Prinsendam 2006 Circle of the Sun, About to begin...

[Ides of March]

Days 2 and 3- At Sea

A revelation- cruising can be relaxing, at least for me on sea days. Never having had 3 1/2 consecutive days at sea on previous cruises (our last had 7 ports in 11 days) I have always considered cruising to be stimulating and fun, but damn hard work.

We have fallen into a rhythm with each sea day beginning with eight laps around the Lower Promenade deck (2miles). Today with 9 to 12 foot seas on the beam we did 2 miles forward and three quarters of a mile sideways. There is a black rubber caulking between the deck boards which gives excellent traction even when wet.

After a quick wet towel off in the washrooms on Lido deck, we head for breakfast. I am eating a lot of fruit which Grux assures me I will eventually enjoy and try to be reasonable having eggs Benedict only every second day. After breakfast Grux heads for every conceivable lecture, seminar, or program she can fit in. I am assiduously avoiding everything I can. She particularly enjoys Dr. Jay. Wolff who lectures daily on the history of the areas we will experience. It seems to be a common feeling amongst all the passengers who have heard him but I have not as yet. When she does have a break in her busy schedule we have read on deck or enjoyed the Lido pool. This being what my kids would call a “Geezer Cruise” the pool though small is usually empty.

We usually meet for lunch and at around 5 p.m. do another eight laps on Lower Prominade. Back to the cabin for a rest, a few drinks, a shower and then dinner followed by the show in the Queens lounge. The food is very good and copious but from a quick visual check my pregnancy does not seem to be advancing and thus with the exercise I think were breaking even. Today we had lunch at the Pinnacle compliments of our great TA. Just what I need, two fine dining experiences in one day.

The ship's ensemble Company left the boat in Barbados after a long engagement. One of the singers was married to the golf professional who had just left the ship prior to the start of this cruise and they intend to settle shore side. One evening we were entertained by Dr. Justin Miller who is a good guitarist and an outstanding folklorist. His first show was primarily musical with lengthy introductions to each selection. This follow-up show the following afternoon was a lecture on the history of the American musical and it was tremendous.He said his website is justinmillerguitar.com where you can sample some free stuff he will intro later. We next had the Irish comedian Adrian Walsh and after the first few minutes of his routine which I found corny and lame he lost me even when his material picked up later. Grux thought he was terrific as did most of the audience so what do I know. Last night featured the flautist Gary Arbuthnot but we passed after a busy shore day

Day 4 Bridgetown Barbados

We arrived at 7 a.m. and departed at 3 p.m. thus this was a short visit and appropriate for what the port had to offer. We shared a cab with our table mates and new friends Leon and Ella from The City. (Leon is a dead ringer for another of my friends Bob Primeau and during the day I called him Bob and received a strange look in reply so I pretended to be addressing someone behind him). We first went to the Mount Gay rum factory and had a most enjoyable tour. I purchased a 2 L sample in a plastic bottle and cap which did not trigger the metal detector on reboarding. We then went to St. James Episcopal church which is the oldest on the island and were given a tour by an auxiliary volunteer from Huntsville Ontario. She showed us some old church registers in which one lady was shown to have married “without clothes”. She said that a visiting historian told her that under the law of the day, if a woman stood within a tent-like enclosure nude and stuck her hands through holes to receive the ring, her civil debts were forgiven and did not encumber her new husband. Dr. Wolff has never heard of this and thinks it's nonsense. The consensus is that it simply meant no dowery. A tour of the island, back to the city for non existent shopping and a walk back to the boat. Pleasant but not memorable.

Time to go walking now so I will sign off until after Devil’s Island.( We saw the movie Papillon today-dreary)

Grumpy, how did you get rid of the graphics etc.? Neither I nor the IT lady can figure it out

Until that time

Ides

[localady]

Ides-

Just realized you'd started posting on the ship......:rolleyes: So enjoying the start of your World Cruise!:D It will be the highlight of the days you are able to post, no doubt in my mind.

Don't forget to check out the Promenade deck aft. There is a nifty little hottub there and a usually almost empty covered deck, perfect for reading, watching the sites or snoozing!:cool:

[RuthC]

A vicarious vacation! This is fun. Justin Miller is an old favorite of mine---his afternoon lectures are (almost) better than his evening performances. You're lucky to have him aboard. I haven't been to his website in a coupke of months---thanks for the reminder.

If you're not terribly experienced at long cruises you will soon find that you fall into a comfortable routine quickly. And that you get sick of overeating! Keep up the walking routine (see above) and you won't progress with that "pregnancy".;)

[Williebill]

I feel like I'm on the Prinsendam again this year by reading your journal; I do appreciate what you are doing, I can imagine how much time it must take. As far as the three and one-half days at sea, on the GWV last year, we were suppose to stop at Grand Cayman; but because of the weather, we couldn't and were at sea for a full four days to begin our trip. I have to tell you, it was fantastic to finally step on land in Colombia.

 

What is the Cruise Director's name? Is Gary back? Who is the Social Hostess on this cruise?

 

Have a great time!!!

[Grumpy1]

Grumpy, how did you get rid of the graphics etc.? Neither I nor the IT lady can figure it out

 

 

Ides

 

Thanks for the update. We did a tour of Barbados that toured the botanical gardedns and then circled the island. We enjoyed it, but would rather have done the rum thing, come to think of it...

 

Several of the entertainers you mentioned were on thre 2005 GWV, also. We remember the singer that was married to the golf pro. She was very good. Adrian Walsh and Gary Arbuthnot were both on our cruise... we enjoyed both... Justin Miller was not on our cruise.

 

To get rid of the graphics: near the top left corner of the page is "USER CP". Click that. Go down the list on the lefyt side to "Edit Options". Click that. scroll down to "Thread Display Options" and uncheck the boxes next to "show signatures", "show avatars" and "show images". Scroll to the bottom and click "save changes". Done!

[Ides of March]

As I sit here dictating this missive we are steaming south along the coast of South America about to turn west into the Canal do Norte which will deliver us to the Amazon itself. The waters are a silty brown and apparently extend 250 miles to sea.

We had a great walk this morning in a warm rain and finally broke 31 minutes for 2 miles with a personal best lap of three minutes 40 seconds. When we started we struggled to beat 4:10 per lap and thus appear to be getting fitter if not lighter.

Grux is off at a Stern jewelry seminar and I'm trying not to think about it.

We missed the Black and White Ball two nights ago because we were too sleepy and it's a shame as I was going to ask the captain to dance to see if this is truly a liberated ship. Last night we saw the Canadian comedian and impressionist Stephen Daniels give a low-key but very enjoyable show. He did not get the same audience reaction as did the Irish comic a few nights ago. Go figure.

The food remains very good although I'm getting tired of the restaurant experience night after night, particularly the wait between courses. It's starting to remind me of an extended business trip. I'm tempted to order from room service and eat in my underwear but that too would be reminiscent of an extended business trip.

I spent yesterday afternoon waiting for the plumber to raise the shower head nearer the ceiling of the bathroom. It was so low I had to take a “catholic shower” i.e. on my knees. Too many altar boy memories came flooding back. As luck would have that I was on deck having a smoke when he arrived (yes Mom I'm still smoking) and he installed a hand-held unit unfortunately even lower than before. He used carpet tape to stick it to the tile and after badgering customer service I was sent to an entire roll of carpet tape of my own and positioned the unit properly. It's now great.

We find a room now to be just about perfect as it is low and amidships so we get a smooth and quiet ride. We are close to the water where we can feel the power of the ship and the waves which being former sailors we love. We are near the forward elevators and under the Internet café. Our window does not have a plexiglass panel as did our previous cabin although we still experience a Pavlovian twinge when we approach it. The ledge now accommodates hats, flowers, binoculars and the occasional cocktail.

Day Six_ Devil’s Island

What a wonderful and pleasant surprise at least for me. From the sparse material I had read on the destination I did not expect much. We disembarked on the ships tenders which double as lifeboats which took us to Isle Royale, the main island of the trio. Devil’s Island itself is now a sanctuary and off-limits to tourists however the entire island grouping is known as Devil's Island

There is an excellent public wharf with a path leading to steep rough hewn stone steps that climb a few hundred meters to the main complex. As one ascends, the views of what is a beautiful tropical island become more spectacular and of course the Prinsendam at anchor in the background contributed. On the first arrives at a stately old stone building with wraparound veranda that serves as the island gift shop. The selection was limited but there were some nice small oil paintings that sold quickly. Postcards were two euros each plus postage. We posted three or four of the World Voyage postcards provided by HAL and were told they would be sent to France to be canceled and processed.

Little if any English was spoken by the 14 locals so Grux, who is French-Canadian established a busy if non-lucrative translation practice.

There is a restaurant in a similar style stone building but it did not appear that either establishment was receiving a lot of business from our group. The prison facilities were ruins in some instances and very well preserved in others. The standard cells are about 5' x 8' and had barred windows high up. The “Reclusion” or solitary confinement cells had no windows and very thick walls so you could not hear the ocean. Total sensory deprivation and an excellent example of man's inhumanity to man. All in all the movie Papillon provides a pretty accurate depiction and the experience was somewhat similar to a tour of Alcatraz. (We have just turned to starboard and are heading up the Amazon channel 40 tells me)

There are many other buildings on the island that appear unoccupied but in decent shape. I believe they are refitting what were the old barracks to be a hotel. Perhaps the island's days of unspoiled beauty are fleeting.

On walking down past the Children's Cemetery en route to the dock Grux found the path that follows the shore all around the island and ignoring the signs about slippery rocks we proceeded on what turned out to be a beautiful jungle trail between crashing surf and dense foliage. It was truly beautiful but a little frightening as unseen creatures scuffled in the underbrush a few feet away. We stopped for a photo op where a tree had fallen across the path and rested about 4 feet above the ground. Grux leaned on it, I took the picture and then pointed out before I went under it that it was crawling with ants. Half a bottle of DEET spray later we proceeded.

The Captain had cut the visit short as we are expecting a delay in the processing of our papers by Brazilian authorities but time was lost as a flare went off on top of one of the tenders as it was about to be loaded and we had to wait for it to burn out and the orange smoke dissipate before it could be brought near the ship. The crew had some difficulty in getting the tenders aboard in choppy seas and looked somewhat inexperienced in the task. I'm sure they will improve as the cruise progresses

I would rate this destination as pleasant and memorable.

My next report on Saturday should cover he Wedding of the Waters and the Tapajos boat cruise at Santarem and so….

Until that time.

Ides

[Grumpy1]

Excellent report, Ides, and congratulations on your fitness program. You may not get any lighter during the cruise, but Grux will make sure your wallet does when she gets to Stern Jewelry.... mine still hasn't fully recovered... Dayum... never thought about asking the Captain to dance... Slinkie did... but I think I would have preferred to dance with the Captain's wife....

 

Really enjoyed your report on Devil's Island... We have never been there, but have a pretty good picture of it now. Keep up the great job on the descriptions.

 

The crew had some difficulty in getting the tenders aboard in choppy seas and looked somewhat inexperienced in the task. I'm sure they will improve as the cruise progresses

don't count on it... the hookup procedure in choppy water is not an easy thing and never changed from beginning to end of our cruise. I watched them several times... the crew really works trying to get the hook on the block into the lifting eye while keeping all of their fingers attached to their hands.

 

 

My next report on Saturday should cover he Wedding of the Waters and the Tapajos boat cruise at Santarem and so….

We did the Tapajos boat tour... I think you will enjoy it.. lots of wildlife to observe... tell Grux to watch out for the pink dolphins...

[wegiekat]

This is great Ides - Thanks so much for taking the time to chronicle your voyage for us all.

 

Having found and read Grumpy's journal around Christmas, I am thrilled to be able to follow your journey live - so to speak.

 

Thanks for the great read - Mindy

[RuthC]

I enjoyed your description of Devil's Island. Having seen Papillon when it first came out---what, about a million years ago?---it was interesting to read that the movie was close to reality.

Now I'm getting set to read all about the Wedding of the Waters. What a visual description!

[Ides of March]

Day 8 - Santarem Brazil

The day started with a minor disappointment in that at the beginning of the cruise I had set as a goal to walk our eight laps in under 30 minutes. Without pushing we did the morning walk in 30 minutes 1.9 seconds. If I had been paying attention we could've upped the pace in the final stretch and relaxed for the rest of the cruise. 3:19 today so we are backsliding.

We anchored at Macapa at around 5 p.m. on Day 7 and boarded about a dozen officials who took three hours to clear the ship for entry. Apparently Brazil is pissed that Americans imposed visa restrictions upon them and are reciprocating by being bureaucratically retentive.

I can't much improve on Grumpy’s description of last year, (a printed copy of which we brought along in our materials) but I will add my own impressions for the neophytes out there.

The cruise up river is very enjoyable as the café au lait channel narrows and more shore detail becomes visible. There are wooden huts built on the ground or on stilts usually with cattle grazing nearby. Occasionally there are steep cliffs where the waters have eroded the base and the earth has fallen in the river leaving almost vertical dirt walls 50 to 100 feet high.

As we approached Santarem I was on the Observation Deck forward expecting to see the Amazon and Tapajos flowing side-by-side with a sharp dividing line between them known as the Wedding of the Waters. At first it was difficult to note any separation but eventually a fuzzy distinction could be made. Even when we got to Santarem itself there seem to be considerable mixing with no readily definable boundary line. The only such clearly defined line seemed to extend for half a mile or so from the small island where the two rivers first meet. Perhaps it was my perspective from the high vantage point of the Observation Deck that minimized the apparent separation because when I looked aft downriver from a flatter trajectory I could see the promised effect and got my money's worth.

The weather in Santarem was perfect, sunny and around 85° with low humidity. Not bad for what is supposedly the middle of the rainy season. Apparently it had teemed the day before.

We disembarked almost immediately and boarded the Jari Canal tour boats which first took us to a beautiful sandbar on the Tapajos River about 40 minutes away. Most people just walked around but Grux and I went swimming in the tepid water. Apparently there are piranha but we were told they were tourist friendly in these parts. The water was full of what I believe is technically referred to as “green stuff” but which Grux identified as a form of duckweed. Very tasty.

We saw some grey dolphins swimming just off the bar but no “botos” or pink dolphins. Grumpy mentioned the risk of unwanted pregnancies when maidens swam with pink dolphins but we were undeterred. Had Grux seen one she would have summoned a hot flash and boiled the waters.

We then made a 14 km crossing of the Tapajos to the Jari Canal which is a 14 mile-long channel connecting the Tapajos to the Amazon up river from their confluence. It is truly beautiful passage and reminded me of a larger version of the channel from McGregor Lake to Mud Bay back home with copious floating vegetation on each side and abundant birdlife. The canal is between two narrow strips of land on each side which appear to be about 100 to 200 yards wide. There are sections fenced off periodically to define small farmsteads with the typical peaked roof thatched wall stilted cabins. It was great to see the families sitting on the steps waving to us as we went by.

Each farm had a modest herd of cattle, water buffalo and sheep or goats. Chickens abounded. We saw a gaucho (or local equivalent) on horseback herding his cattle to a pen for the night which was neat There were no screens or glass in the windows so presumably they use nets at night. Each farm had one or more canoes which the children seemed very proficient in handling and some had outboard motors with the propeller on a long shaft that trails all behind the boat presumably proficient in shallow water. I'd seen versions of these propulsion systems on much larger craft in Bangkok but never in outboard motor form. At the height of the rainy season the waters rise from 3 to 5 m, and livestock must be taken by boat to the mainland. Many of the cabins we saw would be submerged but strangely they survive year after year.

We did see ripples from a few dolphins rising but otherwise very little wild life other than birds such as white egrets and many others we couldn't identify. One beautiful bird appeared normal up front but had a very long thin tail like something you would see at the end of the stick at a carnival. We did not see any large single breasted female archers which was somewhat disappointing. After stopping to fish for piranha at the mouth of the canal without success we steamed back to Santarem after dark which took about 1 1/2 hours. Grux and I sat on the stairs at the bow of the boat which was exhilarating and gave an incredible sense of speed. The dozen or so tour boats were in a race and it was amazing how close they would come one to another while jockeying for position. We won. We got great pictures of the full moon and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Many people found our tour to be too long and one lady stated “Do you believe they kept us on a boat for five hours?” Hello???? Some of our friends took a bus into town and did a walking tour of the highlights which took about 18 minutes if you dawdled. There was a modest church, a town square with grass and benches and not much else. The HAL tour took three hours and had as an extra attraction a visit to a tree farm where presumably they had cut the forest to plant trees. Fruit and nuts were offered for sale but were so fly infested, business was light. Some unhappy campers there.

We now have three glorious sea days arriving at the beautiful beaches of Natal next Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.. I have been so busy avoiding activities that I have seriously neglected my television viewing. This must stop. It is what I do best and I don't want to get out of practice. I will probably post in the next day or so the crew compliment as Grumpy requested and so…

Until that time

Ides

PS I have been thinking a lot about what a lunatic could do loose on a cruise ship with almost a full role of strong double-sided carpet tape. As a matter of general interest does anyone know where the captain's table is located and if perchance the upholstery on his chair is white?

[serendipity1499]

Wonderful story..Can't wait till tomorrows report..

Thanks again for taking us along..Betty

[lizf]

Ides- Thank you for bringing this cruise to life for us. You certainly don't seem bored (my husband's excuse for avoiding any talk of us going :D). I'm especially interested in the Amazon part as we leave in April for the same thing. Hope we have the lighter humidity on our trip too. Thanks again, keep up the great posts. Liz

[alsas]

Great review. The captains table is in his quarters and it is a wonderful evening,The chairs are draped in white, the china and silverwear are all Versache and the company and food are outstanding. Everyone who is on the whole world cruise is invited to dine in his quarters during the cruise. I am sure they are still doing this. thank you so much for taking the time to invite us along on your trip. We sailed this with Grumpy and Slinkie last year, so we are living this again through your reviews. Happy sailing Alsas.

[Ides of March]

We are now on our third consecutive sea day sailing east/southeast along the coast of Brazil. Yesterday we had a visit from King Neptune as we crossed the equator for the third, but first “Official” time. Santerem was well below the equator but as we were on a river as opposed to the open ocean we were not accorded pollywog or shellback status. It was enjoyable watching the Captain and senior officers roasting in the sun with fixed grins on their face while select crew members were charged with offenses, forced to kiss a fish on the lips and then covered in spaghetti and various coloured gooey substances before being dumped in the pool. How many times must the Captain have had to sit through this. Maybe it's not a dream job after all. It was fun for those of us who have never done it before.

We broke the 30 minute barrier on our walk this morning so I am throwing the damn watch away and you will hear no more on the subject.

We finally saw some wild life from the ship namely tiny flying fish. At first I thought they were tiny bits of foam breaking off from the bow wave but then realized that they were traveling at 90° to the ship and going at 30 to 40 feet sometimes up to 70 feet. They're like tiny silver darts flitting over the wave tops.

Watched a few movies on television. Yes I have still got the knack. It's like riding a bicycle. Took some time to examine the artwork in more detail. Up in the high rent district near the Crow's Nest lounge they have model ships, tapestries, figurines, assorted carvings, an Indian headdress, and pottery all encased or protected by Plexiglas. Most impressive. The artwork is not as lavish as you descend through the decks and here on Dolphin we have the Steerage Collection featuring lovely velvet renditions of matadors and Elvis.

I'm a little disappointed with HAL. They were most cooperative with my plea for a raised shower but balked at my simple request for a Jacuzzi tub. They did send a package of drinking straws with instructions that if I wanted bubbles I should blow very hard.

The new ship's company hit the stage in the Queens Lounge last night for their first performance and seem pretty good in the brief time I was there. Dr. Wolff ran the trivia contest today which was based on the content of his lectures since we departed. I didn't know any of the answers but learned a lot as they were given out. Saved myself hours. His lecture yesterday was on the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic which I watched on television just before the formal dinner. Suffice it to say that the only thing real in the movie Titanic other than the fact that the ship sank was Kate Winslett's breasts.

And now for former Prinsendamers I give you the current compliment of those who toil on this floating pleasure palace.

The Captain is of course as always Halle Thon Gunderson, a charming gentleman who delivers an unintelligible address each day at 1 p.m. over the ship's PA system. In the event that it is ever necessary to abandon ship we all hope someone else communicates the order.

Paul Spass is the Chief Officer, Wisse the Chief Engineer, Ebbens the Hotel Manager, and Westerbeek the Environmental Officer. Erin Reid is the Purser who recently won the HAL Employee of the Fleet Award, and Susana Beleo is Guest Relations Manager.

Leitao manages culinary and Sayomac is the executive chef. Casteels is the dining room manager and Jan Vestes manages the Pinnacle where Jody McLeod is the chef. Buchanan is the cruise consultant while Hill and Conley handle medical. Grunwald, Grunwald and Rear handle shore excursions and Barbara Haeni is the port lecturer.

Bruce Allen Scudder has moved from musical director to Cruise Director assisted by Iglehart, Seymour, Gatien and Corsine. Thompson is the musical director and Lewis the administrative assistant.

Social hosts are McCue, McGanus, Harris, Doughty, Yonke and Angelica. Ronald Troy and Barbara Strong are dance instructors while Prozan, Ward and Morrisette are artsy types. Fox and Madrid handle Bridge while the Newtons do tai chi. The God Squad are Perry, Gessel and Mintz.

I'm sure I missed some but this is all the list on the front page of our beautiful leather agendas that were a cabin gift to world cruisers identifies.

We are in port the next two days so I may not have time to post but Mom I will try to call home and so…

Until that time

Ides

[LFL]

Ides - Your trip reports are delightful. I enjoy your humor.

Two more crew questions:

 

Who is the band in the Ocean Bar?

Who is playing in the Crow's Nest?

 

Thank you.

Lenora

[localady]

Ides-

Thanks for you interesting and funny report. I was on the Prinsendam last July, and I missed the Elvis Collection on the Dolphin deck!:eek: Give Susan Buchanan a hard time, we've met her a couple of times and oh I envy her job on this cruise!! ;)

[arzz]

Thank you for your great posts -- my next favorite activity after actual cruising is virtual cruising and you are doing a great job. Keep it coming.

 

My DH and I have just booked a 24 day segment on the Prinsendam for January, 2007 -- we are quite excited about this -- we will be staying in a category E cabin (hopefully not your original cabin -- we have guarantee so we will get what is left after the full trip cruisers finish picking out their digs) -- I would like any information that you are willing or have the time to share about the cabin storage space (number of drawers, closet description, etc) -- we are not yet even sure how to pack for a trip from the tropics, through Antarctica, and back to the tropics, but it would be helpful to get an idea of what our maximum freight goal needs to be (limited by the storage space, of course).

 

Thank you in advance, and continue to enjoy, and share, your experiences.

[Williebill]

Thanks Ides for the names of some of the cruise staff. It seems that of the ones you named, there are a few hold-overs from last years cruise.

[Grumpy1]

 

We broke the 30 minute barrier on our walk this morning so I am throwing the damn watch away and you will hear no more on the subject.

Way to go! Gotta love that "been there, done that, don't have to do it again" attitude.

 

We finally saw some wild life from the ship namely tiny flying fish. At first I thought they were tiny bits of foam breaking off from the bow wave but then realized that they were traveling at 90° to the ship and going at 30 to 40 feet sometimes up to 70 feet. They're like tiny silver darts flitting over the wave tops.

Grumpy has lots of pictures of water, but very few of the flying fish that were above the water a few milliseconds earlier... those things are quick!

 

 

I'm a little disappointed with HAL. They were most cooperative with my plea for a raised shower but balked at my simple request for a Jacuzzi tub. They did send a package of drinking straws with instructions that if I wanted bubbles I should blow very hard.

Just eat lots of beans... the tub will become a jacuzzi with lots of bubbles....

 

Suffice it to say that the only thing real in the movie Titanic other than the fact that the ship sank was Kate Winslett's breasts.

Now Grumpy's really wondering how you were able to confirm that fact....

 

 

 

Paul Spass is the Chief Officer, Wisse the Chief Engineer, Ebbens the Hotel Manager, and Westerbeek the Environmental Officer. Erin Reid is the Purser who recently won the HAL Employee of the Fleet Award, and Susana Beleo is Guest Relations Manager.

Spass and Westerbrook are new from last year's officers, all others are the same. A very capable group indeed.

 

Leitao manages culinary and Sayomac is the executive chef. Casteels is the dining room manager and Jan Vestes manages the Pinnacle where Jody McLeod is the chef. Buchanan is the cruise consultant while Hill and Conley handle medical. Grunwald, Grunwald and Rear handle shore excursions and Barbara Haeni is the port lecturer.

several new ones here... Leitao, Casteels, Buchanan, Hill, Conley,and Rear.... the others were with us last year.

 

Bruce Allen Scudder has moved from musical director to Cruise Director assisted by Iglehart, Seymour, Gatien and Corsine. Thompson is the musical director and Lewis the administrative assistant.

Iglehart (JohnnyI) is the onle one returning from last year's Cruise Staff... really miss that crazy bunch!

 

Social hosts are McCue, McGanus, Harris, Doughty, Yonke and Angelica. Ronald Troy and Barbara Strong are dance instructors while Prozan, Ward and Morrisette are artsy types. Fox and Madrid handle Bridge while the Newtons do tai chi. The God Squad are Perry, Gessel and Mintz.

McCue and Harris are repeats, Troy/Strong, Fox/Madrid, the Newtons, Gessel and Mintz were all with us last year... Father Perry is new. Arts and Crafts was Doug Prozan and Gretchen Prozan... Ward and Morisette are new.

Thanks for the listings... sure wish we were among those returning from last year.... looking forward to more reports.

[Ides of March]

Day 12- Natal Brazil

We arrived early morning on schedule and hove to just off shore where the pilots boarded. After about an hour of bobbing, the Captain announced that the port visit was canceled due to winds in excess of 30 knots which made the navigation of a 1 mile long narrow dredged channel too hazardous. We would also have to go between the pilings of a new bridge being constructed in the harbour compounding the risk. The port looked inviting with large sand dunes off the starboard bow as we waited and it is known for its wonderful beaches. This was a minor disappointment for the passengers but a major one for HAL as this was it’s maiden visit. The locals must also have been devastated as this was to be the first visit by a major cruise line to their port. We spun around and headed for Recife and generously received a glass of champagne for the missed port.

Day 13- Recife Brazil

We arrived at 6 a.m., so they tell me, and were allowed to disembark by 8 a.m. we had intended to share a cab with our friends Robin and Mary to Olinda but en route to the shuttle that was to bring us to the port entrance, we met two other couples who had negotiated the rental of a large van for five hours at $25 per head. From our experience in Barbados five dollars per person per hour seems to be the going rate for a private cab tour. This however was one of the rent-a –cab tour options HAL flogs but which had no takers for the day so we got it for about half price.

We went to Olinda which means O Beautiful in Portuguese which it proved to be. After the obligatory cathedral tour with photo ops of the town and a quick drive through said town, we were off to Igarassu to see yet another church. We must look religious.

We then drove to Itamaraca and spent a very pleasant hour on a beautiful white sand beach which featured a fort with cannons, numerous beach cafés offering an excellent local pilsner, and no apparent churches. Delightful.

After a long bumpy ride back to Recife we had quite a comprehensive city tour seeing the Governor's palace, a converted jail now occupied by artisans, and the old town which apparently comes to life at night and is quite safe.

Back to the ship for a quick lunch and to drop off unnecessary baggage and then into the Stern van for a trip to their store which is on the other side of town on Boa Viagem Beach. I made the long promised call to my mother and Grux perused the merchandise but didn't see anything she had to have. She is actually the tight wad in the family and I am the spendthrift so she was glad to have me on the phone and out of action.

We then walked along the beach back towards the ship for about two hours. I got in some serious ogling on the way. The Brazilians are for the most part very attractive people with a wide variation of skin colouration. They appear well fed but obesity is rare. They are absolutely devoted to their children and watch them like hawks especially on the beach. If we smiled at, talked to or took a picture of a small child playing in the sand we would be rewarded with a beaming smile from the proud parent or grandparent. It was common to see males from three generations playing soccer together. They are very friendly and helpful and we have yet to feel threatened. The water was very warm and for most of the beach there was a rock breakwall about 100 feet out outside of which swimming was forbidden due to sharks. As you progressed the wall disappeared but people were still swimming. Signs warned of a higher than average danger of shark attack whatever that might mean. All of Recife is very clean and an army of rakers was heading out to clean the beach at dusk.

We finally arrived at a pier where we found a small liquor store. It initially appeared closed as there were bars across the serving window but we found it was indeed open and the drill was to pass your money through the bars and receive your purchase in like manner. A litre of Teachers Highland Cream scotch was 22 Brazilian reals or $10 US. But for the HAL policy on bringing liquor aboard and the fact that I'm a stickler for the rules I might have been tempted to fill the 2 water bottles in our backpack with contraband. I'm now collecting additional water bottles in preparation for Rio.

We met Howard and Steve from the ship and as they intended to walk back, we joined them. Initially all was well but eventually we got into the back streets of Recife with small shops and taverns populated exclusively by the locals. In a small treed square they were loading one man who appeared to be in convulsions into an ambulance and there was another fellow lying nearby who appeared very drunk if not dead. We cleared that area as quickly as we could but still encountered many forks where we would have to guess the proper direction. Families were sitting on their front porches behind bars or grills that they were locking down for the night but like idiots we were out mingling. Eventually we arrived at a major highway which went over a long bridge we had identified on the map that would take us to the harbour area. The three foot-wide sidewalk was composed of cement slabs with large gaps between them where the concrete had crumbled allowing you to look down and view the river. Some slabs were missing altogether so I tried to walk over what I hoped was the supporting beam underneath which was also badly deteriorated where visible. We then arrived at another bridge with a beautiful mosaic walkway which appeared to be about 2 miles long. Thankfully about one third along the Stern shuttle stopped and picked us up which was a godsend as we had a few more bridges to cross with no sidewalks. We would have eventually had to hail a cab in any event.

The Stern representative told us that we were foolish to have traversed the area we did and that we were extremely lucky to have done so without incident. We stopped to pick up stragglers periodically and that the port gate some members of the crew joined us because they were not allowing cabs in nor can one walk inside the port area. It was a very intimate final 2 miles with crew sitting on passengers and vice versa and a lot of fun to boot.

Last night we were entertained by local folklore group but I left after 10 minutes as I was falling asleep. Grux was so wired from the day's activities that she watched sail away at midnight and then worked on her blog. I can hardly walk today as the sand under my sandal straps neatly removed strips of skin but do I let it slow me down? You bet I do. I would rate Recife and environs as very pleasant and most memorable but the latter is mainly due to our naïveté.

My ex post facto editor and personal tour director, The Grux, has pointed out certain errors in previous posts. The “green stuff” in the Tapajos was not duckweed as reported but some form of algae whose name I have again forgotten and I don't care. The movie Titanic did have an accurate depiction of Ida Strauss leaving a lifeboat to rejoin her husband on deck saying she had spent her life with him and would not leave him under such circumstances. I inadvertently disparaged an obviously great lady. Other than that you can go to the bank on every word. Actually not, as I think about it as we don't have velvet paintings on Dolphin but somewhat nondescript Picassoesque prints. As well my favorite piece of artwork on the entire vessel is Stephen Card’s painting of the Nieuw Amsterdam blowing a salute on its final voyage in 1973 to the passing Veendam. Very poignant. It's not actually on Dolphin but half a flight up the aft staircase which is close enough.

Finally to answer a few questions, the group in the Ocean Bar nightly tell me their name is Sea Breeze but seemed quite startled by the question so they may have made it up on the spot. These four Filipino men are all great singers and musicians and you have to hear their version of Sachmo’s It's a Wonderful World to believe it. Just great. Grux and I now dance for a half-hour in that bar before dinner each night which is a great habit to get in to and which first occurred when we were drawn to the music. We haven't spent any time in the Crow's Nest so do not know who entertains there.

We are now on to Rio which is really exciting and as we will be in port for the better part of three days I will try to post at least once.

Until that time….

Ides

[localady]

Thanks for your post Ides.

You know God looks out for idiots and children and naive tourists.....or so the saying goes, I think.:D It sounds as though your Recife experience was wonderful! In this case, ignorance was bliss, you and Grux experienced the community in a way that those who stayed to the H. Stern van did not. I always love our little ventures by ourselves into ports, and the inevitable experiences that arise.:)

Have fun in Rio, watch out for begging children, the noticeable difference in rich and poor is so poignant there.:cool:

[Old As Dirt Mom]

This is absolutely superb writing, Ides of March. How fortunate we are to have such a vivid description of this year's Grand Voyage available to us, thanks to you. Obrigado!

[Grumpy1]

Very good descriptions, Ides... we're walking right along with you but not feeling the sand under the sandal straps at all.

 

Flojack has posted a couple of times over on the roll call for this cruise, so some of the viewers may want to go there for once in a while too. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=5581035#post5581035

 

Have you met any of your fellow CC members?

[IDES NEICE]

I hope by the Ides Niece (which as you can see I have incorrectly spelled) you might fiqure out who this. So I just added Chelsea to the title....

 

Thanks so much for sharing your experience - I have had some good chuckles reading about you adventures. I am sure you are having a great time and I look forward to hearing more.

 

I'll check in again - enjoy your vacation. Some of your experience I can picture - for example the time when you had to wait for the plumber....LOL.

 

All the best...

:)

Ides niece

xox

[serendipity1499]

Ides..I'm thoroughly enjoying your wonderful posts..Just a word of caution..Please be very careful in RIO....Don't roam around any back streets alone & my advice to Grux is don't wear any gold jewelry there..They will yank chains off your neck..Leave it all in your cabin safe..

 

In "86 I was walking with a group of lady friends about 10 paces behind our DH'S in RIO..A few of those beautiful ladies surrounded the men & one began to talk to my DH.. I screamed as another lady stuck her hand in my DH'S back pocket to reach for his wallet..Fortunately he slapped her hand away in time..When we went out on the beach in front of our hotel (they sent an armed guard with us)..

 

Also a quick question..Has HAL offered you an unlimited pressing package for the duration of your cruise?

 

Kepp those posts coming..Thanks again..:)