Tuesday March 26, 2013 in Casablanca, Morocco
We arrived in Agadir on time despite the late departure from Funchal. Agadir is slightly south and east of Madeira and is on the coast of Africa in the country of Morocco. Morocco has 33 million residents with Agadir having about 680,000. Agadir has a lot of history but all buildings from the past were destroyed by an earthquake in February 1960. The only fortress still standing sits on a hill overlooking the city. The city had been rebuilt by the end of the 60's so it is a very modern city. Education within the public system is free through university, but there are private schools. The country is mainly Islamic but there are Christian, Jewish and other religions that practice their beliefs. I took a trip to Taroudant about a 90 minute drive inland from Agadir. There I saw the walled ancient city and the bus drove through it along narrow streets. An ancient city is called a Medina so I went to the Medina of Taroudant. As population grew the city built up around the old walled city or Medina. If I lived outside the walled city in Taroudant and was going to shop in the old part of the city I would say I was going to the Medina. The trip through the countryside offered views that had I not seen them in person I would think they were photoshopped. The Argan tree has nuts that have oil that is used in cosmetics, but the tree attracts goats that climb the tree for its leaves. I did get a picture of goats 18 feet up and wondered how a 50 pound goat would not break the tree branch. Another interesting observation was that during our drive there were no traffic lights as we know them. Round abouts are used extensively with yield signs, allowing the traffic to move. Now there are back ups during rush hours but I was amazed at how quickly we got around the city. In the late 90`s Morocco invested in some infrastructure and there are no shanty towns. Low income housing was built to accomodate these people and there are miles of apartments side by side near the outskirts of Agadir. Morocco relies on agriculture, fishing and tourism for their GDP. Interestingly Moroccans consume 35 kgs of sugar per person yearly whereas 22 kgs of sugar are consumed per person yearly worldwide.
Thursday March 28th afternoon
As we proceed around the Mediterranean I suspect that I might fall behind in the blogging. I have a number of 12 hour shore excursions coming up and with the cough that seems to just hang on I need to watch how I spend my time. Hopefully during sea days I will be able to catch up. Today though was a sleep in day for me as others headed out to explore the city and countryside of Almeria, Spain. Tomorrow and the following day will be spent at sea. So now I need to go back a few days and fill you in. The day after we left Agadir we arrived in Casablanca and I enjoyed folks talk about the gorgeous Hassan II Grand Mosque. This mosque is reputedly the world's largest with a minaret that stands 689 feet. It took 10,000 workers six years to build it and it has a retractable roof. Others did an overland trip to Marrakech and saw snake charmers and the old city. There is never enough time to thoroughly explore these ports and cities but the day may cause a desire to explore further by returning. We heard about the carpets and the salesmenship. We were corrected in our expectations of the movie "Casablanca". It was not filmed in Casablanca though this city was a staging area for the allies in WW II. Today, however, there is a Rick's Cafe in Casablanca which was opened in 2004 by Kathy Kriger from Oregon. Casablanca is the largest city and the chief seaport of the country of Morocco with a population of 4 million. The emblem of love shown by Northern Moroccans is liver not the heart.
Yesterday we were in Gibraltar. It is about 2 square miles on a penninsula surrounded on most sides by the Mediterranean Sea and on the north to Spain. Gibraltar is a British Colony and has always been contentious because of its strategic location. There are seige tunnels within the limestone Rock of Gibaltar. I took a relaxed ride around the area, through the town, out to Europa Point and saw the lighthouse and a 7 million dollar mosque built on the point. As we drove to see the border crossing which is used by many Spanish to get to Gibraltar for work we had to cross an international landing air strip. It is a dangerous air strip not because of the vehicular traffic but because of the cross winds that occur. There seems to be issues that arise from time to time that cause the Spanish to close the gates and not let anyone into Gibraltar. The Strait of Gibraltar is used by about 70,000 ships per year and is a major fueling station for them both heading east to the Suez and across the Atlantic. So on the east side of the penninsula we met with the Barbary Apes which are found on top of the Rock which is 1,396 feet. They came down to greet us. They are a kind of greeny/brown in color and have no tails. We had been told that they can be aggressive and very inquisative, but the ones we saw stayed away so it was hard to get good close up pictures of them. We stopped for elegant tea at a hotel with a beautiful view of the sea. So far the weather has been very mild, clear and sunny. We are suppose to be heading out from this port of Almeria right now but apparently the wind is blowing quite strongly. The tugs that we need to help get us out into the sea are not powerful enough to fight the wind and push us so we will wait and see if the wind dies down after the sun sets.
Today I did not go ashore though I did take some pictures from the ship of the old fort of Almeria, Spain. Most shops were closed today as it is the Easter holidays. HAL had their usual shore excursions while many just walked around town. One lady told me that McDonald's opened at noon so she had a taste of home. The area looks dry and the mountains have little or no greenery. This area has been used for many film productions: Laurence of Arabia and Patton being just two. Many westerns have also been filmed here. Almeria has a rugged landscape with little fertile soil but with irrigation it has produced oranges and white grapes. Recreational activities abound from water sports to hiking, horseback riding, golf, and paragliding.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Heading to Agadir from Madeira
March 23, 2013
We arrived on the island of Madeira at the capital city, Funchal, yesterday.We had traveled 3,365 miles from Fort Lauderdale to Funchal, Madeira. It sits about 400 miles off the coast of North Africa. Madeira is the largest island in the archipelago and has 270,000 residents with half of them residing in Funchal. It was discovered in the early 1400s by a Portuguese explorer. There were no people living on the island but there were seals, birds and lizards. The island is 35 miles/56 km long and 13 miles/21 km wide and has a weather pattern which is varied. Funchal is located on the Bay of Funchal on the south side of the island and has ideal weather. Funchal got its name from the vast amounts and the aroma of the fennel plant which is used in cooking. It seldom snows and when it does it stays on the mountains. The island has the second highest sea cliff ( 1900 feet) in the world, the highest is in Taiwan. Madeira is to the Atlantic what Hawaii is to the Pacific. People fly there from mainland Portugal for vacations. Our tour of the island was outstanding as we covered and saw the high cliff and drove to a place that Winston Churchill stayed at when he did his painting.Then we drove to the north side of the island and saw many terraced gardens where all kinds of plants are grown. Since the hilly geography makes it hard to grow items the terraces are the best. Some land plots are so small that potatoes are grown under grape vines so the land is used efficently. We had lunch at the Restaurante Cachalote which is located in Port Moniz on the northwest corner of the island with a great view of the ocean and the waves breaking against the rocks. Our view reminded me of the Oregon/Northern California ocean views. On our drive back to Funchal we climbed over the mountains and went up into the clouds and had a bit of rain but as we went down the southern side of the mountain range the sun broke through and we once again had a beautiful sunny day. The island is governed under Portugal but it does make some of its own laws and has its own government. Words used to describe that relationship are "sovereignty" and "autonomy" both of which have not been fully explained in discussions. I did learn that there are taxes paid to Portugal. There are 136 tunnels on this island ( the longest is 2 miles) and a major road infrastructure was completed in 2006. I suspect but didn't ask if most of that infrastructure money came from mainland Portugal. Madeira has some exports but again I didn't ask about their GDP. Flowers are in abundance all year around though not all varieties, then that wonderful dinner addition of Madeira wines, and bananas that have been grown in terraces at about 15 tons per year, fishing, but their economic mainstay is tourism with the celebrity endorsement of Winston Churchill. Tourism is 80% of the GDP with 950,000 arrive by plane while 350,00 come on cruise ships. Traffic moves on the right side of the road and all drivers were exemplary in their road conduct.
During our crossing of the Atlantic I awoke to see my first up close deep ocean super drilling platform which at first looked like an aircraft carrier. It was about 1 to 1 1/2 miles away. Our crossing was almost 8 full days arriving in Funchal 5 hours late which caused the cancellation of all shore excursions for that day. Due to a North Atlantic storm our crossing was south of the great circle ( shortest route ). That Atlantic storm created 35 foot swells at times giving the vessel a corkscrew motion through the waves.
March 24- a sea day
We were suppose to leave Funchal at 5 pm last night but because of an engine maintenance issue we finally were underway at 2 am this morning. There was an problem with the head gasket on one of the diesel engines. Today is sunny and we are headed for Agadir, Morocco. Hopefully we can make up our lost time.
We arrived on the island of Madeira at the capital city, Funchal, yesterday.We had traveled 3,365 miles from Fort Lauderdale to Funchal, Madeira. It sits about 400 miles off the coast of North Africa. Madeira is the largest island in the archipelago and has 270,000 residents with half of them residing in Funchal. It was discovered in the early 1400s by a Portuguese explorer. There were no people living on the island but there were seals, birds and lizards. The island is 35 miles/56 km long and 13 miles/21 km wide and has a weather pattern which is varied. Funchal is located on the Bay of Funchal on the south side of the island and has ideal weather. Funchal got its name from the vast amounts and the aroma of the fennel plant which is used in cooking. It seldom snows and when it does it stays on the mountains. The island has the second highest sea cliff ( 1900 feet) in the world, the highest is in Taiwan. Madeira is to the Atlantic what Hawaii is to the Pacific. People fly there from mainland Portugal for vacations. Our tour of the island was outstanding as we covered and saw the high cliff and drove to a place that Winston Churchill stayed at when he did his painting.Then we drove to the north side of the island and saw many terraced gardens where all kinds of plants are grown. Since the hilly geography makes it hard to grow items the terraces are the best. Some land plots are so small that potatoes are grown under grape vines so the land is used efficently. We had lunch at the Restaurante Cachalote which is located in Port Moniz on the northwest corner of the island with a great view of the ocean and the waves breaking against the rocks. Our view reminded me of the Oregon/Northern California ocean views. On our drive back to Funchal we climbed over the mountains and went up into the clouds and had a bit of rain but as we went down the southern side of the mountain range the sun broke through and we once again had a beautiful sunny day. The island is governed under Portugal but it does make some of its own laws and has its own government. Words used to describe that relationship are "sovereignty" and "autonomy" both of which have not been fully explained in discussions. I did learn that there are taxes paid to Portugal. There are 136 tunnels on this island ( the longest is 2 miles) and a major road infrastructure was completed in 2006. I suspect but didn't ask if most of that infrastructure money came from mainland Portugal. Madeira has some exports but again I didn't ask about their GDP. Flowers are in abundance all year around though not all varieties, then that wonderful dinner addition of Madeira wines, and bananas that have been grown in terraces at about 15 tons per year, fishing, but their economic mainstay is tourism with the celebrity endorsement of Winston Churchill. Tourism is 80% of the GDP with 950,000 arrive by plane while 350,00 come on cruise ships. Traffic moves on the right side of the road and all drivers were exemplary in their road conduct.
During our crossing of the Atlantic I awoke to see my first up close deep ocean super drilling platform which at first looked like an aircraft carrier. It was about 1 to 1 1/2 miles away. Our crossing was almost 8 full days arriving in Funchal 5 hours late which caused the cancellation of all shore excursions for that day. Due to a North Atlantic storm our crossing was south of the great circle ( shortest route ). That Atlantic storm created 35 foot swells at times giving the vessel a corkscrew motion through the waves.
March 24- a sea day
We were suppose to leave Funchal at 5 pm last night but because of an engine maintenance issue we finally were underway at 2 am this morning. There was an problem with the head gasket on one of the diesel engines. Today is sunny and we are headed for Agadir, Morocco. Hopefully we can make up our lost time.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Crossing the Atlantic
Saturday March 16, 2013
We left Fort Lauderdale under partly cloudy skies and headed through the Bahamas as the Atlantic swells caused some concern. We have a passenger who turned 111 years old on our day of embarkation. Then about 12 hours out we had an emergency and a coast guard helicopter circled above the ship evacuating a sick passenger.... maybe it was the 111 year old. We have a couple of teenagers and a couple of younger children and since the teens sat in a lecture on globalization this morning I suspect they are home schooled. They were taking notes. Cruises can change as passengers change. I do not mean that the ship changes coarse but the personality of the ship is quite different now than our South American cruise. Many people know one another as they have cruised before together. There are many Mariner passengers that have sailed many years and the more they sail the more stars they receive. Currently I have 3 stars but there are people who have 5 stars and have sailed 2100 plus days. The more stars the more benefits one gets. I find that people are more reserved on this cruise, but I will give it a week or so to see if there is more interaction among the passengers. I try to break ice in the elevators but I think a lot of people think me a bit strange. Even saying "good morning" caused a raised eyebrow on occasion. On the other hand they may not speak English or maybe they are deaf. I will use sign language if it happens again.
I found that signing into a Cruise Critic sight can help you meet people before leaving home. Today was a Cruise Critic lunch and there were probably 80 people present for the lunch so I met many people from all over the world. You find the cruise you want to take and read other people's comments and also post questions or information about the cruise. By taking advantage of many on-line sights cruising can be fun, informative, and a great place to meet and make new friends.
Today I went over all my shore excursions with the manager and changed two as they might have been more difficult to do. Most of my original choices I have kept. If I find that I am starting to tire quickly I can turn them in for a credit. I never know how I might feel if the weather gets hot.
World voyages and Grand voyages given through Holland America have special benefits different from their shorter cruises. We get to use the laundry free but if you have 4 stars you can send your laundry out for free and it comes back the next day. Tonight is formal night and though I did not dress I came back to my cabin and had a present on the bed. We had each received a journal for our trip. We seem to keep getting bottles of sparkling wine and plates of strawberries and hors-oeuvres. We get guest lecturers, and we collect grand dollars to buy neat HAL items from hats to computer flash drives, and clocks to international electric plug adapters. Now how do You get the grand dollars? Well, you go play games, show up early for the GOOD MORNING PRINSENDAM show with the cruise director and the hostess. And I walk around and ask the Explorations Team for them during the day.
In about 3 days we should be landing at the Portuguese island of Madiera where I have a tour around the island in a bus. Like South America I have never seen the Mediterranean so I am excited. As we cross the Atlantic in our relatively small but lovely ship I think about the many people who crossed over in past years to settle in North and South America. The ship is rocking and rolling and the acupuncturist put some seeds in my ear to help with sea sickness. I believe that it is helping.
Tomorrow I plan to take a course on Windows Cloud and how to use it. May everyone have a very happy St. Patrick's Day.
We left Fort Lauderdale under partly cloudy skies and headed through the Bahamas as the Atlantic swells caused some concern. We have a passenger who turned 111 years old on our day of embarkation. Then about 12 hours out we had an emergency and a coast guard helicopter circled above the ship evacuating a sick passenger.... maybe it was the 111 year old. We have a couple of teenagers and a couple of younger children and since the teens sat in a lecture on globalization this morning I suspect they are home schooled. They were taking notes. Cruises can change as passengers change. I do not mean that the ship changes coarse but the personality of the ship is quite different now than our South American cruise. Many people know one another as they have cruised before together. There are many Mariner passengers that have sailed many years and the more they sail the more stars they receive. Currently I have 3 stars but there are people who have 5 stars and have sailed 2100 plus days. The more stars the more benefits one gets. I find that people are more reserved on this cruise, but I will give it a week or so to see if there is more interaction among the passengers. I try to break ice in the elevators but I think a lot of people think me a bit strange. Even saying "good morning" caused a raised eyebrow on occasion. On the other hand they may not speak English or maybe they are deaf. I will use sign language if it happens again.
I found that signing into a Cruise Critic sight can help you meet people before leaving home. Today was a Cruise Critic lunch and there were probably 80 people present for the lunch so I met many people from all over the world. You find the cruise you want to take and read other people's comments and also post questions or information about the cruise. By taking advantage of many on-line sights cruising can be fun, informative, and a great place to meet and make new friends.
Today I went over all my shore excursions with the manager and changed two as they might have been more difficult to do. Most of my original choices I have kept. If I find that I am starting to tire quickly I can turn them in for a credit. I never know how I might feel if the weather gets hot.
World voyages and Grand voyages given through Holland America have special benefits different from their shorter cruises. We get to use the laundry free but if you have 4 stars you can send your laundry out for free and it comes back the next day. Tonight is formal night and though I did not dress I came back to my cabin and had a present on the bed. We had each received a journal for our trip. We seem to keep getting bottles of sparkling wine and plates of strawberries and hors-oeuvres. We get guest lecturers, and we collect grand dollars to buy neat HAL items from hats to computer flash drives, and clocks to international electric plug adapters. Now how do You get the grand dollars? Well, you go play games, show up early for the GOOD MORNING PRINSENDAM show with the cruise director and the hostess. And I walk around and ask the Explorations Team for them during the day.
In about 3 days we should be landing at the Portuguese island of Madiera where I have a tour around the island in a bus. Like South America I have never seen the Mediterranean so I am excited. As we cross the Atlantic in our relatively small but lovely ship I think about the many people who crossed over in past years to settle in North and South America. The ship is rocking and rolling and the acupuncturist put some seeds in my ear to help with sea sickness. I believe that it is helping.
Tomorrow I plan to take a course on Windows Cloud and how to use it. May everyone have a very happy St. Patrick's Day.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
March 14 Sitting in Fort Lauderdale- Arrived Safely
Wednesday March 13, 2013
Tomorrow we land in Fort Lauderdale where we need to go through customs and reboard the ship. We will be keeping the same cabin for the next leg of our journey which will be a 64 day trip across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. We have spent this evening revisiting and taking pictures of the crew and our many traveling companions. Some interesting experiences have occured over the last week and great changes between the Amazon and the Caribbean are amazing and the best one is a nice gentle sea breeze compared with the humidity of the Amazon.
After leaving Devil's Island the Prinsendam carried us to Bridgetown, Barbados where we docked and was the biggest ship in the port. We had the Star Clipper and the Wind Spirit both genuine sail powered ships with us in the port. The Wind Spirit had once had our captain as its captain. I was impressed with Bridgetown as it was very clean and neat around the port area. I wandered into the terminal building and did some shopping. Interested in the ecology of these islands and also an interest in fabrics and clothing I found a store that sells bamboo made items. "Big Deal" you might think, but finding T-shirts, scarves, shorts, and purses made out of bamboo was new for me. So I had to get a t-shirt. Bamboo is twice as soft as cotton, wicks away the perspiration, doesn't shrink, and is as soft as silk or cashmere. Returning to the ship I took pictures of the 5 masted sailing yacht. The ocean water is a deep turquoise blue so it is easy to take pictures of the underwater fish.
A day in Barbados and then we headed to the French islands of Iles-Les-Saintes and Terre-de-Haut and were tendered into Guadeloupe. There were not a lot of stores open as it was Sunday but it was a fun place to walk around. Guadeloupe has exceptional, clean, white beaches. I stayed on ship and just watched the sail boats in the bay.
The following day we headed to Roadtown, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands where our ship was a baby compared to the Vision of the Seas which was docked right next to us. We had a great sailaway party on the outdoor deck with our Counterpoint band and as much wine, beer and cocktails as one wanted all paid by the captain. Our senior ship out partied the Vision of the Seas as we all danced the YMCA dance and hundreds hung over their balconies wishing they could join us.
I really enjoyed cruising South America as it opened my eyes to cultures and food, weather and animal species that I had never seen. I loved the adventure of never knowing what to expect. We had a number of emergencies ( with us old folks what would you expect), we had A/C problems, no hot water for a few days, seems like everyone got sick at some time during the trip, in our hallway a sprinkler went off and flooded the floor, and the rain in the Amazon was so heavy it flowed inside a door on deck 11 but the crew was great at attending to various clean up situations quickly. Food was great and lots of it. I can now say that I am tired of lobster. The chefs kept us fed with many cultural buffets. Cruising is great for the consumption of fruit as you can eat as much as you like. Food could be had 24 hours. Our exploration team kept us busy with games, lectures, contests and entertainment. There was so much to do on sea days that things I wanted to do or learn conflicted with other things.
One of many special experiences is meeting so many great people. Our dinner companions will be greatly missed and on a small ship the feeling of family is certainly present. I have learned or relearned patience by watching others and I hope that I contributed to their enjoyment of this trip as much as they did to mine. I will miss them all and hope they all arrive home to their families safely. It was a pleasure to have met everyone.
The next chapter will be reported after we leave Fort Lauderdale so stay tuned.
Tomorrow we land in Fort Lauderdale where we need to go through customs and reboard the ship. We will be keeping the same cabin for the next leg of our journey which will be a 64 day trip across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. We have spent this evening revisiting and taking pictures of the crew and our many traveling companions. Some interesting experiences have occured over the last week and great changes between the Amazon and the Caribbean are amazing and the best one is a nice gentle sea breeze compared with the humidity of the Amazon.
After leaving Devil's Island the Prinsendam carried us to Bridgetown, Barbados where we docked and was the biggest ship in the port. We had the Star Clipper and the Wind Spirit both genuine sail powered ships with us in the port. The Wind Spirit had once had our captain as its captain. I was impressed with Bridgetown as it was very clean and neat around the port area. I wandered into the terminal building and did some shopping. Interested in the ecology of these islands and also an interest in fabrics and clothing I found a store that sells bamboo made items. "Big Deal" you might think, but finding T-shirts, scarves, shorts, and purses made out of bamboo was new for me. So I had to get a t-shirt. Bamboo is twice as soft as cotton, wicks away the perspiration, doesn't shrink, and is as soft as silk or cashmere. Returning to the ship I took pictures of the 5 masted sailing yacht. The ocean water is a deep turquoise blue so it is easy to take pictures of the underwater fish.
A day in Barbados and then we headed to the French islands of Iles-Les-Saintes and Terre-de-Haut and were tendered into Guadeloupe. There were not a lot of stores open as it was Sunday but it was a fun place to walk around. Guadeloupe has exceptional, clean, white beaches. I stayed on ship and just watched the sail boats in the bay.
The following day we headed to Roadtown, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands where our ship was a baby compared to the Vision of the Seas which was docked right next to us. We had a great sailaway party on the outdoor deck with our Counterpoint band and as much wine, beer and cocktails as one wanted all paid by the captain. Our senior ship out partied the Vision of the Seas as we all danced the YMCA dance and hundreds hung over their balconies wishing they could join us.
I really enjoyed cruising South America as it opened my eyes to cultures and food, weather and animal species that I had never seen. I loved the adventure of never knowing what to expect. We had a number of emergencies ( with us old folks what would you expect), we had A/C problems, no hot water for a few days, seems like everyone got sick at some time during the trip, in our hallway a sprinkler went off and flooded the floor, and the rain in the Amazon was so heavy it flowed inside a door on deck 11 but the crew was great at attending to various clean up situations quickly. Food was great and lots of it. I can now say that I am tired of lobster. The chefs kept us fed with many cultural buffets. Cruising is great for the consumption of fruit as you can eat as much as you like. Food could be had 24 hours. Our exploration team kept us busy with games, lectures, contests and entertainment. There was so much to do on sea days that things I wanted to do or learn conflicted with other things.
One of many special experiences is meeting so many great people. Our dinner companions will be greatly missed and on a small ship the feeling of family is certainly present. I have learned or relearned patience by watching others and I hope that I contributed to their enjoyment of this trip as much as they did to mine. I will miss them all and hope they all arrive home to their families safely. It was a pleasure to have met everyone.
The next chapter will be reported after we leave Fort Lauderdale so stay tuned.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Out of the Amazon -heading to Barbados
March 9, 2013
Much has been happening during the last week or so. I had been asked to be part of the HAL Chorale so we were practicing for the last week and one-half and finally gave our concert March 6. We had three men and about 6 sopranos and 8 altos for about a twenty minute performance with both sing along, funny songs, some solos, and lots of laughs. I had a solo part.
Our visit to Paratins was delightful as I took pictures of the children and their chaparones. I would put the ages of the children at 9 to 11 or 10 to 12. It would be an experience that they would remember and opens their eyes to the world outside. I had always viewed the Amazon as an area that was years behind North America or Europe. The cities are larger than than many towns I have been in. Parantins has about 100,000 people but has tall buildings and looks similar to other cities as I look from the ship. South America has so much to sustain it`s economies: mining, fishing, farming, industrials, oil, and tourism. As one guide mentioned when asked about the poor people- Many have an attitude that if I need only 2 fish to feed my family why should I catch 3 fish. With that attitude and the political setup most of the inhabitants just live from day to day.
It took us far less time to exit the Amazon than we did to go in. The river flows quickly and pushes us along so we were out in 2 days whereas going in was nearly 4 days. Once out of the jungle we were back to the rocking of the ocean. I did not get to see pink dolphins. After one day at sea we moored off the coast of Ile Royale which is one of the three islands used as a French penal colony from 1852 to 1953 when it was completely closed down. A movie based on this island was Papillon or Papillion which I have seen spelled both ways. The history is amazing. Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman starred in the movie and is certainly worth seeing but remember that to make it more exciting embellishments occur. There are no crocodiles on the island. The author of the book was actually a prisoner in a penal colony on the mainland of South America, French Guyana. The three islands were known as Iles Du Salut and each island had a name and housed different types of convicts. Political convicts were housed on Devil`s Island where the currents around the island are so strong that escape is deathly. Ile Royale is the biggest island and it housed the commandant, wardens and the cell blocks. The prisoners built everything on the island including a swimming hole for the guards and families. A footpath map has outlined all the buildings along the way so an hours walk can take you to all the locations. Agoutis are frequently spotted as one walks along the path. The former guard`s mess hall has been converted to a restaurant and hotel but it is not 5 star. The permanent residents number about 25 or so and visitors arrive by boats. The third island is Ile Ste-Joseph and it housed those in solitary confinement. As we travel it is interesting to note that many areas were originally used to take unwanted or convicted people from Europe. Australia was a penal colony, and so were the 13 colonies in the US which were inhabited by undesirable citizens from countries in Europe. It is also interesting to note that only about 20% of those who were abolished to these islands and French Guyana ever made it off alive. Disease was rampant so even guards, wives and their children died on the island. The children`s cemetery is even noted on the map.
We are at sea today and we have only 3 more ports to visit before we dock in Fort Lauderdale. I have not done a lot of tours over the last week but instead I have treated myself to some time in the Greenhouse Spa getting leg massages. On March 6th we had a masked ball which was a lot of fun. I hope to explore Windows classes as we travel east to the Mediterranean learning how to make movies and learning about a concept of the Cloud. There have been dance classes, Portuguese speaking classes, want to learn bridge?, then there are the daily games of trivia, name that tune, word challenge, and the outside activities of ping pong tournaments, water aerobics, and also all the food buffets. In fact I missed the dessert buffet this afternoon and I wanted to get some pictures. We have been surprised by lots of gifts given by HAL and as this segment draws to a close there will be many staff heading home and many passengers going back to their residences. We have only 9 going on with us and the ship is only half full for the next segment so if you wish come voyage with us......
Much has been happening during the last week or so. I had been asked to be part of the HAL Chorale so we were practicing for the last week and one-half and finally gave our concert March 6. We had three men and about 6 sopranos and 8 altos for about a twenty minute performance with both sing along, funny songs, some solos, and lots of laughs. I had a solo part.
Our visit to Paratins was delightful as I took pictures of the children and their chaparones. I would put the ages of the children at 9 to 11 or 10 to 12. It would be an experience that they would remember and opens their eyes to the world outside. I had always viewed the Amazon as an area that was years behind North America or Europe. The cities are larger than than many towns I have been in. Parantins has about 100,000 people but has tall buildings and looks similar to other cities as I look from the ship. South America has so much to sustain it`s economies: mining, fishing, farming, industrials, oil, and tourism. As one guide mentioned when asked about the poor people- Many have an attitude that if I need only 2 fish to feed my family why should I catch 3 fish. With that attitude and the political setup most of the inhabitants just live from day to day.
It took us far less time to exit the Amazon than we did to go in. The river flows quickly and pushes us along so we were out in 2 days whereas going in was nearly 4 days. Once out of the jungle we were back to the rocking of the ocean. I did not get to see pink dolphins. After one day at sea we moored off the coast of Ile Royale which is one of the three islands used as a French penal colony from 1852 to 1953 when it was completely closed down. A movie based on this island was Papillon or Papillion which I have seen spelled both ways. The history is amazing. Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman starred in the movie and is certainly worth seeing but remember that to make it more exciting embellishments occur. There are no crocodiles on the island. The author of the book was actually a prisoner in a penal colony on the mainland of South America, French Guyana. The three islands were known as Iles Du Salut and each island had a name and housed different types of convicts. Political convicts were housed on Devil`s Island where the currents around the island are so strong that escape is deathly. Ile Royale is the biggest island and it housed the commandant, wardens and the cell blocks. The prisoners built everything on the island including a swimming hole for the guards and families. A footpath map has outlined all the buildings along the way so an hours walk can take you to all the locations. Agoutis are frequently spotted as one walks along the path. The former guard`s mess hall has been converted to a restaurant and hotel but it is not 5 star. The permanent residents number about 25 or so and visitors arrive by boats. The third island is Ile Ste-Joseph and it housed those in solitary confinement. As we travel it is interesting to note that many areas were originally used to take unwanted or convicted people from Europe. Australia was a penal colony, and so were the 13 colonies in the US which were inhabited by undesirable citizens from countries in Europe. It is also interesting to note that only about 20% of those who were abolished to these islands and French Guyana ever made it off alive. Disease was rampant so even guards, wives and their children died on the island. The children`s cemetery is even noted on the map.
We are at sea today and we have only 3 more ports to visit before we dock in Fort Lauderdale. I have not done a lot of tours over the last week but instead I have treated myself to some time in the Greenhouse Spa getting leg massages. On March 6th we had a masked ball which was a lot of fun. I hope to explore Windows classes as we travel east to the Mediterranean learning how to make movies and learning about a concept of the Cloud. There have been dance classes, Portuguese speaking classes, want to learn bridge?, then there are the daily games of trivia, name that tune, word challenge, and the outside activities of ping pong tournaments, water aerobics, and also all the food buffets. In fact I missed the dessert buffet this afternoon and I wanted to get some pictures. We have been surprised by lots of gifts given by HAL and as this segment draws to a close there will be many staff heading home and many passengers going back to their residences. We have only 9 going on with us and the ship is only half full for the next segment so if you wish come voyage with us......
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Leaving Manaus
March 3, 2013
Today has been an exciting one as I did a river cruise on the Rio Negro to Lake January. Lots of new species of birds and fish in the Amazon Basin. We saw wild rice growing and wondered why the people did not harvest it and sell it. The guide said that they left it for the birds. We saw many houses built on barges and so if you do not like your neighbor you just move the house up or down the river. Boats of all sizes use the river. It is a transportation highway and the school boat gets the children to and from local schools. We stopped at a floating restaurant where we boarded smaller canoe type boats with a roof and an outboard motor and had fun going into smaller channels. Sandbars are many so our pilots really know the rivers and where to go. We are in the rainy season and the river can vary by as much as 30 feet. In fact in a period of 20 minutes a boardwalk linking two barges together had become so steep it was hard to step across. I had to step up about 2 1/2 feet. On the return trip we experienced an Amazonian rain burst. Even with a roof on the boat the rain just blew in from the sides. Of course, I had to find some handmade jewelery from the Amazon.
The Amazon River has a lot of sandbars in it and the water looks nothing like rivers that I have seen. There is so much silt that filtering water is not done as it would plug up the system. Therefore our water supply on board is limited. No laundry facilities until we return to the Atlantic Ocean. I got so wet from the downpour that shower taking is not necessary today. Many large cruise ships have a desalination plant on board so water put through an onboard purification process can be potable. Normally seawater is used for the toilet so there are a couple of water systems in the ship. Water from the bathroom tap is drinkable.
Last night we had a local dance group come on the ship and perform an Amazonian Folklorica Show with dance and songs. They started with the indigenous dances that have been preserved and we watched as the effects of the Spanish and the Europians slowly changed the history of the dances and the pair who did the Samba was absolutely spectacular.
We are heading back toward the Atlantic now having seen the "Meeting of the Waters" where two rivers flow side by side down the Amazon not mixing for a few miles. Tomorrow we land in Parantins and with some patience and my camera I hope to see the pink Amazonian dolphin. I have been told that they play off the side of the ship. How they became pink is unknown to me but that will be researched when I get back home. I can only make guesses now.
We had a great evening a few nights ago when we attended a murder mystery dinner which was well done and the food was tastey. I did not guess the murderer even when I was sitting right in the middle of all the action. That night we were delivered a nice Retirement Cake to our table so I have no idea who could have let them know. That night was March 1 and I think my favorite travel agent must have let Holland America know. Mez`s official last day of employment was February 28.
Tomorrow will be another busy day as we host a group of Parantins school children on the ship. With watching for pink dolphins, having ice cream with children who only speak dialects of Portuguese and I will be in the spa I do not know when I will post again. We have made arrangements with our tablemates to try a new food experience on board. A part of the Lido deck Restaurant is being used for Chinese buffet so our dining table will be up there tomorrow evening. Our next formal night we will be having cocktails with the captain in his quarters and also dinner with him in the Pinacle Grill. That should be fun as he has a great sense of humor.
This has been a very eye-opening adventure..... I encourage folks to broaden their horizons, get out and see the world of culture, food and make new friends. Here is hoping that everyone is in good health. All the best, from the Amazon.
Today has been an exciting one as I did a river cruise on the Rio Negro to Lake January. Lots of new species of birds and fish in the Amazon Basin. We saw wild rice growing and wondered why the people did not harvest it and sell it. The guide said that they left it for the birds. We saw many houses built on barges and so if you do not like your neighbor you just move the house up or down the river. Boats of all sizes use the river. It is a transportation highway and the school boat gets the children to and from local schools. We stopped at a floating restaurant where we boarded smaller canoe type boats with a roof and an outboard motor and had fun going into smaller channels. Sandbars are many so our pilots really know the rivers and where to go. We are in the rainy season and the river can vary by as much as 30 feet. In fact in a period of 20 minutes a boardwalk linking two barges together had become so steep it was hard to step across. I had to step up about 2 1/2 feet. On the return trip we experienced an Amazonian rain burst. Even with a roof on the boat the rain just blew in from the sides. Of course, I had to find some handmade jewelery from the Amazon.
The Amazon River has a lot of sandbars in it and the water looks nothing like rivers that I have seen. There is so much silt that filtering water is not done as it would plug up the system. Therefore our water supply on board is limited. No laundry facilities until we return to the Atlantic Ocean. I got so wet from the downpour that shower taking is not necessary today. Many large cruise ships have a desalination plant on board so water put through an onboard purification process can be potable. Normally seawater is used for the toilet so there are a couple of water systems in the ship. Water from the bathroom tap is drinkable.
Last night we had a local dance group come on the ship and perform an Amazonian Folklorica Show with dance and songs. They started with the indigenous dances that have been preserved and we watched as the effects of the Spanish and the Europians slowly changed the history of the dances and the pair who did the Samba was absolutely spectacular.
We are heading back toward the Atlantic now having seen the "Meeting of the Waters" where two rivers flow side by side down the Amazon not mixing for a few miles. Tomorrow we land in Parantins and with some patience and my camera I hope to see the pink Amazonian dolphin. I have been told that they play off the side of the ship. How they became pink is unknown to me but that will be researched when I get back home. I can only make guesses now.
We had a great evening a few nights ago when we attended a murder mystery dinner which was well done and the food was tastey. I did not guess the murderer even when I was sitting right in the middle of all the action. That night we were delivered a nice Retirement Cake to our table so I have no idea who could have let them know. That night was March 1 and I think my favorite travel agent must have let Holland America know. Mez`s official last day of employment was February 28.
Tomorrow will be another busy day as we host a group of Parantins school children on the ship. With watching for pink dolphins, having ice cream with children who only speak dialects of Portuguese and I will be in the spa I do not know when I will post again. We have made arrangements with our tablemates to try a new food experience on board. A part of the Lido deck Restaurant is being used for Chinese buffet so our dining table will be up there tomorrow evening. Our next formal night we will be having cocktails with the captain in his quarters and also dinner with him in the Pinacle Grill. That should be fun as he has a great sense of humor.
This has been a very eye-opening adventure..... I encourage folks to broaden their horizons, get out and see the world of culture, food and make new friends. Here is hoping that everyone is in good health. All the best, from the Amazon.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
As far up the Amazon as we will get
March 2, 2013
We landed in Manaus this morning and we have two days here so we will leave tomorrow about 6 pm. Having an overnight allows for some evening sightseeing such as seeing caiman's at night or enjoying the night life of the city. Manaus is situated on the banks of the Rio Negro which merges with the Rio Solimoes and the two are then known as the Amazon River. The river is 4000 miles long and has different names depending on the country it passes through. It has 1100 tributaries with 17 of them being at least 1000 miles long. The headwaters of the Solimoes River is at Nevado Mismi near Cusco, Peru and there are findings that years ago the rain water accumulated in the region flowed toward the Pacific. The Amazon is fed by nine countries: Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Boliva, Brazil, and Equador. As the river reaches the Atlantic the sediment can be pushed up to 125 miles into the ocean. In fact ships will anchor near the delta so the fast moving water with sand can clean barnacles from the underside of the ship. The Amazon River delivers 11 times more water to the ocean than the Mississippi River. It is the 2nd longest river in the world, the Nile being the longest. The Amazon carries more water than the Nile and the 9 other longest rivers in the world. Manaus is the capital of the state of Amazonia and has 1.9 million residents and services 2.3 million in the surrounding area.
Manaus made its name and reputation on the back of the rubber industry in the late 1800s into early 1900s and buildings were prefab and shipped from Europe. The opera house was totally designed and imported. It took more than 15 years to complete the opulent work. The only bridge across the Amazon is just outside Manaus and we have a beautiful view of it from the ship. I am at awe to see the Amazonian Basin as my version had always been based on the Hollywood movies with grass shacks on stilts. This is a city and there are no mosquitoes in this region. Tomorrow I will be doing a tour to see where the two rivers come together. WiFi is available in the terminal free, and this city is as modern as many North American cities. There are buses and cars running around town and in the populated area but if one needs to go down or upriver there are all kinds of boats servicing small communities and villages along the way. There are many sea planes that take off from docks along the river. The river is so wide it looks like a huge lake rather than a river. You hardly see the water moving.
To add a bit of information Boca del Valeria has 75 residents and stopping there was a sight as all these kids came out to greet us with various tamed wild animals and reptiles to have their picture taken and collect tourist dollars. Cobras, sloths, monkeys and other strange creatures were interesting but I stayed on the ship and looked down and took pictures without paying the tourist dollar. Mez took some of our chocolate and passed it out to the children and afterward I wondered if they had dental care.
Santarem has about 276,000 residents and Belem has 1.4 million residents. Brazil has many Japanese, German, and Portuguese residents and indigenous peoples. I have not found it difficult to find people who speak English. This is quite an adventure and an experience I will long remember.
Some trivial factoids: There are riverboats that go up and down the river and some have air conditioned cabins to stay in on your two or three day journey. On top of the roof is a TV dish so people can watch TV as they bus up and down the river. They were installed in the late 80s because women would not travel on days when the soap operas were showing. Now they can watch their soap operas as they commute on the water buses. Now to the opera house -- In the 1880s most rubber tycoons came from Europe and settled in the jungle. As Manaus developed a thriving business in rubber plants the businessmen needed to keep their wives happy by giving them what they had and the type of life they had in Europe because no wife needed to live in the jungles of the Amazon. So they built this lavish opera house that looks like it is out of place in the jungle. I suppose that is where the women felt psychologically closer to home.
We landed in Manaus this morning and we have two days here so we will leave tomorrow about 6 pm. Having an overnight allows for some evening sightseeing such as seeing caiman's at night or enjoying the night life of the city. Manaus is situated on the banks of the Rio Negro which merges with the Rio Solimoes and the two are then known as the Amazon River. The river is 4000 miles long and has different names depending on the country it passes through. It has 1100 tributaries with 17 of them being at least 1000 miles long. The headwaters of the Solimoes River is at Nevado Mismi near Cusco, Peru and there are findings that years ago the rain water accumulated in the region flowed toward the Pacific. The Amazon is fed by nine countries: Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Boliva, Brazil, and Equador. As the river reaches the Atlantic the sediment can be pushed up to 125 miles into the ocean. In fact ships will anchor near the delta so the fast moving water with sand can clean barnacles from the underside of the ship. The Amazon River delivers 11 times more water to the ocean than the Mississippi River. It is the 2nd longest river in the world, the Nile being the longest. The Amazon carries more water than the Nile and the 9 other longest rivers in the world. Manaus is the capital of the state of Amazonia and has 1.9 million residents and services 2.3 million in the surrounding area.
Manaus made its name and reputation on the back of the rubber industry in the late 1800s into early 1900s and buildings were prefab and shipped from Europe. The opera house was totally designed and imported. It took more than 15 years to complete the opulent work. The only bridge across the Amazon is just outside Manaus and we have a beautiful view of it from the ship. I am at awe to see the Amazonian Basin as my version had always been based on the Hollywood movies with grass shacks on stilts. This is a city and there are no mosquitoes in this region. Tomorrow I will be doing a tour to see where the two rivers come together. WiFi is available in the terminal free, and this city is as modern as many North American cities. There are buses and cars running around town and in the populated area but if one needs to go down or upriver there are all kinds of boats servicing small communities and villages along the way. There are many sea planes that take off from docks along the river. The river is so wide it looks like a huge lake rather than a river. You hardly see the water moving.
To add a bit of information Boca del Valeria has 75 residents and stopping there was a sight as all these kids came out to greet us with various tamed wild animals and reptiles to have their picture taken and collect tourist dollars. Cobras, sloths, monkeys and other strange creatures were interesting but I stayed on the ship and looked down and took pictures without paying the tourist dollar. Mez took some of our chocolate and passed it out to the children and afterward I wondered if they had dental care.
Santarem has about 276,000 residents and Belem has 1.4 million residents. Brazil has many Japanese, German, and Portuguese residents and indigenous peoples. I have not found it difficult to find people who speak English. This is quite an adventure and an experience I will long remember.
Some trivial factoids: There are riverboats that go up and down the river and some have air conditioned cabins to stay in on your two or three day journey. On top of the roof is a TV dish so people can watch TV as they bus up and down the river. They were installed in the late 80s because women would not travel on days when the soap operas were showing. Now they can watch their soap operas as they commute on the water buses. Now to the opera house -- In the 1880s most rubber tycoons came from Europe and settled in the jungle. As Manaus developed a thriving business in rubber plants the businessmen needed to keep their wives happy by giving them what they had and the type of life they had in Europe because no wife needed to live in the jungles of the Amazon. So they built this lavish opera house that looks like it is out of place in the jungle. I suppose that is where the women felt psychologically closer to home.
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