Penguins and People: Life on the Falkland Islands

Our days at sea continue to be packed with special events.  In Buenos Aires three new Explorations Speakers joined the ship, one geographer, one geologist, and one naturalist who have been telling us about life in South America and Antarctica.  The geologist in particular made us think of Steve Miller, Lincoln-Way East Science Department Chair because of his similar interests.  The geologist gave a very informative talk on plate tectonics and how all the continents began to drift apart during the late Jurassic period.  We were interested in his references to Iceland, especially after having experienced crossing the place where the North American and Eurasian plates met last summer.  And we were pleasantly surprised to find that a new guest chef had boarded in Buenos Aires – Meg Galus, originally from DeKalb, IL, and an award-winning pastry chef from the Park Hyatt in Chicago! 

As both the captain and the cruise director told us, being able to visit the Falklands is extremely iffy.  Many of the people on the ship, experienced cruisers who have made multiple trips to the Falklands, were still hoping to make their first actual landing in the Falklands.  The weather had been beautiful the day before we were scheduled to arrive, but during the night we awakened to the sound of the ship’s foghorn, which gave its doleful blast every two minutes.  When we got up early to prepare for our shore excursion, we could barely make out the difference between sea and sky and fog.  However, as we were arriving, it seemed as if a curtain was drawn across the harbor and the sun broke through.  The seas were calm and we were thrilled to realize that we would be part of the lucky 50% who actually get to land in this remote area of the world.

The Falklands became known to the rest of the world back in 1982 when the Argentines invaded and Britain immediately responded. The war lasted only 75 days, and Argentina was soundly defeated.  The vast majority of the inhabitants are of British descent. The capital of the Falklands, Stanley, is named for Edward Smith-Stanley, the 14^th Earl of Derby and was settled by the British the first half of the 19^th Century.  Before the opening of the Panama Canal Stanley was used as a last stop before ships weathered the trip around Cape Horn, and it was also a stop for whalers on their way to Antarctica.  Stanley boasts the southernmost cathedral on the planet; easily identifiable by its blue whale jawbone arch on its front lawn. 

Pam was scheduled to do an excursion to the Bluff Cove Farm & Penguin Rookery.  The excursion we took was not recommended for those who had back, hip, or neck problems so she decided to avoid it.  Al, Chuck, and I were on a full-day excursion called Majestic Penguins Volunteer Point. 

We had assumed that we would take a bus part way and then would take the last part of the journey in four-wheel drive vehicles, but we were immediately assigned to a land-rover type vehicle.  It would be a trip of 50 miles one way to reach Volunteer Point so our driver suggested that we avail ourselves of the facilities before leaving Stanley.  Good idea as the trip was quite an experience! 

We traveled the first 40 miles over semi-paved or dirt roads, which we thought were pretty rough terrain, but that was mild compared to the last 10 miles.  We enjoyed looking at the rugged terrain.  The scenery reminded us somewhat of northern Scotland.  The land was pretty barren with lots of outcrops of rocks and little vegetation.  What plant life we did see was low to the ground – no trees at all, but they had a kind of white grass, a balsam bog, and a kind of round green plant with the delightful name of diddle-dee that produces little red berries which can be used to make jam. 

The Falklands boast a lot of sheep and sheep farming, but we didn’t see very many.  Our guide, Tara, explained that this was because there was so much grazing area that the sheep are spread out all over the place.

After hearing Tara describe life on the Falklands, we decided that it definitely wasn’t for us!  Her parents own a very large farm about 30 miles or so out of Stanley.  Back when she was growing up, there were no paved roads, so until she was 9 she was home schooled.   The teacher called her each day and went over lessons and gave her assignments to do.  Once in awhile the teacher would actually come to call and she would have face-to-face lessons.  When she turned 9, she was sent to boarding school in Stanley and would only go home on weekends.   Now however, they utilize more technological ways to keep in touch with students so they don’t move into town until they are 11 years old. 

Another big issue is medical care. The island has four doctors and one hospital with about 28 beds.  If the care needed for the patient is routine, it can be done in Stanley.  However, if it’s more serious, they will be sent to see someone in the UK.  Tara said that she and her husband had taken their baby to the UK last fall because he had a heart condition.  It wasn’t an emergency so they could schedule it when they wanted.  If there is a medical emergency that   needs more specific care, the patient is immediately flown to either Montevideo, Uruguay or Santiago, Chile.   It makes us appreciate the fact that we have such wonderful facilities available to us at home. 

The first 40 miles of driving took an hour – through mostly open country, but on roads.  The last 10 miles was overland – quite literally!  We rode in caravans with 10 to 11 jeeps in each caravan over the 54,000-acre property of one person who allows visitors to access the seaside that boasts colonies of three different kinds of penguins.  This journey was very rugged as we bounced and jiggled and jounced across the rough and rolling landscape.  We drove up hills, down into what looked like ditches, and were very glad to have a skilled driver who had grown up navigating such rugged surfaces!   At times I felt like a bobble-head doll as we lurched along, thrown from one side to the other as if we were on an archaic Tilt-a-Whirl! 

After what seemed like forever, but was really more like an hour and a half (to go 10 miles), we arrived at Volunteer Point.  First on the agenda was to find facilities – only three mechanical ones for an overflow of guests.  (It was the busiest day of the year with the Amsterdam and the Star Princess both in port, which multiplied the island’s population by about 150%!)  Once we’d taken care of that, we had the chance to enjoy the adorable little tuxedoed birds!  The gentoos were first on the agenda, and if one took the time and didn’t move a lot, these curious little penguins would actually approach and check you out.  There were hundreds of yearlings who were molting, with more down than feathers. 

The king penguin colony boasted hundreds of the vociferous, colorful strutting birds.  In one case we witnessed two parent penguins attempting to shift an egg from one parent’s feet to the other’s feet.  Any other penguin that would come close would get a very loud scolding.  Two nearby penguins seemed to walk in tandem everywhere they went.  The king penguin stands about three feet tall and can weigh up to 35 lbs - and they were everywhere!

Finally we headed over to the Magellanic penguins.  These were the smallest of the penguins we saw.  Known as jackasses for the sounds they make, we were surprised that they seemed much quieter than the loud king penguins.  We were fascinated to see the mother penguins burrowed down with chicks, and we even got to see one mother with two chicks in her burrow.  As we watched the Magellanic penguins, three kings came marching through the ranks, returning from the water to their own colony, looking as if they were lost among the little black and white birds.  I was pleased to be able to get a picture that had both king and Magellanic penguins in it – quite unusual considering we really didn’t see them mingling.  At one point we watched as the gentoos waddled past single-file as if they were ducklings following a mother duck. 

What a thrill it was to see all those magnificent little birds up close and in their natural habitat!

The weather during the day had changed several times, from sunny to windy and rainy back to sunny.  We were very happy to be able to make it back to the ship without any problems.  With the tendering services so hit-and-miss, we certainly didn’t want to miss being able to return to the ship!

As we sailed away from the Falklands, our focus turned to our next destination, Antarctica. When we got back from dinner we found a gift on our beds, a very nice spiral-bound Antarctica Log Book, which provides a myriad of information about Antarctica as well as places where we can make notes about our experiences.  It also has interesting quotes such as the one by Robert Cushman Murphy, “I now belong to a higher cult of mortal, for I have seen the Albatross.”  (Since we have now identified the Black-browed Albatross on our journey to the Falklands, we can include ourselves in this exclusive “cult”.)  We’ve noticed far fewer gifts on this cruise (our last gift was January 9^th) but they have been quite useful gifts!

We have also been given the opportunity to see movies about Antarctica.  That first night out of the Falklands was Scott of the Antarctic, a 1948 movie about the ill-fated journey of Commander Scott in 1912.  The next night March of the Penguins was on the schedule, and the following night was The Endurance – Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Adventure. I was particularly interested in the Shackleton documentary since one of the few Americans on the journey hails from Joliet!  

The first day out from the Falklands, we dipped below 56 S Latitude.  One of our lecturers explained that the seas between 56 and 61 S Latitude are among the roughest on earth because there is no major land formation anywhere in the world between those latitude degrees.  Therefore there is nothing to stop the wind or motion of the water.  Being so far south also means that we are experiencing very long days.  Tonight the sun will set at 9:10 PM and rise again at 4:34 AM tomorrow.   The next several days will be very interesting, not only because of the unique Antarctic destination, but also because the sea conditions could become turbulent!  So we’re crossing our fingers for “fair winds and following seas”.     

We were quite relieved to find that finally the restrictions on food and utensil handling have been removed.  After nearly a full week, it appears that all the efforts of the crew and passengers have paid off (extra hand washing, sanitizing, etc.) and the gastro-intestinal problems that had been present on the ship have finally subsided!  And none of us (Pam, Al, Chuck nor I) had experienced anything but inconvenience, which is definitely preferable to the ailment!  The captain provided unlimited champagne or soda at dinner the evening the restrictions were lifted. 

BT

P.S. We’re sending a big “hello” to Mrs. Smutny’s students from off the coast of Antarctica. 

Surprising Uruguay

Uruguay came as a real surprise to us, but more on the reasons for that later.  We had a short sail down the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires on Tuesday night, so we anticipated that we would arrive in Montevideo with plenty of time to spare.  That was not to be the case however.  We were late in departing Buenos Aires since two women who were boarding for the first time there went to the incorrect cruise ship and we waited for them to be transported over to the Amsterdam.  Since Montevideo was only a little more than a hundred miles, it shouldn’t have mattered.  However between a nighttime storm with heavy downpours and exceptionally heavy river traffic through some narrow safe passages on the river, we were approximately an hour late in docking in Montevideo.  The Rio de la Plata is so wide (over 130 miles in some places) that one would think he was in open seas since in those areas neither shore is visible, however, there are limited navigational lanes for large ships.

I might comment that while I was in Argentina I could have used some of those Spanish I and II students at Lincoln-Way Central that I enjoyed subbing for several times in the fall!  At least twice I needed information and there was no one fluent in English to help me out.  The first time the only word I understood was “blanco” as the man waved his hand in the direction of the white building, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for near the “blanco” building.  The second time was when I was asking a price - since in the few shops I visited in both Rio and Buenos Aires, one had to ask for the price because prices weren’t marked on the items. (I was later told it was to see what the market would bear.)  Apparently they didn’t have what I wanted, and I didn’t understand whether they had more or not, but the man chattered away at me in Spanish so the bottom line was that I gave up on my venture.  For all the subbing in Spanish I’ve done, a student in Spanish I would do much better than I did!!!

Back to Uruguay…  We hear little about this second smallest country geographically in South America (Surinam is smaller). It is a pie wedge shape along the Atlantic coast between Brazil and Argentina and has a population of about 3.5 million.  It’s a country founded by the Portuguese despite Spanish claims in the area.  For much of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, the British heavily influenced Uruguay to get around the major Argentine and Brazilian commercial domination.  However, the majority of the population is Spanish, and to a much lesser extent, Italian.  Thus, the language, unlike in Brazil, is Spanish.  Montevideo, the capital, is in southern Uruguay at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata.

We (Al and Pam in addition to Barb and I) opted to do a somewhat different shore excursion from Montevideo than ones we typically choose.  Instead of the city tour which we normally like on a first visit, we selected A Day in Punta Del Este which would take us 85 miles from Montevideo to a modern resort city.  We were to get a quick driving tour through Montevideo, but we think that was scrapped as a result of our late docking in Montevideo.  Instead we headed straight out along the coast toward Punta Del Este, passing many modern buildings.  The coastline was impressive and we got the image of a dynamic, modern country.  We noted the emphasis on physical fitness and activity and how the seaside was utilized to promote fitness.  Joggers, bicyclists, walkers, were prominent.  We saw organized groups of aerobic exercise, tennis, and team sports, a few surfers in modest waves, soccer practices, and even some groups of young people running up hills along the road for exercise.  People were out everywhere and enjoying the summer vacation time.  Schools had been out for summer break since December so it was natural to see lots of young people.  In traffic we even saw a group of middle elementary age children on a bus waving at us for all they were worth as our two buses remained next to each other quite a distance in heavy traffic.

As we got farther from Montevideo, there were more modest homes and evidence of a poorer lifestyle until we got closer to Punta Del Este.  By now we were back to a coastline and as the peninsula on which the resort was located drew nearer, beautiful beaches and high rise apartments and condos appeared.  While the population swells in the summer and is a popular resort for Brazilians and Argentines, in addition to Uruguayans, its population is much smaller in the winter.  Punta Del Este would rival any of the popular resort beach areas in southern Florida or California in terms of modernity and attractiveness.

Our guide explained that before we made a stop for lunch, we would have the

opportunity to visit a private art museum, the Ralli Museum, sponsored by founders

Harry and Martine Recanati, admirers of surrealist art who had travelled extensively

throughout Latin America to locate fine art and sculptures.  They have five museums worldwide with two in South America (Santiago, Chile).   My immediate reaction, uncultured as I am, was to groan silent at the thought of walking through an art gallery.  However, I was more than pleasantly surprised.  What gave me some hope was that there was some Dali there and I remembered visiting what was my favorite art gallery, and still is, the Dali Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL, with my friends Bill and Laura McCormick (Bill was one of my colleagues in Hamburg who taught Spanish there).  The January after I retired, I spent a couple weeks in Florida where they have a winter respite from the Buffalo winters, and they took me to that museum which I thoroughly enjoyed!  The one in Punta Del Este now ranks a close second! 

Among the interesting paintings, there were sculptures both indoors and outdoors, all of which were fascinating. Outdoors there were sculptures of people from little children playing with a dog and sitting under an umbrella to men sitting at a table chatting.  They were fascinating to view. The modern paintings were likewise nicely displayed and interesting.

After driving through more beautiful neighborhoods, we were taken to a nice beachfront hotel where we sat outside and ate what was probably the best shore excursion “lunch” we have ever had.  Back on the bus, we drove over a small two-span bridge, each with two humps, but where one direction the span was up the other was down.  It gave an interesting aesthetic view when we viewed the bridge from several hundred feet away.  We then drove to the point of the peninsula, passing a pretty lighthouse, where the Rio de la Plata and Atlantic joined.  Passing more beautiful beaches on the Atlantic side of town, we stopped to see a sculpture that resembled five fingers emerging from the sand which supposedly represented a hand holding the bottom of South America.  After even more modern condos and apartments with beautifully manicured lawns, we made the approximately 1 ½ hour drive back to the port in Montevideo.  We made the most of our brief stop in Uruguay, but took with us lasting, positive impressions of this small South American nation.

The day continued to be busy as we had decided to do a Robert Burns Day Scottish celebration, with twenty other Scotland lovers, in the Pinnacle.  Pam decided not to join us but Al agreed to participate.  We spoke with the organizer, a native Scot, to make certain that we would be seated with Al so he wouldn’t be left out.  She told us that to make most effective use of the room, it wouldn’t be possible, but that Al would be seated at a different table quite near ours.  We had wanted to make sure we got there in time in sufficient time to have all three of us at what we assumed would be a table for four.  However there was assigned seating and as it turned out, 14 were seated together at one large table and the remaining eight sat at tables for two in the four corners of the room.  Barb and I were assigned a table for two and I faced the back wall.  It reminded us of large family gatherings where the adults had the big and most important table and the kids sit in the kitchen at a smaller table.  So there we sat, being unable to join in the general conversation with those at the large table.  With that conversation so dominant, we pretty much just sat there. Not what we had expected at all!  After finishing the meal, there was a short program of readings of poetry by Burns and Scottish music.

On our first day at sea, those of us on the Navigation Deck were invited to a private tour of the ship’s bridge.  When we arrived, we were greeted by Captain Jonathan Mercer and his professional crew who chatted informally and explained the navigational tools to keep us on the right course.  As we wandered around, Barb was asking one of the navigators a few questions and then looked at his name, “Oliver Teague”!  She responded with surprise and showed him her room key with her name on it.  Actually he’s Dutch but his grandfather on his father’s side came from North Carolina.  Barb, having done a lot of genealogy replied that some of our family many generations back, had come from North Carolina.  His grandfather had met a Dutch woman and had married her and settled in The Netherlands.  As we wandered around the bridge, it was neat seeing the sea ahead as the navigators do.  One interesting fact we learned was that it costs $81.77 per MINUTE to fuel the ship!  Needless to say, they selected a day with clear sailing and little traffic.  As we watched, we saw seals, many birds of course, and someone spotted a dolphin -- we saw the result of the splash!  Our tour of the bridge, a first for us, was most fascinating.

Unfortunately the gastro-intestinal virus that Barb mentioned in her previous blog continues to affect the ship.  We heard that at least three new cases have been reported on our Navigation Deck and as a result, the food in the Neptune Lounge on this deck has temporarily been eliminated as some guests had handled food and utensils that should have been touched only by crew handing them to guests.  A nuisance, for sure, but we certainly want to remain healthy.  So far so good for the four of us and at this point we don’t know of any specific people who have developed problems.

Now it’s on to the cold Falklands on Saturday and then to Antarctica before two final stops in Argentina and Chile and ending the South American phase of our cruise.  However, when I did my deck walk this morning (Friday), it was surprisingly warm for being this far south.  But I am not going to jinx us by making more comments about the weather!  I even saw a bird with a wide wingspan swooping behind the ship.  Not being a birdwatcher, I am not sure, but we are told we could see albatross around the Falklands.

Since our last post, we lost an hour before Montevideo and gained the hour back after leaving that port.  We are back to three hours ahead of Chicago/two ahead of New York.

CT


P.S. As we get into more and more remote areas and farther away from satellites, the access to Internet may decrease quite a bit.  We will continue to try to keep everyone updated on our vouyage, but if you don't hear from us for awhile it's most likely because we can't get online.  

Gauchos, Pampas, and Cafes: A Glimpse of Argentine Life

After sailing away from lovely Rio, we had two busy sea days before arriving in Argentina.  We kept busy attending lectures and participating in the many other activities provided.  One Good Morning Amsterdam guest was Chief Officer Friso Kramer, who was born in the Netherlands, but who now resides in Asbury Park, NJ when not at sea.  This immediately made us think of our friend Phyllis, who lives in neighboring Ocean Grove.  Officer Friso is second in command on the ship and we expect that sometime in the near future he will be at the helm of his own “dam” ship!

Cruise Director Bruce held a Question and Answer session with Doc Severinson and the San Miguel Five which allowed us to find out more about each musician, the history of the group itself, and a lot about Doc Severinson’s background.  I was particularly pleased to see Charlie Bisharat was part of this musical group because I’d seen him a few times in Chicago as a backup violinist at two John Tesh concerts, and he is also a violinist on some of my Yanni albums.  The entire group exudes tremendous energy, and their fondness and deep respect for each other shows on their faces as they share their experiences and during their performances.  It was a privilege to participate in this session, and we were thrilled to find that they would perform a second concert before disembarking in Buenos Aires.

Each of us finds things of interest on our days at sea.  Chuck and I took a walking tour of the ship with onboard florist Eddy as the guide.  He explained how he and the other florist work to create the artistic arrangements that grace the grand voyages as works of art.  Right now they are using a “pampas” theme, which means many have cow horns in the arrangements.  Al opted to watch his team, the 49ers, in their super bowl playoff while Pam chose a seminar on vitamins as nutrients.

Formal night was a festive Copacabana Samba theme, complete with boas for the ladies.  Though decorative, the boas were short lived at our table because the moment we put them on we felt like we were molting!  There were too many feathers that didn’t stay where they belonged, but it was a colorful sight in the dining room that night.

We couldn’t help but think about two very special people as we sailed up the Rio de la Plata on the 23^rd of January.  Our dad and our uncle Lyman were born on the 23^rd just over a century ago!  This made us feel particularly close to family, despite the thousands of miles separating us geographically.

The Rio de la Plata is one of the widest rivers in the world, reaching a width of over 130 miles at its widest!  As we sailed into the beautiful cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires, we were amazed at the very muddy color of the waters beneath us.  We slid backwards into our berth among hundreds and hundreds of tractor trailer size shipping containers stacked high like children’s blocks and between the ms Veendam and an MSC cruise ship, both of which departed later in the day.

Because of our location among huge cranes and containers, we had to shuttle into the terminal to board our day-long shore excursion, Gaucho Life on the Pampas. Pam, Al, Chuck and I were all on this excursion, and we were pleased to see that there were only two buses that would venture out of the city to the flat farmlands where we would enjoy the day. 

We drove through the city and picked up the Pan American Highway for our 1.5 hour drive to the ranch.  Upon our arrival we were directed to a corral area where we were seated for the first of a series of entertainments.  About a half dozen gauchos put several horses through their paces, and what looked like cattle dogs kept the horses herded together.  The horses were grouped about four to six horses, with the lead horse wearing a bell. We got a kick out of watching one of the dogs peeking through the bushes seeming to watch wistfully as other dogs ran among the horses keeping them in line as they kicked up the dust. 

Then the gauchos showed their skill in capturing rings.  Three rings about an inch in diameter were strung from a frame and the gauchos galloped at full speed in hopes of capturing one of these rings using just a sharp stick about the length of a ruler.  If the gaucho captured the ring, he would present it to a lady in the audience.  Pam and I were each pleased to take home  souvenirs given to us for a kiss on the rider’s cheek. 

After the gaucho performance, we had a selection of options:  we could tour the large and elegant hacienda, which was furnished as it would have been 75 to 100 years ago, or we could opt for a horseback ride (needless to say I didn’t make that choice), or we could take a ride on a horse drawn cart (far more to my liking than a horseback ride).  We took advantages of all the choices except the horseback riding, and we were surprised to learn that as we took the cart ride, we could see corn fields as far as the eye could see!  The other major crop in that area was soybeans!  I came to Argentina to see corn and soybeans?  Very interesting! 

After doing all the offered events, we found a seat and waited for our grilled lunch.  We were offered all the drinks we wanted as we waited – including water, soft drinks, wine, and I think beer, which certainly made for a happy group!  The gauchos who had performed earlier then began bringing us our meal: in addition to bread with some kind of garlic spread (which reminded us slightly of what is brought to the table at Parmesan’s in Frankfort) which was put on the table as soon as we sat down, there was a dish of cooked carrots, beets, onions, potatoes, and hard boiled eggs.  We saw that they were serving salads, but we found later that Holland America prefers that passengers don’t eat fresh salads just in case they’re washed in the “wrong” kind of water.  Then they brought out two kinds of sausage – beef sausage and blood sausage.  I took a pass on both.  Next came the steaks, whose aroma had been tantalizing us all morning, and finally chicken was served.  The steak and chicken were really tasty!  We had a small but yummy pastry for dessert. 

Then came the entertainment, which was a folkloric show including tango, singing, and a kind of gaucho performance using ropes with balls at the end of them.  The performer was obviously very skilled in rope work! 

The day was absolutely lovely, and it was wonderful to experience what life was like for the gauchos.

Chuck and I were the only ones signed up for a tour on our second day in Argentina.  This one, Buenos Aires: Subway and Café Tortoni, was a half-day tour around the city of Buenos Aires.  Located on the Rio de la Plata, Buenos Aires is a very cosmopolitan city, and if we didn’t know better, there were some areas that looked very much like a large city in the US!   We only had two major stops, and the rest was on the bus.  The first stop was the Plaza de Mayo (May Square), quite possibly the most significant square in the city.  Surrounding it were the Casa Rosada (Pink House – their equivalent to our White House, though the president doesn’t actually live there), the Metropolitan Cathedral, the new city hall, and the former city hall, which is now a museum.  Plaza de Mayo is where people come when they want to participate in political demonstrations.  We were given twenty minutes to explore, and while Chuck went off in another direction, I opted to explore the cathedral, where General San Martin, who is credited with gaining independence for Argentina, is buried.  Our guide had told us that his tomb would be guarded by two soldiers, so I was quite surprised not to see any there.  However, just as I left the cathedral, about a half dozen soldiers marched in.  I followed them, and was able to watch the commanding officer post the first two guards of the day. 

From Plaza de Mayo, we took the subway two stops to the well-known Argentine restaurant, Café Tortoni.  The subway is significant because the cars used were the third oldest in the world and the oldest of their kind still in operation.  The car we were on was made of wood, and the doors were hand-operated. 

Café Tortoni is a Bohemian-type café dating back to the mid-1800s.  The dark wood paneling reminded us of the Berghoff Restaurant in Chicago.  There were Tiffany-style lamps and stained glass windows, as well as pictures of well-known Argentine artists, writers, musicians, decorating the interior.  We enjoyed having a light snack and exploring the vibrant café.

Back on the bus, we continued through the city, visiting beautiful mansions, significant historic sites, and very poor areas that recalled the favelas of Brazil.  In one area, the homes were made of metal painted in bright colors.  Our guide explained that people who had originally lived here couldn’t afford to buy a lot of paint so they would go to painters and ask them for whatever color happened to be left over from their last paint job.  One day they might get yellow, then next day, blue, the next day red.  So the siding would be painted whatever color was available on a given day, providing a kaleidoscope of color. 

We found it very interesting that both the guides referred to the Malvina Islands.  They both talk about them and the conflict with the British in 1982, and the guide today explained why Argentina would like to negotiate with Britain to get the Falklands back.  They are concerned about the British digging for oil in the area.  As we got off the bus the tour guide on the 24^th told us to enjoy our trip to the Falklands.  It was the first time on either tour that we heard any reference to the name Falklands rather than Malvinas. 

Just before we arrived in Buenos Aires, we received warnings from the ship that the dreaded gastro-intestinal virus was starting to spread.  While very common on ships, it’s the first time we’ve ever experienced it.  Signs of the precautions are everywhere:  from the restaurants, where every single food item is given to us directly by staff rather than picking up serving utensils ourselves, to the cabins where the stewards have disinfected ice buckets and are skipping vacuuming in an effort to avoid cross-contamination.  Even the shuttles we take to and from the terminal are wiped down with disinfectant (rails, etc.) each time passengers disembark and before the next passengers get on.  As much of an inconvenience as it is, we very much appreciate the efforts of the crew to make sure that passengers stay healthy.

We are now just three hours ahead of Chicago time and we welcomed a time change that meant gaining an hour rather than losing it!  However, as we sail toward Montevideo, we must once again set our clocks forward the hour that we just gained, making us once again four hours ahead of Chicago! 

BT

Vibrant, Lively Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Two more days at sea gave us time to absorb our time in Recife and to prepare for one of the world’s most lively cities, Rio de Janeiro.  Because we have given examples of how busy we are on the ship, we will cut that part of our blog back somewhat and just highlight some of the more unusual things that have happened.  One morning, Bruce and Adele, the Entertainment director, interviewed Barbara Haenni, the Travel Guide.  We were quite interested in the question, “With all your travels, what ports on this cruise will be your first time there and what ports that you have visited, do you most like returning to?  Her comment was that she has never been to Mangalore, India and the port Easo Lifou, New Caledonia and she loves to return to all of New Zealand and the French Polynesian island of Moorea.  I think we have similar tastes in travel with Barbara as we love New Zealand and Australia.  The two countries are more different than those who have not been there might expect but I can’t really say I prefer one over the other.  Both are “must sees” for serious travelers.  And Bora Bora is right up there with Moorea as wonderful South Pacific islands.  Certainly my two favorite cruise ports are Sydney and Geiranger, Norway – one busy and one quiet, but both are world class places to visit.  But I digress…

Another morning the Bart, the Culinary Manager from Holland, Bernie, the Head Chef from the Philippines, and Tom, the Culinary Manager from Canada were interviewed.  Bart commented on obtaining the food supplies on the ship.  Most, he said, came from the United States and would be shipped in large containers from either Fort Lauderdale or Los Angeles, depending upon the location of the ship.  It would supply the ship for about 20 days and would be shipped in frozen, chilled, or dry containers) and it would take six to eight weeks to arrive.   The first new supply will reach us in Montevideo, Uruguay on January 25 (the 19^th day of the cruise); the next would be delivered to Papeete, French Polynesia 21 days later.  Menus are developed about two months ahead to serve the approximately 6500 meals per day to guests and crew.  Tom was asked about how menus were determined and he indicated that they identified popular menus both by requests at dinner as well as passengers asking for favorites they particularly wanted.  Favorite entrée was lobster in one form or another.  He commented that it used to be a poor child’s lunch in Halifax but people were convinced somehow that it was good and it worked to get people to think they had to have the stuff and so it’s on the menu a lot.  (Can you tell this was written by a strange person apparently who doesn’t care for lobster?)  Filet and prime rib come in a little behind lobster as preferences.  Desserts like chocolate bombe (ice cream filled chocolate), watermelon pie, and peanut butter pie (my personal favorite) are popular with cruisers.

 The science lecturer, Dr. Denny Whitford, is drawing the largest crowds to his science lectures.  We were a little late and couldn’t find a place for three people to sit together in the large Queen’s Lounge theater when he spoke about “Rogue Waves”.  He did another talk on life in the depths of the oceans.  Dr. Tommie Sue Montgomery gave lectures on “500 years of Brazilian history in 50 minutes” and on Latin American music.  The night before we arrived in Rio, Doc Severinsen and his band (the San Miguel Five) performed for us.  As one might imagine, they were full of energy from beginning to end and earned the first standing ovation of the entire cruise so far.

Many people were out on deck by 7AM on Thursday to view the beautiful sail in to Rio, the most visited city in the Southern Hemisphere we are told.  It was a bit hazy, but the appearance of the islands and mountains with Corcovado Mountain and its Christ the Redeemer Statue prominently standing above the city to the Sugar Loaf Mountain with its spectacular views of the city to smaller islands that enhance the appearance of a magnificent city.

Our day in Rio started in a rather interesting way.  We tend to book only Holland America shore excursions because, while they are somewhat more expensive, Holland America stands behind them and guarantees that they will be as described.  However, today was our one exception in the entire cruise since a private tour operator in Rio came highly recommended by our friend Sherrie in Hamburg.  I had had both her daughter and son in my last years of teaching there and Sherrie and her husband had done a tour through Jose several years ago.  After several email communications with Jose, we decided to do the private tour with him.   Pam opted not to go as she had “done” Rio in 2010 with the Lincoln-Way teachers group while Barb and I had joined the memorable World War II European venues tour at approximately the same time.  Barb, Al, and I agreed to do at least the eight hour tour with Jose with the option of extending it into the evening if we wished.  Jose had told us that there was just one exit and that he would hold a sign with my name on it and that we would meet us at 8:30.  Sounded simple enough.  At exactly 8:30, we arrived at the appointed location along with at least the whole population of Rio there as well as passengers looking for tours too.  We watched every car come up and people hop in them and drive away.  No Jose!  After an hour, still no Jose.  Had he become involved in an accident?  Maybe could he have been at a different location?  Or possibly he was waiting at a different port?  … Or had we been conned and stood up as we had made a down payment.  Al went back to his room and was going to call Jose’s number.  He returned a half hour later saying his phone didn’t work.  Now it has been 1 ½ hours of waiting.  So Barb went back to check to see if there had been an email and if not, she would try to call.  She sent Jose a quick email and then tried calling the number only to be greeted by a female voice in Portuguese!  So after a total of two hours waiting, we figured something had happened and there would be no tour.  We returned to our staterooms and decided to make a quick check to see if Jose had responded to Barb’s email.  There was an email from Jose saying that he had had to take a friend to the emergency room as the friend had been involved in an auto accident.  He told us he would meet us at noon and there would be no charge beyond the deposit we had made. That sounded more than fair to us, so we had a quick lunch and set out to meet him again.  By this time, Al decided he had had enough and didn’t care to do the tour, so only Barb and I went down to meet Jose.  There he was, promptly at noon.

Jose profusely apologized for the emergency as we set out for our private tour.  I had the image of Rio as an extremely dangerous city for visitors but with Jose, there was not the slightest problem.  However, Rio, a city of about 6 million people (more than double Chicago’s population), is a city of contrasts with wealth and beauty on one hand and extreme poverty in the mountainside favalas (slums) on the other.  After a drive through the city, our first stop was at Corcovado Mountain to view one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer which weighs 700 tons and stands 130 feet tall.  It looms over the city and is visible from many vantage points.  After various suggestions for a large monument, this one was chosen and dedicated in 1931.  As we drove up the mountain, Jose dropped us off at the ticket booth  where we could purchase the tickets and then get in line for the van ride to the top.  It moved efficiently and we were at the top quickly.   It was a good thing because it was a hot, humid day, near 90 degrees (by contrast with Chicago with its midwinter cold).  January 19 was the hottest January day I ever experienced.  The crowd was large at the top but we managed to work in a few pictures of the statue without people because the base was raised so high off the ground.  After a variety of views of the impressive statue and of the city below, we headed down to another view point where we could view Christ the Redeemer from a distance but still pretty high above the city.

We pulled into a parking lot for a short walk to see a private villa which allowed an unobstructed view of the statue from the courtyard of the home.  From there it was a short drive to the Botanical Gardens in the heart of the city.  It was a magnificently beautiful and quiet spot it the city with specimens of trees and plants that we seldom see (at least in Chicago).  Bamboo displays and very tall palm trees were in profusion.  He showed us a tropical import from Madagascar that when two of the green shoots were separated, it gave drops of water.  There was a building which had a large variety of orchids, a tree with the topical toucans in them.  Barb got one or two excellent pictures of them high in trees.  There were spots with the ubiquitous Christ the Redeemer was visible through the trees in the garden.  By this time, Barb was getting weary of the walking as a result of distance and temperature and humidity.

Jose then gave us an easy drive through the city to view the world famous beaches of Ipanema (remember the song from the early 1960s, The Girl from Ipanema?) and Copacabana.  Mile upon mile of beautiful beaches with people swimming, enjoying relaxing on the beach, and playing sports like beach volleyball made for even more picturesque views.  Jose explained the origins of the name of the city which translates to “River of January” which is incorrect on two counts.  First of all when the Portuguese explorers arrived, they assumed they were at the mouth of a great river; it’s not the mouth of a river, but rather a bay.  Also, it was discovered in February not January.  But rather than change from “River of January” (Rio de Janeiro) to the more correct “Bay of February”, the original name stuck.  From there, we had a drive through the Santa Tereza section of the city.  It’s an old part of Rio with a busy population on the streets, with winding hilly roads that makes on expect a collision at every turn.  Jose told us he had a treat for us which is something I doubt a lot of tourists visit on typical tours.  He said he would show us the tile staircase.  It is a public, outdoor staircase with tiles a man has been sent from all parts of the world that he then embeds into the staircase.  It’s colorful and interesting (see pictures in this blog’s picture section).  We enjoyed finding tiles from various parts of the US – everything from Chicago Bulls to State of Maine, to Florida Keys, to City of St. Louis and much, much more.  Internationally we saw the Welsh dragon, some familiar Bing and Grondahl Danish plates and others too numerous to mention.  While we were looking at that, Jose left briefly and came back with a slush type purple energy drink called Açai.  It was delicious but it briefly gave us the infamous “ice cream headache”.  It did give us the energy to finish the day. 

Our final stop, a requisite for first time visitors, was Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açucar).  Jose wanted us to see it in both light and dark so we could see views in daylight and night.  We boarded the cable car to the first station, partway up a mountain, then a transfer to a second car to the top.  At the top, we were afforded panoramic views of the city even better than at Corcovado.  While we were there, the sky turned black, warning of a pending storm. Jose had told us he would wait for us at the bottom as he had seen the view many times.  We decided to board the cars immediately as we didn’t relish the thought of being stuck at the top during a thunderstorm.  As we came down, we saw lightning off in the distance.  Fortunately we made it to the bottom without incident.  Jose, who was waiting for us, drove us back to the Amsterdam as the storm began.  Rain came in sheets and we got quite wet as we went through the terminal and back to the ship.  We were glad the rain had held off as we would not have enjoyed all we saw in heavy rain.

Jose told us that because of his emergency situation in the morning, he would charge us only the deposit we had made months ago, but he had been so complete and so generous in the sightseeing he gave us, we gave him 75% of the balance that had been due.  It took his entire day and certainly cost him plenty in gas and upkeep for his vehicle.  We were rather tired when we returned but agreed that Jose was an excellent guide.  Thanks for the recommendation, Sherrie!

After a busy first day in Rio, and seeing so much then, we relaxed and enjoyed the ship in port on the second day. Our week in Brazil was over and we have a favorable impression of one of the world’s up and coming nations.  Clearly, Brazil seems ready to host World Cup Soccer in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016.

We are now 4 hours ahead of Chicago, 3 ahead of New York.  (Recife stays on Standard Time while Rio is on Daylight Savings Time during the summer)

CT

Around the Bulge of Brazil to Recife

After leaving Belem, we had another two days at sea before arriving in Recife.  They make us aware of just how vast the country of Brazil is!  The fifth largest country in the world, (behind Russia, China, Canada, and the USA), Brazil touches every single country in South America but two – Chile and Ecuador!   It may be surprising to learn that Portuguese is the most common language in South America (just edging out Spanish), but when one considers that Brazil is by far the largest country in South America , it makes sense.

Pam and I are finding that we really appreciate the slower (although still very busy) sea days.  Despite having time to do what I want, it always seems that I’m playing catch-up with my journaling!   I was in the Neptune Lounge (a special area provided for some passengers to relax and visit with one another) on the first of the two days at sea requesting an accident report, just in case there were problems after my close encounter with a large branch, and it was a perfect opportunity to ask one of the ship’s staff if there was any news about the lady who had been injured in Roseau, Dominica.   He replied that she had been airlifted to Fort Lauderdale and that it appears that she will lose her leg.  As our friend Sally commented, “That’s why I do everything I can do now.  One never knows when circumstances will change and I will no longer be able to do the things I like!”  Our hearts go out to her and her family!  We are also closely following the events that occurred in Italy with the Costa ship accident.  We are certainly sorry for those people and can empathize!  One looks forward to a cruise (or any vacation) for a long time, and to have it end so suddenly and tragically makes us all appreciate each day we experience on board! 

A recent guest at the Good Morning Amsterdam session was Captain Jonathan Mercer.  Having joined the British  Merchant Navy in 1968, he has certainly had a lot of adventures at sea, including having had to abandon ship and survive for three days on a lifeboat in the South Atlantic before being rescued!  In 1979 he joined a European ferry company and worked his way up to the rank of Captain in 1987.  He became Holland America’s first British captain when he took over the Veendam in 1995.  His favorite aspect of being captain is maneuvering the ship in and out of “interesting” places.  Hearing this news just before the Costa incident gives us much confidence in his experience and abilities, despite this cruise being his first cruise at the helm of a Grand World Voyage.  We have been very impressed with Captain Jonathan (which is how he introduces himself) because he’s so friendly, jovial, and approachable!   It is a pleasure sailing on “his” ship!

The first Sunday we were aboard, we didn’t make it to church, but this week Chuck, Pam, and I decided that we should get down to the service.  We were just leaving our stateroom when Al walked by saying he was on his way to church.  The timing couldn’t have been better, especially since we hadn’t discussed it. 

The service was held in the Queen’s Lounge, where we usually have lectures and evening entertainment.  The service was fairly well attended, considering the ship’s population and the number of activities available!  The minister conducted a very traditional Protestant service.  We haven’t spoken with him, but one lady told us that he was Methodist. 

This followed on the heels of the first of several formal night “balls”.  Saturday night was Black and Silver Formal Dinner (where some of us ordered surf and turf as lobster is usually on the menu for GWV formal nights), followed by the Black and Silver Formal Ball in the Queen’s Lounge.  We opted for the movie instead, “Water for Elephants”, which we hadn’t seen in the theaters.  I am one who loves animal movies, and this was no exception!  While Pam and Chuck also liked the movie, it wasn’t quite what they’d expected.      

Incredibly, despite being such a large country, the vast majority of Brazil is in the same time zone.  That meant that when we had to get up early for our shore excursion in Recife, the sun had already been up for quite awhile!  Our stateroom was brightened with sunlight by about 4:30 AM!

The capital of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, Recife is located just below the easternmost point of the country and is an enormous port city of about 8 million people.  We saw little of the city itself as our tour took us out into the countryside. 

All four of us (Chuck, Pam, Al, and I) were booked on the same excursion, The Waterfalls of Primavera by 4x4 Safari.  Our tour guide Leonardo spoke excellent English, having spent a few of his formative years in San Diego while his father worked on his Masters Degree in Physics!  Leo told us that the word Recife means reef, and that the word Brazil is from the ancient Portuguese language, meaning glowing embers.  That immediately brought back memories of high school in Eden as our yearbook was entitled Embers. 

The 2-hour bus ride took us through rolling hills of sugarcane fields as far as the eye could see.  When we arrived in the small village of Primavera, we felt as if the circus had come to town and we were the circus!  The roads of this tiny little town were overwhelmed by the size of the tour bus, and locals seemed to materialize from nowhere to watch us pull in! 

After a quick rest stop in Primavera, we boarded four-wheel drive vehicles, driven by Brazilians who spoke virtually no English!  Leo had told us that there would be no more than eight to a vehicle and that we could opt to sit inside or climb on top for an excellent view.  He promised us that the vehicles would not go at speed over 60 miles an hour!  Needless to say, the four of us opted for the interior, but a few assigned to our jeep chose to ride on the top.  (He was kidding, by the way.  I don’t think the rough unpaved roads would let us go any faster than 20 mph.) 

Despite not knowing English, our jeep driver Wradimir did manage to use sign language and speak slowly to get his point across – most of the time.  Knowing French really helped as I was able to figure out many of his words.  We made our first of three stops at the lovely Urubu Falls (translation: Black Vulture Falls, named for the black vultures which one could see soaring overhead), where we took many photos before walking a short distance to meet a sloth.  This three-toed animal looked like he was always smiling and made me think of a sock monkey.  I never realized they were so long and bristly, but it was a very unique experience to have the chance to hold such an unusual animal!   (As many of you know, I never pass up the chance to hold an animal if given the opportunity!) 

From there we headed to a sugarcane plantation where we were shown how to “press” sugarcane, and then we sampled the sugarcane juice along with a sweetbread that is a traditional breakfast for Brazilians.  A short walk introduced us to a variety of interesting trees and the chance to sample some local fruits, including bananas, a kind of apricot that looked more like a mango, a cashew apple, and starfruit.

Our final stop was at a second waterfall where our group was given the option to swim in the pool beneath the falls or just sit and enjoy the beauty.  Those who went in could sit on the wet rocks and slide into the water as if sledding down a hill.  We were served a delicious outdoor lunch buffet, which included cole slaw, potatoes, two kinds of rice, two kinds of beans, fish, chicken, and beef, topped off by a selection of desserts.  We sampled the delicious Brazilian drink called Guarana Antarctica.  As we sat we noticed a few people taking pictures over our heads.  Looking up, we saw about a dozen small bats clinging to the ceiling.   That was certainly a surprise – as were many of the animals we had seen during the excursion (lizards, bugs, vultures, and of course the sloth and bats)!

We all agreed that this had been an amazing adventure – totally different from our experiences in our first Brazilian port of Belem! 

All too soon we were arriving back in Recife, where we drove along the beautiful beaches.  Recife has many signs along the beaches warning of shark attacks because in the 1990’s it had the notoriety of having more shark attacks than any other place in the world!  However, things have improved since people have been warned and now know where they can swim to prevent shark attack!  (Don’t think I’ll be trying out the beaches of Recife!)

BT

Sailing to Belem, Brazil, and the Mouth the Mighty Amazon

After departing Barbados, we had two days at sea to take part in the many ship activities, look over our Caribbean pictures, and to prepare for Brazil.  By now we are settling into the routine of life at sea as well as meeting our new neighbors on the Amsterdam.

We are all finding our things we enjoy doing individually as well as those we enjoy doing together.  I tend to get up early and go out do laps around the deck, usually walking at least three miles before breakfast while Barb prefers to do her laps in the early afternoon.  We’re all enjoying attending the cultural and scientific lectures whenever we can.  They enrich our visits to the ports of call, giving us a better understanding of the cultures, history, geography, and weather conditions.  Barb has gotten involved with the HAL (Holland America Line) Chorale, directed by our cruise director, Bruce Scudder.  They will put on at least a couple and maybe more, concerts for the ship later in the cruise.  Pam is finding the light exercise program, Qi Gong, to be refreshing.  She is trying her hand at watercolor, plans to attend Digital Workshops to help her download and sort her pictures on the computer, and occasionally attends team trivia events as well.   Al, an avid golfer at home, is enjoying playing bridge in the afternoon and poker after the evening performances.   And of course, both Barb and I are spending time working on our blog and applying a sampling of pictures to be included in them.

Barb, Pam, and I attend the Good Morning Amsterdam sessions each morning.  It’s a light audience participation interview program that goes off in different directions.  On Wednesday, they asked how many were teachers.  Of course, the three of us raised our hands.  When Pam said she had taught freshman English in high school, Bruce wanted to talk to her about what it was like teaching freshmen.  That gave her a chance to acknowledge Lincoln-Way High Schools, by name and to indicate her enjoyment of that age group of students.  Barb and I liked how she credited the students at Lincoln-Way in such a positive light.  For those that don’t know, Barb and I do a lot of subbing at Lincoln-Way as well. 

Thursday, the 12^th was Pam’s birthday, so she found some balloons and a greeting posted on our door from the Neptune Lounge staff and our cabin stewards and she has been received birthday wishes throughout the day.  To celebrate Pam’s birthday on the ship, the four of us enjoyed dinner in the Pinnacle Grill.  It has been quite a different birthday for her, needless to say. 

We continue to enjoy the lectures on various topics and found the meteorological expert’s lecture on tropical cyclones to be quite fascinating.  Our friends who teach meteorology, (long time high school classmate) Dr. Merlin Lawson (University of Nebraska) and Steve Miller (Lincoln-Way East HS), will be interested to know that these lectures have been well attended and given in sufficient laymen’s language that many guests are attending.  As two examples, I never realized that where we are now sailing off the coast of Brazil, cyclones are rare to non-existent but we are hoping to avoid one of the potentially two-week cyclones that can occur off the east coast of Australia when we are in those waters. 

Belem, Brazil, a city of 1.9 million people is near the mouth of the Amazon River.  A lecture by Dr. Tommie Sue Montgomery introduced us to the ecology and importance to South America of the Amazon.  While the Nile is longer, the water outflow into the Atlantic Ocean is greater and in some places, the Amazon is actually so wide that one can’t see either shore!  Unfortunately we were required to anchor near Icoaracy which is a half hour tender ride from the ship followed by an hour’s drive by shuttle into Belem. That’s the longest transfer ever for us. 

 Pam had a different shore excursion, but Barb, Al, and I had chosen to do The Amazon River System Adventure by Riverboat excursion in the afternoon.  Because the logistics were complicated, we were to meet on shore after tendering from the ship.  The port used large tenders rather than the ship’s smaller ones, so we went down to get on a tender at about 11 AM.  As we stepped from the elevator, the area in front of the elevator was mobbed with people waiting to get on the tender.  As more and more elevators arrived, it became a crush of people.  I felt a lady behind me pushing against my back.  It made me wonder why this lady was in such a hurry and really so rude as to be pushing me. As I tried to move forward a bit, she still pushed against me almost making me fall on top of the person ahead of me.  Barb was nearby when I noticed the woman almost unresponsive, so I asked if she was OK, to which she shook her head “no”.  Barb commented that she had a cane and I could feel her falling toward me, so I yelled in my best schoolteacher voice that we needed help back here and hoped someone from the staff would respond.  Quickly someone came from one direction while someone brought a chair from the crew’s quarters.  We could feel the lady sinking before the chair arrived and we eased her to the floor and left it to the staff to help. Our assumption was that she was overcome by the oppressive heat and was passing out.  At that point, the tender arrived and we could leave her with the staff in a much less confined area.

            We boarded a tour bus with spacious seat and legroom (close to the best tour bus I have ever been on for the comfortable ride to Belem. The area we rode through was filled with people on the streets.  What was noticeable to someone (me) who has never been in Brazil before was that there were homes and side streets with homes that belonged to very poor people, yet the people themselves seem to be quite well dressed. 

When we arrived in Belem, we immediately transferred to a riverboat for our ride on the delta of the Amazon River.  As the channel narrowed, we observed houses built on stilts over the water, clothes drying on porch rails of the houses, lots of boats, a few satellite dishes near the homes, and lots of small kids out on their porches waving at us.  As we looked out from the back of the boat, we could see skyline of Belem with its tall buildings in the distance.  Quite a contrast between the parts of a modern city and the still fairly primitive homes along the creek!  We disembarked the riverboat at Combu Island (Palm Tree Island) for an approximate hour long rainforest walk.  We saw lots of foliage and large leafy plants.  We saw everything from Brazil nut trees, cacao beans, mango trees, kapok trees, mahogany trees, palms, etc.  A few people complained about the insects and some insect bites but they were foolishly wearing shorts and thin short sleeve shirts.  Wonder if they expected anything different in a tropical rainforest!  Some complained that they had to walk for about an hour, saying the description was misleading.  Yet the description clearly had said there would be a walk of 45 minutes.  Our excellent Brazilian tour guide, Edison, whose English enunciation was excellent, paused frequently to explain some of the foliage we observed. Along the trail, two young boys were waiting to provide us with a demonstration of how they could quickly climb a tall tree to retrieve fruit from the treetops.  At one point along the trail, a “helpful” tourist grabbed a nearly dead palm frond that was hitting everyone as they brushed by it.  What he didn’t realize was that it was much bigger than expected and the other end was a branch that came down and hit Barb in the head, raising a bump and giving her a headache.  Following our walk, we boarded the bus for the tender back to the ship.

As a basis for comparison, the Fiji rainforest walk was much more difficult; at least our Brazilian walk was much more level ground.  Having done a Peruvian rainforest ride and walk when the Lincoln-Way travel group took that trip nearly four years ago, Pam asked how they compared.  The Peruvian one was in a much more desolate area of a tributary of the Amazon, views along the shore weren’t as close as the one in Brazil, and the Peruvian rainforest walk was through an area much denser.  The one we did in Brazil was clearly easier.

After departing Belem (Portuguese for “Bethlehem” by the way), we continue along the coast of Brazil toward Recife three days from now.

Now we are three hour ahead of Chicago and two ahead of New York.  We hear Chicago is having its first significant snow of the season!  It has been in the 80’s and humid here but Belem is one degree south of the equator so we are pleased that it isn’t even hotter or more humid! 

CT

Caribbean Splendor: Dominica and Barbados

 After two busy days at sea, where we oriented ourselves to shipboard life, we arrived in our first of two ports in the Caribbean Sea.  For Chuck and me, this was our first ever Caribbean port. 

Roseau is the capital and largest city of the small island of Dominica, which is part of the Lesser Antilles.  The island was originally inhabited by natives called Amerindians.  It was first colonized by the French in the 16^th and 17^th Centuries, but the British gained control of it toward the end of the 18^th Century.  The people speak English but they also use a Creole/French that has words that are identifiable as French, but the pronunciation is a real challenge! 

The three of us (Chuck, Pam, and I) had opted for a shore excursion called Rainforest Aerial Tram, which would carry us on a 90-minute journey through the tropical rainforest.  The tour information advised us to bring raincoats.  That was when I realized that in my attempt to avoid over-packing, I had brought a jacket that would work well in Antarctica, but it would not work for a nice light-weight rain jacket!  Thank goodness we were scheduled to dock at noon, which allowed me time to make a purchase in the shop!  (And thank goodness those jackets were 50% off!)

We were loaded into a small van with nine people plus the driver/guide.  As we introduced ourselves to others, we discovered that the lady sitting next to me was from Arlington Heights.  But the real surprise came when the ship’s videographer added, “I’m from Buffalo.”  So immediately Chuck and I reported that we had grown up there and he had taught in Hamburg.  The videographer, Erich, replied that he was from Clarence.  Small world!  We haven’t yet made any other connections (common friends or acquaintances), but the trip has just begun…

The drive to the tram was over very narrow roads with hairpin turns up a steep mountainside to the Morne Trois Pitons National Park.  There we boarded an aerial tram that held eight people along with a naturalist who gave a running commentary during our 90-minute journey through the tropical rain forest.  Being a rainforest, we did encounter rain, but nothing that deterred us from enjoying the serene beauty of the landscape.  While we didn’t have much opportunity to see wildlife, we did enjoy the lush greenery: enormous umbrella ferns, towering king trees and queen trees (that reminded us of the drum trees we encountered in Peru), and many others.  As we neared the top, we witnessed a fellow tourist zipping past us on a zip line.  At the summit, we were offered the opportunity to join this person and zip down the mountainside.  We considered it for perhaps a fraction of a minute.  I decided that if my age were reversed, I might consider it, but as it is, I’d be prudent.  Everyone else in our tram felt the same way so we took the slow but safe way back down. 

The descent took us even higher above the forest floor, up into the canopy for even more amazing views of the countryside.  At one point, we stopped, and Chuck and I noticed a blue-headed hummingbird (one of four indigenous species of hummingbirds) perched on a nearby branch.  He cooperated quite nicely and allowed us to take his picture – that is, if we could locate him in our viewfinders! 

Back at the bottom of the tram, we visited a bird area, where we were able to spot several more species: the brown trembler, doing his nervous little dance, the honey creeper with his brilliant yellow breast, and the purple-throated Carib, the largest of the hummingbird species on the island.  (No, I was not carrying a bird book in my backpack – I asked our tour guide to write the names down for me.)   The tour was an absolutely magnificent introduction to the Caribbean islands.

As we were about to set sail, Capt. Mercer came over the PA and explained that we would depart late.  One of the passengers had met with an accident on the pier and had to be taken to the hospital.  The ship’s nurse accompanied her and her husband, and we were waiting for the nurse to return before setting sail for our next port, Bridgetown, Barbados. 

Later this evening, we heard from a fellow passenger, who had been on the elevator with the lady’s husband, that the lady had been hit by a van driven by a man who was using a cell phone.  He didn’t realize it and ran over her leg before he could stop.  It happened right at the pier, so we figure it must have been someone returning from a tour.  It just shows how quickly things can happen that change the course of someone’s well-laid plans!  I think everyone on the ship can empathize with this unfortunate passenger! 

Tuesday found us arriving in the port city of Bridgetown, Barbados.  While considered part of the Caribbean Islands, Barbados is actually geographically located in the Atlantic Ocean.  An island of about 270 square miles, most of its 270,000 people are of African descent.  The island has been owned by several different European countries, but the longest and most influential possession was Great Britain.  Barbados gained its independence from Britain in 1961.   In contrast to the island of Dominica, Barbados is a much flatter island.

We had opted for an afternoon shore excursion so in the morning we went ashore and took advantage of free wi-fi available in the terminal.   We appreciated Yohat advising us of the availability as it gave us a chance to do a little online without the high prices of shipboard Internet.  As we worked, Herfan came by and sat down to talk for awhile.  He hadn’t been aware of the free wi-fi, so we have a feeling that he went back to the ship to get his computer so he also could use it.

That afternoon we (Chuck, Pam, Al, and I) were booked for the Green Monkey Eco Tour.   Our tour guide gave us a running commentary during the entire tour as we traveled across the island.  It was amazing how many villages had Saint in their names:  Saint Joseph, Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas, Saint George, to name a few.  We made a photo stop in Bathsheba, where there were very picturesque seascapes of the surf along the Atlantic coast.

The highlight was a visit to Barbados Wildlife Reserve, where we wandered in and out among a variety of animals.  There were so many slow-moving tortoises along the paths that we had t o make a conscious effort not to step on them or walk into them!  The gentle little deer blended in amazingly with the woodland background, and the colorful peacocks strolled among the deer.  It was feeding time, so the green monkeys were especially active.  They swung from tree to tree and ran along the roofs that arched over the fences.  We were told not to approach them too closely, especially if they had babies.  At one point there was a monkey sitting on the “roof” right near me, and I attracted its attention by clicking my teeth.  It turned around looked down at me, and bared its teeth as if to say, “Get away from me!”  Needless to say I backed away very quickly and took my picture from a distance.  We also saw a few caimans and what looked like a large kingfisher in the water.  It was a delightful wildlife encounter!

We greatly enjoyed our first two Caribbean ports, finding the people warm and friendly and the scenery lovely. 

Now we have two days at sea before arriving in our first South American port of Belem, right near the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil.


BT