that is reached by river. The river buses, as they are called, are lined up all along the waterfront near downtown. These boats provide the only means of access to countless cities and villages along the rivers.
45 minutes before we docked, we passed the great meeting of the waters. This is where the Rio Solimoes meets the Rio Negro. It is the Rio Solimoes that carries the clay silt that causes the Amazon to appear so muddy. The Rio Negro is clear with a high content of tannic acid, which makes it appear black. The Rio Negro meets the Solimoes where the Solimoes is very wide, which creates a very distinct demarcation between the two rivers. They flow side by side, as the beginning of the Amazon, for 3 to 5 kilometers before the mixing of the two is complete, and the Amazon continues to the sea, fast and muddy.
Today we have a private tour booked through one of the ladies on Cruise Critic. She did the research, and posted the details on the internet bulletin board. This tour mirrored one offered by the ship at about 2/3 the cost. Since it was offered on the first day of our 2-day stay, we decided to try it. The concern with independent tours is that, if they fail to get you back in time, the ship will leave without you.
What a good choice this was. We gathered onboard and left the ship as a group. Our guide met us at the gangway. He had a shuttle to transport us to the boat dock a few minutes away.
Our group was 16 people. Our boat could carry 28 people. It was covered, and had roll down clear plastic sides. If it rained we would remain dry with a view. Shortly after we set out, the rain did start, but it was light and we left the sides up.
Our first destination was the meeting of the waters. Seeing it from a small boat, down close to the surface, was stunning. Pools of muddy water tried to join the Rio Negro, but just kept “bouncing” off of it. This left pools of muddy water surrounded by clear water at the edge of the Rio Negro. Awesome. As we cruised along this line for a while some saw the elusive pink dolphins swimming nearby. Alice and I did not see them, but we know that both pink and gray fresh water dolphins like to frolic here.
Then, we were off to visit a floating village. This consisted of houses built on very large diameter logs and tethered to the shore. This enables them to survive the flood times because they simply rise with the water.
I noticed satellite dishes and televisions. Herman, our guide, said that the state had carried out a project to bring electricity to the entire area. All these people had to pay for was the electricity. They pay no taxes because they do not live on land. There were stores, restaurants, bars, clinics schools, and churches. All the essential services were provided. This community went on and on along the Rio Solimoes, and up some canals radiating from it.
We rode on some of these canals, cut into the jungle, on our way to lunch. Herman said that in September, the dry season, the canals would become muddy trails, which are not navigable, and the houses would settle on the bottom. As we cruised, Herman pointed out flowers and birds. Then we stopped because he had spotted a sloth in a tree. It reacted to our presence by very slowly climbing higher in the tree. Now we understood how the kids in Boca Da Valeria got their sloths.
Farther on he spotted a squirrel monkey moving from tree to tree. We stopped again, and discovered that there were several monkeys moving deeper into the jungle. He pointed out farms and places that raised cows chickens and ducks. Fishing is another source of income.
We stopped for lunch at a floating restaurant. Adjacent to it was a craft shop that someone said had good items at low prices. I don’t know where she had been shopping, but the prices were higher than what most of us had seen elsewhere. The selection was not the greatest either.
The restaurant, on the other hand, was quite good and included in the tour. It served a buffet with several kinds of meat and fish, all nicely prepared. There was a good selection of vegetables and salads as well. While we were eating, a local fisherman came in with a catch of Peacock Bass. The owner purchased all he had. We learned on our tour in Santarem that Peacock Bass are delicious. They get their name because they have a blue dot on each side of their tails that looks just like their eyes. This confuses their prey, and lets them live to grow to a good size.
After eating we walked an elevated trail to Lake January, where we saw the large lily pads again. The water here was still, and I became lunch for several mosquitoes, despite my Diet. The walkway was about 10 feet above the water, and very rickety, definitely not Holland America approved, but certainly adequate. We did not lose a soul.
Back at the restaurant we engaged in Piranha fishing. They are bottom feeders, so we kept our lines deep in the water off the pier. It was slow going until Linda caught a good-sized catfish. It had the longest whiskers of any fish I have ever seen. This is typical for them here. Shortly after, I caught the smallest catfish that could take my bait. Then Linda caught another good-sized catfish. At last Kiko, our boat captain, caught a Piranha. It was small, but displayed sharp teeth and pretty coloring. It was rather like a bluegill with an attitude.
We were off to the canals again. As we moved along, Herman pointed out a tree with white bark and sloth in it. This is the favorite tree of the sloth. As we started looking for more of them, I asked if the dark base of the trunks marked the high water. Herman said it did. This level was about 15 feet above our heads. He went on to say that the river is already well above its normal level for this time of year. They are fearful that high water in June and July will surpass the highest they have had to date. This would mean that water would flow into the city of Manaus itself.
We returned to the city at 3:30 after 5 hours of touring. Since Herman had quoted a 6-hour tour, he offered to take us to the Opera House. 9 of us chose to do that. It was quite a walk. When we got there, it was just before 4 o’clock. He went inside to check the schedule for the guided tours. He came back to tell us that the next tour was 40 minutes later, but if we did not need to know every detail, he could take us through. All we had to do was give him the admission money, and he would get us in. For 10 reals apiece he went off to buy our tickets. Then he led us to the head of the line for immediate entry, and took us inside the performance hall. It dates from 1862 with ornate decoration, a main floor and 3 floors of balconies with boxes, and ironwork for the balconies tht is beautiful. The opera house is still in use, and they were setting up for a festival as we passed through.
Upon leaving the opera house, Herman led us back to the ship. It was 5:30. We thanked him for a great time. He gave us his card. If you ever plan a trip to Manaus, we can direct you to a great guide.
Alice and I thanked Linda for putting together a fine tour. We went to our cabin, showered, changed, and headed to the dining room. We were late, but our waiters took good care of us. We did not miss a bite!
March 2, 2012 – Day 58 – Manaus, Brazil, cont.
Today, in beautiful sunshine, we struck out on our own, again. We headed to the cathedral. On our way we passed down a street that was lined with bus stops the whole block. We think every bus route in the city must pass through here. Another nice cathedral, but we had more to see.
Outside the cathedral was a nice park. We strolled through it on our way to the shopping street. As we walked along the street, we found a C & A store that Frank had said was worth a visit. It was a lot of clothes and shoes. We got out in a hurry and started exploring the stalls and shops along the street. The stalls have canvas tops and sides along with electricity. At the end of the day, the canvas is brought around and a chain with a padlock is affixed to close it up. Everything under the sun is sold in these stalls. The shops were primarily clothes and shoes. They sell some very interesting shoes.
After going almost all the way to the opera house we decided to head for the Mercado, the local people’s market. We moved off of this main drag a few blocks into the local shopping district. We then turned toward the market using our local distorted map. Turns out we were going in the wrong direction, but this led us to a charming little park. It had nice statuary and pretty fountains.
Across the street was a high school that was just letting out. The uniforms were grey and white. We followed some students through the park, and noticed they were entering a building across the street. We hung out in the park awhile, admiring the statues and the gazebo. I mentioned to Alice that the clouds were darkening in the west and we should probably think about where we wanted to be when the rain started, as we had no rain gear with us.
Finished in the park we crossed to the building the kids had gone into. It turned out to be the Provincial Palace. We went inside where we were met by a young man named Ney. He explained that this building was the original police headquarters. It was restored from 2004 to 2009 along with the park we had just visited. It now housed 5 museums. He took us to the first of these, and explained that it was a museum for the restoration of the building. We could look through it at our leisure, and when finished, he would meet us in the hall and take us to the next museum. We did a thorough job of inspecting things here. The restoration had been documented with plans and photos of the progress. They took us from inception to completion, very nicely done.
In the hallway Ney led us to what turned out to be the art museum. Another guide, a young lady, took over. The art included some international masters as well as an extensive collection of Brazilian artists. It was very interesting to see and to share their pride. The young lady directed us upstairs.
Here there were 3 museums, statuary, police history and coins. We first did the statuary, then we moved on to the police history. We saw uniforms, various headquarters, weapons flags and badges.
When we came out of this room it was pouring outside. We certainly “planned” this well. We gave coins short shrift, but were surprised to find selections from around the world with a large selection from China.
Downstairs we decided to get a drink in the coffee shop, while waiting for the rain to stop. Afterwards I met Ney, and asked him how to get to the Mercado. He said he would be working at the front door when we left, and he would show us how to get there. We asked about his very good English. He went to private school after high school to learn English, but improved it by listening to music and movies. This is a common theme that seems to work well. He also practices English on the Internet, when he emails some tourists he met from Germany and Switzerland.
We looked Ney up as we left the building. He had drawn a map showing us how to get to the Mercado. We thanked him for his kindness, and I gave him our card. I invited him to email us if he would like to. We are anxious to see what comes of this.
Following his directions, they took us to a pedestrian mall with all sorts of things available. But no caskets were to be found. As we moved along we were given a big hello by a fellow going the other direction. It was Herman, our guide from yesterday. What are the odds of that happening? We talked a bit, and then asked him how to get to the Mercado. His directions were the same as Ney’s, and we were almost there.
On we went, and soon we found it. It is an old Iron building, currently being restored. So all of the vendors are working from stalls along the sidewalk. Ney had told us this would be the case, but we wanted to experience it. As we approached we could see the Prinsendam. We knew we could explore some more, and still be back before 3:30 all aboard.
We followed the line of vendors down to the river. Wow! There in front of us were the docks for the river buses. We could easily count 25 boats of varying sizes, but all with at least 2 decks. Now we were getting up close and personal with the river bus system. Passengers were boarding some boats with what seemed like all of their belongings. This included many suitcases and boxes, even a television and, of course, their hammocks. All of their “luggage” was stowed on the floor beneath the hammock.
Produce galore was moving on and off of boats. Some was fresh product coming to market. Some was fresh product, purchased in the market, going to other towns. The activity level was amazing. One of the piers had stalls along it for buying hammocks, food etc. The very first stall on this pier was a barbershop. For 8 reals ($5) you could get your hair cut before boarding. The barber was busy.
We kept walking along the waterfront past pier after pier. Our goal was to get past the boats to a point where we could see the Favela, slum, across the inlet. Again the land with the greatest view was the slum. Unbelievable!
We were so glad we walked that far because across the street was the produce market. Watermelons, bananas and pineapples were piled high. Other things were in aisles behind these. Buying and selling was taking place. Trucks were being loaded, ice being sold, etc.
We were headed back now on the side of the street opposite the water. After some small shops we came to a large building that was open to the street. Inside was the people’s market. Numerous stalls sold vegetables of every kind. Others sold meat or fish. We watched fresh fish being dumped onto a table in one stall. Immediately, the man started scaling and filleting the fish. Someone was already buying it. We watched butchers cut up sides of beef. We could not get enough of this, but the clock was ticking.
We walked back to the terminal, and caught the shuttle back to the ship. It was 3:15 when we boarded. We had 15 minutes to spare, but this was closer than we care to cut it. There were still 59 people to come aboard. Most of them were on a tour. They ere safe if they returned late.
Our enthusiasm at dinner was obvious, but I think the others are starting to find us a bit incredulous. We can’t help it, if we have so much fun exploring on our own.
March 3, 2012 – Day 59 – Parintins, Brazil
We had cruised past Parintins on our way up river to Manaus. Now we were in the anchorage. This is a small city of 150,000. Its claim to fame is the Boi Bumba festival held in June every year. We went to a performance, featuring some of the dances and costumes of this festival, at noon today. In the meantime we went ashore at 10 and visited the craft booths. The goods here are far nicer than any others we have seen in Brazil. The prices are much better as well.
After a cursory viewing of the crafts we met a couple that strongly recommended the Pedi cab ride around town. They had just gotten off of one, and said for $10 for both of them they had an excellent tour. The driver even waited for them at sights while they took pictures. Their driver was right there with 3 others hustling our business. We went with him. He took us to the dominant sights in town and then some. We saw the cathedral and the cemetery behind it. Then he took us to the stadium where the Boi Bumba is held. It seats 35,000 people. From there, he took us to a park that has sculpted panels of various landmarks and famous people of the city. Next was an outdoor theater that was preparing for an event later in the day. A lot of locals were inside watching the preparations. General admission tickets were $12.50 while reserved tickets were $31.00. There were lines at the box office. Our driver did not speak English, so he could not explain what the event was.
We were, then, driven back to the port area. I gave the driver $10 and he protested that it was $10 each or $20. I argued that our friends paid $10 for 2 so then he started pointing at his watch indicating our tour was longer. We had seen the same places Mary and Ed had told us they went to. I told him $10 was all I had and we walked away. He did not follow. Nice try, but it cost him the tip I had planned to give him. I remember Sean’s days driving the Pedi cab in Baltimore, and know tips are important compensation.
We went back to the crafts to buy a bead necklace, that we had liked earlier, for Alice. I had argued that we should have bought it,when we first saw it. It was still there, to my surprise. The vendor took $7 and the 9 reals that I had left. This was just $10.50. He had started at $13, but was willing to take my last paper money.
It was 11:30 and our Boi Bumba performance was not until noon, but passengers were already lining up for it. We got in line. Alice saw another couple that rode the Pedi cab, and they confirmed the going rate was $10 per couple. At least we had not cheated the guy. The line started moving. We were inside by 11:45.
The show started promptly at noon. We enjoyed it, then we returned to the tender in a gentle rain that did not spoil our last stop on The Amazon.
March 4, 2012 – Day 60 – Sea Day
This is to be another quiet day at sea. I am catching up on this blog, and Alice is busy bringing her journal up to date.
The first event of the day was a Mongolian Buffet for lunch. We got to pick our own raw ingredients from a buffet table. Then we took them to the chefs, who stir-fried them for us. This was excellent.
At 2 PM we had the Grand King Neptune ceremony for the crossing of the equator, which we did three times. The ceremony was called the Grand King Neptune because this is a Grand Voyage. They did make it more special than the last one we experienced. It was fun to see the crew and officers get so into it.
Time to get dressed for dinner.
Just came back from the worst entertainment we have ever experienced on a cruise ship, or anywhere for that matter. This comedian was so bad we were cringing,and feeling sorry for him. I kept thinking/hoping he might spare himself, and us, by closing early. But no, he stayed on for his full 45 minutes, and even came back for a second show.
Tomorrow is a sea day, so until next time, this really is GRAND.
