Cruise Up the Amazon and Sailing the Caribbean
After a stressful year-end I started doing what I do best -
planning my next trip. In previous years
the Silversea Amazon cruise had always been sold out. This year I was lucky, not only were there
empty cabins, but I qualified for the familiarization rate for travel agents.
My biggest problem was making sure I could get my visa to Brazil
on time. Mucho dollars and two and a
half weeks later I had my passport and visa in hand. I received it on Tuesday and I left on Saturday,
not much wiggle room.
I was also lucky to find mileage flights too and from Barbados,
where the ship embarked. I flew a day
early and was glad I did. Of course my
flight was canceled so I was rerouted. I
was the last passenger reunited with his luggage. I slept well that night and looked forward to
boarding the Silversea Silver Cloud on Sunday.
Georgetown, Barbados - January 25, 2015
There were five cruise ships in port, the Silver Cloud the
smallest by far. I was greeted by one of
the singers who I met on my December cruise.
Onboard I felt right at home, knowing over half the staff.
I met lots of new people and had a very entertaining dinner
with my new friends. I think we all
drank too much that evening.
The beautiful beaches of Barbados
Bequia, St. Vincent & Grenadine - January 26, 2015
Today I ventured off the ship with Laurel, Beverly and
Louie. We walked along the beach and
then did some climbing before reaching a beautiful deserted beach. The water was Caribbean blue and super
inviting. Unfortunately none of us had bathing
suits. We took the road back, climbing
even higher but we were rewarded with spectacular views of the harbour.
Back in town we tendered back to the ship for lunch and a
nap. I'm writing this narrative while
enjoying tea time. Luckily we walked almost
five miles earlier so I could afford the pastries.
I had dinner with two of the singers, Rhiannon and
Duncan. All the entertainers were amazing
and I looked forward to seeing their shows again. By the way, I just booked the back to back
cruise following this one, so I'll be on the ship another nine days.
Tonight's entertainment was an amazing magician. I have no idea how he does his magic. And to top it off, he was gorgeous.
A possible painting?
The Silver Cloud
One of many fantastic and beautiful meals
Granada - January 27, 2015
Today was a real surprise.
For breakfast I had a lobster omelet - amazing. Then I got off the ship to what I thought was
a new country/island. Wrong, I was here
during my family cruise last November.
Today I took a long five mile walk circumventing two bays.
We all got dressed up for our first formal night, followed
by the amazing Voices of Silversea.
One of many rainbows
At Sea - January 28, 2015
This is the first of many relaxing at sea days. Laurel gave her lecture on "To Go
a-Pirating: the True Story of Caribbean Piracy". I surprised her by borrowing a pirate costume
and went up on the stage before her speech.
It was quite amusing.
For dinner I was treated to la Champagne, the specialty
restaurant. The lobster thermidor and
lamb chops were awesome.
Devil's Island, French Guiana - January 29, 2015
We didn't arrive until 1:30 pm so we were treated to another
lecture by Laurel. The subject was "The Portuguese in Brazil, Part 1".
I don't think anyone had Brazilian history in school and it was very
informative.
After we arrived at Devil's Island, we tendered to
shore. I walked around the entire island
and got my five miles in. The island was
the sight of the infamous penal colonies.
World famous Henri Charriere, immortalized in the
movie Papillion, was supposedly the only convict ever to have escaped
from the "green hell". This
was one of the most interesting places I've ever visited.
One of the prison blocks
The actual Devil's Island where visitation isn't allowed
Me in the cell block
Me in the cell
Back on the ship I missed trivia for the first day, but I
made it to golf putting.
Tonight's cabaret show featured my favorite entertainers -
Nicola, Rhiannon and Duncan.
At Sea, Entering the Amazon - January 30, 2015
Today we entered the Amazon River. We had been asked to conserve water since
the river was too dirty for the ship to purify it. I had all my laundry done yesterday.
In the morning I attended the bridge tour - sorry, no
pictures allowed. The captain shared a
lot of information. Its nice to know
there are backups for almost everything.
I relaxed until trivia and golf. I had dinner with Nicola, one of the
singers. As I've said before, this cast
is definitely better then the previous one.
At 10:00 pm we entered the Amazon River. Since this morning the ocean has been super
muddy with all the silt being washed down from the jungle.
On the Amazon River - January 31, 2015
The Amazon is the dirtiest river I've ever seen.
The highlight of the day was the visit of King Neptune for
the equator crossing. This was extremely
funny with all the first timers having to kiss the fish. It was much funnier than my first one.
King Neptune's court
Me with Rhiannon and Nicola
The rest of the day was for relaxation.
Santarem, Brazil - February 1, 2015
We arrived three hours late since there was a generator
issue during the night. There was no
power at all, including no air conditioning or toilets. Luckily it was fixed
We took the bus into town and discovered everything was closed
since it was Sunday. We did find a bar
where we had local a caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil. We then
spent the afternoon walking back to the ship.
How colorful
Wall art
Millions of boats everywhere
Piranhas
Boca Da Valeria, Brazil - February 2, 2015
This village was on the shore of the Amazon. It was pouring and the native children were
very clingy, just what I like. I stayed
five minutes and took a few photos before climbing back on the tender.
The afternoon was relaxing, where I caught up on reading and
writing - not rithmatic.
Manaus, Brazil - February 3-5, 2015
We arrived in Manaus in the afternoon. I opted, as usual, for a self tour. But first I needed money. I finally found an ATM machine, but my card
didn't work. So I tried another, and another,
and another with no luck. I had some
cash so I exchanged my dollars for reais.
Next I visited the opera house. It was quite ornate, with a lot of the original
structure still in place. Its over 100
years old, financed by rubber money - Manaus' main industry at the time of
construction. There are a number of free
concerts, but the timing wasn't right for me.
The next day I again walked around town, visiting the market
place. I bought some clothes, and will
probably buy more the following day.
That evening I took Seraia, the international hostess, to Bufalo, the local Brazilian steakhouse. They had a caipirinha cart with many brands of cachaca to choose from. The meal was amazing.
That evening I took Seraia, the international hostess, to Bufalo, the local Brazilian steakhouse. They had a caipirinha cart with many brands of cachaca to choose from. The meal was amazing.
On our final day in Manaus, I had local currency I had to
spend. I was looking for a Brazilian shirt
that did not have English. After
visiting 15 shops I gave up. I did find
an amazing T-shirt with a black and white photo of NYC. I was down to a few dollars and passed a
barber shop. I got my first Brazilian
cut. Three days in Manaus was much too
long.
Local fruit and vegetable vendors
The Opera House
The Opera House main hall
Sunset in Manaus
Marketplace
Brazilian Art
My caipirinha
The waiter making the caipirinha
Alter Do Chao, Brazil - February 7, 2015
This was the most beautiful port on the trip. We tendered in to white sandy beaches. You can see a picture of me in the Amazon
River. I looked to make sure there were
no piranhas. We walked into the resort
village and completed our final day of shopping. Unfortunately we had to sail away at 1:00 pm.
This was the only anaconda I saw on the Amazon. (Julie, it is real)
My feet in the muddy Amazon
On the Amazon River and at Sea - February 8-10, 2015
The last three days of the cruise were very relaxing. I did break down and ordered the internet for
the at sea days. I had an amazing time
with my new friends playing trivia and putt putt golf. Of course the food remained fantastic.
Bridgetown, Barbados - February 11, 2015
I decided to extend my cruise and picked up a 9 day cruise
from Barbados to San Juan. Today I
walked into town and then beyond. I met my
friends Laurel and Beverley and spent a few hours shopping before returning to
the ship.
At Sea - February 12, 2015
After an amazing breakfast for the returning back-to-back
passengers, I sunned and read.
Before dinner I found out a veranda cabin was available, so I
had my butler move everything for the second time in two days.
Willemstad, Curacao - February 13, 2015
Today my butler brought my fold-up bike, which I gave to the
crew last December. Some mechanic on
board must have given it a tune up since it worked much better then before.
I rode around town but the traffic was bad and the drivers
didn't want a cyclist sharing the road, so I found a back street and completed my
10 miles there.
In the afternoon I did some serious shopping. I bought an emerald and diamond ring and a
gold bracelet.
The most famous scene in Curacao
Oranjstad, Aruba - February 14, 2015
It was Saturday so I hoped the traffic would not be as bad
as yesterday. I got my bike and helmet
and headed to the resort and beach area.
I was lucky and the traffic was light.
I road about 7 miles before turning back and taking a break at Eagle
Beach. The water was Caribbean blue, how
surprising. The last two miles were
directly into the Aruba winds, a constant 20 MPH.
In the afternoon I went shopping but wasn't in the
mood. There were too many tourists due
to the huge Carnival ship the had just docked.
Cycling in Aruba
Beach chairs
Kralendijk, Bonaire - February 15, 2015
This is the smallest of the ABC islands. I ventured out on my bike again. On my way back the SD card in my camera malfunctioned
and I could not even view the pictures I took.
Luckily I had just replaced the SD card, so all my other pictures were
safe.
That evening I met two couples on the way to cocktails. They mentioned they were from Greensboro,
NC. I said my cousins lived there over
30 years ago. They asked what their
names were and I said Sara and Jerry.
They then completed their last name, Lynn, and said they had two girls. What a small world.
Then I sat with another couple and found out their last name
was Neuharth. The mystery of why
everyone was calling them Neubarth was solved.
At Sea - February 16, 2015
Sun, water, food and drinks
Roseau, Dominica - February 17, 2015
I have been to this port before and elected to stay on board. How many waterfalls and banana trees must one
see. Also, the island was much too hilly
to ride my bike.
The butler surprised me with chocolate dipped strawberries
and champagne. The napkin was folded
like a tuxedo. I am so spoiled.
Philipsburg, St. Maarten - February 18, 2015
Another repeat port.
Another day of relaxation.
Gustavia, St. Barts - February 19, 2015
Today I went to the beach near the small airport. I don't know how the planes manage to land and take off.
Colorful beach
After 26 days of cruising, it was time to return home.
