Circle South America with Slinkie and Grumpy

[2552phxcrzr]

I agree that they are part of mankind's history - a sad and bloody part, however.

[Coolcruise02]

I believe these are the two stations Grumpy and Slinkie viewed from the ship. If you'd like to see photos, http://eenusa.smugmug.com/gallery/2909409_buVfP#P-1-20 -- Leith Harbour starts with #156 ... should be on the last page or two, depending on your screen size.

 

Thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures!

[cruisersmom]

for the wonderful description of your cruise. It makes me feel like I'm there with you, but...since I'm not, how about giving a Valentine hug to Hostess Lucy and telling her it's from her mom! And, what happens on the Prinsendam doesn't have to stay on the Prinsendam--it's really OK if you share! :D Thanks for taking her under your wing!

[halcruiser]

As Grumpy mentioned on post on 2/9, George and I had to leave the Prinsendam and our wonderful cruise in Buenos Aires on Monday, 2/11 on the advise of the ship and shore Drs. We spent two days in a hotel until he was give a Fit to Fly by the BA Dr. Thank heavens for travel insurance. They arranged and paid for our flight home yesterday. George is doing better and we appreciate the concern of all our CC friends. Grumpy, we will continue our cruise through your posts.

Marion

[Nancyquilts]

As Grumpy mentioned on post on 2/9, George and I had to leave the Prinsendam and our wonderful cruise in Buenos Aires on Monday, 2/11 on the advise of the ship and shore Drs. We spent two days in a hotel until he was give a Fit to Fly by the BA Dr. Thank heavens for travel insurance. They arranged and paid for our flight home yesterday. George is doing better and we appreciate the concern of all our CC friends. Grumpy, we will continue our cruise through your posts.

Marion

Really sorry about your shortened cruise :( - our cruise only went to B.A.(and a good thing too, as I had pneumonia by the time we got home - staying at the hospital does put off laundry by several days, but it at least it was a hospital at home). I've always enjoyed Grumpy's travelogs - and he's right on the money on the part of the cruise we were on. I'm looking forward to reading about the adventures remaining. Nancy

[arzz]

Nancy -- so sorry to hear that you have been ill -- no the way to end a trip at all! I do hope that you are all better soon. This has been a difficult year for flu virus and pneumonia -- I have one friend who has now had pneumonia twice since November!

[SomeBeach]

WHEW!! Just finished a marathon reading of your posts!! I can't believe I almost missed this cruise. ;) Until a few months ago, I kept dropping in on the HAL forum looking for you and no sightings had me worried. Then the last few months had me busy moving, cruising, and going to Captains U (ok, it was only a day at the Star Center, FLL.) This past week, I finally got back here to look for you again and here you are!! :D

Grumpy, it is wonderful reading of your travels and fun reading of Slinkies shopping. :D I will look forward to the rest of your cruise.

[Grumpy1]

February 10, 2008, Buenos Aires, Day 39

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Prinsendam arrived at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, a very long and wide estuary, during the evening of Feb 9 and boarded a pilot. The next 12 hours were spent navigating the long narrow channel from the ocean to Buenos Aires. The estuary is 136 miles wide at the ocean and runs inland 180 miles to the confluence of the Uruguay and Parana Rivers. At that point it is still 30 miles wide. Buenos Aires lies near the river confluence. The estuary is quite shallow and constant dredging of the shipping channels is required to keep them open. Prinsendam arrived at the dock as scheduled for a two day stay. The dock is a very short distance from the terminal building, but the path winds around through stacks of shipping containers. No pedestrian traffic is allowed. Tour buses… at least those that had been chartered by HAL… were allowed to pick up passengers right at the ship. Everyone else had to board one of the port provided shuttle buses for the short ride to the terminal. After getting through the terminal and past the shops, there was, Surprise!, an H Stern shuttle waiting to whisk everyone directly to their store. Slinkie and Grumpy had a tour through their travel agency so were among those that had to use the port shuttle and then be picked up outside the terminal. The tour, “A Glimpse of Buenos Aires”, went through Buenos Aires City and then through Buenos Aires and several of its districts.

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Buenos Aires City could be loosely compared to Washington, DC. It is the seat of the Argentinean government and, like Washington, DC, is independent from the surrounding area. There are about 3 million people living in the central city and another 13 million in the surrounding areas of Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires City could, and should, be a beautiful city. It isn’t. Sure, there is a lot of new construction and sky scrapers. There are wide avenues and parks. But the city is filthy. There are magnificent monuments with graffiti covering the bases. There are almost daily demonstrations in the plazas and it appears that no one ever cleans up the trash left behind. There are panhandlers and homeless everywhere. The climate is quite temperate and there should be flowers everywhere. Except for a few rose bushes and flowering trees that can survive without attention there are few flowers to be seen. It’s as if the people living in the city have no pride in their city. Grumpy talked to people that have been there before, going back about twenty years, and they commented on how much the city has deteriorated in recent years.

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Moving on into the suburban neighborhoods, there is some improvement but most areas still seem to lack basic maintenance and cleaning services.

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There were a few stops along the tour for photo opportunities, including the Recoleta Cemetary where Evita is buried. The cemetery is actually a city of mausoleums, some 4800 of them. Each family bought their own plot and built whatever mausoleum would fit their plot and their budget. Some are plain, some are extremely grand. Many go down a good distance to provide room for succeeding generations. Some have caskets openly displayed at the ground floor level. There was a stop at Café Tortoni, the oldest coffee house in Buenos Aires, for coffee and pastries. It seems that everybody that is somebody stops there when in Buenos Aires, leaving behind an autographed photo. Slinkie and Grumpy weren’t asked to provide a photo, though. Grumpy thinks they would have looked good in the display case in the spot currently occupied by someone named Hillary who visited there in October ’97.

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After the tour, Slinkie and Grumpy had lunch on the ship and then took the H Stern shuttle. Florida street, which is one of the major shopping streets is right next to the plaza where the Stern store is located. Being Sunday, some of the stores were closed, but Slinkie and Grumpy did quite a bit of window shopping. There was a small convenience store close to the Stern store where Grumpy picked up a few bottles of Argentinean wines. The Chilean wines had long since been disposed of, so the larder needed to be restocked. Slinkie didn’t add any baubles, bangles or beads to her collections, though.

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A visit to Buenos Aires would not be complete without a Tango show. Slinkie and Grumpy’s travel agency had arranged a show with drinks and snacks at Piazolla Tango, located in the lower levels of the historic Guemes Gallery. It was a very good show, good nibbles and good wines. After the show was over and much wine had been consumed, came the challenge of the evening… the climb up several flights of steps to get from the theatre to the bus. All were soon accounted for, though, and the bus returned them to the port for a well deserved night’s rest.

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February 11, 2008, Buenos Aires, Day 40

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OK, no rest for the weary, the show must go on, there are places to go and things to see… all of that stuff. For the second day in Buenos Aires, Slinkie and Grumpy had chosen a HAL sponsored tour called “The Best of Argentina”. With a 7:45a departure, an early wakeup was needed so that breakfast would not be missed. Pretty much on schedule, two busloads of Prinsendamer’s were soon on their way through the city and out to the countryside. “Toto, I think we’ve returned to Kansas” thought Grumpy as he gazed across miles and miles of flat terrain. Corn and soybean fields seemed to stretch to the horizon, interspersed with pastures where thousands of cattle were grazing. There weren’t many buildings which indicates that these are some very large ranches. The tour guide said that most are family owned, rather than being part of a large corporate operation. Grumpy noted that the signs at the edge of the fields denoting the brands of seed used, among them Dekalb and Pioneer, were the same as the ones on his small farm in Ohio. The tour guide did a good job of providing commentary on the history of the country, etc, but Grumpy felt that she could have been more aware of the area they were driving through. Someone had to interrupt her to find out about a beautiful church with twin spires that the bus was passing.

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After a three hour drive, the bus turned off the highway into a lane lined with beautiful old sycamore trees. Escorted by several Gauchos on horseback the group soon arrived at La Fortuna, a ranch or Estancia, where the next few hours would be spent relaxing, riding around the grounds in horse drawn carriages, on horseback or in an old Model R Ford, being plied with wines and food and entertained with shows of horsemanship and dancing.

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There was an unfortunate incident on one of the carriage rides, though. The driver paused briefly in front of the main house so that pictures of the house could be taken. Without looking back at his passengers he started forward again just as one lady stood up to get a picture. She tumbled out and suffered a fractured leg. The wife of the ship’s doctor was the “tail gunner” for one of the buses and helped to see that she was properly attended to. Soon the unfortunate passenger was on the way to a hospital in Buenos Aires. How quickly a dream vacation can come to an end. Grumpy hopes that she is on the mend and will be able enjoy future vacations.

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Fortunately, the guide had provided about all of the information that could be absorbed on the drive out and chose to not bother those that wanted some nap time on the return trip. Grumpy alternated between napping and sightseeing, although, as noted before, there weren’t many sights to see. When the buses arrived back at the port, there were still a couple of hours before sailaway, but Slinky and Grumpy did not have any interest in going out again.

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As Prinsendam got underway to Montevideo, Uruguay, Slinkie and Grumpy went to the dining room and got acquainted with their four new dinner companions. Franz and Rose Marie from Switzerland, along with Jan and Yvonne from Netherlands are now a part of the merrymakers at table 112. All four speak excellent English and fit right in. Our Dining Room Mananger did a good job of finding good dinner companions for Bob, Janet, Slinky and Grumpy.

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Although Montevideo is just across the river and downstream a bit from Buenos Aires, as noted before, the river is very wide, long and shallow. The marked channels are narrow and involve quite a few changes of direction. Prinsendam would need the entire night to travel that short distance.

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February 12, 2008, Montevideo, Uruguay, Day 41

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Prinsendam was scheduled to dock at 8:00a. About 7:30, CD Thom announced that the Captain had requested that he inform the passengers that docking would be slightly delayed. It seems that a rather slow freighter had gotten into the channel ahead of Prinsendam leaving Buenos Aires. Passing was neither possible or allowed, so Prinsendam dutifully plodded along behind the slow poke. Fortunately, the dock was one that didn’t require a lot of maneuvering so, once the Prinsendam was in the harbor, it didn’t take long to tie up and get the gangway set. The first few tours were somewhat delayed but Slinkie and Grumpy’s 9:15a tour was only about ten minutes late leaving.

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“A taste of Montevideo and the wine trail” was the tour du jour. The bus went into the heart of Montevideo and stopped at the legislative building for a quick tour. The building is a quite impressive structure with beautiful stained glass windows. There are many types and colors of marble used in the construction and the mosaics, all mined in Uruguay. The interior decorations are very ornate. There were only three rooms open for public viewing, but that was sufficient to get a good view of the building. Grumpy noted that this area seemed to be much cleaner and better cared for than the counterpart area in Buenos Aires. Continuing on, the tour went through embassy row, past the official presidential home, and the home where the current president chooses to live. There were many very nice homes which the guide described as “middle class” that could be bought for about $100,000USD. The guide also stated that Uruguay ranks third, behind Mexico and Costa Rica, as the country where the most US citizens have homes. That information supposedly comes from official IRS information. Grumpy is not planning to call and verify that tidbit.

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The bus drove a few miles north of the city to the Santa Rosa vineyards. The white grapes were in their second day of picking and the tour observed the boxes of grapes being unloaded and sorted before they disappeared into the crushing machine. Sorry, no one was seen barefoot in the wooden vats, stomping the grapes. Grumpy figures they only do that in Hollywood these days. Although Santa Rosa has been around since 1898, the equipment in use today is quite modern. Fermenting is done in double walled water cooled stainless steel tanks where the temperature and, therefore, the fermentation process can be carefully controlled. The cellar is lined with massive French Oak barrels that were originally constructed in the 1930’s. For many years a team would come from France to tear them apart, sand the interiors to new wood, clean and reassemble them. Since those barrel coopers have since passed away, that cellar is maintained as a museum now. There would be far too much bacteria and other contamination in the barrels to use them now.

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The most interesting part of the tour was the portion of the winery where the sparkling wines are produced. Remember, this isn’t France, so the wines cannot be called Champagne. Same stuff… different name. The demonstration was in an area where there were hundreds of racks containing thousands of bottles of sparkling wine, stored with the neck slanted downward. The bottles were capped with a temporary metal cap, not corked. After the sparkling wine has been blended from two or more vats of standard wines, extra sugar is added and the metal cap is applied. Natural fermentation produces carbon dioxide. In the normal wine fermentation process this gas escapes. In the sealed bottle it carbonates the wine, creating the fizz. Unfortunately, there is dead yeast now trapped in the bottle as sediment. The trick is to remove the sediment and not lose the fizz so just pouring it through a filter won’t work. The accepted procedure is to allow gravity to settle the sediment into the neck of the bottle. For several weeks, each bottle is turned by hand 3 times a day until all of the sediment is in the neck. Then, keeping the bottles inverted, they are chilled so the carbonation will stay in the wine, the neck of the bottle is frozen and the sediment is trapped in a block of ice. Bringing the bottle to an upright position, the temporary cap is removed, pressure in the bottle pushes the ice plug out, the bottle is corked and the wire cage is applied. All very simple, indeed.

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The tour continued to the banquet room where tables were set up to feed the by now hungry tourists, ply them with wines and entertain them. The wines were good, the food was delicious and the dancers were spectacular. By the time the show ended the Slinkie, Grumpy and the merrymakers were out on the floor with the dancers and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Grumpy added a few more bottles to his wine supply before boarding the bus to head back to the port.

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Now many of you have probably been told that Montevideo is Portuguese for mountain view or something like that. Only a couple of problems, though. The area was named by the Spaniards and there is no mountain to view. A hill of 600 ft hardly qualifies as a mountain, but that is the dominant feature. The current explanation for the name is that it comes from the map maker’s notations. Noting the hill on the charts, he labeled it Monte (hill) VI (#6) D (short abbreviation for de or from) E (notation for este or east) O (notation for oeste or west. So it translates to Hill number 6, from east to west, and that matches the geographic features of the coastline coming in from the Atlantic Ocean. Not very romantic, is it?

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The tour stopped by a leather shop, Casa Mario, and there was an option to stay on the bus back to the port or stop, shop and take their shuttle back to the port. Slinkie and Grumpy opted for the shuttle. They browsed the leather shop and Slinkie picked out a nice soft red rabbit fur collar. They then browsed the other shops in the neighborhood. There was a jewelry shop across the street with some nice unset amethyst and citrine stones, but nothing really jumped out screaming to be bought. Slinkie and Grumpy caught the shuttle back to the port and headed home to the Prinsendam.

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February 13, 2008, At Sea, Day 42

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This was a totally lazy day for relaxing. The seas were pretty rough most of the day and Prinsendam rocked and rolled, pitched and yawed and whatever else ships do in rough seas. Grumpy opted to forget about the rest of the world and instead relaxed on his veranda reading a mystery novel. Dinner companion, Janet, had given him a copy of Santa Cruise. It was a quick read mystery with many predictable and some unpredictable twists and turns. As you might have guessed, it is set on a cruise ship on a short cruise just after Christmas. Fortunately, none of the many unsavory characters managed to find their way aboard Prinsendam, so Grumpy isn’t looking for any parallels between the book and his cruise. By the way, there is a butler in the book… and you know what the standard cliché is….

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February 14, 2008, At Sea, Day 43

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The seas have calmed as Prinsendam sails northward from Montevideo to Rio. Grumpy decided it was time to catch up once again with his journal and review the Port Lecture on Rio. Also on the schedule are the Exploration Series Speakers, Dr Charles and Prof. Blanch Iliff. Their talk, Spotlight on Natural Resources, was very informative and certainly will generate a few heated discussions about whether or not ethanol fuel is the wave of the future or not. With lots of facts and figures on true cost of production, transportation, effect on world food prices, etc., Dr. Iliff is clearly in the camp of those that think the whole subject needs some serious rethinking. Grumpy knows that his farm is suddenly much more profitable than it has ever been, and has often wondered how one balances the need for food against the need for fuel if you are going to produce both from the same crops. Just some food… or fuel… for thought folks…

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But, of course, the main event of the day will be the Valentines’ Ball. Grumpy will report on that later.

[Aussie Gal]

Grumpy,

 

Am still enjoying your wonderful posts. Having been to most of where you are cruising I am reliving our travels through your eyes.

 

Keep on enjoying!

 

Jennie

[bobnsandi]

Rio was awesome, to say the least. What a party town. This is truely a unique place on earth. The Captain was kind enough to cruise us by the famous beaches as we left.

 

Had a wonderful, sweet sailing, day at sea between Rio and Bahia. This is what cruising is about!

 

Currently in Bahia, sweating and looking at 3 million people seemingly all in the same downtown area. Thanks H. Stern for the transportation!

 

As we disembarked this morning, we saw Lucy standing in the rain, assisting us cruisers. But the rain is not too heavy...

 

This part of the cruise is amazing in its own way. What a contrast between the pristine beauty of Antarctica and the equatorial earthy steaminess of Brazil.

 

Bob and Sandi

[RuthC]

It's taken a while, but I've finally caught up with your posts. Excellent! :) It's as if I was there. Oh, right. I was. Just going in a different direction on a different ship!

Our days in Antarctica were quite different, it seems. That area can change so dramatically from one day to the next. One hour to the next, even.

Thanks for the continued reports.

[KathieKata]

Grumpy: All that talk about WINE almost did me in!! Hick-up!! Hee Hee. Great reviews as usual. THanks.:p

[AWED23]

Rio was awesome, to say the least. What a party town. This is truely a unique place on earth. The Captain was kind enough to cruise us by the famous beaches as we left.

 

Had a wonderful, sweet sailing, day at sea between Rio and Bahia. This is what cruising is about!

 

Currently in Bahia, sweating and looking at 3 million people seemingly all in the same downtown area. Thanks H. Stern for the transportation!

 

As we disembarked this morning, we saw Lucy standing in the rain, assisting us cruisers. But the rain is not too heavy...

 

This part of the cruise is amazing in its own way. What a contrast between the pristine beauty of Antarctica and the equatorial earthy steaminess of Brazil.

 

Bob and Sandi

:D Just wait until you go up the Amazon!!!!...A fantastic cruise by itself...Enjoy!...

[AWED23]

Grumpy, we board 3/11 as you leave. Can you please tell me how much you enjoyed the tours arrainged by your travel agent. Both the ones that were complimentary and any that you purchased from them. We use the same agent in Seattle you do...Thanks for keeping my Prinsendam afloat!!!...We are booked for next January 2 to do the same Voyage in reverse. I still can not figure why they are reversing the the direction.....Thanks again for your posts, Rob...:)

[Nancyquilts]

So, Grumpy, where are you? I'm suffering withdrawal. :( Nancy

[localady]

My guess is they are in an internet-challenged area, or they are having SO much fun that Grumpy figures he can catch us up on a later Sea Day!!:D

Great to push this up front so he doesn't have to spend the time to find it again!!;) :D

[Grumpy1]

He’s back again! Finally! Grumpy hopes that absence does make the heart grow fonder since he has definitely been absent from CruiseCritic for too long. Ides of March… sorry to hear about your… ah… marital problems, old chap. Grumpy hopes you didn’t have any plans for tonight, though… Just print this out, hand it to Grux to read and take a cold shower.

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February 15, 2008, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Day 44

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Ahhhh, Rio… H STERN... Ipanema… H STERN... Copacabana… H STERN... Corcovado Mountain and Christ the Redeemer statue… H STERN... Sugarloaf Mountain… H STERN... Dayum! Grumpy can’t even write about the wonders of Rio without that obnoxious guy sticking his nose in everywhere. You can’t walk through the terminal without being accosted at least three times by their pushy reps. Take a tour and get to one of Rio’s major attractions and there they are again. Grumpy is beginning to think H Stern owns half of Rio… and probably has a lease on the other half. Grumpy did use their shuttle “service” once, but contributed no dollars to their company coffers. Grumpy is of the opinion that they cannot possibly spend as much as they do on buses, private cars, multiple showrooms and reps and still sell their merchandise at a fair price. Comparison shopping has pretty much confirmed that. Grumpy is sure some will argue that they bought from Stern and the item appraised at twice what they paid, but appraisals are based on what it would cost to recreate the item as a one-of-a-kind piece. Grumpy figures a four to one appraisal ratio comes closer to what should be paid. There has been an H Stern rep on board, extolling the virtues of their services and hawking their goods, for several days. The desk that is normally shared by the Guest Relations Manager and Frank Buckingham seems to be frequently occupied by the H Stern Rep. The TV channel that shows the replays of Frank’s port lectures is now shared with endless repeats of the H Stern presentations.

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Anyway… back to Rio. Prinsendam came into the harbor with the Rio skyline on the Port side, so there wasn’t much to see from Slinkie and Grumpy’s Starboard veranda. Captain Gundersen was nice enough to pick a docking space and turn the ship so that, once docked, there was a nice view of Christ the Redeemer Statue atop Corcovado Mountain from the verandah. There were some low clouds at the start of the day, though, that obscured the view. Slinkie and Grumpy’s tour for the morning was a sightseeing ride around the city and then a cable car ride to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. The city was still recovering from Carnival the previous weekend, but, unlike Buenos Aires, there were people out picking up, sweeping, cleaning and doing their best to put the city back in shape. Yes, there are some very rundown areas in Rio and there are homeless sleeping on the streets, but even in those areas there seemed to be an effort to keep the trash from accumulating. Rio will be hosting World Cup Soccer matches in 2014. It will be interesting to see if the “improvements” to the city before then are real or cosmetic.

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By the time the tour reached the base of Sugarloaf for the first of the two cable car rides, the clouds were lifting. Once again, Prinsendam had brought good weather with her. The previous week had been overcast most of the time. The first cable car takes you from near sea level up to about 750 feet above sea level and provides a very nice view of the Rio area. There is a short walk to the second cable car and the ride to the top at 1300 feet. The view of Rio was spectacular! There were still a few clouds around the peak of Corcovado, but there were periods when the statue could be seen. There was a surreal and inspirational view. There was a cloud that drifted across the mountain so that it obscured the view of the mountain. Bathed in sunlight the statue seemed to float above the cloud. It was an awesome sight. There is a municipal airport that has a runway that lines up directly with Sugarloaf about two and one half miles away. The wind direction was such that the planes were landing from the Sugarloaf end of the runway. It was interesting to watch the planes approaching from the left at about eye level, dropping below you as they came over the water, bank and turn in front of you so you could look down on them as they landed. Slinkie and Grumpy took in the views and looked around in the souvenir shops and jewelry stores but went back down without buying anything. The tour returned to the ship just in time for lunch so Slinkie and Grumpy enjoyed their usual Lido lunch and gathered enough energy to head out again.

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OK, pushy rep, Slinkie and Grumpy will visit your “factory” and take your tour. Slinkie and Grumpy were not led to the H Stern Shuttle Bus. They were led to a private car and the driver was instructed to take them to the H Stern factory and store. Upon arrival, they were greeted, given badges and a personal audio system… well, a shared personal audio system… and a small glass of Caiperinha. Caiperinha is the Brazilian version of the Pisco Sours that Slinkie and Grumpy had come to know and love in previous South American ports. It is made by putting slices of lime in a glass, beating the bejeebers out of it with a pestle, and adding ice and sugar. Oh wait, there’s an ingredient missing… the Cachaca (pronounced Ca-cha-sa). Cachaca is the national drink of Brazil and is distilled from sugar cane. Now that’s the same stuff they are using for fuel in Brazil now, but it’s much better when aged in oak and mixed with lime and sugar than when mixed with gasoline and aged in a fuel tank. Slinkie and Grumpy then wandered through the “factory” looking through glass windows at mostly empty work stations while listening to an audio narrative describe what should be happening at that point in the production of jewelry. Apparently most of the artists were still recovering from Carnival, as there was very little work being done.

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At the end of the tour the audio system was collected and their “personal representative”, i.e. pushy salesman, led Slinkie and Grumpy to a table where he proceeded to trot out boxes of jewelry. When he finally got around to mentioning the price for a Rubelite ring, very small stone, not really great quality, plain thin setting, was “only” $1200, Grumpy chose to end the showing rather than upchuck on the table. Of course, the way to the exit led through additional showrooms and a souvenir shop, but Slinkie and Grumpy finally made their way to the exit and turned in their badge. No private car was summoned this time. They were given a ticket for the bus. Slinkie and Grumpy chose to wander around the Ipanema neighborhood before returning to the ship.

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The Ipinema neighborhood is fairly upscale, so there were some nice shops to prowl around… Oh, yeah, there is a pretty nice beach there, too. While Slinkie was busy window shopping, Grumpy was enjoying other sights that were jiggling by on their way to the beach. Why does the phrase “The girl from Ipanema goes walking” keep running through Grumpy’s head?... There weren’t any items shouting out to be bought, so after an hour or so, Slinkie and Grumpy wandered back to H Stern and took the shuttle bus back to the port. What had been a twenty minute ride from the port to the store turned out to be over an hour on the return trip. Slinkie and Grumpy still had ample time to get ready for an evening out, though.

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Their TA had arranged a Brazilian Barbecue Dinner at Marius, supposedly one of Rio’s top restaurants, followed by “one of the best” Samba performances in Rio. Food was good and plentiful, wine with dinner was a $12 per glass extra but unlimited beer was included. Hey, beer goes well with BBQ so why spend money on wine? The Samba show was quite good with lots of glittery and feathered costumes. It must have been the molting season as there was a lot of skin showing between those feathers… All in all it was an enjoyable evening and it was about midnight by the time Slinkie and Grumpy were back on board Prinsendam for a short night’s sleep.

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February 16, 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Day 45.

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Another day in port, another tour arranged by their TA. The guide wanted to get an early start and beat the crowds for the train ride up Corcovado Mountain. Although there was some grumbling about the short night, the group was off the ship and on their way around 8:00a. They were first in line at the train station but only had a short wait before the train service started. The inclined railway ride takes about 25 minutes and goes through a national park. There is good scenic viewing and lots of interesting plants and trees to see along the way. The jack fruit appeared to be pretty ripe, but Slinkie remembered from Indonesia a couple of years ago that the taste is great but the smell is terrible. Jack fruit was introduced because it is fast growing with a root system that stabilizes loose soil. It was successful in stopping the severe erosion problems that developed when the rain forest was cleared in the 1800’s. Now that the native plants are being reestablished, they are starting to thin out the jackfruit to try to return the park to a something closer to its original state.

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The drawback to the early start is the strong possibility that there will be limited or no views from the summit. Rising 2700 feet above sea level, the mountain top is often shrouded in the clouds. The guide said that had been the case most of the previous week, but once again the travel gods smiled upon Prinsendam. There were just a few wispy clouds at the summit and they did not obstruct the views of Rio and the surrounding areas. Of course the most magnificent view at the summit is the 100 foot tall statue of Christ the Redeemer. Arms outstretched, rising above the mountain top, the statue is very inspirational when viewed at close range. All of the famous beaches were clearly visible and the mountain ranges away from the city were seen quite clearly. The upper end of the railway is still a couple of hundred feet below the summit where the statue is located. There are elevators that go part of the way and an escalator for the final ascent. Observing the crowd waiting for the elevator, Slinkie and Grumpy did what they usually do and took the steps… all 200 of them... and beat most of the group to the top. Not too bad for a couple of old geezers. Slinkie prefers the term “sexygenerians” to describe those in that age range between 60 and 70, though…

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About the time that they were ready to head back down, the HAL tours and some of those that were on their own were beginning to arrive. Grumpy saw Lucy and she said that she was planning to spend her afternoon on the Copacabana beach. Grumpy noted that their tour was going to pass by the beach. Lucy said she would be easy to spot… just look for a very pale person wandering among all of those bronzed people! She assured Grumpy that she was NOT going to be wearing an itsy bitsy bikini or any of the modern variations thereof… now was that the truth or did she know that mom would be reading all about it? There will be no further reports on what she was or wasn’t wearing… because Grumpy didn’t see her after that.

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After riding the train back down to the lower station, the tour continued on with a drive along the famous beaches of Rio before returning to the ship. Back at the terminal, there were still a few hours before sailaway and Slinkie and Grumpy decided to explore the nearby neighborhood. Making their way across the busy streets, they wandered away from the port for a few blocks, being careful to take the streets that were frequented by the better dressed people and avoiding those that had few pedestrians. There were a few shops that displayed some nice merchandise, but Slinkie was content to window shop. On the other side of a busy street, Grumpy saw a few market stalls with quite a few people wandering in and out. Making their way across the street, Grumpy found that those markets were just the tip of the iceberg. Taking a path between the stalls, Grumpy was surprised to see that it opened into a huge market area, very colorful and clean, that stretched for several blocks. It was very busy and seemed to be mostly locals that shop there. Grumpy could not find that Mercado on any of the maps that had been provided. He and Slinkie thoroughly enjoyed wandering around, seeing the merchandise that the working class people buy and comparing the prices. The best description of the place might be an open air Walmart based on the types and quality of the merchandise offered. Slinkie and Grumpy returned to the ship in time to get lunch in the Lido and await time for sailaway.

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Apparently Captain Gundersen was in the mood to do some sightseeing of his own. It’s nice when he decides to go sightseeing and take everyone along with him. Prinsendam sailed out of Rio at 3:00p and dropped off the harbor pilot as soon as the ship was clear of the channel. From there the good Captain turned south toward the beaches instead of heading north toward the next port of call. Cruising along about a half mile off shore, Prinsendam rounded Sugarloaf, continued southeast along Copacabana Beach, rounded Corcovado Mountain for views of the Statue from several angles and then sailed east along the length of Copacabana Beach before making a u-turn and heading west again. Grumpy thinks that the people along the beaches were rather surprised to see a ship the size of Prinsendam cruising by at such close range. Based on commentary from the bridge in the Antarctic compared to what Grumpy could see through his 12X binoculars, Grumpy figures there are some pretty good optics available on the bridge. Whether or not they were being used to observe… ah… navigation hazards along the beaches, Grumpy can only guess.

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February 17, 2008, At Sea, Day 46

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Hmmm, another special day in the lives of Slinkie and Grumpy. It’s their five and one half year anniversary. It’s also eleven half years, twenty-two quarter years or sixty-six months, (but who’s counting?) Grumpy still thinks he’s one lucky fellow to have found and married Slinkie. Happy anniversary, lover.

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It was a lazy day on Prinsendam. There were two Exploration Series talks as well as a port lecture, along with all of the normal sea day activities. There was a beer tasting for $7.95 in the afternoon. Slinkie and Grumpy decided to check that out. It turned out to be a tasting of four different beers, about 3 or 4 ounces each. There was Guiness Stout, Beck’s Lager, Heinekin’s and Corona. Grumpy doesn’t think he got $7.95 worth. The sampling plus a can of the one you liked best would have been a better deal. Slinkie and Grumpy agreed that the Beck’s was the best of the offerings. Miller light draft was offered as a substitute for anyone that had a dislike of one of the other offerings, but none of the 8 or 9 participants accepted that offer.

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February 18, 2008, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, Day 47

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Salvador da Bahia, usually referred to as Bahia, is often called a city of contrasts. It is Brazil’s third most populous city and the majority of the population is of Black African origin. There are many buildings dating back to the 17th century and modern skyscrapers. Bahia’s claim to fame is that their Carnival celebration is rated the biggest street party on the planet. For seven days two million people party! But that was last week. This week was quite calm and subdued. Slinkie and Grumpy’s tour took them through the various parts of the city and then to Pelourinho, the historic center of the city at the top of the hill. The old churches, not overly impressive from the outside, are magnificent inside. The intricately carved, gilded decorations and the blue and white tile wall murals are very impressive. During the free time for shopping at the square in the old city, it rained, so Slinkie didn’t get an opportunity to go shopping then. Not to worry, though, the H Stern store is on the corner of the square and there is a shuttle…

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The tour boarded the bus for the trip back down the hill. There was a stop at the Mercado Modelo, a craft market near the port. As with the other craft markets, Slinkie and Grumpy saw a lot of nice items but left without purchasing anything. At the end of the tour, the tour guide offered to take anyone that was interested to a gem cutters place. There were several that were interested, but all except Slinkie and Grumpy wanted to go after lunch. The guide took Slinkie and Grumpy in his car to Botticelli’s. He did not wait, but made sure that the shop would provide return transportation. Slinkie and Grumpy went through their showroom, which had displays of jewelry that had been made using their gems by other artisans. Prices seemed much more reasonable than H Stern. They went upstairs where trays of unset stones were on display. The trays were compartmentalized by quality of stone and each compartment was labeled with a price per caret. Zeroing in like a laser on the Rubelite, Slinkie selected a pair of 3-1/3 caret each for earrings and a 7-1/2 caret for a pendant. After inspecting them with his loupe and doing a little haggling, Grumpy whipped out his trusty, but not recently used credit card and completed the transaction. The $22,000 Emerald pendant went back to the showcase. The store then provided a ride back to the ship where Slinkie and Grumpy celebrated by dining in their favorite place… the Lido.

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After lunch, there was still some time before sailaway so off in the H Stern shuttle they went. The rains had stopped and there were shops around the square to be explored. Slinkie and Grumpy didn’t even bother to go in the H Stern store. There were a couple of other jewelry stores that looked more interesting. The first one had some nice looking stuff. The saleslady pulled out a pendant that looked at first glance like a somewhat opaque emerald. Slinkie asked “emerald”? “Oh, yes” was the reply. Then Grumpy pulled out his loupe for a closer look. That’s when another saleslady stepped in and said “malakeet”. Slinkie and Grumpy didn’t waste any more time there.

-

The shop next door looked more promising. Remember that five stone bracelet that Slinkie acquired way back in Grand Cayman? She’s been looking for a necklace to match ever since. Most of the ones that have been seen were mostly varying shades of colored topaz rather than the garnet, citrine, peridot, amethyst and blue topaz that she wanted. Her search finally bore fruit as this shop had a necklace with 40 stones, 0.8 caret each, set in 18k yellow gold. It was love at first sight! The stones and the settings appeared to be of good quality. The saleslady wasn’t happy with the clasp and had it changed out for a better one before Grumpy had even agreed to purchase. A little haggling and once again Grumpy’s plastic card got some exercise. Slinkie and Grumpy caught the H Stern shuttle back to the port.

[Grumpy1]

February 19, 2008, At Sea, Day 48

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Not much to report. Another lazy day at sea when Grumpy didn’t catch up on his journal. That guy is really getting behind! But you know his motto… never do today what can be put off until tomorrow. Slinkie did go to a “Wines of South America” tasting. Grumpy skipped that one. The only memorable thing to report is that their dinner companions decided that the previously mentioned anniversary needed to be properly celebrated. They had planned it for the night before, but everyone was in a hurry to get out of the dining room for a folkloric show that started at 9:45p. Andy brought out a cheesecake with “Happy Anniversary” and two candles on it. Several members of the dining room staff then sang “Happy Anniversary” in English. Slinkie and Grumpy had always enjoyed the Indonesian Celebration song, but they have only been doing that on request. Slinkie requested and they obliged. It was a very nice celebration.

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February 20, 2008, Recife, Brazil, Day 49

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Recife is a city surrounded by rivers and partially built on islands. It is sometimes referred to as the Venice of Brazil. Grumpy has been to Venice. Recife is not Venice by any stretch of the imagination. What it is, though, is a very culturally mixed area with influences from the Portuguese that settled the area, the Dutch that invaded the city in the mid 1600’s, the Indians that were already there and the Africans that were brought over as slaves to work the sugar cane fields. Sitting on the easternmost point of Brazil, Recife is the closest port to the African continent making it easy to bring slaves to Brazil.

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Slinkie and Grumpy took a catamaran tour that was called Venice of Brazil. It was a nice tour and it was interesting to watch the local fisherman working with their nets in the shallow waters. There were some nice views of the city landmarks and a pretty good explanation of the history, but otherwise it wasn’t a very memorable tour. The bus that was used to transport the tour group from the ship dock to the catamaran dock made a brief stop at the old prison that is now the craft market. Slinkie saw a few very colorful crocheted tops that she liked. She didn’t like the prices, though. They left without making any purchases and headed back to the ship for lunch.

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H Stern was offering a shuttle service to their store in Boa Viagem. Hmmm, that may be too close to a word that is or recently was on the CC banned word list. If it gets replaced with stars, the word is V i a gem. The word from other passengers is that the store is in the lobby of a hotel in an upscale neighborhood and there are no other shops around. Slinkie and Grumpy opted for the free shuttle that provided transportation out of the port. It went directly to the old prison craft shops. Slinkie and Grumpy explored it more thoroughly, but left without buying anything. The craft market is in the middle of the commercial and shopping districts, so Slinkie and Grumpy wandered around the area. It was interesting that similar stores seemed to be grouped together. Find one shoe store and there’s likely a dozen more. Even the industrial supply houses were grouped with several electrical supply places on one side of the street in the same block and several stores selling pumps and motors on the next block. Fortunately for Grumpy’s wallet, Slinkie did not find a group of twenty jewelry stores. In fact, there were very few and the selection was limited. All in all, the walking was good, the shopping wasn’t.

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Back at the ship, Grumpy transferred the recent track logs from his GPS to his laptop. Knowing that South Georgia and Recife are close to the same longitude, Grumpy decided to see which one had actually been the easternmost point of the cruise. Reviewing the tracks, Grumpy made an interesting discovery. The log showed that around 11:00p the night before Prinsendam had changed course from about 17 degrees to about 48 degrees for about an hour, shifted again to a course of about 58 degrees, then to 89 degrees for an hour, made a u-turn back west for an hour, then finally set a course toward Recife. It took a while to figure out what was going on but then Grumpy remembered that early in the cruise there had been announcements that the navigator would conduct some star gazing seminars for those that were interested. Apparently, when there was ample time between ports and conditions were right, a few course corrections were programmed in to make it easier to view particular constellations from a deck area that was protected from the wind. Although Grumpy would have found the seminars interesting, he couldn’t see himself foregoing his sleep to spend the night out on deck. Now if they could figure out how to schedule that at a more convenient time…

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There was another astrological event that popped up. Seems that there was a total eclipse of the moon that would occur after 11:00p. Prinsendam was in a prime viewing area and there were only a few wispy clouds in the sky. Grumpy decided to check it out and found a deck chair up on deck 12 that was out of the wind. His little Casio camera was never intended to take night sky pictures from a moving ship, but Grumpy was actually able to get a few fairly decent shots. There were quite a few people up there observing and taking pictures. The ones that Grumpy really enjoyed watching were the ones that would point their camera toward the moon, depress the shutter button… flash… Yep, Grumpy is just sure that the flash really improved the picture of the moon…

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February 21, 2008, At Sea, Day 50

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Again, not much to report other than it was a nice relaxing day at sea. The weather is warm, the seas are calm. What more could you ask for. End of report for the day.

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February 22, 2008, Fortaleza, Brazil, Day 51

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The star gazing group met again late last night and there were a couple of course changes that showed up on Grumpy’s GPS log. They didn’t add many miles to the journey, though, and Prinsendam sailed into Fortaleza right on schedule. As has happened at several other ports recently, Silver Wind came in right behind. Slinkie and Grumpy were in Fortaleza in 2005 and had been to the craft market. They had also taken a cab to an actual mall shopping center. Their TA had set up a tour for a day in the countryside to the south of the city and they opted to take that tour. There were only a dozen or so participating, so it was pretty easy to keep everyone together for a change. Grumpy has often felt that group leader Nancy must feel like she’s herding cats at times, trying to keep her group from straying every which way.

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After riding through the countryside for awhile, the tour arrived at a farm/domestic zoo. Apparently there are people that like to get out of the city once in a while and spend a day in the country. Having spent some time in his youth on a dairy farm, Grumpy wasn’t impressed with the idea of relaxing on a farm. He knows that the life of a farmer is anything but relaxing. This farm, however, was set up to entertain guests that would be staying longer than the hour or so allotted for this tour. There was a basketball court, a soccer field, a volleyball court and an open air restaurant, but none of these amenities were being used. The tour guide pointed out examples of the various trees as the group wandered along the paths. There were several types of fruit trees, some of which no one in the group recognized and the guide only knew the Portuguese name for them. There were lots of cashew trees, which is a major crop of the area, but this isn’t the season for the trees to produce nuts. No free samples… There were pens with many different domestic animals, including various types of goats, pigs, cattle, horses, geese, ducks, chickens and a buffalo. Grumpy isn’t sure the operation would pass muster with the American Zoological Society but the animals appeared to be well fed.

After the tour around the farm the group boarded the bus and drove several miles to the Cachaca Museo. It was an old sugar cane distillery, Ypio’ca brand, that dates back about 160 years to 1846 and is being operated by the fifth generation of the founding family. A new modern distillery has been built some distance away, and the original facility has been turned into a museum. Ox drawn cane carts and cane presses that were turned by either animals or slave labor walking in circles all day long were on display, along with early examples of steam powered equipment and tractors dating back to about 1930. The still looked like something that would have been used by a Kentucky moonshiner.

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The aging barrels are still on the premises and are being used. They have large barrels of cane brandy that are 42 years old and each succeeding year. At some point there will be a commemorative release of a well aged blend, but there are no plans that they would discuss. In the tasting room there was an opportunity to sample just about any of the many varieties of Cachaca that they bottle. Grumpy sampled several types of varying ages and that had been aged in various types of barrels. The six year aged in oak was quite smooth and, at 39% alcohol, pretty potent. In the store, Grumpy was surprised at the prices. Many of the varieties could be purchased for about 2 or 3 US dollars for a 900ml bottle. The 6 year aged was about $10US for 700ml. Many of the varieties were in bottles that were covered with a hand woven straw cover that had been developed to protect the bottles in shipment. The guide said that there are 5000 workers that weave the covers for the company. Grumpy didn’t take Basket Weaving 101 in college, so he’s not applying for a job in that industry. There were some varieties that were being sold that are premixed with fruit juices, and there is also a sugar cane wine. Slinkie sampled that and was not impressed.

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There is one building that houses the world’s largest barrel, recognized as such by the Guinness World Records. It is 26.24ft (8m) tall by 25.75ft (7.85m) wide and holds 374,000 liters (98,800 US Gallons). That is one HUGE barrel! It is filled each year and the product aged one year before bottling.

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A buffet lunch was served as part of the tour. There was a lot of variety and everything that Grumpy sampled was very good. Beer or soft drinks were included. No Caiperinha though… If you were paying for the buffet, you would pay by weight. The posted price was 1 Real per 100 grams or roughly $2.25 per pound. After packing in a few free pounds, the group waddled back to the bus for the trip back to the port. The guide got on lugging a large box which he opened and then handed everyone a 900ml bottle of two year Cachaca with the woven straw cover. According to the brochure, this type is aged in Balsam wood barrels. Grumpy wondered if it would be confiscated at the gangway and held until the end of the cruise, but it went through the inspection process without problem. Now before anyone accuses Ol’ Grumpy of smuggling booze on board… if there’s no attempt to hide it, and security passes it… it is not smuggling.

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There was one more stop before arriving back at the dock. It was a small Artisans’ Market. There were many items of lacework, ceramics, woodcarvings and some other items for sale. Quality appeared good but there wasn’t anything that really appealed to Slinkie and Grumpy. Slinkie would like to have gone to another market area or to the mall, but there wasn’t much time before sailaway when the tour ended. There is about 800 miles to cover in two days to the next port, so Prinsendam was underway about 5:00p.

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February 23, 2008, At Sea, Day 52

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Finally feeling guilty about ignoring his Journal for so long, Grumpy spent some time, off and on, getting mostly caught up. Of course, he had to play around with the GPS at times, and he got a late start since he and Slinkie slept in until 9:00a, and there was Cachaca to sample so that it could be properly reported upon… but Grumpy did manage to get through the missing days and most of Fortaleza before setting the computer aside and donning his penguin suit for formal night. Since Prinsendam will be entering the Amazon shortly, there have been notices sent out and notes made in the daily program that there will be a need to conserve water. Suggestions include reusing towels and washcloths, not running the shower too long and getting your laundry done before the ship enters the Amazon. The amount of silt in the water would clog the evaporators so fresh water will not be made while in the river. Fresh water will be piped on board at ports when possible but it is expected that some laundry services will have to be curtailed. Will the doors to the gossip room/self service laundries be locked? Will the hot tubs be turned into giant washing machines? Will mandatory group shower rules be implemented? Stay tuned for updates…

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February 24, 2008, Belem, Brazil, Day 53

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A quick glance at the water and Grumpy knew from the muddy color that they had made it into the river. Not the main body of the Amazon, but Rio Para, which is the east arm of the Amazon. The pilot had boarded about 3:30a or so and provided navigation assistance to bring the Prinsendam up the river to Icoaracy Village. The last eight miles of water between Icoaracy and Belem is too shallow to safely navigate, so Prinsendam anchored in the river about a mile offshore and tender operations began. This is the first time on this cruise that tender operations were not done using the ships tenders. The port provided 3 flat bottom double deck boats that could hold about 150 people at a time. Seating was rows of plastic patio chairs. The boats were… quaint… but got the job done. There were some craft shops around the pier in Icoaracy and lots of fruit and vegetable vendors. Slinkie and Grumpy didn’t explore those, or the Indian Village to the left of the port. They opted to take the shuttle into Belem.

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Being Sunday, the nice looking stores that were seen coming into Belem were mostly closed. The bus dropped everyone off next to the waterfront in an area where the old warehouses are being converted to upscale shops and restaurants. There were lots of restaurants, but the selection of shops was rather limited. A couple of blocks down the street is the Mercado Ver O Peso, or “check the weight” market. Originally it was the tax collector’s wharf, as everything coming in and going out had to be weighed and a tax collected. Now it is several blocks of shops selling… everything imaginable. There are the usual Tee shirt stalls, fruit and vegetable stands, wicker ware shops, etc, but there are shops with bottles of various potions and concoctions and herbs to cure whatever ails you. Grumpy chose not to try finding generic substitutes for any of his prescriptions, though. The market is very odiferous. There are places that have a sweet fruity smell and a few feet away the smell would gag a maggot. It reminded Grumpy somewhat of the market in Durbin, South Africa where the medicine men shop for their goods. Slinkie and Grumpy looked around a bit more and then headed back to the bus and eventually back to the ship.

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Prinsendam will retrace her path out of the river and then turn north toward the mouth of the Amazon. Sometime late in the evening the Prinsendam will cross the equator back into the northern hemisphere. She flirted with the equator last night, coming within a quarter of a degree, before swinging back toward the south. Cruise Director, Thom, always looking for an opportunity to give away more dam dollars, is now trying to bribe people to swim across the equator about eleven o’clock tonight. At least the air will be a heck of a lot warmer than it was for the penguin swim…

Well, that’s about it for right now. Time to see if the internet will cooperate.

[localady]

Grumpy-

That report was totally worth the wait!!:D

For a few minutes this afternoon I wasn't sitting in a house being buffeted with cold rain, I was standing in the middle of a Brazilian market with unusual smells, both good and bad!!:D

Thanks once again for sharing your wonderful adventures with us all!

Safe seas and sunny skies!:D

[Aussie Gal]

Hi Slinkie and Grumpy,

 

First of all Congratulations on your anniversary. It was a great way to celebrate on the beautiful Prinsendam.

 

I have just finished reading your latest posts and as usual they were fun and informative. I am looking forward to reading your next ones on the Amazon. It is not that long ago that we too were in that region and I have so many happy memories of that wonderful cruise on the Veendam in 2006. I hope you both enjoy your time up along there.

 

Jennie

[ger_77]

Dear Grumpy & Slinkie,

 

First of all, congratulations on your 5.5th anniversary - what a wonderful place to celebrate! Secondly, thank you for posting as much as you have; I feel like I'm onboard with you enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of that part of the world. DH is happy that I'm not on the trip because he'd have to bring along a few extra credit cards, as I'm not sure I'd be able to exercise the same amount of restraint that Slinkie has when she's in the various markets!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Nancyquilts]

Many congratulations on your anniversary - you two count well. Nancy

[Peggy Sue]

Grumpy .. Bravo ..love reading your journal ..I feel like I'm right there with you experiencing all the sights and sounds, and H STERN!! ;-)

 

Thank you for sharing your journey with us .. and happy anniversary to you and slinkie ...great way to keep track of the time shared together!

 

Enjoy the Amazon ..can't wait to read your next report!!

 

Thanks,

Peggy

[Williebill]

Grumpy and Slinkie, Happy belated anniversary. Glad to see that you are still having a great time.

 

Bill & Shelia

[bobnsandi]

Many congratulations on your anniversary - you two count well. Nancy

 

 

Hope you are on the mend. We have been enjoying the Amazon (but not its heat) for the last few days. Today, Paratins is the last stop in Brazil. This cruise has been awesome! We are slowing down on photo processing (but not shooting), so most will be posted after we return home to high-speed Internet.

 

Interesting story: two nights ago, right after first seating dinner, our intrepid Amazon pilot hit the wrong button on the bridge and the beautiful Prinsendam performed a high-speed turn in the river. We heeled over quite a bit, accompanied by great crashings of glass. All the settings in the Pinnacle were smashed to the deck, all the setups and crockery in the Lido crashed, too. They had to use shovels to clean up. Fortunately, no one was injured, especially since first seating had just finished. Had we been at dinner, we might have repeated (in miniature) the human heap that occurred last year. The Captain soon came on the PA and stated that he would not leave the bridge until we were out of the Amazon.