Tortola - Virgin Gorda April 20, 2010

Here I had arranged to meet with Capt Egbert to take us to Virgin Gorda and the Baths. 10 of our new friends asked to join us for the day so we had a full boat. After a 40 minute speed boat ride past many of the smaller islands we landed at SpanishTown VG,BVI. and took an open ait jitney with Maxwell to the Baths. This is a BVI National Park. A beach out of a magazine. Down 150 steps passing iguanas and bougainvilleas to a white powder sanded beach with aqua clear warm water. The distinction here is the large number of immense boulders up to 2 stories high. There is a trail through them where you are aided by ropes and steps which leads to Devil's Bay equally as beguiling. I must say it was breathtaking. we found shade trees and sat together and thought how fortunate we all were. Most of the 50 or so other visitors were from the yachts moored off the beach. they just added to the scenery.

On the way back, as we exited the jitney and prepared to walk back to the speedboat I heard someone calling me from across the lot. Unbelievably it was Mal and Bonnie O'Connor- neighbors from home. Just off a dive boat they just happened to be there the same minute we were and if either of us was delayed just a minute.... Just one of those coincidences in life that make you shake your head.

Barbados April 19, 2010

Our third time here and probably our favorite. We caught a cab to Carlisle Bay away from the ships' crowds. Strictly locals, white talc sand and clear warm water. Even better we were joined by a few sea turtles who swam near us for over an hour. After lunch on the mother ship we went back out to Bridgetown, the capital, where Bert toured the parliament museum and Lisa, the kind 29 yo beautiful ticket person, let me use her laptop to do emails. She was so cool to meet and chat with. She had a Pottery Barn obsession.

Dominica April18 2010

This is our second visit in under 4 months to this lovely island. So different from other Caribbean islands in that agriculture not tourism s the primary means of income. It is 29 by 16 miles and very mountainous with sulphur springs on the southern end and fumaroles. 3500 Carib Indians live on a reservation on the north. We were scheduled to go tubing on the Layou river however it was cancelled due to heavy rains. Instead we rounded up Sabina and Yenyi Wu and Jim and Pat Bruneel for a day trip to the Emerald Pool and an island tour with our guide Henryford. (His real first name) .
The falls are reached by a 15 minute hike through the rain forest. Bert and I climbed down the rocks and into the very cool swirling water. Had to hold onto the roots as the current was so strong and pushing me to the edge of the second waterfall. Our surroundings though were spectacular. A huge grotto on each side of the falls filled with giant ferns and massive-leafed plants. The others left after a few pictures and we had the Emerald pool to ourselves. Heavenly.

Devil's Island, French Guiana April 15, 2010

We've left Brazil and now in French Guiana- technically a department or state of France- so it's merci and si vous plait instead of obrigada and por favor. Infamous Devil's Island is really 3 tiny islands 6 miles off the coast- Iles St Joseph, Ile Royale and Ile du Diable. Ile Royale is the main island 34 acres large and contains the ruins of the well known penal colony. For 100 years until about 60 years ago almost 100,000 poor souls were sent here from France many, many wrongly accused or for offenses that today would get them a slap on the wrist. Just a few degrees above the equator, it was brutally hot and most died from diseases as yellow fever, smallpox, malaria and just cruelty by the guards who themselves did not want to be here either.

Flash forward 60 years and today the islands are tropical paradises covered by palm trees and various flowers. No paved roads, dirt trails leading up to the ruins. There is a small hotel of 8 rooms for 81 euros a night. You come over from the mainland on your yacht. Otherwise it is absolutely peaceful and quiet. We got the first tender. The sea is very choppy with large swells making tendering an adventure. For an hour we had the place to ourselves. We visited the remains of the various cells, children's cemetery, church, hospital, warden's homes.

There was a family of monkeys in the large tree outside the church. The monkeys are not used to seeing people- only a few ships a years stop here and there is virtually no other way to get here. I spent a long time watching them as they scampered to within a few feet. Mothers with babies clinging to their backs, the father protector, young rascals who picked fruit and flung it directly at me. I later saw a large green Amazon parrot who was as intrigued with me as I with him. It poured intermittently making the trails muddy. indeed I had sandals on and upon returning to the ship had trouble washing it off. I thought about those many prisoners here for decades with no way to wash the muck off. So sad. I love a port like this. Combines history with nature and still unspoiled. Good day- The $3 Heineken beer from the hotel terrace just made it better.

Alter do Chao

Our last port in Brazil was the most quaint. Located 20 from Santarem which we visited on the way upriver, the village of maybe 1000 is located on the clear water Rio Tabajos. It fronts beautiful white sand beaches. The little shops are thatched and mostly located around the Praca- plaza. I found an internet in an old hippie hangout, Mae Natureza, guys with dreds,tattoos and Free Tibet signs- very cool. The river was pretty high nearly obliterating what seems to be a lovely sandbar with more thatched restaurants and bars, now partially underwater. the water was blue and, if you squinted you might be in the Caribbean. everyone was charmed by this port. As we had not spent many 'reals' we decided to buy something. Now we are the proud owners of a 40 lb turtle carved in one piece by a tribe further upriver. It functions as a stool and will be a great reminder of our time on the Amazon. Overall my impressions of Brazil was not as favorable due to the problems caused by the authorities and rampant problems with petty theft and crime. The Amazon lived up to its reputation and, though I would probably not return, I loved everyday I had here. As if to underscore my thoughts- I was walking back to the tender dock, looking at the mangroves and white sands and admiring the beauty of the black vultures circling overhead.

Suddenly one broke loose the group and started to swoop directly towards me. I looked at it and it at me. Almost face to face it opened its mouth and regurgitated about 6 ounces of foul smelling stuff which I watched , in slow motion, falling towards my head. Thankfully i stepped sideways and it missed by inches! One woman watching the scene ran over and said in her best British accent- "My dear, you were nearly baptized by a buzzard"!

Parintins, Brazil April 11, 2010

This small city has not much going for it other than it has an annual festival for a week in June called the Boi Bumba. Something about the mythical theft of a bull. 2teams, red and blue compete for the win, staging a lavish parade- costumes, feathers, music. Looks akin to opening ceremonies of the Olympics combined with Mardi Gras. There are few hotels so the riverboats line up and provide accommodations via their hammocks for the 70,000 who come. Folks really get into it.

We walked around for awhile. Sunday- everything closed. Apparently shopkeepers weren't excited by a 1200 passenger cruise ship even if it is a rarity. No matter- we walked in a driving but soft rain to the cathedral for Mass. No evidence there had ever been a service there- weird. We then decided to hire the primary means of transportation in Parintins- a bike cab. Basically 2 people sit in a small cab while a guy pedals you from behind. Hey, it was covered and he seemed nice though not a word of English. Mostly he just kept poking me in the back and pointing to various things. My job was to look interested and smile and nod. The two main sites were the Bumbodrombo -really just a large rickety stadium with red seats on one side and blue on the other. the second site was where a few of last years floats were stored and this was interesting. They were up to 2 stories high- dragons with movable claws, masks, costumes, something reminiscent of the 'Alien' creature. anyway they get 70,000 to go to the festival which is great for the economy. We finished the day with a couple of beers watching riverboats dock and disgorge their many passengers

Manaus day 2- April 10, 2010

After our long day yesterday we were determined to have a quiet unstructured day. Saturday in Manaus was so incredibly busy. Picture NYC on 5th Ave in December on a Saturday. that is how it was. We made our way to the Mercado- market to watch the fish unloaded. Merchants everywhere set up small kiosks, each next to each other selling anything from food to boat supplies to clothes to booze. A short downpour stranded us beneath a portico but we eventually made our way uptown 1/2 mile or 6 blocks to the Teatro Amazonas. the opera house. I remember learning about this when I was in grade school. How tons of granite and marble and great tapestries were brought up the Amazon and assembled for the greatly wealthy rubber plantation owners of 150 years ago. Descriptions do not do it justice. It is just breathtaking. the frescoes on the ceiling, the artistry accorded to the 701 patrons. We took an English language tour with Bruno, a terrific young 20- something man, half Japanese and half Indian. To make things even better, the symphony was rehearsing for the upcoming opera festival next week. Magical! Perfect acoustics. There is also a ballroom with Murano glass chandeliers and parquet flooring for which we wore felt slippers. How did they do this? Unbelievable. you have to imagine how remote this was in the 1800s. Hell, it's remote now!

We stopped outside in the plaza for lunch and visited Sao Joachim Cathedral known for its altar of praying hands- unique. I could have done with another day in Manaus but we left our floating dock at 6PM to begin our journey back down the Amazon, though with 2 more stops to come.

Manaus, Brazil April 9, 2010

Manaus is our ultimate destination. We've come 1000 miles up river to the giant city. You can't believe that this place has nearly 2 million people. Once a center of the rubber trade, now a big port exporting forest products and wood. There are container ships galore as well as the ubiquitous riverboats. They have become such a part of the scene to me now. Tomorrow we will visit the city with the famous opera house but today is our highlight.

I again hired a guide to take us upriver to swim with the pink dolphins called botos. Manaus is situated at the confluence of the Solimoes river (white from Peru) and the Rio Negro (black water- tannin- from Colombia). There is a long meeting of the waters for 11 miles.

We went up the Rio Negro for 80 km with Matthias Raymond. I found him through a google search a month ago.I got 3 other couples to join and had so many requests that I filled a second day for him as we are in port overnight. Even then I has people begging me to add them as the ship does not offer a tour like this. I was kind of nervous as I felt responsible. No worries though. Rodolpho, who I corresponded with initially, met us at the dock and introduced us to Matthias . He grew up in the jungle for 12 years and is now a jungle survival teacher and guise saving to net a degree as a naturalist and then write a book. His English was excellent. We took off in a speedboat at full throttle past the city, under the bridge that is eventually going to cross the Negro-someday- things go slowly in Brazil- been years already.

The river is very wide- over a mile. Unfortunately we hit a severe thunder and lightning storm with very heavy rain. The boat had a flat canopy with side flaps which we lowered. After 2 hours we rode out of the storm, though ,as there was residual thunder, we headed first to lunch with an indigenous family. The family consisted of a husband and wife, 2 children - 3yo girl and 9yo boy- and another couple. They supplement their small income hosting the occasional group as us. We were served chicken, fish, rice and macaroni as well as manioc, mango juice and cucumber. they were shy but nice. Matthias explained about their plants and uses. Acer palms for the berries, cassava roots for the manioc,etc. Cara cara birds flying about. They had a refrigerator,a stove and even a TV but no money to pay for the electricity so not used. There is a power supply out here but kind of useless. We bought some beads from them and one of the couples bought a mask and blow gun- yes they use them to kill monkeys. We then made our way to the dolphin station.

The pink dolphins live throughout the amazon. they are up to 5-6 feet and about 350 lbs. Some are all pink though many have some gray. Their snouts are very narrow and they have sharp teeth, also no dorsal fin. The woman who runs this station- the only one in the country- has a floating platform extending into the river from a good sized hut with a deck. Six of us got down unto the platform which made us waist deep in the water. Her son , Erico, then grabbed a pail of fish and slipped into the water calling the nearby wild botos. the know the drill and began to swim over. Because the Negro is black, you almost cannot see them until they are upon you so they startled us. Erico held the fish underwater to tempt them and then raised his arm over his head to get better pictures as they jumped up for the fish. After 15 minutes we were all comfortable touching them. We then jumped all the way into the river- no idea how deep- and for the next hour we played with the dolphins. The bumped into us and let us feel them. They leaped up for the fish. They swam between us and under us and even between our legs. I had never tread fresh water for an hour before but it passed like seconds. Unforgettable experience. we were absolutely delighted- laughing and joking. Matthias took pictures as did the 2 persons who did not go into the water.

We reluctantly left the Negro which is incredibly clean even though the water is so black, and continued back towards Manaus. Just before reaching the city we stopped at an Indian reservation where a small group of Dessana Indians performed many of their dances for us. we then walked through the village. they have been relocated here from the outer reaches of the jungle so the government can provide better services for them. Even so they live quite primitively in a group of 120 or so. There is some electricity and 1 phone attached nearby to a loudspeaker. whoever answers the phone goes on the loudspeaker to call for the recipient. Everywhere we walked we were watched by a flock of black vultures ominously glaring down at us from their perches in the trees.

We had a great day especially after the weather cleared. It seemed so odd to leave the jungle and within 2 hours be back in such a large city as Manaus.

Boca Valeria April 8, 2010

Boca Valeria is a very small village- perhaps a dozen huts and 100 people. They have a 1 room school - a hut with 2 blackboards, 15 old wooden deskchairs and a globe. The church is a little more substantial. Everything is built on stilts for the rising waters. as they are directly on the river about 10 cruiseships a years visit to give passengers a taste of a small village. The villagers who are indigenous people respond with their own entrepreneurship by selling handicrafts, offering boat rides in small canoes with engines and dressing themselves and their children in feather costumes for a picture. "One dollar please" They also carry a jungle pet for pictures. again a dollar. we saw toucans, a capybara- giant rodent, marmosets, a spider monkey, parrots and sloth. Took a boat ride up the Valeria river to another village. Fun. Saw the giant water lilies- Victoria Regiana, 3 feet across! Donated supplies for the school as did other passengers to help out. HAL brought 50 kids on board for a tour and lunch. There is too much begging but a good day nonetheless.

Santarem continued

We met Alec's family and saw his home. The river is high now and rising until June- sometimes 50 feet. Therefore the caboclos - traditional forest dwellers of Amerindian and Portuguese descent - must abandon their houses and move to higher ground or just live in the hammocks. No one has a bed. The small animals live with them. The livestock such as horses and Brahman cattle and the larger pigs are moved on a barge. The huts are simple, outdoor fire, no electricity, bathe in river. Diet is local berries, tapioca and, of course, fish. We saw several fishermen in their dugout canoes catch piranha and many other species.
In the canoe we paddled into the flooded forest. It was, in a word, awesome.. Basically we were floating just below the canopy up close and personal to the monkeys, sloths and birds. Perfectly silent except for the noisy calls of alarm from the various species. Alec used a machete to cut a slice in a rubber tree and we each felt the white "bleed" latex sap running from it. Rubber was "king" here for 50 years until an enterprising Englishman stole 70,000 seeds- they are the size of walnuts- and brought them to Malaysia where they grew so much easier than here.
We spent hours wandering in the canoe throughout the forest. Fascinating- another "lifetime experience". Towards the end, Paolo spotted a sloth near us and Alec climbed up the tree to get her. He carried her down for us to meet. She was pregnant and so sweet-looking. Many of the jungle children keep sloths as pets. The eat leaves , sleep 20 hours a day and move so slowly it is comical to watch. they are, however, excellent swimmers which seems at odds with their phlegmatic natures.
We transferred back to the Genesis 2, pictured above and eenjoyed a caparinha made by the crew. It is a mixture of lime juice and cachaca. Cachaca is the local moonshine made from sugar cane. It is so good I bought a bottle and a bag of limes as soon as we got back to shore.
We ended our day with a short walk through downtown Santarem and then a 3 mile walk back to the Veendam. Along the way we passed many dozens of riverboats tied to the shore. They are all open-sided. Passengers use the river as the highway since there are virtually no roads. Trips go for days. Everybody brings their own hammock and they tie them up next to each other. Have to get there early to get a good spot- not next to the toilet. Very, very colorful. The hammocks not the toilets.
We also passed the fish market. Never saw fish like these! Such a great day. I was sorry to say goodbye to Paolo. He is a great guide. Gave the me the kiss- kiss -like Javier in Mendoza Argentina- I like these South American men- A great, great day!

Santarem

This is the boat we used to explore the area around Santarem. There are thousands of these boats of varying sizes up and down the river. People just attach their hammocks on the open decks. We sat on the top deck observing the wildlife as we sipped caparinhas. Ah! The life