LEAVING THE AMAZON

 Betty wanted very much to see the Boi Bumba Folk Show at Parintins, Brazil.  However she was advised by Destinations Services not to go because of the distance of the walk from the pier to the theatre.  She sent me to report.  This hour long show was traditional native dancing with very, very elaborate costumes.

I don't know much about dancing but it seemed as if all the dances were the same.  The dancers were accompanied by a 9 piece band.  Six of the nine could have taken an extended smoke break as they could not be heard.  On the other hand the 3 amplified drummers pounded steadily for the full hour.  By half way I had my first headache in 20 years.  The highlight was locating Betty's bottle of Tylenol when I got back to the ship.

Our boat ride at Santarem was much more pleasant.  The boat came aside the ship which saved us from using the tender.  Our guide explained that the tour boat was normally used as a ferry to take people to various towns along the Amazon and that some rides took up to five days.  When used as a ferry all the chairs were taken off so that passengers could bring their own hammocks and hang them from hooks in the ceiling.

After sailing to another meeting of the waters we headed up what our guide called a stream (not big enough in Brazil to be called a river).  Here we passed wildlife as well as some farms owned by indigenous people.  What may look like a herd of cattle is actually water buffalo.

We stopped for piranha fishing.  Although I was unsuccessful many of the other passengers caught at least one of these small but vicious fish.  I did see some dolphins but my finger was not quick enough to capture them on a photo.

Perhaps the most interesting tour was called "Behind the scenes".  Eight of us were taken on a 3-hour tour of the bowels of the ship.  In addition to our various guides we were accompanied by a security officer.  In the evening the social hostess told Betty that I had behaved myself.

We first visited the bridge where I learned that the ship can carry up to 2000 tons of fuel.  In the engine room I learned that the ship has its own sewage treatment plant.  Backstage in the theatre I learned that a few stateroom attendants (housemaids) earn extra pay by helping the singers and dancers with their rapid costume changes.

We visited the laundry.  In addition to towels and bedsheets there are tablecloths and lounge chair covers.  Guests can send stuff to the laundry for an extra charge.  As platinum members this service is free for us but I don't bother, finding it simpler to use the laundromat down the hallway.  In addition, each staff member wears 3 uniforms per day (morning, afternoon and evening) and each uniform is washed daily.  Each washer can handle 240 pounds of clothes and the laundry operates 24 hours per day.  The pictures show a washer, dry cleaning apparatus, and a machine that irons bedsheets.

We visited the galleys of three of the restaurants.  The ship makes all of its own food, including ice creams and pastas.  The flour for all the breads (including the wonderful poulichette baguettes) come from France.  However, flour for the pizzas comes from Italy.  An exception to the "ship makes everything" is bagels, which come from New York.  The fuzzy picture is of a baguette oven which runs 24 hours per day.

Each galley has a cold and a hot side.  Salads, etc. are prepared on the very cool side and on the hot side the air temperature is at 43.  At that temperature when the food is plated on scalding hot plates and is sent on the perhaps long trip to one's table it arrives at the correct temperature.

The next picture is of the tasting table.  Each night before the meal the head chef or the 2nd chef tastes all the sauces for all the dishes as a quality control.  The 2nd chef has 1/2 hour before dinner to explain each dish to all the waiters so they are knowledgeable for the guests.

 Washing dishes is a big deal.  In the galley of the main dining room there are only 3 dishwashers, specialized for plates, cutlery and glasses.  Each machine cost $ 350,000 US.

All dishes are washed twice and then tested for bacteria.  In all the restaurants combined there are 49 staff involved with dishwashing.

Finally we visited the storage area.  The ship has a maximum of 21 days of food on board.  This make things difficult in Brazil because the ship was not allowed to restock any American beef while in Brazilian waters (tariff issues).  Perhaps that explains why they had trouble supplying prime rib in Polo (see previous blog).

We walked into many, many freezers.  Each freezer is for a specific kind of food and the freezers are at different temperatures.  I didn't take any pictures of the freezers but the potato bags seemed to be enough to keep us in truffle mashed.

The final picture is from the wine storage area and shows cases of Prosecco.  I took this picture to alleviate Betty's fears that they might run out and that she would be forced to drink Champagne.