Brazil & Caribbean 2019

It was another lazy day at sea and especially helpful for me with a cold. I skipped the morning interdenominational discussion group to minimize my people contact and went to Ian's coffee chat featuring the two Mexican musicians Duo Yalba. It was very good and the hot tea did wonders for my throat.   Ian did another World trivia game and in the afternoon a travel photo presentation. My wife and I finally figured why there's little Brazilian programming like lectures or language lessons: the proper work visas weren't obtained for some of the Brazilian cultural ambassadors. They'll not be able to speak until after we leave Belem. We enjoyed a nice Dutch Rijstaffel lunch with Dan V in the Pinnacle Grill. Most of the rest of the day was spent lounging although I spent time on deck 3 where I watched porpoises for a short while but didn't have my camera. There were also hundreds of small flying fish. Tonight's LIDO meal theme was seafood and it was really good and...

It was a lazy day at sea (actually in the river!). I've picked up a head cold with lots of congestion. I only did five things today and refrained from people contact. Ian's morning coffee chat was with the Flyrights who are tonight's entertainment. It was a lively time with this energetic group. Ian then presented the first of two canned talks. This one was on the Panama Canal and I wish it would have been a topic more appropriate to the Amazon. Off and on it was a great time sitting in the Crow's Nest watching the river banks pass by. Since we are sailing downstream, our ground speed is much faster than our water speed due to the current pushing us.   In the afternoon Ian presented a canned lecture on the Bermuda Triangle. Again this would be a better presentation for after we leave Brazil. Then it was more windshield time where I could finish my Tom Clancy novel. Promptly at 4pm as the Captain indicated would happen, the two pilots left the ship by climbing do...

Being beach bums We woke up to the overcast sunlight peering through the curtains and a slight smell of wood smoke in the cabin and throughout the ship. While the reported Amazon fires are located hundreds of miles south of us, there is definitely burning going on around us.   We got on the second tender which was blazing hot while waiting for it to be filled. At shoreside, we got off the tender onto a floating dock and then walked down a step wooden ramp to a sandy beach. About 50 yards up the beach, vendors had set up their wares and many people headed that way. Our tour leader, Karlos, from Salvagen tours was waiting for us and directed us to our tour boat which was a cute double deck Amazon river boat. One couple in our party was not 4 star, so they were coming on a later tender and we had to wait for them. Karlos continued to solicit potential participants and another guest, Eileen recruited about 6 more people. Finally at around 11am we departed the beach and headed at ...

Today's blog has four distinct themes. And they all made for a very memorable day. I love the smell of Diesel in the Morning The Volendam sailed overnight down river and pivoted 180° and assumed a position in the middle of the river facing upstream where the thrusters and drive screws aided by GPS kept it in position all day off the little town on Parintins. The river is a muddy brown color with lots of vegetation debris floating down the river at about 7 knots to unknown destinations. We didn't have specific plans other than to walk around the town. So we took our time to get ready and have a good breakfast. We made our way up to the Ocean Bar on deck 5 to get released to a tender. Just as we arrived, the 4 & 5 Star group was released and we made our way down to the tender platform where we saw that our tender vessel would be one of the local double deck river boats. We boarded it and climbed the steep stairs to the upper deck.  One could walk right up to the wheelhou...

Making more Lemonade It's hard to believe we had an opportunity to make more lemonade out of lemons. But we did. But first, it was a terrific day in Manaus including the scenic cruising up the Amazon. We were docked and passengers were allowed to disembark at 11:30am. Our group of 18 met in the 3rd floor Atrium and we left the ship just after the announcement we could disembark was made. In this port, passengers are not allowed to walk through the port, so we had to then board shuttle buses for the short 5 minute drive to the terminal building. Our guide, Herman, from Oropendola Tours met us and we made our way to our little boat which would carry us to today's adventures. We ran down river to the point of confluence of the Amazon and the Rio Negro Rivers. The Rio Negro is a dark color and the Amazon is a muddy brown. The convergence line is quite pronounced and clear. But eventually the the muddy Amazon prevails. The separation is caused by three things: 1. Difference ...

Our onboard time was 8am this morning (like anyone got off that early!). After breakfast I was out on the aft deck 9 taking photos when a couple of dolphins appeared. They were way too quick for me to photograph, but I enjoyed watching them for 30 minutes or so.  Later on the river a friend reported seeing 4 pink dolphins in the wake of the ship. The Captain made his departure announcement indicating an exterior survey of the hull had been made and the ship was cleared to proceed to Manaus where divers will inspect the hull.   The onboard programming was very light, and I spent most of my day in the Crow's Nest watching the scenery pass by at 17 knots. One of the most scenic sights was the confluence of the blue Arapiuns River and the murky brown Amazon River. The there is a distinct line for quite a distance. Numerous cargo ships passed on our left as we headed up river. Small farms, animals, and many islands provided other scenery. Most of the banks are low and I suspe...

Making Lemonade out of Lemons Today's entry will start with my log of the events following an emergency alarm that went off just after 4am. I ended up being up from then until midnight. If you don't want to review the detail, skip the next section. 4:22am emergency alarm 4:40am Captain on PA announced we were stuck on a mud bar in the navigational channel (near Monte Allegre per Google Maps). There was no stopping sensation (later I learned others had felt it); HAL Internet was off and remained off most of the day. We had T-Mobile cell service through the day. 4:52am Captain announced fleet operations in Seattle had been notified; emergency services put on notice; problems with the satellite link; following protocols for assessing water intrusion in the engine room; no further announcements until there are material changes. 5:20am the rear thrusters were activated 5:43am rear thrusters powered down; slight forward motion 5:50am thrusters off; no movement 5:51am forward thrus...