Prinsendam Amazon Explorer, November 26-December 22, 2013

[rafinmd]

The Crystal Symphony is at Devils Island, French Guyana, 4 days ahead of me.

 

It was very cloudy with occasional rain early in the morning as I walked 6 laps on the Promenade Deck. The pilot boat came by early in my walk; I was a bit surprised that he had to climb about 10 feet on a rope ladder to reach the entrance of the ship. Somehow, there was a little open spot to our east that the sun found as it came up. The MSC Musica followed us into an anchorage while we docked next to the Zenith, now operated by Crosiers de France.

 

My only past visit to Road Town was on Blount's Grande Mariner in 2008. I had an afternoon tour but went into town in the morning. The cruise terminal is kind of on the outskirts of town, about a half mile walk from the central area. I spent most of my time there at a cafe drinking tea and working on some internet issues. I also walked around the narrow streets of the main business district, returning to the ship for lunch around 11.

 

My tour was called "See and Sea" and we started at 12:30 with the sea part, boarding a large catamaran for a tour of the harbor. We passed Beef Island, home of the International Airport (50-seat turboprops go to the US Virgin Islands), Virgin Gorda, Peter Island, and a floating bar, and ended our Sea portion at West Island, a small colony with shops and a large marina. After about 20 minutes there we boarded a safari bus (a pickup truck with seats in the bed) for our return to the pier. In a ride with steep hills and tight turns on narrow roads, panoramic vistas finally concluded with one overlooking the ship and a 4PM return to a pier with only the Prinsendam remaining.

 

All aboard was 4:30 and Captain Gunderson came on the air with his pre-sailaway message about 4:40. As I watched from the sports deck, the lines started coming in, and we started moving about 4:55. I only caught the first stages of our backing away from the pier before preparing for dinner. We could see islands passing close on either ship from our seats in the dining room.

 

We had an encore performance by violinist David Levesque. In another wild performance of a variety of music, his antics included borrowing an audience member to help in a performance of the old typewriter song, using a wine glass for the part of the end of the line warning bell. The evening ended with a quick visit to the Crow's nest.

 

I'll steal another parting shot from our featured performer, this time David Levesque. If all the politicians in the world were laid end to end, they still couldn't come to a point.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I know some of you sailaway addicts were disappointed by the Elegant Explorer's late and silent departure from Fort Lauderdale. I hope this helps a bit:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

The Crystal Symphony is at sea enroute to Fortaleza, Brazil.

 

Although I rose and got coffee around 5, I went online for a while and didn't start my walk until about 6:15. That may have been a mistake as the Promenade deck was blocked off around lap 2 so the tenders could be prepared for service. The rest of the walk was back and forth starting from the forward port tender around the bow, cutting through the forward dining room around the starboard tenders and around the stern to the back of the port tenders, and then repeating the process in reverse. We arrived at Gustavia about 7, with the Silver Spirit in the adjacent anchorage but leaving almost as we entered, and later replaced by the Wind Spirit.

 

This is my first visit to St. Barts, a French possession. The island is small, roughly 5 miles long and 2 miles wide. It is quite a wealthy and expensive island and a vacation retreat for many stars. I had a very basic “Overview” tour and boarded a tender just after 8. The tender didn't look quite familiar. While the Prinsendam is a very vintage ship the tenders are not. I sat near the drivers seat on the ride to the island, and the manufacturer's plate said “9/2013”. The floors in the new tenders are quite low with about 2 9-inch steps down from the entrance. The harbor was quite choppy today, and the tender was bouncing up and down close to 2 feet as we boarded. The ride to town was about 15 minutes.

 

The tour was essentially a drive around the perimeter of the island in a large taxi. St. Barts is extremely hilly and the airport has a very short runway with a hill at one end and a lagoon and another hill at the opposite end. It looks like the biggest planes were perhaps 20-passenger turboprops. I think if I ever came here I would choose one of the ferries, perhaps from St. Maarten. The hills were stiff enough that it took us 3 tries to get over one of them.

 

Gustavia itself is a quaint little town with an attractive harbor populated by some even more attractive yachts. The streets are narrow and we had periods of rain but it was a lovely little town for a walk. At one point in our taxi ride a lovely rainbow came up over the water. While the town is French, I was surprised to find an Anglican Church in town, appropriately named St. Bartholomews. I returned to the Prinsendam a little after noon. I am booked for a cruise on the Wind Spirit's twin Wind Star next year. I noticed as I passed it the tenders are reached by a ladder from the deck rather than a hatch by the water. Should be interesting.

 

The last tender was at 2:30 and the sailaway message came about 2:45. I think Captain Gunderson may be a bit slow getting back to his routine, today was the first time I heard his signature “It's me again”.

 

Lisa gave her introduction to Devil's Island after sailaway. We don't actually go to Devil's Island, part of a 3-island former penal colony. The complex got it's name because treacherous reefs and currents made the area very dangerous for early ships. We learned that David Levesque, hereto known to us for his violin antics, is also quite a historian and also drew the maps we will use at Devil's Island.

 

We were down 2 people at table 151 as 2 of our numbers were away at the Pinnacle Grill. Our “On Location” came with a letter about the water restrictions we will face once we are on the Amazon. The evening entertainment was Francisco Yglesia on the harp. We normally think of the harp as sedate background music, but in Paraguay the instrument seems to take on a special role. I think I actually prefer his compatriot Shirley Dominguez (who I have heard on both Crystal and the Prinsendam), and Mr Yglesia demonstrates that the country provides a wealth of superb music on the instrument.

 

I was at a loss for today's parting shot until I checked my email. I would normally be joining a group of men from my church for breakfast on a Saturday morning, but today the coordinator for that group was also absent. Congratulations to Dave on the birth of his newest grandson Asher Elijah at 5:35 this morning.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

The Crystal Symphony is at sea enroute to Fortaleza, Brazil.

I went to the Lido for coffee just after 5 and we had a quick shower as I spent a few minutes by the pool. Fortunately, that was the last rain of the day. My only other visit to St. Lucia was last December on the Celebrity Summit. On that visit I had taken a catamaran tour to the Pitons, and they were showing clearly through the haze as we approached port. Captain Gunderson had mentioned that we might be delayed by air traffic as the port is right at the end of the short runway and we could not pass when planes are landing. A plane did take off as we passed; he started near the shore and took off moving away from us, but for a landing aircraft we would be either in the final approach or the path escape for an aborted landing. There is also a larger airport on the North end of the island but the drive from there to Castries is rather lengthy.

 

The first lines went out about 7:50 and we were cleared about 8:20. The weather during the day was sunny and warm but not uncomfortably so. St. Lucia is a small island, something like 27 miles long and 10 miles wide. It passed between British and French hands, and is now part of the British Commonwealth.

 

My tour today was called “World Heritage Route”. I was in a 20-passenger minibus and we drove South from Castries, the Capitol along more very narrow, mountainous roads. On our 90-minute ride we made one brief photo stop before our first stop, a mere 12 straight-line miles from the port. The journey ended near the pitons, a pair of very distinctive pair of mountains.

 

Sulphur Springs Park sits in a volcanic caldera open on one side where we entered. There are still hot springs with a sulphur smell, boiling water, and steam rising from the ground. There was a small trail where a guide took us to several view points.

 

It was a short ride to our second stop, the Morne plantation. This was an active plantation for a number of years but is now a tourist facility. Our guide Sheldon took us for a tour of the grounds. Early in the tour we saw the owners house. The current owners live on another island but still actively uses the owners house when they visit. Near the owners house we saw what to me was a unique tree, it is very flat but always extends it's branches in an east to west orientation. Sheldon next described the local produce and we saw how coconuts are opened using a steel spike, and got an overview of the many uses of the coconut, We saw the donkey mill where a mule turned a small mill, pressing sugar cane between 2 closely spaced rollers, cracking the cane open. We saw how chocolate was made from cocoa beans (including a large vat where the product was processed by a worker's feet, much like how classic vineyards would stomp grapes in the wine making process. After a quick viewing a model of how early settlers lived we were given a snack and left the plantation. On the way back we stopped at Marigot Bay, a cove with several resorts surrounded by steep cliffs, and returned to the Prinsendam just after 2.

 

All aboard was 3:30, and at 3:35 the whistle blew and a few stragglers came rushing from the shops at the terminal to the ship. “It's me again” came over the PA a bit later and we sailed The sailaway from Castries had been somewhat special on the Summit as the bow was opened up for passengers on that sailaway. The Prinsendam layout is very similar to the Crystal Symphony, on both ships the bow is a work and machinery area and I suspect that on the Prinsendam (as on the Symphony) passenger access is seldom or never allowed. In any case, both ships have much better places to be at sailaway. My favorite on both ships is top deck far forward, looking directly down on the bridge wings. Other great places on both ships are the “porches” on the bow of the ship at the froward ends of the passenger cabin decks, the aft decks (7-11 Symphony, 7,8,and 12 on the Prinsendam) and the wrap around Promenade decks. We did sail out on time, a plane landed soon after we cleared the flight path.

 

Between sailaway and dinner we had a flurry of religious activity with Catholic (Wajang theater) Protestant (Showroom), and Hanukah(Stuyvestant Room).

 

The evening entertainment was “I Write the Songs” by the Prinsendam Singers and Dancers. My understanding was that this was the premiere of the show with a cast that just came aboard this week. There are 3 female and 2 male singers and male and female dancers in the 7-member cast. This show featured music of Billy Joel, Elton John, and Barry Mantilow. It seemed a bit strange having a predominantly cast for the music of this trio but thew worked well together and did a superb job. I thought it an excellent show. The unfortunate sour note to the evening is that we have to move our clocks forward an hour tonight.

 

Today's parting shot goes back to my early days of this odyssey, when I was on the Crystal Symphony. In our port call at Charleston I toured the warships at Patriot Point. The forward looking lounge on the top deck of all Holland America ships is called the “Crow's Nest”. The title always seemed intuitively reasonable as a high point on the ship, but I had never realized that it had a more specific nautical reference. As I learned from a display on the destroyer at Patriots Point, crows were used for navigation, as they would instinctively head for the nearest land. Ships had a place high on a mast where the crows were kept and released, giving a very specific meaning and purpose to the term crows nest. It's never too late to learn.

 

Roy

[lidojohnny]

I think I made a mistake. I thought I was on the Holland America pages, as

 

I am interested in their ships. Am I in error? What is all this Crystal Symphony

 

information? Can someone direct me to the correct HAL threads? Is there a

 

problem with is cite?

[rafinmd]

The Crystal Symphony is at sea enroute to Fortaleza, Brazil.

 

This was another laundry day. My loads wint into the washer about 5:10, got moved to the dryer after lap 7, and were dry at the end of my walk, just after 7. The morning was windy and very cloudy, but the sun came out later in the day. It was a busy morning at sea, with a Protestant meeting at 9 and a presentation by Werner Salinger on Russia. At 11 Location Guide Lisa did a presentation on Macapa, Santarem, and Boca da Valeria but lightning has struck me again. On both of my Prinsendam I have booked lunch at the Pinnacle Grill only to get an invitation to the Maariners Brunch on the same day. On my first Prinsendam Cruise I was able to get an alternate date for the brunch but this time I rescheduled the Pinnacle. I shared a table with 6 other Mariners after opening remarks by the Captain and Cruise Director.

 

It was close today in team trivia. We tied with several other teams, tied again on the first tie breaker, but missed on the date (1922) King Tut's tomb was found. Stephen Sloan continued his series on the Changing Nature of Conflict and Warfare. After Sloan's talk there was a bit of free time for a dip and some relaxation.

 

This was the second of seven formal nights and people generally looked very nice. The evening's primary entertainment was pianist David Howarth. Howarth was an excellent pianist and played a very diverse program but the scoring for the accompaniment did not appeal at all to me. I was rather done in by last night's time change and didn't really do anything after the show.

 

Today's parting shot comes from Sloan's presentation. “To really understand war you need to experience it from the viewpoint of the victims”.

 

Roy

[sapper1]

I think I made a mistake. I thought I was on the Holland America pages, as

 

I am interested in their ships. Am I in error? What is all this Crystal Symphony

 

information? Can someone direct me to the correct HAL threads? Is there a

 

problem with is cite?

 

There is no problem with the site. The OP was on the Crystal Symphony for three weeks prior to switching to the Prinsendam.

He is still interested in where the Symphony is in relation to where he is now, so he adds that little tidbit at the start of each report. I think it is a nice touch.

 

If it bothers you just skip the first line.

[kazu]

I think I made a mistake. I thought I was on the Holland America pages, as

 

I am interested in their ships. Am I in error? What is all this Crystal Symphony

 

information? Can someone direct me to the correct HAL threads? Is there a

 

problem with is cite?

 

There is no problem with the site. The OP was on the Crystal Symphony for three weeks prior to switching to the Prinsendam.

He is still interested in where the Symphony is in relation to where he is now, so he adds that little tidbit at the start of each report. I think it is a nice touch.

 

If it bothers you just skip the first line.

 

 

Just to add Lldojohnny, many of us follow all of Roy's (rafinmd) voyages. When he was on Crystal, he pointed out where the Prinsendam was every day.

 

He has a history of doing intriguing itineraries on different ships and his reports are always interesting.

 

His other voyages on the other ships are on another thread as he only reports here when he is on a HAL ship :)

 

I agree with Sapper1. I think it is a nice touch that he says where the other ship is in his opening line :D

[Mckay457]

I am thoroughly enjoying Roy's reports on the Amazon explorer cruise! I am from England, are the days short in daylight hours, ie sun up and sun down? I am interested now you are approaching Brazil, if the sea is more choppy now you have left the calmer waters of the Caribbean? I am interested in going on this cruise but my husband suffers from motion sickness badly. Have you noticed any movement on Prinsendam?

[yenta]

We are planning this trip for next year. Did Holland America take care of your visa or was it your responsibility?

[Loreto]

We are planning this trip for next year. Did Holland America take care of your visa or was it your responsibility?

I was on the Amazon Explorer last year. Obtaining the Brazil Visa is your responsibility. Visa Central is HAL's preferred company, and they had a discount. If you are lucky enough to live close to a Brazil Consulate you can do it yourself for much less.

 

It is a fantastic itinerary:)!

 

Karen

[rafinmd]

Venta, the visa is your responsibility but at least in the US it is good for 10 years. Mckay457 I'll get back to you on the seas after Barbados but so far so good.

 

The Crystal Symphony is in Fortaleza,Brazil.

 

This was a bit of an odd day, half at sea and half port day. It was sunny and warm all day (Be careful what you wish for) and a bit on the windy side. Heading up the stairs I saw the dining room entrance being decorated, but it was for today's port call and had nothing to do with the holidays. I divided 2 miles on the Promenade Deck, one immediately after rising and the second near sunup. With a morning at sea we had 2 presentations, one by Lisa on our Amazon ports, and the other by Werner Salinger on China.

 

This was my first visit to Devils Island (well almost). The former French penal colony is actually a group of 3 Islands, and while Devil's Island is the name that attracts attention, it's really Isle Royale that we can visit. The prison colony operated for roughly 100 years, finally closing in 1953. The name Devil's Island actually comes from the dangerous conditions in the area waters, creating many shipwrecks. Those dangerous waters also made escaping the prison quite difficult.

 

We arrived at the location around 11, with great clouds of sediment billowing around the ship. I went to the showroom for a tender ticket around 12:30. Nobody was called for a long time, and it was well after 1 when my number was called for the short ride to the island. The island is all self guided, we were given a map and set free to explore on our own. I believe it is roughly 3 miles around the perimeter of the island. The first building on the tour is the Commandant's house, restored as a museum (in French). Continuing around the island we passed a Children's Cemetery (prisoners were buried at sea to keep the sharks interested), a lighthouse (1928), chapel, cellblocks for regular inmates and solitary confinement (long term solitary inmates went to nearby Ile St. Joseph), and housing for various staff. We could see a replica of the hut where Dreyfus was housed just across a narrow channel on Devil's Island itself. There were also some modern facilities, a hotel (why anybody would want to stay there is beyond me, but it exists), and a European Space Agency tracking station. Wildlife included various birds, agoutis (large rodents) and monkeys. The heat and humidity on the walk were quite oppressive, and I was happy to return to the ship around 3.

 

I went down again to the Stuyvesant Room before dinner again for the Menorah lighting, and some singing of holiday songs. Many of the tunes were familiar, but with minor to major alterations of the lyrics. At dinner tonight the waiters were all dressed in prison stripes. Captain Gunderson's sailaway message came after dinner started and I didn't catch everything but he did explain that we had only 3 meters of water under the keel at anchor and the currents were dragging the anchored ship. We had to reposition the ship several times to find a stable anchor, causing the tendering delays.

 

This evening's entertainment was singer Cheryl Sinclair, followed by a visit to the Crow's Nest with Derek at the piano. As I left for the Crows Nest I found a note on the door, changing my tour at Macapa. Our original render port now has a dock, and we will now leave the ship a half hour later to start the actual tour at the same time.

 

I thought a little tidbit told by Rabbi Segal today would be an appropriate parting shot. He mentioned that Dreyfus was a political prisoner, jailed because of anti-Semitic feelings in the French Military. Outrage over his plight was one of the catalysts that started the quest for a Jewish homeland. Sometimes it's the unexpected stories that bring history to life.

 

Roy

[kazu]

Great reports Roy. Love the story that brought history to life. Interesting indeed.

[rafinmd]

Great reports Roy. Love the story that brought history to life. Interesting indeed.

 

Thanks, Jacqui. Today's is along the same lines.

 

The Crystal Symphony is in Natal, Brazil.

 

I woke to a very pleasant morning with a few clouds and modest winds. I was not really ready for laundry but with water conservation measures starting tomorrow I put in a load for processing during my 5-mile walk on the Promenade deck. The laundry room was fairly quiet then but very busy later in the day.

 

We have a late morning arrival in Manaus Sunday. I am scheduled to read the old testament lesson at the Protestant service. In the morning Werner Salinger continued his series on upcoming nations with China, Part 2. At 10:30 we had a tour of the galley. The Prinsendam actually has 2 major food preparation areas. Much of the heavy food preparation activity like soups and cooking of large cuts of meats is done on deck 4, while other aspects and final preparation of meals is done on the port side of deck 7 opposite the forward dining room. We toured the deck 7 galley today, going from the entrance by the aft stairs through to the Pinnacle Grill. I was surprised at the amount of space in this galley; it covers both the port and midship parts of the deck and was considerably wider than I had imagined. We were given an interesting handout on the culinary operations:

 

http://amazonextended.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/galley.pdf

 

On my Arctic Cruise in 2011 I toured the deck 4 food preparation areas, and here is my writeup on that part of the operation with some pictures:

 

http://arctictriple.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/day-p16-aug-9-at-sea-ms-prinsendam/

 

The morning concluded with a presentation by Roberta Sloan (wife of lecturer Stephen Sloan) on Brazil's performing arts.

 

In his daily update Captain Gunderson spoke about our coming sailing plans. There is a bar in the mouth of the Amazon that we must cross at high tide. We will pass very slowly over the bar this evening from roughly 6:30 to 9:30, with only 1-2 meters of water beneath the keel. There are no facilities for us to stop in Macapa; we will pass it around 5:30AM and continue on to Santana, where we will stop at a cargo port for visits to Macapa. The authorities there hold us to a very strict schedule and we must leave at 5:15 or very soon thereafter.

 

I was reasonably helpful to my trivia team today but we ended up with 14 of 18 while the winners had 17 correct. There was a period for quiet relaxation from then until the 3PM afternoon tea.

 

I attended the final Chanukah candel lighting ceremony. People continue to be quite nicely dressed for this, our 3rd of 7 formal nights. The evening entertainment was magician John Lenahan. I thought he was pretty lame as a magician and his jokes were not that great, but something in his style seemed to work. While there are no Christmas decorations yet, Derek in the Crows Nest did include a set of holiday music in his sing along.

 

As today's parting shot I'll repeat a story told tonight by Rabbi Segal of Manaus's Rabbi Saint. The Rabbi had been engaged in activities to strengthen the faith of local Jews when he contracted an illness and died. The only cemetery in Manaus was Catholic and the Rabbi was laid to rest in a corner of that cemetery. Soon candles and shrines started to appear around the grave. Locals reported that he had passed on some special touches to his caregiver, and prayers to the Rabbi resulted in miraculous cures. While the Vatican never recognized his status, he is still revered as a Saint among the people of Manaus. We really can do great things if we are willing to accept each other and work together.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I think I made a mistake. I thought I was on the Holland America pages, as I am interested in their ships. Am I in error? What is all this Crystal Symphony information? Can someone direct me to the correct HAL threads? Is there a problem with is cite?

 

I'm sorry you feel this way. Sapper1 and Kazu have responded as well as I could on the main reference I make to Crystal, but I'll add a couple of other things. In the post before yours I did add a couple of other Crystal references. I closed with the reference to the Crows Nest, which I learned has a long nautical history but I believe is a reference used exclusively by HAL in the cruise industry. The initial Crystal reference there was an explanation of where my information came from.

 

My other reference was to sailaway viewing locations. I believe when one goes from one cruise ship to another with just 3 days between, comparisons are both natural and relevant, and that was a trait where the similarities were really striking. In each case where I have made a reference to Crystal I have provided at least as much information about the Prinsendam. I think there may even be a few Crystal veterans reading this thread who would find the comparisons useful in understanding what the Prinsendam is like.

 

If there is something you would like to know about the Prinsendam, please ask. If I don't know I'll try to find out (I have 17 days left on the Elegant Explorer), and if that fails we have some real experts on this forum.

 

Roy

[Martezz]

Hi Roy,

I am really enjoying your posts…we will be boarding the Prinsendam when you return for the 68 day voyage around SA…you are giving us a heads up on what to expect on part of it…in addition, I am enjoying your parting shots immensely!

Marty

[startwin]

There is no problem with the site. The OP was on the Crystal Symphony for three weeks prior to switching to the Prinsendam.

He is still interested in where the Symphony is in relation to where he is now, so he adds that little tidbit at the start of each report. I think it is a nice touch.

 

If it bothers you just skip the first line.

 

I also enjoy that reference. Having read Roy's reports from the beginning, when he noted the position of the Prinsendam when he was the Symphony, it adds a little continuity. A nice touch.

[cruz chic]

Thanks for the latest update. I'll be interested to hear about the water restrictions and why it's required. I hope that's not a dumb comment:o.

[nana51]

I have a very good friend on this cruise. If you see a nice tall gentleman around 70 years named Rick A. from sunny San Diego, tell him "sweet Sue" from Bonita says "hi".

[rafinmd]

The Crystal Symphony is in Maceio, Brazil. Thanks, startwin. Martezz, you have nearly a month to wait yet but can expect a fabulous cruise. nana51, on a cruise that long that description could cover close to half the ship but I'll keep my eyes open.

 

Thanks for the latest update. I'll be interested to hear about the water restrictions and why it's required. I hope that's not a dumb comment

 

Not a dumb comment at all. The ship normally takes in and desalinates sea water for most of the water needs, but also will take on water in ports. The silt level of the Amazon will clog the filters on the water making system and we can't make our own water. There are also limited water supplies in our ports. The situation is fairly fluid. We did take on water in Puerto Santiago (might not have been possible if we were actually docked in Macapa itself), and it looks like the laundry is still open, but I'm sure that will change.

 

We were cruising up the Amazon at a pretty good clip when I awoke. I had planned on an abbreviated walk but decided to do a full 5 miles since there wouldn't be much walking on my tour and it would be too hot on deck later. As we made our way upstream I could occasionally catch a whiff of wood smoke in the air. We passed a very dark Macapa around 6AM, going past and on to Puerto Santana where we will dock. The port is on either a bay or a tributary, a few miles from the Amazon itself, and seems to handle mostly wood chips and containers. We pulled up to the dock around 7. Macapa is the capitol and chief city of the state of Amapa.

 

Other than a hot walk to nowhere or a taxi, there were only 2 tour options. There was a “Macapa highlights” tour and a transfer to town and back. I opted for the highlights tour and we had a guide and translator in our crowded school bus. It was about a 30-minute ride to Macapa, where we made 4 stops. The first was the Fortaleza de Sao-Jose, an early 19th century star fort overlooking the Amazon. It was never involved in a battle but was operated by the Portugese until Brazil's independence in 1889. We next visited the “Zero marker”.

 

Macapa sits squarely on the Equator and the marker has a line representing the North and South hemispheres. A tower has a hole, probably a meter in diameter, where on the equinox days the sun will shine directly through the hole along the equator. We paused for pictures straddling the line, and there was an air conditioned visitor center. We stopped at a cultural center depicting life on the Amazon, with several representative forms of native dwellings and a “floating market”, a boat which would ply remote regions and serve as both a source of supply and communications among the exhibits. There were several benches depicting animals which the guides explained were specifically for either men or women, with romantic woes for the unfortunate person who sat on the bench intended for the opposite sex. Our final stop was at the craft market. Everybody was ready to leave there earlier than planned and we returned to the Elegant Explorer around 1PM. The buses all had a welcome sign out for us; if only there was space for a few more characters on the sign board.

 

All aboard was listed as 4:30, but when I stepped off for a couple of pictures around 3:30 I was reported to be the last person to return to the ship. The heat and humidity were taking quite a toll, and a long line was observed at the Lido ice cream stand. We were ready to depart promptly once all aboard time came (perhaps even earlier), but did not have our pilots until about 5:15. Thunder came up around 4:45 and I retreated to the Prinsendam's covered aft deck for sailaway.

 

Unlike some other cruise lines, Holland America does not give out menu packets at the end of the cruise. On both of my Prinsendam voyages, my dining stewards have been very diligent giving me menus each day to scan and post. When I told Payzil I was booked in Canaletto Friday, he said “just a minute, I'll get you tomorrow's menu.

 

The main entertainment was the Prinsendam Singers and Dancers with “Can't Stop the Rock”. Both of the production shows so far have been different from the ones on my 2011 Arctic voyage. He evening concluded with a sing along with Derek in the Crow's Nest.

 

As today's parting shot, we all have misconceptions about travel and destinations. We think of the Amazon as a mosquito and disease prone wetland. That may be true in some places but hasn't been my experience so far. I have yet to see a mosquito here. There are a number of large beetles walking around the deck. To have gotten here I'm sure they must fly, but I've yet to see one airborne. Malaria medicine must be started 2 days before exposure, so I've been taking it since before Devil's Island, but fortunately it hasn't been needed yet.

Roy

Edited December 6, 2013 by rafinmd

[nana51]

Let's see. He still has all his blonde hair. He is with his girlfriends Dorothy, wears a tux on formal night and is a hell of a dancer.

 

He has been posting pictures. The equator ones were funny and some video of going down the amazon. Looks like a great trip.

Edited December 6, 2013 by nana51

[rafinmd]

The Crystal Symphony is in Salvadore De Bahia, Brazil

 

There were thin broken clouds when I went out for my walk. Since some walking on tour was included I decided on 4 miles. The sun never actually appeared in the day but it did pierce through the thin layer of clouds. In a lazy morning at “sea” my only other morning activity was a talk by Lisa on Barbados. We started slowing around 11 as we approached Santarem. By then the sun was getting quite brutal and I watched our arrival from the shaded front “porches” on decks 8-10.

 

I will get a look at Santarem when we visit Alter do Chao on the way down river, but today my tour was to Tapajos National Forest. This was the hottest day yet with midday temperatures in the upper 30's or 90's depending on the scale used. The buses also were not air conditioned. Our ride was long, but it was mostly at highway speeds yielding some welcome breezes. I can only imagine how hot it was for people running around the city in a similar bus. The ride was about 80 minutes each way to the forest about 40 miles mostly South of Santarem. Our guide Paulo pointed out a few things along the way but between his english and a poor PA system it was hard to hear much. Once at the forest we were joined by a forest guide who apparently did not speak english and pointed things out but Paulo was our main point of contact. We went through several miles of agricultural land. It was barren as the dry season winds down but will become productive in January as the rainy season resumes.

 

The bus dropped us off at a former rubber plantation. The rubber collection process reminds me somewhat of maple sap collection, but the white liquid is very thick and flows very slowly. Trees showed many scars of cuts to extract the rubber, and a few pots were in place to illustrate how the rubber was collected. By the ruins of one building there was a view into a valley; our elevation there was about 550 feet. We also saw a very large kapok tree.

 

Our walk in the rainforest lasted about an hour. Paulo started with a safety briefing on the common hazards to watch for, primarily roots, holes, ants, and thorns. The rain forest was not nearly as dense as one might imagine, although it could be more dense in the rainy season. There was certainly a lot of vegetation but we had ample sight lines. We saw a few birds but not really much wildlife. Near the start of the walk Paulo pointed out some thorns about 4 inches long-OUCH. One kind of tree root carries water in it which can be shaken out and consumed. Some trees have buds containing a resin that will burn easily even when wet and are a natural rainy weather fire starter. Some vines just make fun rope swings, and our forest guide showed how palm leaves can be opened up to make a roof. We also saw some huge ant and termite nests before returning to the bus. It was an interesting walk but a very long day between the heat and the long bus rides. I had a 5:30PM Canaletto reservation and returned to the ship at 5:45. Fortunately the restaurant was not busy and my tardiness did not prove a problem.

 

Holland America is in the process of changing the menu for their Canaletto Italian restaurant. I had the traditional menu and was told the new menu is due on the Prinsendam in March. It was an excellent meal in a stunning location on the aft of the ship with wraparound views. Sailaway was promptly at 8PM, and apparently we were again off the main channel as we turned and left the way we came in.

 

With the sultry weather and the late departure from port we did not have a show as such, with movies in both the Showroom at Sea and another in the Wajang theater.

 

Derek held a 9:30 Name that Tune in the Crow's nest. My team was competitive but did not win. I did not stay up too much after that despite gaining an hour today as our upstream sail takes us back to the equivalent of Atlantic time. South America sure is offset to the East of North America.

 

With my walk in the forest today it is fitting that I am stealing my parting shot from an email the youth leader (Senior Patrol Leader) of my Scout troop sent out this week.

 

“Leadership Quote of the Week: "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity" - General George S. Patton, Jr.”

 

Thank you, Morgan.

 

Roy

[RuthC]

Roy, it's been a while since I told you how much I'm enjoying taking your cruises vicariously. Thank you for letting me ride along in cool comfort. ;)

[rafinmd]

Welcome home, RuthC

 

The Crystal Symphony is at sea approaching Rio De Janeiro.

 

With the heat and humidity I have become a bit lethargic and it was 5:30 by the time I got on deck. With the hour we gained overnight the sun was coming up as I passed the Sea View Pool to begin my walk. I completed my 4 miles just as the crew was closing off the Lower Promenade Deck to lower the tenders and I was already feeling the heat.

 

Boca da Valeria is a settlement of perhaps 100 people on the South bank of the Amazon. It is probably about as authentic an Amazon village as we are likely to see. We anchored about a quarter mile from the village. Flooding from the last rainy season destroyed the previous dock there and the new one is located a couple hundred yards/meters up a creek so narrow that only one tender could be in it at a time. This slowed the tendering operations but I think a large number of passengers passed up the opportunity to visit and I had no delays in my visit. I left the ship about 8:15 and got a tender immediately. I did a double take disembarking the tender as one of the crewmen was wearing a familiar but very not Holland America cap.

Boca da Valeria has no roads and I saw nothing with wheels on the foot paths. It appears that nearly everybody had a boat, most with outboard motors, and the town had electricity, satellite dishes, and a church and school. Much of the town was waiting at the tender pier with many offering riverboat rides. Children were out posing for pictures with their pets, including a large turtle, a monkey, and a caiman. A few boats were near the tenders at the ship doing the same thing. After walking around the town a bit, I took about a half hour riverboat ride. I ended up on a larger boat with an inboard motor, probably single cylinder. The wooden roof was very welcome as the sun was quite intense. From our pier the creek widened out further upstream and led to a series of other small waterways, and we turned around at what appeared to be another small village with a prominent church. The owner was probably in his 30's and accompanied by 4 boys, roughly ages 6-10. I did not think to inquire about how the village sustains itself, but I would guess fishing is a big part of the picture. I returned to the Prinsendam and welcome air conditioning about 10:30.

 

I went to the front “porches” around 2 as the anchor was pulled up and we continued upstream. The racket and vibration occurring as the anchor was retrieved were amazing.

 

A “swim the Amazon” party was held at 3 in the Sea View pool. Christina produced a glass of simulated Amazon water (I think a mix of tea and milk) and the participants swam back and forth across the pool with balloons in the water shaped like piranhas, later used in a water balloon fight. Werner Salinger spoke on the European Union at 3:30, as we were passing Parintins, where we will visit on Tuesday.

 

We have a string of 7 consecutive port days. That was apparently too long to go without a formal night and our 2PM sailaway today made this the day to have one. I discovered at dinner that I was the only one to have gone ashore today. That's a shame. It was not necessary to spend a lot of time there to get a feel for a unique lifestyle.

 

This evening's entertainment was a variety show with singer Cheryl Sinclair and Francisco Yglesia on the harp. I believe both are leaving us in Manaus.

 

There can only be one parting shot today. They say the good die young. Nelson Mandela did not actually die young, but he was effectively deprived of many years of his life. In 2005 I had the humbling experience of briefly standing in the cell on Robben Island where Mandela spent so many years of his life. I first heard of the death when I opened an email from the Baltimore-Washington Bishop Marcus Matthews. He said in part “What struck me most was the fact that Mandela did not seem to have a bone of hatred in his body, despite what he had undergone during the 27 years he was imprisoned for speaking out for the rights of the people. This world is indeed a better place because God shared Mandela with us.” My own pastor told me of the modifications in our upcoming service to commemorate Mandla's life (and I look forward to the improvements in our sound system). Nelson Mandela, thank you and rest in peace.

 

Roy

[Copper10-8]

Enjoy Roy! Was there this March; awesome itinerary!