Zero G! Luisa Goes Weightless!

“This certifies that Luisa Georgov has defied gravity, communed with floating objects, levitated and otherwise successfully completed the Zero-G Weightless Experience!!”


Zero G – Saturday, December 8, 2012 from Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport
I am learning to sell space travel. Yes, space travel. (www.spacexc.com). Just you and the pilot. My dream would be to go in to space but you have to prepare. One of the steps is to go Zero G and this past Saturday was my day!

Gene and I were at the Renaissance hotel at 8:30 and were each given a flight bag with a personalized flight suit!  That makes you feel special. And especially when you see the upside down name tag, meant to stay that way until you complete the mission and they place it the correct side up showing you graduated. Gene was there as a non-flyer guest. There were 30 of us for the safety briefing – from Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, France, Germany, FL, Washington, DC…many had come to Florida JUST for the Zero G experience.

The safety video showed the modified Boeing 727-200 doing the parabolic arcs as the plane’s nose went up 45 degrees where we would feel the 1.8 G forces and then a 30 degree nose dive down to feel weightless. (Watching and experiencing are two different things!)

We had a non-protein breakfast, went through security screening at the hotel, boarded the mini bus to the airport and posed for photos in front of G-Force One!

There are six rows of 36 seats in the rear of the plane. I was in row 1, seat E. Harry, from Munich, Germany, was beside me in 1D and he had promised himself to experience this before his 50th birthday. He is 48 and traveled to Florida without his wife and children. Frank, in 1F, was celebrating his 70th birthday, and his wife was also a non-flyer guest; he lives near Punta Gorda, FL.

Our floating zone was the GOLD group, as we could tell from our thick socks we were given to wear in our floating zone. Ten in each group – Gold, Blue or Silver. Gold was in the front of the plane. Take-off was normal except there are no windows near the seats. The four windows were in the middle of the plane in the emergency exit area. It was a strange sensation not knowing when you were set for take-off or landing.

We found out later we were over the Gulf of Mexico for our 100 miles long and 10 miles wide of required air space. After a normal take-off each person went to their floating zone to prepare. The entire section in front of the seats was a wide open space; the white walls, floors and ceiling were padded. The flight attendant had constant contact with the pilots and he would shout out “one minute”. We took our places on the floor- laid out flat and waited. And that first wait was an eternity. You know what to expect but you don’t believe it until it happens.

As the plane arcs upward, you feel like a 10,000 ton blob. Your body sinks to the floor and you have difficulty lifting your feet off the floor. You feel like you are being suctioned down, down, down…

And after 30 seconds, you feel free! Your body begins to float off the floor. Huh??!! Yep, it floats upward, just like a meditation table in the magic show. But it is you, so you know it is for real! And for about 30 seconds you can do whatever you please!! You float and move around freely. You move slowly and just FLOAT. I can’t describe it any better than to say you FLOAT. It is the strangest feeling! For the first few times, your mind cannot comprehend what your body is doing. You’re not used to having your head under your body without falling!! And you see people floating past you.

And then, just as suddenly, the flight attendant is telling you “Coming down. Feet first.” And you quickly learn what that means! :)  If you are in the wrong position when the plane reaches Earth’s gravity, you could come down on your head, shoulder, arms and feel your entire body weight – not a good thing!

The first three arcs were Lunar and Martian as they have less gravity than on Earth but more than “zero”. You could do one finger push-ups!

The next 13 arcs were “Zero G” – weightless. Our section leader in our floating zone opened a bottle of water and I caught a drop in my mouth as it floated past! And we tried to eat the small pieces of candy as they sailed past. That was much harder than it looks! We tried different maneuvers for each period of Zero G, which lasted about 30 seconds each time.

During our safety briefing, they explained the possibility of feeling uncomfortable and three people in our group of 30 did. After my 10th Zero G float, I felt a little uneasy but they gave me some ginger gum and that helped a lot. I couldn’t tell if I was hungry for lunch or uncomfortable for the motion! We were up from 11AM-1PM.

Landing was smooth and quick. It’s hard to believe the experience is over and you’re on Earth again, feeling all your weight! It was fun, incredible, unbelievable and an adventure worth pursuing!

Upon return to the hotel, we had a nice champagne lunch, a graduation ceremony and a fun time with the staff of Zero G. What a job! Some of them have been up over 230 times!! For most of us, even once is a life changing experience.

Palm Sunday local church and return to USA

Saturday, March 31, 2012 - Bergendal/Paramaribo

(Photos are of the resort and our room in Bergendal.) We slept in and packed for the return bus ride to Paramaribo. Gene and I rode with the luggage van to the hotel (so the others would not get sick) and we were there in 1.25 hours. We had room 620 at the Krasnopolsky Hotel and after a meeting with the tour operator manager and hotel manager to go over our thoughts from the week, I went directly to bed.

April 1, 2012 – Sunday – Palm Sunday in Paramaribo
April’s Fools! Well, guess what? We had no electricity! And that meant no air conditioning. Yikes. The humidity has been high so it became uncomfortable after awhile. I was feeling much better and we had been invited to a Baptist church by Rachel, one of our guides from Bergendal. We took a taxi to the church where they gave us with headphones and instant translation from Dutch to English during the service! But the a/c was not working in the church either for awhile but then, YEAH! It came on. The band started out full force and it was quite a musical event for Palm Sunday. Rachel and her brother dropped us off at the Ticarica Hotel so we could explore that area. The hotel is on the river, has a beautiful pool and incredibly professional tennis courts (!) and a dock. Some of the room’s have a walkout to the pool. We walked back to our hotel passing an open air market, getting caught in the rain storm and ready to be in the cool air conditioning and to pack.

Bed came not early enough as we were up and out by 4AM for the flight back to Miami.

Monday, April 2, 2012 - Paramaribo/Miami
At 4AM, we were given a box breakfast, loaded two vans with luggage and people and drove 45 minutes to the airport. What activity! Four flights were leaving at the same time! Insel Airlines. Air Suriname. Caribbean Airlines. And our departure was delayed until 9AM due to late arrival from Belem, Brazil.

We cleared customs in Aruba, which meant taking off all carryons and claiming checked luggage. So for this one flight number, we went through airport security THREE TIMES!!

Soon after arrival to Miami, we were back at the Residence Inn Miami Airport South for a nice quiet evening. Dinner was included in the room rate (!) so no need to stress about that. I worked, Gene watched Final Four basketball and we remembered where we were yesterday. Tomorrow is another day and who knows where we will be. Hopefully back at home …but always ready for the next adventure. Are you?

Heritage Walk, Canopy crashing and BBQ/dance

March 30, 2012 Friday- Bergendal - at the resort for a full day of activities We took the longboat down river to the resort’s Adventure Center. They have a Heritage Village with homes of slaves still on the grounds of the plantation (now the Adventure Center)(slavery ended in 1863) and they are attempting to restore the homes. We enjoyed a short walk through the area where we learned about the medicinal values of so many leaves, trees and flowers. I forgot my notebook today so it is hard to remember them all but one leaf is good for diabetes and you can recognize it since it dries up looking like a closed fist. A very large bees nest on the side of the banana tree looked like the skin of an armadillo and housed very poisonous bees! Someone had created a beautiful plant holder in the shape of a bird, with beak and wings, out of an old tire.

We were all dressed up with gear for the canopy / zipline and then instructed on the “test” cable. We went out, had to stop in the middle, and then had to pull ourselves to the next pole – in case we got stuck in the middle of the canopy. I did not feel overly comfortable with it but figured I was probably not going to do it again so give it a try! We hiked UP a very steep, muddy path to the 1st cage. They all took their turns and I went last. I did OK. It was 90 feet long and 6 feet high. Then on the 2nd one I did OK. It was 90 feet long and 15 feet high. The third one gave me some trouble. I already knew I would NOT be doing the one OVER THE RIVER (think not, Luisa!) so this was the last one for me. It was the longest cable yet and the highest and I got stuck in the middle. And it was high up there. I kept trying to keep moving but could not figure out how to keep going without tearing out my shoulder socket! If I braked, my feet swung me in all directions. So, thankfully, they sent someone out from the other end and with his weight to pull me down, I sped along. And crashed in to him!! Can’t wait to see those photos!! But we were both OK and that was the end of my canopy career. Done. Cross it off the list.

Pool time, lunch and then a group kayak tour in the mangroves. Fran and I were paired together as Gene was still not feeling well. We were both very inexperienced but had fun in our double kayak. We saw some squirrel monkeys in the trees overhead, crashed in to the mangroves quite a bit (I have scratches to prove it) and saw some beautiful flowers at the water’s edge. Our guides were there with us and it was fun.

We had a late BBQ dinner at the Adventure Center with local entertainment by the maroon villagers from Balingsolla. They sang a 3-verse birthday song to us!! And they danced and clapped their hands. No musical instruments at all. The maroon culture are descendants of slaves and still live in the interior of the country. It was a very genuine evening - not a "show" and we enjoyed their hospitality. We were all dancing together by the end of the evening!

Afobakka Dam and caiman hunting

March 29, Thursday - Bergendal - - Gene’s Birthday but he is not feeling well!

After the breakfast buffet and made-to-order eggs, I opted for a ½ day tour of the newly built Afobakka dam and several local villages. It turned out there were only TWO of us on the tour – Fran and Luisa. We had a private meeting with the engineers of the Afobakka dam (who were not used to visitors, period.) No touring is usually allowed. On their own time schedule, they showed us a nice video of the dam and its inner workings (in Dutch) and we donned our hard hats and safety glasses to walk around. At the time of its construction there was, of course, much conflict if the dam should be built and the 5000 people displaced. The manager said he was one who doubted but now he sees the wisdom in the country’s move to build. They are saving incredible amounts of money on producing their own electricity and he can’t even begin to think where they would be now if they had been forced to pay the going market rate. They are paying $18 a barrel as compared to $150 a barrel at today’s rate. It is owned today by SURALCO LLC and will be under total Surinamese control in 2032. Their STOP signs have the words: Stop, Think, Observe, Prevent on them.

We walked on the top of the dam and saw several tree tops sticking out of Brokopondo Lake, which was 450 feet deep, so imagine how old and tall those trees are!! The lake is plentiful with fish and there are several islands in it. One is a gold mine and from the village of Afobakka, we could see the “gas station” at the river’s edge where barrels were filled and placed in the longboat to be motored out to the gold mine on the island. Interesting.

Most of the shops are owned by Chinese immigrants. There are Hindu temples and Jewish synagogues and Muslim mosques beside Catholic and Baptist churches. There are over 22 languages spoken in the country and the people have every skin color of the world. It is a true microcosm of the future – a blending of all races and features.

The next village we visited was Balingsolla and then Tapoeripa. They are both off the main highway on a paved road in a hilly area. The homes are built in short stilts (to avoid insects in the home) and there were large containers to catch the water. The school was at the water’s edge and across the way was the bauxite mining.

There is a bus system that goes from village to village. We saw one washing machine in the town center for everyone’s use. Times are a-changing! No more “down at the river’s edge.

The full day tour, which six members of the group opted for, was to Brownsberg Nature Park. This is a protected nature park with views of Brokopondo Lake and the surrounding tropical rainforest. There are numerous nature trails to refreshing streams and small waterfalls interspersed throughout the mountain with spectacular flora and fauna of the area.

Poor Gene did not make it to dinner on his birthday night nor out for the Night River boat tour. We went out caiman spotting! (a reptile related to the alligator but smaller and slimmer and with a proportionally longer tail.)

We saw a set of eyes peering at us from the water and then I realized how close we were to them – the boats are sturdy but they hold 20 people. If one person over-reacts, it could tumble all of us and there were piranhas and caimans in the river. But we were all calm and all went well. We heard the monkeys howling in the trees above us, enjoyed the ½ moon shining above us with the clear sky and twinkling stars. I really enjoyed that night ride.

My birthday in Paramaribo and Bergendal

March 28, Wednesday – my birthday in Paramaribo and Bergendal

We were up very early, before dawn, to take a quick walk to the central market. We love local markets! The people are so diverse and their daily life is so different from ours. Fish, vegetables, meat, chicken, flowers, household items, pharmacy…you never know what you will find. My 1st birthday present today was some smoked catfish!!  We could not resist as it looked so delicious and we’ve never had it smoked before.

If you want to read more about the sugar trade and plantations in Suriname, download “The Cost of Sugar” by Cynthia McLeod. The Cost of Sugar is an intriguing history of those rabid times in Dutch Surinam between 1765-1779 when sugar was king. Told through the eyes of two Jewish step sisters, Eliza and Sarith, descendants of the settlers of 'New Jerusalem of the River' know today as Jodensvanne. The Cost of Sugar is a frank expose of the tragic toll on the lives of colonists and slaves alike.

Breakfast and packing for 10:00am departure to the Bergendal Eco & Cultural River Resort, the last plantation along the Suriname river. Forgot to mention they drive on the left! We stopped about 45 minutes outside of the city near a very large aluminum plant (ALCOA) and then continued driving straight to the resort. There are few roads outside the city so you really can’t get lost. Off the main road, the road leading to the resort is about 4 miles – all dirt, stones, holes, bumps, ruts….quite a ride in a 24 passenger van.

We were welcomed with a fruit punch cocktail and given a tour of the property. There are three categories of accommodations – A,B, C – depending on the size of the unit and where you want to be. The C units are very high in the treetops – steps and more steps to get to your room but the views from up there were incredible. Large patios so you can sit out at dusk, during the night, sunset and hear the monkeys and birds all around you. The rooms are basically the same – bedroom is air conditioned, beds have mosquito netting around them and there is a separate living area (in most rooms) with a sofa (convertible in some rooms); living room and bathroom are not air conditioned. Our room was #A1 – PERFECT for me – just a hop and skip to the infinity pool at the river’s edge!! Wow. I loved it. I went in two times today already! We are in a level room with direct view to the Suriname River through some beautiful trees.
The resort is beginning a butterfly farm – we saw beautiful blue and orange ones floating around. All the meals are buffet in the open air Kiskadee restaurant and they have fresh fruit juices and water available all day.

We rested and unpacked and swam and then enjoyed a ride on a longboat (now motorized) up river to the transmigration village, Nieuw Lombe. This means that in 1964 these people were forced to leave their homes due to the forced flooding of their village from the hydroelectric dam. Moses, one of our guides for the week, is a member of this village, and he showed us around. We visited the bakery where his uncle bakes the daily bread for the resort; met the Captain of the village (interesting that he is not called chief) and saw their garden patches outside of the village. The houses are built on short stilts but it is not because of flooding but because of insects and animals! All members of this village, for all generations, will receive monthly salaries from the government due to their displacement of their village. Wow. That’s an expensive obligation and I really wonder how that will work out.

It was a beautiful afternoon to walk around and we saw the small church and elementary school. Not every village has either of these. The high school is in the “city” – Paramaribo, the only city in the country. The boat ride on the river was so scenic. Trees tower over you and mangroves grow at the edge. The villagers have to park their cars (yes, they have cars) on the other side of the river and ferry over to their village in a longboat with all their purchases – food, refrigerators, lumber, school supplies, etc.

At my place at the dinner table they had placed many colorful balloons! The buffet dinner was served with tablecloths and real candles on each table. The sounds of the night were all around you. Lovely night.

Happy Birthday! Ija, yu mag fu meki op’opo nangga ba’bari bikasi a aimachtige gi yu ete wan libi yari…dan na wan – Hiep Hiep Hiep!!

City tour to the forts

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 – Paramaribo
After a buffet breakfast “in the bar in the shopping arcade of the mall attached to the hotel (!)”, we were back in the large van for a city tour. There are numerous wooden buildings of unique architecture (many areas reminded us of Savannah and Charleston architecture) and a variety of ethnic groups all living together in harmony – African, Afro-Caribbean, Indians (from India), Dutch, Chinese (every grocery store is owned by a Chinese!), Indonesians (also a colony of the Dutch), Jews and Maroons (descendants of African slaves).

Giovanni, Rachel, Zuwesa, our guides, and our driver Randy, drove us along the most prominent historic locations in the city center: Independence Plaza, the Presidential Palace, Fort Zeelandia, and the parliament building (where no one is allowed to enter except on official business!). They have a President with a democratic republic and 51 Parliamentarians in their National Assembly. The Presidential Palace is only used for welcoming foreign guests and official receptions. The balcony is historic, from which on November 25, 1975, the Dutch flag was lowered and the Surinamese flag hoisted for the first time.

Fort Zeelandia was a small wooden stronghold by the French in 1644. The English fortified it in 1651 and then the Dutch came 16 years later. It now houses the Suriname museum. The city center is a UNESCO World Heritage site, since 2002, and a junction of several cultures including temples for Hindus, Turks, Muslims, Anglicans, Catholics and others. The mosque and synagogue stand next to each other; the floor of the synagogue is covered with sand: #1 to remind them of the trek from Egypt across the desert; #2 during the inquisition, the people that remained Jews but said they were Christians had to keep their Jewish meetings secret to they covered the floor with sand to muffle their footsteps and erase them quickly and #3 for fire prevention.

The Suriname River is a muddy mix, just like the Amazon. Giovanni said the Amazon’s waters flow in to it and, therefore, the ugly brown muddy color. We visited the Cathedral – the largest wooden church in the Western hemisphere! It is also used as a theatre for the folkmusic school across the street. The interior, made of snakewood, was stunning - so simple, yet very warm and welcoming in design.

We drove past the US Embassy, which is being moved from the city centre to the outskirts of town and then past many wooden homes in the “Freeman’s Ground” area - -where slaves were granted a home in 1863 but no papers proving they owned the home. Even today, if any renovations are made to the home, someone could come along and claim the home was their ‘great-grandfather’s home’ and you would be forced to move since you had no papers to claim it was yours! The homes were wooden, simple one and two-storey and attractive – yes, they were in need of repair but the entire area again had such a nice warm and welcoming feeling. There are approx. 800,000 inhabitants in the country. The indigenous Amerindian people dealt with the Dutch dominance. Ever since 1650, the colonial rulers forced Africans into slavery and sent them to Suriname. Their descendants are known as Creoles. The Maroons are descendants of runaway slaves. After the abolition of slavery in 1863, contract laborers from India, Indonesia and China came to work on the plantations. During the colonial period, Jews, Lebanese and Europeans immigrated to Suriname and then Haitians, Brazilians, Chinese and Guyanese decided to make Suriname their home. It is indeed a true melting pot country. The official language is Dutch but they recognize 20 other languages.
The monthly salary is a minimum of $200 (shop clerks).

As a group, we drove over the large Jules Albert Wijdenbosch bridge where they hold a walk every two years – the Bigi Broki Waka. We hired Larry through the hotel front desk to drive us back over the bridge to visit Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, at the confluence of the two majestic rivers: Suriname and Commewijne. The fort was a prison and is now an educational venue for turtles and history. The church was set in a small mote with large lily pads around it and there were seats at the river’s edge for relaxing. We walked the main streets in town, past several casinos, looking for souvenir shops and a place to eat. Most of the stores have no sign outside but I did find a handicraft shop with some wooden products. They are not overly interested in selling their products. The store hours are short and the products scarce.

Arriving Paramaribo

Monday, March 26, 2012 – departure for Suriname!

Worked most of the beautiful morning before our hotel departure. We arrived at the Miami airport at 11:30 to find the Air Suriname counter, which they rent for four hours when they have flights! Several of the others from our group were also checking in so we had time to talk, walk around and eat lunch before boarding the 737 for Paramaribo (Para-MAY-ee–bo) at 3:30. We wondered why the flight was to last until 11:59PM and luckily, we found out it was NOT and it was even better as we had a 45 minute stopover in Aruba! We had a hot dinner of chicken and rice and cookies, enjoyed the Paibo Beer, and Fernandes drinks of lime green, cherry red and pineapple yellow! The flight attendants were very friendly and so were the people around us. One was a logger, several worked for Alcoa, some had lived in the Netherlands (since they were a Dutch colony) and one was a developer.

We are now one hour ahead of East Coast and so we arrived at 10:40PM. Yeah! An hour can make a huge difference. Immigration consisted of paying US$25 for a visa (nice to have this benefit instead of mailing off your passport with additional fees attached) and collecting suitcases to load in the 24 passenger van. The drive to the Krasnapolsky Hotel was about 30-45 minutes, in the capital city of Paramaribo.
After a quick checkin, we found cheese sandwiches, white bread, peanut butter, butter and a bottle of water waiting for us! What a great gesture extended to all guests due to the late arrival of the flight and since all the restaurants are closed and there is no room service.

We are on the continent of South America; north of the equator, bordered by Brazil, Guyana (used to be British Guyana) and French Guyana (we were just on Devil’s Island a few weeks ago). Paramaribo, the capitol city of Suriname is a junction of cultures and languages. The country is a Dutch colony where people from many countries arrived to work in the plantations. Our hotel is located in the center of the city and there is actually a Popeye’s in the mall courtyard of the hotel! They are undergoing renovations now for a new lobby and breakfast area so our breakfasts were in the RUMORS bar in the hotel’s courtyard. Our room, #621, had a 2-chair balcony facing the Islamic mosque, located next to the Jewish synagogue. But more on that later….

Sleep did not come easily and before we knew it, the alarm was ringing.
One of the group members found an article in today’s Miami Herald about Suriname! “From Despot to Democrat – Leader turns Heads”. Google it from March 26 to read their woes.

Departure day

I’ve packed so little for this trip that I honestly find it hard to believe it can be done! I refuse to pay baggage fees to American so I am doing carryon from PHL to Miami.

The flight went well, if you consider sitting in front of a family of four in three seats – two adults and one 18 months and one under 3 years old. You have to give them credit for traveling – their nerves were shot also. But I concentrated on my book and music – there was even a movie/TV show. It’s been a few months since I’ve flown so some of the events seemed like I was doing them for the first time!

We’re at the Residence Inn Miami Airport South – love it. Free shuttle from airport. Breakfast included. Two rooms with full kitchen. Desk for working. Fitness room, free internet, fresh oj and apple juice, view of the planes arriving to Miami airport, nice front desk personnel and if you stay during the week, they even had dinner and drinks!!

We're off to SURINAME (where???)

"Suriname, once known as Dutch Guiana, is one of South America's smallest countries. A country full of contrasts, natural beauty, lush rainforests, abundant wildlife and colonial architecture abound.

Discover a little of Africa, a lost and untapped jungle, the Amazon, diversity in population, culture and historical backgrounds found in no other place on the planet. Paramaribo, the Capitol City of Suriname is a junction of cultures. Established as Dutch colony, people from many countries arrived to work in the plantations.

Located in the middle of the Amazon Jungle, Suriname has plenty to offer that is truly a most exotic destination in South America."
We're off to celebrate our birthdays in the middle of nowhere, hoping it will be relaxing and knowing it will be interesting and fun!
More to come...

Final sea days and home!

Saturday, March 10, 2012 – at sea

Fabulous weather for a BBQ on deck so who wants to pack! But when you to pack up 3 staterooms, you have to make choices. The BBQ won! Packing will be accomplished…it always is. HAS to be.

So it was glorious to sit out and the pig roast was delicious!

The Texas Tenors were the entertainment and I found out they won the America’s Got Talent contest a few years ago - -wonderful voices and we hear them tomorrow night again. I bought the CD.

Sunday, March 11, 2012 – at sea

“Nowhere else is the term United Nations better served than onboard a Holland America Line ship. Onboard the ms Prinsendam, we prove that people of many nations, religions and beliefs can work and live together, not only adequately but very well indeed. We celebrate the national holidays of the Netherlands, the UK, the Philippines, Indonesia, USA, Canada and India. The religions onboard include: Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Protestant and Jewish. We hope you will enjoy and explore the rich heritage that all of us onboard the ms Prinsendam bring to you.”

Well written. We had a very nice closing ceremony with all the crew, staff and officers singing LOVE IN ANY LANGUAGE. Entertainment was Den West and The Texas Tenors! Spent most of the day PACKING - -three staterooms. I’ve found quite a few forgotten items!

Monday, March 12, 2012 – arrive Ft. Lauderdale

Packed the final belongings, ate our last room service breakfast and we were off the ship by 9:30 and in the rental car headed home. Quite a voyage and it will take me some time to digest it all. We traveled 17,657 nautical miles! The places are incredible and inviting; the people make the journey that much more memorable.

“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.” - Homer

St. Maarten

We woke to a beautiful morning with clear skies and 80 degrees. We were docking on the Dutch side of this French/Dutch island. St. Maarten/St. Martin is the world’s smallest divided land mass – Dutch has 16 sq miles and the French has 21 sq miles. There is no obvious boundary between the sides other than a welcoming sign along the road. Columbus sighted St. Maarten in 1493 but it was only settled in 1631.

“Pretty St. Maarten shares familiar elements of paradise with other sophisticated Caribbean vacation spots.” No matter how pretty a place is, if their people are not welcoming, your image is jaded. We’ve been here several times and enjoyed it. This time, we had major hassles with taxi drivers on a price (always discuss before you get in), and decided not to use their services. If they have an attitude, I can have one too! We ended up using the water taxi to the beachfront of Philipsburg, passing several huge yachts with topless sunbathers clearly willing to be on display. Waded in the Caribbean Sea and enjoyed the beautiful colors of the water and seashells.

This area is for shopping; anything you can imagine is on sale, but especially jewelry.

Celebrity’s new ship, the Silhouette, was docked next to us. I was on it in November for 2 nights and just had four clients disembark from their 12 day cruise on Monday and they loved it! Stylish, elegant, classy – a destination itself instead of the islands it visits (although they can be nice also!).

Back onboard from our last port of call, Captain Roberts tooted the horn for the final farewell as set sail at 5PM. Dinner was good and the entertainment was Den and Bobbi West, Nashville musicians. We’re headed up to the Chocolate Extravaganza now!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012 – at sea

Galley tour! Total service staff is 76. Total galley staff is 68, under the Executive Chef. They wash more than 1700 appetizer plates, 1000 dinner plates, 1000 dessert plates, 1000 side plates, 2500 glasses DAILY. Average weekly consumption: Meat 6400 lbs, poultry 4000 lbs, fish 1200 lbs, seafood 2000 lbs, butter 2500 lbs, fresh vegetables 8000 lbs, potatoes 3000 lbs, watermelon 2000 lbs, eggs 12040 pieces, dairy 5500 quarts, sugar 1500 lbs, sugar packages 24,000 pieces, rice for crew 3500 lbs, caviar 18 lbs, flour 2150 lbs and ice cream 120 gallons!! 20 varieties of bread are baked daily. The butchery handles more than 1000 lbs of meat a day.

Dinner with our ship’s librarians, entertainment was our Prinsendam Orchestra playing their own arrangements and highlighting their particular strengths – wonderful concert! We enjoyed the movie “My Week with Marilyn” which is supposed to be true about one week in her life; it was better than I expected. Beautiful full moon
reflecting on the water.

Thursday, March 8, 2012 – Castries, St. Lucia

We docked at 8:00 but it took us until 10 to get off – arranging wheelchair, steep ramp to disembark, three other ships around us and also a new area to explore! The temperature is 80 and we have blue skies – although we had the few moments of sprinkling during the day also.

St. Lucia: Its beaches are golden or black sand, some with a spectacular setting of the Piton mountains in the background and many turtles favor the area as a nesting site. Offshore, there is good diving and snorkeling. The mountainous interior is outstandingly beautiful and there are several forest reserves to protect the St. Lucian parrot and other wildlife. Sightseeing opportunities include sulfur springs, colonial fortifications and plantation tours.

Prinsendam singers and dancers performed Europa.

The moon is gorgeous! Are you noticing it from where you are also??? You don’t have to be away from home to enjoy the world around you.

Devil's Island, French Guiana

Monday, March 5, 2012 – at sea

Busy day – meeting at 10AM, pre-lunch cocktails at 11:30 with friends and cocktails with the Captain in his quarters and Pinnacle Grill dinner with Hotel Manager and then the Grand Masquerade Ball! What a nice evening. This ship has the only ante-chamber at sea in the Captain’s quarters where he can entertain up to 35 people! There were memorabilia from the ports of call (all glued down so they do not move during rocky seas!) and a verandah and four full length windows – lovely room. We did not see his private quarters but I’m sure he feels the motion up there as the higher up in the ship, the more motion you feel.

We were all given masks at the Pinnacle Grill dinner so we were all stunning as we danced and did the conga line through the lobby!

Had very sad news about J’s room attendant who is from Indonesia. We have been anxiously awaiting the news of his first child’s birth; his wife is in the hospital. Today he received word that his Father passed away. He was admitted to the hospital three days ago and diagnosed with lung cancer. The poor thing was beside himself. He then found out that his wife gave birth to their son today and both were doing well. Santana will be heading home earlier than expected, leaving the ship from St. Lucia. Death and life in one day and being so far away from home; how many of us could handle such personal circumstances from such a great distance?

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 – Devil’s Island/Iles du Salut (Salvation Islands), French Guiana

Through the misty rain but we were on our way via tender at 7:20 to the Ile de Royale, the largest of the three islands we call Devil’s Island. They are eight miles off the coast of French Guiana. The islands were part of a French penal settlement in use from 1852-1946. This system was gradually phased out and has been completely shut down since 1953; they were featured in the novel by Henri Charriere, Papillon. He was imprisoned here for 9 years. The prisoners were classified as follows: habitual criminals who were permitted to work, political prisoners and criminals who were permitted limited liberty and felons who were imprisoned with hard labor. If a prisoner was sentenced to a term of less than eight years, he had to spend an equal period of time in French Giuana. If the sentence was more than eight years, he had to remain for life. After 1885, only criminals with sentences of more than eight years were sent to Devil’s Island. Those prisoners who were liberated earned their passage home by working in the colony. The climate in the settlement proved so unhealthy that many prisoners died. Up to 2000 criminals could be interred at one time. All told, 80,000 prisoners were sent to the islands, and only 30,000 lived to tell about it.

The horrors of the settlement became notorious after the French army captain Alfred Dreyfus, was sent here in 1895; he was accused of planning to deliver an anonymous document that revealed French military secrets to the Germany embassy in Paris. He was later found not guilty, his real “crime” was probably being Jewish in anti-Semitic era) and given the French Legion of Honor medal and a French order of merit and served with distinction in WWI.

Papillon was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he did not commit but was never sent to Devil’s Island – the fictional tale was based on accounts taken from others prisoners. He was at French Giuana and managed to escape twice. Henri Charriere got his nickname during his naval term of service when he had a butterfly tattooed on his chest.

There is one lower level path around the island, which takes about 40 minutes to walk, and one higher path where the buildings are located. We saw turtles, agoutis (they look like Cornish guinea hens on stilts!), peacocks, chickens, roosters and squirrel monkeys so it was an interesting walk. Everything is in ruins. We toured the ruins of the Commandant’s House (which is now the reverse osmosis water plant), the children’s cemetery, hospital, prisoners’ quarters, chapel, solitary and condemned cells, workshops and butchery. There are old photos from the early 1900s in the chapel. It was a hard place to be sentenced with a slim chance of survival, let alone escape as the waters were shark-infested.

There is even a hotel on the small island! www.iledusalut.com Rooms were about $100 a night with a view of Devil’s Island.

Another interesting fact: There is a tracking station for space shuttles on the island! A ship anchored near us ONLY works when there is activity on the mainland at the Guinea Space Center. The Russians use the launch pad for the Ariane and Soyuz 2 rocket, which launches from Kourou, French Guinea. It is 350 miles north of the equator so they are in orbit quicker, as compared to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Back for lunch and I needed a break so I went to see the mindless movie “Blackthorn” about Butch Cassidy and tonight saw the movie “Papillon”. It’s been raining and gloomy so a good day to stay inside.

Manaus and Paratins, Brazil

Friday, March 2, 2012 – Manaus, Brazil
Had an early call to host for the ship so Gene went off to see the flora and fauna – two museums and a walk. J and I went to the terminal and walked around the small shop area. One of our friends had her necklace yanked from her neck and was naturally upset. Her husband did not feel well so she decided to walk on her own, for the first time. Terrible situation and I felt so badly for her, and for him, once he finds out. I went to the post office near the dock, PAC office, and then to pick up the many photos from last night. Of course it rained while I was out and I had forgotten the umbrella – but it stopped in a rather short time and it was still as humid and suffocating as ever!

Worked for awhile – back to the terminal where there is supposedly free WIFI, when it works. It worked!! But I forgot the phone! Very nice sail-away and we passed the Meeting of the Waters, where the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimoes (Amazonas) rivers meet -- coffee color mingles with the coffee with milk waters so there is a very definite line of distinction marking each river. Beautiful clear skies.

Manaus had become a significant supply port and capital of Amazonas State by 1850. Rubber brought vast profits in the last decades of the 19th century. In 1839, Charles Goodyear patented rubber vulcanization, the automobile was invented and the industrial revolution began so rubber was a vital commodity. Rubber trees grew only in the Amazon, so Manaus boomed. Manaus was nicknamed Paris of the Tropics. Celebrities from Europe and North America entertained a handful of wealthy families at the Opera House. Fortunes might have continued to expand except that Henry Wickham smuggled 70,000 rubber tree seeds to England in 1876. The Brazilian merchants branded him “Executioner of Amazonas” but he was knighted in England. Manaus slipped into decay and economic obscurity as the stolen seeds created a productive yield in the British Asian colonies (Malaysia especially) for decades. By the 1920s, synthetics drove the final nail into the natural rubber coffin.

We passed the deepest part of the Amazon River – 360 feet. The shallowest is 36 feet. Although the Europeans may have sighted the Amazon delta region in 1500, exploration of the river did not begin under decades later. In 1541 and 1542 Spanish Explorer Francisco de Orellana and a crew of 50 men navigated the entire length of the river over a period of eight months, encountering the Omagua and other peoples. The Spaniards were lured by rumors of gold and cinnamon (almost as valuable as gold!) and moved eastward from the Andes. In the early 17th century, the Portuguese slowly settled the Amazon Basin moving westward from the eastern region of Brazil. Both the Spanish and Portuguese enslaved or coerced indigenous groups to search for gold or perform other labor. The found the Amazon peoples harder to subdue than Andean highland groups and were met with fierce resistance. Many Amazon peoples were protected by nearly impenetrable jungle and if attached, they could move their villages further into the jungle but what they could not escape were the diseased brought by the Europeans.

There are 3000 fish species, more than 100 species of New World monkeys and 5000 species of trees. Many important medicines have been developed from plants found only in the Amazon. Only a fraction fo the plant species have been catalogued.
John Lenahan, magician and comedian, was the entertainer.

“How rare and wonderful is that flash of a moment when we realize we have a discovered a friend.” - Anonymous

Saturday, March 3, 2012 –Parintins, Brazil

Early tender at 8AM and we arrived in the midst of many riverboats docking and unloading. Great town for walking so we made our way through the already hot and steamy streets to the cathedral and the cemetery behind it. The tombstones were all raised and some housed several family members and some were individual. Some of the grass was cut and kept up and some was overgrown but had lovely summer flowers blowing in the wind. Behind that, we found the arena where they seat 35,000 for 3 day June festival where the Boi-Bumba Festival takes place -- blue bull vs. red bull fight/dance. There is a mixture of theatre, drums, dancing, music and circus all combined to entertain audiences. They enact the kidnapping, death and resurrection of an ox, which is a metaphor for their agricultural cycles. Over the years, the festival has developed into a competition with the Boi teams – one red and one blue – comprising several THOUSAND members. The competing teams are judged on their music, dancing performance and costumes. We then walked to see some wide horses, resting quietly under the trees with no ropes or ownership evident. Stopped to get prices for a haircut but had no time; rode the covered carriage with the man behind us on the bike pedaling us around town and just enjoyed the day. It is a nice town for touring on foot and the people were very friendly.

Brazilian BBQ on back deck of 7 – HUGE BUGS joined us on the poles (we are in the Amazon!) but did not interrupt the “experience”! Lovely late dinner with friends and Brett Cave, piano player, from the UK, was a true entertainer with singing and piano playing. I also did session of Qi Gong, a relaxation technique, with the Lifestylist onboard. This is a new feature of Holland America – they cover tai-chi, meditation, yoga, classes for memory, eating healthy

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel…not a destination.” - Anonymous

Sunday, March 4, 2012 – Cruising Amazon River and crossing the equator

King Neptune Ceremony! Several crew of the Prinsendam were subjected to the judgment of the Sea King and his mermaid Queen. We cheered for the vile pollywogs (who have not crossed the equator before) as they had to kiss the dead fish (yes, a real one) and then were lathered in jello, sauce, lettuce, whipped cream…all kinds of gross foods. Some were allowed to clean off in the pool and some were subjected to sitting in the hot sun and baking! Yech. But in the end, they are now shellbacks and all are guaranteed a safe passage and smooth waters.

Tom Pepper, comedian, was the entertainer and the Filipino Crew Show was at 11PM (after their working hours). It was a fabulous show and they work so hard after-hours to make it come together.

Manaus, Brazil

Thursday, March 1, 2012 – Manaus, Brazil

Over two million population. The center seems small as you dock but once you get driving around the streets, you realize how large it really is. We took the free shuttle bus offered by the jeweler Amsterdam Sauer this time (as opposed to H. Stern) to the Tropical Hotel, here the H. Stern store is right near the other store! It is about 30 minutes from town but we had negotiated a deal where we could tour the Manaus Opera House, they would wait, and then take us to the store. Worked our well as had some time prior to the 20-30 minute tour to see San Sebastiao church It is a neoclassical church built around 1888 in gray colors with white Italian marble, stained glass windows and a beautiful blue and white cupola of angels. The black and white Portuguese granite patterns in the sidewalk are said to represent the meeting of the waters (rivers coming together in the two colors).

The opera house: for a theatre buff, what a sight! If I saw only one site in Manaus, it would be the theatre. An incredibly large and ornate building, it is hard to imagine it here in the middle of nowhere. Our guide said many locals don’t even visit it – even where they are free concerts! It was definitely made for a different time period, in 1896, at the peak of the rubber boom. They offer tours every ½ hour and if you are over 60, it is ½ price! 5 reales – about $3.50. The lobby is marble and inlaid tropical hardwoods, the concert hall is magnificent with rich colors and each seat has its own air vent under it for your own private central air conditioning, provided by the ceiling vents and recirculation. Ingenuous! As we entered the theatre, the symphony was rehearsing! Almost as good as the real thing! The concert hall upstairs has a magnificent floor of the dark and lighter colored woods (you have put on slippers to walk around) and a romantic mural. Too bad the event tonight is a private function! This says it all: “The Opera House is an extravagant, impressive testament to the legacy of the rubber boom.”

The private van took us to the Tropical Hotel, where many tour groups stay prior to their cruise/tour. When you visit Amsterdam Sauer, please ask for Luciana Hatoum. She was very helpful and we found out the rarest types of Imperial Topaz stones are salmon and red colors. One stone was $15,000 – no purchase there! www.amsteredamsauer.com There is also a zoo at the hotel! We walked through to see the quati, capivara (that is the one I was trying to describe from a few days ago), common woolly monkey, bare-eared squirrel monkey, razor billed currasow, festive parrot, blue and yellow macaw and collared peccary. You will have to google what you don’t know as there were far too many to describe.

Private taxi back to the ship, quick lunch and off to the Mercado Adolpho Lisboa. The iron and now-demolished glass are a copy of the market hall in Les Halles, Paris. Local fish, fruit, vegetables, there is even a small launch area where many small boats glide up to unload their goods to be sold in the market. It was dirty with trash littered all around – a real market – not a tourist attraction. Tried to find the hospital or optometrist for Gene’s glasses, took the local city bus, dropped off photos at the camera shop (315 to be printed!), toured the Court House, built in 1900, which is now the cultural center. There was a wing of sculptures of Amazonian subjects in bronze (very interesting) and a photography exhibition. The building would have been exquisite in its time. Some paint and work on the façade are needed but the interior is worth a visit – ornate entrance with four Tuscan columns, Italian chandeliers, center staircase with a clock in rosewood…

Late dinner, took a nap as I was not feeling well, went to the late show of the local Amazonia Folklorica Show/Simetria Norte.

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” - Paul Theroux

Boca de Valeria, Brazil

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 – Boca da Valeria, Brazil

A day out of National Geographic. We had a GREAT day which started in the pouring rain. We were on the first tender out at 8AM (perks to being 4* on Holland America!) and saw the pink dolphins on the way to the small village of Boca da Valeria.
We were welcomed to the center of the one-street village (mud paths and ants and bugs – I thought for sure I was going to be in the hospital from bug bites but all went well) by a welcoming committee of children ranging from 3-11 years old. They wanted to hold our hand and lead us around town, asking for a dollar or goodies for their school or home. We quickly latched on to “Donald”, a nice man with 8 children who offered us a canoe ride upriver for $5 per person per hour. Sold. Off we went on his motorized canoe through the mangroves and through the gigantic lily pads into the back waters of his “neighborhood”. We glided right up to his front door, to his home on stilts and saw where the water level from 2009 had reached two feet above the floor of the home. Wife and eight children greeted us at the kitchen door – one gas burner worked on the stove and their portable stove was not functioning. The living room/bedroom had a loft and the hammocks were strung up for bedtime use and TV viewing. One small cot for day use and bedroom time use. Yes, there was a TV and radio and stereo and a large book shelf with text books. Donald had been a teacher at the local school and had traveled four hours each way to the town of Paratins for his education and taught at the local school in St. Rita, where his children now attend.

The potable water comes from a rainwater tank across the river and through pipes to an outside spigot. One spigot; an outside sink near the entrance to the kitchen and an outside toilet up the hill. He had made their picnic table kitchen table and was planning on an addition to the home when he was financially able but it was marked out in the sand, where the clothes were now drying on clothes pins. No screens or glass on the windows and he had an electric fan, he said to keep away the mosquitoes. Many chickens were running wild under and around the house but made no noise. The children go to school in the afternoon but we could not quite understand the hours (our conversation was through my Spanish and his Portuguese so it was interesting at times!). They had another canoe for the kids to get to school as we figured they needed both canoes for everyone. Donald was anxious to explain and show us everything.

We headed up river now to the village of St. Rita to see the school and church. We climbed a steep stony hill where we were met with kids holding parrots, toucans and other colorful birds on sticks – take a photograph for a $1. The school was quite modern! It was orange colored, octagonal shaped with a rotunda/grandstand center for meetings, a computer classroom!!, offices for teachers and staff and a café area for prepared meals. There were four classrooms and regular school desks and chairs and blackboards and a TV in each room. Down the muddy street was a hut which served as the village market; Donald bought gasoline which was sold in a 2-liter soda bottle. The Catholic Church was at the other end of town; there were about 80 homes in the village, all with at least 6-8 children. Donald claimed it was a nice community with no violence or crime and everyone helped each other.

On the way back to the village where the ship tenders ran from, we stopped to hear the stillness around us. Birds sang, the water rustled, the sound of the waves around us…peaceful and silent.

Back in town, we explore the one street from end to end. Some kids had small fish on a stick, one man a huge catfish on the table, one 16-year old girl was in full regalia Amazon costume as was a man with feathers and bow and arrow, etc. Other kids were holding sloths, monkeys (could have been a pygmy marmoset or a Goeldi monkey), colorful birds and one family were dressed in costume and had a baby armadillo and something that was a cross between a hog, warthog, long-haired furry dog and small elephant without the trunk!..it was a very unique tame zoo on the high street! Vendors were out with homemade crafts of wood and fabric and paintings – little voodoo dolls, necklaces, wooden carvings of birds and fishes, riverboats from balsa and beautiful paintings. And through all this, the children were holding on to the hands of the passengers as if they were their long-lost grandchildren – each party seemed to be enjoying the moment.

Back on the ship, we had a nice lunch as we watched the canoes come closer and closer to the ship, trying to sell their wares from the canoes and being pushed back by security. We had a nice sail away and then sat in the back of the ship to see the river behind us. It is so wide; much wider than I thought and much muddier. The riverboats ply the waters around us and there are still many clumps of grass and wood floating by. Small villages occasionally appear at the banks but most of the time, we are passing tall trees. The landscape is flat and the sky seems endless. You can see rain storms in the distance – I saw five at one time as I glanced behind the ship – and the cloud patterns are incredible. Went up for sunset but there were too many clouds for a display of color. Dinner and Al Brown, UK comedian, was the entertainer. Listened to the Rosario Strings and worked.

Population of 2200 on Boca de Valeria. Goats and longhorn cattle were imported by the Spaniards and Portuguese.

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” - Plutarch

Santarem, Brazil

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 – Santarem, Brazil

We were up early for a coffee talk with the cast members of the Prinsendam singers and dancers; they also gave us a nice back stage tour. We had an early lunch as we were supposed to DOCK at 12:00 but we ended up tendering. There was total chaos as they put a pontoon beside our ship and tried to let some of the tour groups go directly from the pontoon to their riverboat. And then we had to wait until the ship’s tenders were ready to go so we were not off the ship until 2:30!! They did extend our departure time an hour but it did not help us as we had a dinner reservation at 6PM which could not be changed.

There was the German ship, AIDA, in port with us again. They were docked so they must have paid more for that privilege!

Santarem is the Amazon’s third largest city (population 200,000), located on the confluence of the creamy-brown Amazon River and the reddish-black Tapajos River; you can clearly see where the black and dirty/muddy brown rivers meeting. They claim the roots of civilization began in this area 12-13,000 years ago. Soya bean plantations are plentiful. Cargill is working on genetically modifying the soya bean. The economy today is based on rubber, soy and hardwoods, plus Brazil nuts, black pepper, mangoes, jute and fish.

A large market area was set up for our arrival and a bus took us to the center of town, finding every pot hole it could during the 15 minute drive. We found the cathedral (a blue church), the fish market and several stalls of household items but nothing really for tourists. Priced some taxis to take us out of town but had trouble making them understand where we wanted to go. Finally, they agreed to our price but we should have known better! We went to a park in the city – I had them read the paper that we wanted to go 12 miles OUTSIDE the city and they kept saying yes, yes…well, no, no. So we paid him a portion of what he requested and we went to try to find a bus back to town. And, then the moto-taxis arrived! Motorcycle taxis! We had wanted to try them anyway, so it was perfect timing! We each had our own motorcycle and driver and helmet and off we went. The bumps on the road were much better now as we were able to swerve around them and it was a great breeze and great fun! Make lemonade when you get lemons, right??

So then we shopped at the pier markets and J had made her own way to the market stalls via tender so we all went back together. We had a reservation in the Italian restaurant (they are trying it out in the Lido section for about a week) and it was very nice. Then Hanna Starosta played the violin for the evening’s entertainment.
We are sailing the Amazon now and it is just as brown and muddy as you see in photos. I guess I thought it might be clearer and cleaner than the photos but it is not; the many riverboats are constantly stirring up the bottom and it is amazing how wide it is in most areas. Our ship must seem massive compared to the riverboats sailing near us.

Yesterday we crossed the equator. Latitude lines are one of two measurements needed to locate points precisely on the earth’s surface. Running north-south, longitude lines have their zero-point running through the Royal Greenwich Observatory in England. As the center point of the earth, the equator is also the center of the tropics. The tropics are the area lying between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The sun’s heat near the equator easily evaporates water from the oceans (hence the very humid days!). This is also why there are rain forests at the equator. The sun’s rays are unaffected by the tilt of the earth, so the area is always exposed to the sun and receives direct solar rays year-round, regardless of season. The equator marks a turning point for the seasons, which are reversed in the northern and southern hemispheres. When it is spring in the northern hemisphere, it is fall in the southern hemisphere.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel only read a page.” – St. Augustine

Belem, Brazil

Sunday, February 26, 2012 – Belem, Brazil

The Blue Coats arrive in Belem! (pronounced bay-len with the accent on 2nd syllable) We had wonderful tender boats supplied by the port for the very short ride to the pier; they were colorful two-storey river boats with plastic stacking chairs for seats! Felt like an authentic experience for approx. 10 minutes! Our arrival port was almost 45 minutes from the larger city of Belem and as we arrived to the city so did the rain. So all the blue coats emerged from our bags – the practical rain coats given as a gift from the ship. We were easily identified as tourists but at that point, better dry than wet. We were dropped off at the very modern bus, taxi and river boat terminal, Estacao das Docas, and walked the very short distance to the Ver-o-peso market. The market name means “check-the-weight market”, created in 1688 as a result of the Portuguese tax for everything entering and leaving Amazonia. It is Sunday and raining – although I think they are used to the rain in this section of the world. The restaurant stalls were clearly identified with the owner’s name and some even had a TV, like a small bar. They have a space large enough for four stools for customers, the counter to eat from and the small area behind for cooking. Fried fish, pork, rice, vegetables…the smells were tempting. The next market had the fresh fruits and herbs – MANY fruits were unidentifiable to us so I took some photos. Even when I asked for their name, I had no idea what it was – just that it was a fruit or a vegetable. The herbs were wrapped in bundles – some were “sticks” and some were fresh bunches. The stalls along the Amazon River were handicrafts – wooden products from dark and light wood, boxes from a very light wood similar to balsa and unique jewelry and wooden tubes that sound like rain. The fish market was just about closed by the time we arrived but you could smell the activities of the morning. The Plaza de Relogio had a large Big Ben clock and then the Museo de Arta Sacra is near the Cathedral (was once an elegant palace and the site where the Spaniards and Portuguese met to set the frontiers for their respective colonies), Catedral de Se (which was closed until 4PM on a Sunday!). The Forte do Belem/Forte do Presepio overlooked the market place (built by the Portuguese in 1616 to protect their claim on the land) and the Casa das Onza Janelas now housed an art exhibition and a lovely area for waterfront dining by the river. Outside the Fort and Cathedral, there was a 1956 light beige Chevrolet with a very proud owner, a wealthy Belem resident. He spoke excellent English and said he loved antique cars as they reminded him of his days with his Father driving him to school. He owns only antique cars and had his friend/restorer with him.

We did not explore the Palacio Lauro Sodre (once a wealthy home and now the state museum) or the Parque Zoobotanico and Museu Emilio Goeldi so we have something for next time. By 1675, the city had grown into a prosperous port. Shipments of fragrant spice departed to Portugal and European goods were brought back. Poor Portuguese farmers emigrated in the hope of building new and prosperous lives and missionaries arrived to convert Amerindiens. There were bloody raids and Belem held the dubious distinction as the place where the first visiting bishop was killed and eaten by his would-be converts.

In 1876, Henry Wickham exported 70,000 rubber seed plants as a gift to Queen Victoria and they were grown in Kew Gardens. Belem was awash in money in the 1800s from demand for the rubber latex so they imported a cast-iron market hall from Scotland, streetlights and electric trams from England and dresses and lingerie from Paris. Today, it seems grotty and worn but perhaps the rain was a major influence on our perspective.

After taking the bus back to the ship, we walked the streets of the village of Icoaraci and bought some drinks at the local grocery store. A fisherman had just returned with his large catch of dorada and we watched several river boats and a ferry boat arrive and depart.

Back on our home ship, we had dinner in the dining room – all three of us, which had not happened in quite awhile. No entertainment as it was Oscar Night so we went to the casino.

“I could not at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

Monday, February 27, 2012 – cruising Amazon and crossing equator

Cloudy and muggy, we are cruising up the Amazon. We cross the equator and therefore a ceremony is required! About 40 passengers jumped in the small pool in the Lido area and we had two “gentlemen piranhas” swim through them to earn a certificate.
The temperature was actually was not unpleasant today – not too muggy and humid and there was a great breeze. We saw clumps of grass and wooden planks floating by us (instead of icebergs and penguins!). We still have about 700 miles to get to Manaus.

There are over 250 days a year of significant rainfall in the Amazon. In the 1940s, the Brazilian government set out to develop the interior, which was away from the seaboard where foreigners owned large tracts of land. The demand for rubber from the Allied Forces in WWII provided funding for this drive. A large-scale colonization program saw families relocated to the forests, encouraged by promises of cheap land. They found the rainforest soil difficult to cultivate. In the 1970s, the idea of the Transamazonica highway was born, when President Medici decided that the Northeasterners should colonize Amazonia. The 3,360 mile “highway of national integration” was to be cut across the caatinga (savanna) and rain forests from Joao Pessoa (where we were!) on the Atlantic coast to Boquerao da Esperanca on the Peruvian border. Only 1,500 miles of highway was actually constructed and only a few short stretches are paved! Today, it is full of potholes large enough to tip a bus and is all but impassable in the wet season. Even in the dry weather, buses struggle for 34 hours to cover 600 miles from Maraba to Itaituba and the road beyond there has been closed since 1999. !!!!!

There are over 200 languages spoken by the various tribes in the Amazon region.
Movie “Where the River Runs Black" about the Amazon-- Ok since we are in this region.

Mr. Lee Bradley, UK tenor/opera singer, was the entertainer.

sea days and Fortaleza, Brazil

Thursday, February 23, 2012 – at sea

Heading to Forteleza, we had choir practice (our last before the concert on Saturday), lunch with an officer, lecture on the next ports of call, and dinner at the specialty restaurant, The Pinnacle Grill, with some friends. Captain Roberts came on the loudspeaker to advise that we were 12+ hours AHEAD of schedule and would be docking in Forteleza TONIGHT. They are concerned about filling the ship with fresh water as we go the 4,500+ miles up and down the Amazon before we can re-fill. The port area is not supposed to be very safe but at first they said we could get off until 1AM; next announcement said the “leave” had been canceled until tomorrow morning. Lee Bradley, UK opera singer, was the entertainer.

“The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” - Rudyard Kipling (wonder if he has been to Cabadelo where they smell was fermented grain???!)

Friday, February 24, 2012 – Fortaleza, Brazil

The free shuttle supplied by the ship ran frequently to the central market in the city centre. It looked like a round stadium and each level had various handicraft stores and the tourist information. We hired a nice taxi driver, Marcus, to see the main sights and also went to the “street of eyeglasses and optometrists” to get Gene’s eye prescription. We found the streets were categorized for shopping – one for baby clothes, one for fish, one for hardware items…very interesting. Hot and humid day but we explored the city museum and I saw two sewing machines older than my grandmother’s! The beaches are beautiful but are not swimmable. The old prison is now an artisan’s workshop. The Teatro Jose de Alencar is an incredibly artistic art nouveau building with cane seats!! It has a beautiful U-shaped interior with cast iron on each of the balconies and curved stairs OUTSIDE the theatre that lead directly to the second and third levels.

Mr. Robin Zebaida, English classical pianist, was the entertainer. “Tower Heist” was the movie. We have a DVD library at the front desk also so if we want to watch any movie at any time, there are free rentals with DVD players in the rooms.

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” - Helen Keller

Saturday, February 25, 2012 – at sea

Prinsendam Singers sang “Simply Broadway” and then we had the Prinsendam Golden Raspberry Awards Show – a variety show of professional and passenger talent, including our choir singing a medley and What A Wonderful World. We were pretty good!

Cabadelo and Joao Passao, Brazil

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 – Cabedelo and Joao Pessoa, Brazil

This is the most easterly point in Brazil/South America and they say you are closer to Senegal, Africa, from here than you are to the most southern section of Brazil. (Honestly, hard to believe…)

This is also the beginning/end of the Trans Amazonica highway – BR 230. We saw the mile marker “0”. Then we saw the map on where the road is SUPPOSED to be – it really weaves through the country and has been washed out several times and never finished in some areas. I can understand why.

Cabedelo is the port area (very, very stinky) with a nice small village with ferry service to several islands. It is a ½ hour shuttle ride to the city of Joao Pessoa, whose literal translation is John Person (what a name for a city?!). HOT and HUMID, we ventured off in the ship’s shuttle to Joao Pessoa’s historic center. But again, everything is closed for Carnaval. Out of ten+ churches, two churches were open. We hired a taxi for an easy drive around the hilly streets for the photo opportunities of the lagoon and mythical monument (Lagoa and Pedra do Reino, churches, art deco mansions of the Antenor Navarro Square (1933), the Sao Francisco Cultural center (1770), the Gunpowder House, and Globo Hotel set alongside the Sanhaua River, the Legislative Assembly, the 17th century Redemption Palace (government offices) and the Courthouse.

The big adventure today was getting on the bus back to the ship. J went on the bus to rest and cool off but Gene and I knew we had another 25 minutes before the bus left so we went to the monastery right next to the bus (Igreja de Sao Francisco). It is considered the most important Baroque complex of Brazil. The Santo Antonio Convent and the Sao Francisco Church are masterpieces of colonial Portuguese architecture begun in 1589. Upon exiting the monastery we saw the bus had left!! And our ID and bags were on the bus and J was alone. And then we met another friend whose husband was on the bus and she was not. So we explained the situation to the bus coordinator and after some discussion, he called the driver and they returned to get the three of us as the next bus was not scheduled to depart until 45 minutes later. What a mess; not supposed to leave until 11AM and they left at 10:45. And then we heard many other stories from passengers at the port TRYING to get to the city and they bus did not show. It is best to get out the door early so you can begin your day – you never know what will happen along the way.

We are now in the state of Paraiba, and Joao Passao is the capital. It is also the third oldest city in Brazil. The city was founded in 1585 as Vila de Filipeia de NS das Neves and was re-named Joao Pessoa, the governor of Paraiba who formed an alliance with Vargas to run for the presidency of Brazil In 1929. He was courted by opposing political parties and uttered “I refuse”, which is now given prominence in all Brazilian history books and is emblazoned in bold letters on the state flag of Paraiba.

After lunch, we hired a taxi to take us Praia da Camboinhas (beach) and we hoped to catch a ferry ride to the Ilha de Areia Vermela, an island (sandbar) of red sand that emerges off the coast at low tide. But the tide was already in and the island/bar had disappeared! So I sank my toes in the warm sand, took a few photos of the bikini-clad women (of all sizes), waded through the HOT water and enjoyed the moment. The beach stretches for 24 miles in this area and there are multitudes of restaurants with great views overlooking the ocean. To board the boats to get to the island, you walk in to the sea and board the boat – no jetty or pier.

Back in Capadelo, we walked to the Fort Santa Catarina (1589), the hospital (to get a prescription, which was given without seeing the DR, was free and we waited only 10 minutes for the entire process), to the pharmacy to fill the prescription, the supermarket, map of end of the Trans-Amazonica highway and plaque and the artisan market. We met the nicest people at the market and Gene bought me an off-white necklace made from fish scales (interesting, huh?). Sioba fish. I forgot to ask how fragile it is so I’ll have to be careful. There are also acai beads, natural colored, around the fish scales – quite interesting.

The Brazilian national economy now ranks as the world’s 5th largest.

The Cabo Branco Science, Culture and Arts station was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, same architect of the Rio museum in Niteroi – both are space station creations.
Dinner and Richard Gauntlett, a British vaudeville act, was the entertainer.

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley