Last Blog

LAST BLOG FROM THIS CRUISE

The last leg of this journey involves stops at five islands in the Caribbean. Generally these are not particularly interesting after the amazing Amazon, but it is better than a straight sail to Miami.


GRENADA: We docked at St. George's Town on Sunday morning. Basically everything was closed so we were not long in returning to the ship.

BARBADOS: This turned out to be a lovely island. We found a taxi to take on a tour of the island and Clarence turned out to be great driver/guide. We first toured the city of Bridgetown (quite attractive) and then drove along the beaches until turning inland to reach the highest point on the island, from where we could see both the Atlantic and the Caribbean. On the way back we stopped for a swim but the water was too rough for Betty's liking so even though we were past the agreed upon time Clarence took us to calmer beach for a swim. He didn't even ask for more money, although his tip increased a considerable amount.

After the tour Betty discovered some interesting shops and ended up doing a lot of her Christmas gift buying.

DINNER COMPANIONS: One of the pleasures of cruising is meeting new people and having good dinner conversations. So we always ask to share a table at dinner. This trip has been no different and here are some very brief words to describe some of the people we have met:

Couple from Geneva--refused to believe Canada had an independent currency

Guy in a wheel chair with advancing MS--still owns and flies two planes

Mother and Daughter--Daughter manages family real estate and sold 14 acres of commercial space in San Francisco while on the ship (she really knows her wines)--Mother is 91 and hiked two kilometers uphill to the Devil's Island plateau in 95 degrees. Today they spent several hours snorkelling with turtles.

Woman from Texas--believes all of the world's problems are caused by the "liberal press"

Man from Luxembourg who used to raise turkeys and gave one a year to the President.

Couple from Madrid--didn't speak any English, not a lot of conversation

Retired female Indian medical doctor--fun to be with but hurries through dinner to get to the Blackjack table each night

"Newly Weds" celebrating their seventh--she is 84 and it is her second marriage--he is 86 and married for the first time at 79

GIN AND TONIC: We usually have a glass of wine on our balcony before going to dinner. Trying to restock today I discovered that I could buy a really bad bottle of wine for $ 12. or a bottle of good gin for $ 11. Switching our pre-dinner drinks seemed like a good idea but the ship doesn't allow hard liquour to be brought on board. Fortunately nobody noticed my sizable codpiece when we boarded after shopping.

TUESDAY, NOV. 24: We docked at the town of Roseau, the capital of the strange island of Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic). Dominica is an independent country of about 70,000 with no beaches of which to speak, no wild animals (except for a few snakes) and not a single golf course in the country. Along with a couple from Belgium we hired a taxi to take us on a tour of the island. Dominica is very mountainous and the interior is quite beautiful and covered by rain forest. We visited the Trafalgar waterfall, Wotten Waven sulpher springs, a botanical garden and Morne Bruce lookoff. We returned to the ship in time for a late lunch and then ventured out again to look at the town. Roseau has about 20,000 and is seemingly very impoverished. The economy is mainly agricultural with not a lot to offer tourists except a KFC. Nonetheless, there was a German cruise ship in town along with our smaller vessel.

TORTOLA, B.W.I.: As two large cruise ships took up all the dock space we anchored outside the town of Road Harbour and tendered in to shore. This island turned out to be the loveliest of the islands we have visited. Lots and lots of beautiful houses and a very prosperous looking town. We managed to find a local bus to take us across the island to a beautiful beach. The mountain we traversed was so sharp that the bus travelled all the way to the top in low gear. The vistas were spectacular and the beach was perfect. And since I was down to my last $4. I was very happy to find an ATM that spit out American dollars.

PUERTO RICO: San Juan was our last port prior to disembarkation at Miami (after another two-day sail). I don't know quite what I expected but this city (at least old San Juan) is much more beautiful than I would ever have guessed. The old walled city has wonderfully restored buildings and lots of high-end shops. Perhaps we only saw the nice part of the city and the poorer parts are somewhere else. In any event we walked for about 3 hours through the historical district and did yet a little more shopping.

CHRISTMAS: I guess the next big event is Christmas. If anyone wants to get me a gift then let me say that I could use some longer belts.

Parintins to Devil's Island

PARINTINS, BRAZIL

SHOPPING: Our last stop on the Amazon was at the island city of Parintins. This is a city of 100,000, and as there was apparently not a great deal to see, and as we didn't have any tours arranged it turned out to be a shopping day. Now, walking the streets of a strange, rather 3rd world city, carrying several parcels with the temperature at 96 degrees, is a fair challenge. However, it was made somewhat easier as there were sidewalk beer stops where for about the equivalent of $ 1.60 Canadian one could get a double-sized bottle of ice cold local beer.

When we got off our tender boat we noticed lots of young people in white uniforms (they turned out be boy scouts there to assist the tourists). We visited several stores that took credit cards but eventually Betty found one item that she desperately wanted at a sidewalk vendor who didn't take cards. Since we were unable to find an ATM we walked back to the port and Betty asked, in sign language, a young scout for help. He proceeded to walk with her for several blocks to a bank with ATM's. I hope he earned a badge for his efforts.

FOOD ON THE REGATTA: Oceania prides itself on its food and it is certainly superior to that of the other 3 cruiselines with which we have sailed. With a certain amount of discipliine I have been avoiding the all day ice cream stand, the all day milkshake stand, afternoon tea, the poolside grill that continuously offers Kobe burgers and lobster sandwiches, and the coffee shop that has all-day sweets. Even so my shirts seem to be shrinking. An example of the problem was the other night when eating in one of the specialty restaurants. Betty ordered a Maine lobster for her entree. Asked if she wanted the lobster steamed or grilled she had trouble deciding. The problem was resolved as they simply brought her one of each.

FRESH WATER OCEAN: The outflow of the Amazon is so great that the water is still fresh 100 miles out to sea. When we awoke this morning (Nov. 19) we had already left the river and were far enough in the Atlantic that we could no longer see any land. However, the water was still the brown fresh water from the river. Eventually we came to a clear line where we crossed from the brown fresh water to the blue salt water.

ILES DU SALUT: On Friday morning we anchored off Devil's Island, one of three small islands that make up the Islands of Salvation, which are about 6 miles off the coast of French Guiana. These beautiful islands were turned into a giant hellhole by Napoleon III who made them into a penal colony in 1852. For almost 100 years the French sent their criminals and their political prisoners to these islands to be worked to death, or to die from disease, or to commit suicide. Most of you have heard of the two most famous of the colony's inmates; that is Alfred Dreyfus and Papillon.

As Betty and I visited here a few years ago we didn't spend much time exploring the jail cells, etc. Rather we walked around the periphery of the island and were entertained by families of capuchin monkeys. We also saw huge parrots and many agoutis (a strange animal the size of a small dog but without any tail). As it was a clear day we could see across to the mainland and get glimpses of rocket silos that are part of the European Space Center.

QUIET SATURDAY: We skipped breakfast in favor of Saturday brunch. Prior to that we attended a lecture on the origins of the universe. Our brilliant lecturer, who is a radiation physicist, has given amusing talks on everything from pirates to alligators and today he gave what I assumed to be the talk he always wanted to give.

Brunch was delightful. What could be better than matching salmon with a glass of petit syrah, while watching the sea go by; then having crepes suzette and coffee while listening to a string quartet. This afternoon I am going to take in a movie while Betty does her thing by the pool.

Rio Negro

RIO NEGRO

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15: We quickly departed the ship and joined a group of 22 for a tour of the Rio Negro. We squeezed onto an elongated boat open on the sides but with an overhead sun cover. We passed under a 4 kilometre bridge which was very recently built at the narrowest point of the river.

We were told that we would be moving quickly upriver for about an hour. This was because we were to visit a site in the river where a few people each day were allowed to swim with the pink dolphins. We raced other boats upriver and everyone got wet from the spray. However, nobody minded as the temperature was approaching 95 degrees.

Only 7 of us chose to swim, perhaps because our guide told us just before arrival that he had spotted a 5-metre caiman (alligator) near there last week. When I stepped off the tiny platform I thought I was stepping onto the river bottom. Rather I was on a dolphin's back. The dolphins were being fed fish and whenever one got between the dophin and the man feeding them you were pushed aside and sometimes not too gently. Overall the experience was great and both Betty and I thought our 20-minute swim was a real highlight.

Heading back down river we stopped at an Indian village (one of the few that welcomes visitors). I had the feeling that I was in a Gaugin painting as we were met on shore by a young girl (perhaps 14) who was bare-breasted and wearing a grass skirt. Ushered to the lodge house we observed the smoking of piranhas and caiman and were treated to some "music" played on unrecognizable instruments. There were a few dances and then members of our group were invited to dance with the natives. First time I ever danced with a topless woman (at least in public).

Our next stop was at a rather primitive floating restaurant; so primitive in fact that the pots were being washed in the river. We were offered a buffet of many different kinds of mystery foods. Betty thought the food was not up to the ship's standards.

Following this we stopped at a fish farm where we were invited to "fish" for the protected species pirarucu. We "fished" with poles and 8 or 10 inch fish attached to our lines. However, there were no hooks so we simply fought the pirarucu for the bait. Naturally the pirarucu always won, as they were about 2 metres long, and weighed between 50 and 60 kilos.

Our final visit was to the confluence of the Rio Negro (black in color) and the Amazon (brown in color). We held our hands in the water and noticed the change in water temperature as we crossed the clear line marking the two waters, which don't mix for several miles. The water in the Negro was 28 or 29 degrees but only 24 or 25 in the Amazon.

On Friday night as we left Santarem on the Amazon we were asked to leave our balcony lights off and to not go outside. Our window was covered in insects. When we reached the Negro our guide told us there were no mosquitoes on this river. In the evening while docked at Manaus, which is 11 miles up the Rio Negro, we sat outside and had a pre-dinner glass of wine with nary a bug. Our guide told us that the absence of mosquitoes was because of the very high tannins in the black waters. Perhaps people should fill their swimming pools with Cabernet Sauvignon.

MANAUS: This city of two million was tremendously wealthy in the 1800's as it was the centre of the rubber boom. The rubber barons were so wealthy that they supposedly fed vintage wines to their horses and sent their laundry to Lisbon. The boom ended in 1910 when rubber trees were planted in groves in Indonesia (as opposed to individual trees spread through the Amazon). This allowed much more efficient gathering of the latex. After a long period of decline throughout the 1900's Manaus is now a major industrial and commercial centre for the entire Amazon area.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16: By the time we finished breakfast the temperature was 91 degrees; so we covered ourselves in sunscreen and walked into the city. I hoped to visit the opera house and within 20 minutes or so we had found it. In a city that gets very, very few English-speaking tourists we were surprised that there was a tour complete with an English-speaking guide. The opera house was completed in 1896 and built by the rubber barons who had unlimited wealth. Everything for construction was imported from Europe and it was the first theatre in the world to have electric lighting. The building is magnificent and although very different in style from the Sydney Opera House, it perhaps surpasses that site in beauty.

During the tour we were sitting on the main floor and the guide asked for a volunteer to sing something to demonstrate the acoustics. Betty volunteered me and I think I can rightfully claim to be the only person from Wedgewood Drive in Antigonish to have sung at the Manaus Opera House.

After the tour we did a little shopping as Betty had some very specific gifts to buy. When nobody speaks even a "Hello" in English, this can be a challenge, but in the end she was quite satisfied with her purchases.

DESTRUCTION OF THE RAIN FOREST: I mentioned in an earlier blog the extent of cutting in the Amazon. From the ship this can't be seen and the forest comes to the edge of the river everywhere. However, we can occasionally see plumes of smoke in the distance, presumably from the slash and burn techniques.


　

Amazon River

THE AMAZON

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12: We started up the river, anchoring shortly thereafter to allow Brazilian authorities to board and check passports and visas. There are various estimates of the width of the river near the mouth, with the shortest estimate being 100 miles. At the anchor point I could see one side of the river but definitely not the other.

Depending on proximity to one of the tributaries the river can be brown (the main branch) or blue, or even black. Near the mouth of a tributary (such as the Rio Negro) the river can be one color on one side and a different color on the other side, with a clear line of demarcation.

In the morning Betty attended cooking class and we both attended a lecture on various species to be found in the Amazon Basin. In the afternoon we attended a talk/concert on the life of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Amazon River is so much larger than I had imagined. Even hundreds of kilometers up river the width is still about 45 kilometers. However, the river is full of islands so there is almost never a clear stretch of water that goes from one side of the river to the other.

FRIDAY THE 13TH: We docked at Santarem (24 hours sail upriver from the sea) where we had an all-day private tour booked with our 12 "Cruise Critic" friends. Paulo, our guide, met us on the dock and we had a brief tour of the city (Santarem is a city of 300,000 but is accessible only by plane or boat). From the city centre we boarded a small boat (that looked a bit like Humphrey Bogart's "African Queen") and headed out to the confluence of the Amazon and the Tapajos Rivers. The Amazon has 1100 tributaries and the Tapajos is one of four that are each bigger than the Mississippi. Here we saw the clear line between the brown water of the Amazon and the blue water of the Tapajos. We then went upstream a short distance and spent about an hour watching pink dolphins (a species found only in the Amazon) steal fish from a fisher's net. After that we went piranha fishing. Didn't catch any piranha but I did manage a small catfish. Next we dropped anchor and went ashore where we were met by a toothless, machete waving local who took us for a walk through the jungle. It was hot (96 degrees) so most animals were asleep, but we managed to see 3 large sloths, several termite hills, lots of birds, and some rubber trees.

On the way back to the ship we stopped at a restaurant and drank ice cold beers which were in 600 ml bottles and cost $ 2. each. A quick dip in the pool followed by a shower had us somewhat revived and ready for the evening and the next day with temperatures predicted to reach 102 degrees.

DINNER: We sat a a table of six including a woman and her mother who were celebrating. They insisted on purchasing Champagne (the French stuff) for the table. The younger woman's business is managing the family property and she was celebrating having just sold 14 acres of commercial property in San Diego. Our dinner was briefly interrupted by a "Code Mike" urgently announced and which caused several chefs to run out of the kitchen. Code Mike is a medical emergency. I looked for a burial at sea this morning but didn't notice anything.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14: We anchored near the village of Boca da Valeria. This village has only about 100 inhabitants who live a subsistence based on fish, a few chickens and some vegetables. Oceania cruise lines stop here and bring boxes of books and other school supplies. The locals earn cash by having their pictures taken for $ 1. Each kid has a gimmick such as holding his pet sloth, or small caiman (alligator). The village is clearly very poor and the houses are of the standard of kids' treehouses.

There are two seasons in the Amazon Basin. During the rainy season the waters of the river rise as much as 45 feet, flooding the islands in the river and back from the banks of the river for many miles. All of the "houses" along the river and on the islands are built on stilts. Apparently fish are able to swim inland and eat fruit directly from the branches of the trees.

This morning we watched a group of large pink dolphins breeching at the back of the ship and nicely visible from our balcony. The ones we saw were very pink which is an indication of sexual excitation. The dophins appeared to be 6 or 8 feet long.

　

Crossing the Equator

ST. LUCIA TO THE AMAZON

ST. LUCIA: We docked at the town of Castries. As it was Sunday morning the town was relatively quiet and didn't offer a lot. Thus, after walking a bit we hired a taxi for a tour of the island. The island is quite mountainous and we had some beautiful vistas.

Back in town we went into a high-end jewellry store where I may or may not have gotten a good price on Betty's Christmas present. Will not be much of a surprise but since Betty buys for everyone else my annual task is now more or less over.

WINE: The wine list on the ship is extensive and expensive. However, they have a second wine list, containing some great wines at better prices. The catch is that you have to buy in multiples of seven. Can't buy six bottles and can't buy eight bottles. Strange system! To make matters even more interesting the prices on everything (not just wine) rise by 25% as soon as the ship enters Brazilian waters. Yesterday, I selected (in multiples of 7) enough bottles of wine to hopefully get us up and down the Amazon and back to international waters.

TOBAGO: Monday morning we docked at the town of Scarborough. In Tobago the record all-time low temperature is 12 degrees Celius. No surprise but the temperature was much, much hotter.

The first place we came to was a KFC restaurant. Outside there were several hens and roosters walking around. I tried to warn them that it wasn't a good place to hang around but they didn't seem to understand my Patois.

In any event, Scarborough seems to be less than prosperous. Perhaps had we gone to one of the beaches it would have been more opulent. However, with black clouds overhead we decided to come back on the ship and spend the afternoon relaxing.

CROSSING THE EQUATOR: This morning (Wednesday) we approached the equator and at each crossing there is a ceremony to initiate the Polliwogs. Betty and I were initiated a few years ago and are therefore now called Shellbacks. Everyone gathered by the pool and awaited the arrival of King Neptune. He paraded in with his entourage in turn poured green slime over the head of each Polliwog. The Polliwog was then required to kiss a dead fish.

By tomorrow morning we shall start up the Amazon River. We are looking forward to our 7 or 8 days on the river.

THE AMAZON: The flow of water from the Amazon is greater than that from the next five largest rivers in the world. One-fifth of all the fresh water in the world is in the Amazon. Millions of years ago the Amazon was connected to the Congo River and the water flowed in a westerly direction. After the continents divided and the Andes Mountains rose the water was blocked from flowing into the Pacific and the direction of the river reversed.

The Amazon Basin is huge but the rainforest is being rapidly destroyed. Although the amount of deforestation is 1/4 of what it was even five years ago there is still an area equal to 1/5 the size of Vermont that is cut each year. Once the trees are removed the land only briefly supports crops before turning to dust.

NOVEMBER, 2015-Miami to St. Maarten

SOUTH MIAMI BEACH: We started our adventure by spending our first afternoon and night in the Art Deco area of Miami Beach. If you have not visited here let me summarize by saying the beach is spectacular, the prices are high, and the area is slightly seedy. 0ne day is ample.

OCEANIA REGATTA: We set sail on the evening of Nov. 4th and are at sea until Nov. 7th. However, there is lots to do to try and avoid eating all the time. On Thursday I attended two lectures; one on the "Real Pirates of the Caribbean" which was excellent and one on the "Mystic and Mystery of Baseball" which could only be appreciated by more dedicated baseball fans than I. We also had a meet and greet with the people with whom we will be taking a couple of tours on the Amazon. Next we attended the Captain's cocktail party which preceded more pre-dinner drinks while listening to a string quartet. Dinner was excellent as expected, particularly the starting course of sturgeon caviar. At dinner we sat with a Magician and his beautiful wife/assistant. They were charming dinner companions.

ROUGH SEAS: We were awakend on Friday by the slightly more than gentle rocking of the bed. I decided to go to the walking track to try and burn off a few calories. The track and all other outside decks were closed due to the weather and the Captain announced that Saturday's scheduled stop at St. Bart's was cancelled on the advice of the port authority. Apparently we are sailing to St. Maarten (where there is no need of tendering) instead. Since we have been to neither island it really is of little consequence.

We spent the rest of the day, doing laundry, reading, and attending a great lecture on the "Amazon"; the first of series which will happen before we get to Brazil. After dinner we went to the Magic show. Both Betty and I got picked to go on stage. At one point Bronwyn (the assistant) was wrapped and tied up in coils of rope before being put into a large sack. I then joined her in the sack. A few seconds later the sack was removed and Bronwyn was wearing my suit jacket underneath her layers of rope coil. Despite my moment in the sack with Bronwyn, guests today are giving Betty the kudos.

DEMOGRAPHICS: On most of our previous cruises Canadian guests were only slightly outnumbered by Americans. This time there are almost no Canadians. Guess that's the result of a 75 cent dollar. On the other hand, the 631 guests, while better dressed, are no younger than the guests at your home-town nursing home. The staff (450 of them) to guest ratio is much better. Perhaps the biggest difference is that on ship the guests are not fed pills but medicate continuously on expensvie booze.

ST. MAARTEN: Despite the predicted rain we had a 15 minute hot and sunny walk into Philipsburg, on the Dutch side (as opposed to the French side) of St. Maarten. The town is essentially a kilometre long strip of high-end shops, of which 75% sell diamonds. I can't imagine there could be that many customers. We were told the prices were very good. Perhaps a good place to visit if one were about to become engaged. However, I expect there's not a lot of that on our cruiseship. Nonetheless a pleasant enough place with good beachfront. On the other hand, we are back on ship and about to spend the rest of our afternoon by the pool.