Last Port of Call....End of Journey

Bridgetown in Barbados is our last port of call before we re-enter the USA. What a great trip it's been, and Barbados was no disappointment.

We took a Jeep Safari around the island and saw beaches, churches, and lots of rum shops, or what we would call bars. Our guide Charles told us that for every church on the island, and there are lots, there are three rum shops within walking distance.

Sugarcane, rum and tourism make up the island's main revenue sources. 95% of the population is black, with lots of Rastafarian type guys around. I found out that they don't like having their picture taken....one of them shook his fist at me when he thought I was trying to sneak in a photo. I put the camera away after that.

Barbados has long been popular with people from the U.K. It's hot climate and cool trade winds make it a good antidote for the often gloomy UK weather. There are a number of celebrities that own property on the island, and Tiger Woods got married here back in 2004.

We saw a huge gap between the very upscale houses of the rich and the very humble homes of the not rich, but I guess that could be said of every country.

After our jeep trip, we wandered around Bridgetown for a while and spent about an hour in a grubby little rum shop sipping Banks Beer....the beer of Barbados. It was fun in that we were on the second floor on a balcony overlooking a busy street, so there was lots of interesting people watching to be done.

Barbados reminded us quite a bit of Jamaica, with the same 'don't worry mon' attitude. Everyone we met (with the exception of the fist-shaking Rastafarian) was extremely friendly and very helpful. If it looked like we were in the least bit lost, or looking for something, people would stop on the street and help us. Everyone speaks English, albeit with an interesting combination of a Brit accent with a Jamaican lilt. I think the local patois is called Bajan.

Now we are back at sea for three days. Friday will be spent packing and hopefully, getting laundry done. We had hoped to be able to ship a couple of suitcases home to Canada with Luggage Concierge service, but according to them, there are two countries in the world where, because of Customs Laws, this is almost impossible....Canada and Mexico. So, we will be schlepping all our luggage to Mexico and then again back to Canada. Sounds like fun.

As this is nearing the end of our South American Adventure, this will be my last travel blog posting. Thanks to all who posted comments....it was fun to get them.

SORRY....PHOTOS WOULDN'T LOAD, BUT THEY WERE PROBABLY THE BEST PHOTOS I'VE TAKEN THIS ENTIRE JOURNEY. THE LANDSCAPES WERE OUT OF THIS WORLD, THE COMMENTARY SPARKLING AND WITTY, AND STEVE AND I LOOK AMAZING. YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!

Prisoners, Monkeys and Rats on Devils Island

Devil's Island is actually three small islands that the French used as a penal colony until the mid 1950's. Over the years, more than 80,000 men were imprisoned there, in conditions that were abominable. They were shown no mercy. Each day, they had a quota of timber they had to cut. If they fell short, their daily rations were cut back to become one slice of bread. Whatever amount they didn't complete was tacked on to the next day's quota. Of the 80,000 men imprisoned, only 30,000 managed to survive, and I'm amazed that many were able to.

Escapes from the “Green Hell' were common and mostly unsuccessful. Papillon was one who was successful, but there were thousands more who perished in the attempt.

One of the most famous prisoners was Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was unjustly found guilty of treason, stripped of rank and honor, and sent to prison. He was later exonerated. There have been several books and a play written about the Dreyfus Affair.

We visited there on Sunday for a couple of hours. There is still a community there, albeit one that is decaying and falling back into the jungle. The French government, however, is taking steps to clean up some of the ruins. They have constructed a hotel there and offer special weekend wedding packages. Personally, I think the bad karma is still far too strong for me to be able to enjoy a relaxing weekend!

It was interesting to see the old prison cells. Solitary confinement was in a small cubicle with virtually no light coming in. The condemned men cells were conveniently located just steps from the guillitine (I'm pretty sure I spelled this wrong...but you know what I mean....the sharp blade that fell from a distance and in one clean swoop, detached the head from the torso.)

We saw lots of monkeys in the trees, large rat-like rodents without tails, and beautiful but noisy parrots.

We walked around the island and were struck with how utterly isolated the prisoners must have felt.

But, we headed back to our ship to enjoy delicious dinner, an entertaining show, and dancing until midnight. For us, Devil's Island will only have good memories.

Our next stop is Barbados on Tuesday. After that, we head for Florida and disembarkation. It will be nice to feel terra firma once again.

 SAILING INTO DEVILS ISLAND....WHICH IS ACTUALLY THREE ISLANDS, ALL WITHIN ABOUT 300 YARDS OF EACH OTHER, BUT ISOLATED FROM EACH OTHER BY STRONG OCEAN CURRENTS, ROCKY SHORES AND SHARK-INFESTED WATERS (AT LEAST WHILE THE PENAL COLONY WAS THERE...PERHAPS BECAUSE THEY DISPOSED OF THE CONVICTS' BODIES BY DROPPING THEM INTO THE WATER.)

STEVIE JOKING AROUND......HE IS IN THE HALLWAY OF A BLOCK OF CELLS. THE CELLS THEMSELVES HAD LITTLE OR NO WINDOWS AND OF COURSE, THERE WAS NO ELECTRICITY SO NO ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS OF ANY KIND.

THIS IS A DRIED UP LAGOON THAT AT ONE TIME SUPPLIED THE DRINKING WATER FOR THE PENAL COLONY. THE CONVICTS HAD TO DIG THIS OUT BY HAND, SOME OF THEM WITH NOTHING MORE THAN A SPOON.

A COUPLE OF THE MONKEYS THAT ARE LIVING ON THE ISLAND.

THE SECOND OF THREE ISLANDS...YOU CAN SEE BY THE POUNDING SURF THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO LAND A BOAT THERE.

A NOISY BUT COLORFUL PARROT THAT FOLLOWED US AROUND. WE SAW A FLOCK OF THREE OF THEM FLYING AROUND.

THERE WERE A LOT OF THESE CRITTERS RUNNING AROUND. THEY LOOKED LIKE LARGE RATS (BUT CUTER) AND WITH NO TAIL.

Fishing for Piranha

Today we were in Santarem, a bustling port city on the Amazon. Actually, it sits on two rivers, the Amazon and the Tapajos. Here is where the Wedding of the Waters can best be seen.....the brown of the Amazon and the deep blue of the Tapajos, that run side by side for about 10 miles before the water blends. It is quite the sight. This is also the home of the pink dolphin. We did see dolphins, but they did not look too pink to us. There is a lovely legend about dolphins here, one that is perpetuated in an annual festival. According to the legend, the dolphin will come to land disguised as a man. Dressed all in white with a white hat to hide his blow hole, he seduces one of the village's prettiest girls. Nine months later, a child is born. Even today, some children claim they are the son/daughter of the dolphin. Dolphins are not allowed to be hunted, for obvious reasons!

Steve and I took the shuttle bus into the bustling downtown area and watched as dozens of riverboats were being loaded with every type of consumer good/foodstuff that you can imagine. This is the only mode of transport for people living along the banks of the river. Santarem is perfectly situated to be a supply stop for people going up or down the river.

We walked for several miles in the heat and high humidity looking for a post office. By the time we got back to the ship (mission accomplished) we were both soaked. We quickly showered, changed and headed off on our next adventure....cruising down the river in a riverboat, visiting Maipa Lake and fishing for piranha.

The scenery was just exactly what I had always thought the Amazon would be like. Lots of trees and bushes with flood waters covering many of them. Very basic and rustic houses on stilts....as we passed, some people were moving their chickens from the yard into the outer room of their stilted house in anticipation of the river rising even more. We saw beautiful butterflies flitting around, and a number of birds were calling to each other in the jungle. We saw several people in small dugout canoes fishing. When it came time for us to drop our lines into the river, we were rewarded with two piranha (albeit small ones) being landed into our boat. Even though they were small, their teeth were impressive.

We have now departed from Santarem, and will not stop again in Brazil. We will be out of the Amazon Basin by tomorrow, and will make a short visit to Devil's Island on Sunday. To get into the mood for Devil's Island, Steve and I are going to see Papillon at the movie tonight!

 SANTAREM IS A BUSTLING PORT CITY THAT MANY RIVERBOATS USE AS A STOCKING PLACE. THIS BOAT IS GETTING READY TO LEAVE FOR UPRIVER, WITH MANY PEOPLE AND LOTS OF SHOPPING ON BOARD. NOTE THE HAMMOCKS HANGING....THIS IS HOW MOST PEOPLE TRAVEL. THE JOURNEY TO MANAUS, FOR EXAMPLE, TAKES TWO DAYS AND TWO NIGHTS. THERE IS ONE SMALL TOILET ON BOARD.

CRUSING ALONG THE AMAZON....LOOKED JUST LIKE I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WOULD.

 EVEN THOUGH WE WERE IN A MAJOR CITY, THE TREES IN THE SQUARE REMINDED US THAT THE JUNGLE WASN'T FAR AWAY.

A MOST IMPORTANT CARGO....THE BEER BARGE!

THE FIRST, AND SMALLEST, OF THE TWO PIRANHA CAUGHT BY OUR BOAT WHEN WE STOPPED TO FISH FOR HALF AN HOUR ON THE MAICA LAKE. WE JUST DROPPED FISHLINES WITH A PIECE OF RAW MEAT ON THE END OF IT AND JIGGED.
 

A VERY TYPICAL RIVER HOUSE. ALL THE HOMES ALONG THE RIVER ARE BUILT ON STILTS. THE HOUSES ARE RUSTIC...OFTEN ONLY ONE ROOM, BUT EVERYONE SLEEPS IN HAMMOCKS SO THEY DON'T NEED SEPARATE BEDROOMS. WE DIDN'T SEE ANY GLASS IN THE WINDOWS, BUT THINK THEY MUST COVER THEM WITH WOODEN SHUTTERS IN THE EVENING TO KEEP OUT THE INSECTS.

 A WATER BUFFALO.....WE SAW ABOUT 8 OF THEM.

The Amazon as Seen From a Small Canoe

I think I've found Paradise, and it hasn't cost us a cent. Okay....it cost $5.00 each, but it is totally worth it!

Today our ship anchored off a remote Amazonian village called Boca de Valeria. The village residents were waiting for us with open arms, wide smiles, and numerous opportunities to take an enterprising child's photo with your choice of a sloth, parakeet, baby, or anything else they could rustle up. I think tourists are few and far between here, which may account for why both Steve and I put today at the top of our list of memorable and enjoyable days.

We took a riverboat ride down the Ria Valeria, in a small motorized canoe. The crew consisted of the father, about 34 years old, and his two sons, aged 6 and 4. We had no sooner left the riverbank and got out into the river than the skies opened and it poured torrential rain. There was nothing for us to do but laugh and enjoy the feeling of getting soaked through to our skins in less than 2 minutes. Good thing the sun came out about 5 minutes later and we were positively steaming soon. It was great!

It was a good thing we had the entire crew on board, as it took some serious bailing on the part of the 6 year old to get the water out of the bottom of the canoe!

How wonderful to be really on the water....we would have trailed our fingers in the water, but were apprehensive about fish and piranahas and things. Meanwhile, the two young boys were leaning over and bringing up handsful of water which they proceeded to drink.

Our guide asked if we wanted to visit his village and his home, and of course, we jumped at the chance. We met his entire family which consists of 5 children with another on the way. The house was rustic, but very clean and he is very proud of it. He toured us around the village, including a visit to the children's school. The door was closed but he took the string off the nail and we were in. He also took us around to meet his brother and his cousin. In all, there are 35 families in the village. The children were very happy ... running around with minimal clothes and flip flops. We had the feeling that here it truly was a case of the village raising each child.

We were absolutely delighted with the family visit. The children loved having their pictures taken. They would laugh and take great delight in pointing to each other when I showed the pics to them. I only wish I had an instant developer (a Polaroid would have come in handy) so I could have left them a copy.

Once we were back in civilization....or at least, to where we started out, we spent an enjoyable hour or so having a beer and chatting with the local children. We were sorry we had not stocked up on little gifts before we came out, but we hadn't even thought of it. As it was, we distributed dollar bills with abandon (yes, even Steve!) and had a thoroughly good time.

Now, we're back onboard the ship where we will have a rest and then go out to happy hour, followed by dinner. Hard to believe there are fewer than 10 days left before we head home to Mexico.

 THERE ARE NO ROADS IN THIS SMALL AND ISOLATED AMAZONIAN VILLAGE. BOATS ARE THE ONLY WAY TO GET AROUND.

WE SAW GIANT LILY PADS WHILE ON OUR RIVER CRUISE WITH A DAD AND THE CREW, WHICH CONSISTED OF HIS TWO YOUNG SONS.

THIS WAS THE LARGEST RIVER VILLAGE WE SAW. THERE WERE PROBABLY 40 FAMILIES LIVING HERE ALONG THE RIVER BANK. THE HOMES ARE ON STILTS BECAUSE OF THE ANNUAL FLOODING OF THE RIVERS.

OUR GUIDE TOOK US TO HIS HOME TO MEET HIS FAMILY. THE CHILDREN LOVED TO HAVE THEIR PICTURES TAKEN AND TO SEE THEM. THESE ARE TWO OF FIVE (SOON TO BE SIX) CHILDREN IN THE FAMILY.

STEVE AND OUR GUIDE (AND ONE OF THE DAUGHTERS) STROLLING ALONG THE VILLAGE STREET. THERE ARE NO VEHICLES, NO PAVEMENT, AND ONLY 35 FAMILIES LIVING HERE. WE THINK THEY ARE ALL RELATED, AS WE MET SEVERAL OF THEM AND THEY WERE ALL BROTHERS OR COUSINS.

THIS LITTLE GIRL WAS QUITE TAKEN WITH MY HAT WHEN WE STOPPED FOR A BEER IN THE ONLY RESTAURANT WE COULD SEE. I THINK SHE WAS PRETTY HAPPY TO SETTLE FOR A DOLLAR WHEN I TOLD HER I NEEDED IT MORE THAN SHE DID.

 

Jungle Trek and Jostling Crowds

Today has been a day of great contrast. This morning we took a small river boat and travelling for about an hour to the Rio Negro. There, we disembarked and with guides, went on a two hour trek through the jungle. Our guides were very good, and approached it from the perspective of 'how to survive in the jungle.' They showed us many things....how to get water from a water vine (although this can be dangerous as the water vine looks very much like a poisonous vine). Steve and I both had a 'drink' from this vine and sure enough, it tasted like nothing....just like water!

We also drank tea made from three different tree barks...one for malaria (quinine); one from cocoa tree (relaxation!!??) and I can't remember the third one, but it tasted like cloves. We ate brazil nuts that we picked up off the ground, and one fellow in our group ate a big fat grub that was in the nut pod. Our guide said this was a good source of protein and quite tasty, tasting like coconut. We declined his offer to try it ourselves.

We also learned how to make poison....just like how the Indians made the poison for their darts. It is astonishing how easy it is to make. We learned how to make two kinds of traps to trap animals, and how to make shelter, start a fire from nothing, and trap rainwater. We fully expect to put some of these newfound skills to work at our cabin on Grand Lake!

We saw a tarantula, some very poisonous ants which were huge, and a tree that was crawling with 4 inch long caterpillars. All in all, the experience was one that we will always remember.

Once we got back to the ship, we had a quick shower and lunch, and headed out to explore Manaus, which is a city of 1,000,000 and serves as a distribution hub for the Amazon. It is an extremely interesting place to visit, but boy, I wouldn't want to live here. Perhaps because it is a port city, it is very dirty, very busy, and quite run down. At its height, it was called the “Paris” of Brazil. The wealth of the rubber barons was so great that they built beautiful palaces and private residences. Many of these buildings are now derelict, although the Palace of Justice and the Opera House are still beautiful and still being used.

What was most striking about the city however, was the number of outdoor clothing stalls, indoor clothing and shoe stores, and just the sheer amount of commerce that was being conducted for blocks and blocks. It reminded us of parts of Asia, especially when we saw men hurrying past us with bales of clothing balanced on their heads.

I checked several stores/stalls and it looked as though all the clothing was made in Brazil. The prices were incredibly cheap....but so was the quality. Again, reminiscent of parts of Asia.

On the way back to the ship we stopped for an orange juice in the middle of all this commerce and just people watched. Quite incredible. Overall impression.....glad we saw it, but once was enough.

Tomorrow we make a stop in Boca de Valeria. I don't think there is much there. There are no organized shore excursions, so it must be quite remote. 

 THESE CATERPILLERS ARE 4 TO 5 INCHES LONG. THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF THEM MARCHING UP A TALL TREE.

A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER THAT WE SAW GROWING IN THE JUNGLE.

 HERE OUR GUIDE DEMONSTRATES HOW TO MAKE POISON, THE KIND THAT THE INDIANS USED TO DIP THEIR ARROWS INTO. VERY DEADLY...AND EXTREMELY EASY TO MAKE.

JUST CALL ME BWANA.....HERE A YOUNG BOY CLEANS STEVE'S BOOTS AFTER OUR JUNGLE TREK. IT LOOKS LIKE HE WAS BORN TO THIS, DOESN'T IT?

 COMING INTO MANAUS ON THE AMAZON RIVER. THIS IS A SHOT OF THE SLUM PART OF THE CITY, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE HIGH RISES TO THE RIGHT. UNFORTUNATELY, MUCH OF THE CITY IS DIRTY AND IN DESPERATE NEED OF SOME FIXING UP. TWO NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS ARE THE PALACE OF JUSTICE AND THE OPERA HOUSE.

 I TOOK THIS PHOTO FROM OUR SHIP. DOZENS OF TRUCKS WERE ON THE DOCK LOADING THESE RIVERBOATS. EVERYTHING ON THE RIVER IS SHIPPED BY BOAT, AND MANAUS IS THE MAIN (ONLY?) SHIPPING HUB.

Carnaval has nothing on Boi Bumba!

Another rainy day in the rainforest. Today we are in Parantis, which is on an island in the Amazon river. Although it feels like a very small town, there are actually 50,000 people here. Services seemed fairly primitive....no wi-fi....few restaurants that looked appealing. But...the beer was cheap, the streets easy to navigate, and we met a new friend.

Our new friend could easily be a pygmy descendant. She spoke no English, and it didn't even sound like Portugese, but she had a beautiful smile and was very excited to greet us and wave to us as we sat at a red plastic table that was right beside one she was sitting at. At first I thought she was about 8 years old, as she was roughly that size. However, she was already on her second big beer and she had a pack of cigarettes beside her, so we reckoned she had to be older than 8! Every time we glanced her way, she would wave, smile and say something to us. When we left, she came over and hugged me and shook my hand. Amazing how big beers can promote bonding.

The town is 200 years old and was once a thriving Indian centre. It celebrates its culture in a vibrant way with an annual “Boi-Bumba” festival, which has been taking place here for 80 years. Similar to the intensity and fanatic fervour of Rio's Carnaval, the Boi-Bumba (meaning “Bull Dance”) is a three day event held in June and doubles this sleepy town's population.

We had the opportunity to see a special show Boi Bumba show at the local convention centre and it was truly spectacular. The costumes, the dancing, the music....it was all fantastic and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon while in the Amazon.

Tomorrow we are in Manaus, a large city that features opulent houses and buildings built by the rubber barons.

 Parantis' Boi Bumba festival is said to be the largest cultural manifestation in Brazil, with thousands of Brailians and foreigners making the trek to the Amazon Basin to experience it for themselves. We were lucky enough to get a special show that was spectacular in terms of music, dancing and costumes.

 Another of the many dancers in the show.

During the festival, every resident of Parantis chooses a side....either the red or blue. Once you've made your decision, you stick with it for life, and your family sticks with it as well. People get so involved they will paint their houses red or blue, depending on their allegiance. I am sure this is the only place in the world where Coca-Cola also has signs in blue, to placate the blue-loving Boi Bumbas!

Guess who just had to get his picture taken with one of the dancers!

Muddy and late for the ship...but happy.

Former Premier of Saskatchewan Grant Devine used to say “Don't say whoa in a mudhole.” That could have been our motto today.

It should not be a surprise that in the world's largest rainforest, during the rainy season, that it should rain. And it did. It poured for hours and hours. But, our excursion to go trekking in the forest wasn't going to be cancelled for such a minor (and common) event.

After a 90 minute bus ride, on buses that looked as if they could have come from Saskatchewan 40 years ago, we disembarked, put on our bug spray, our rain gear, and with walking sticks in hand, went trekking.

How does one describe your first time in the Amazonian rain forest. Silent...except for bird calls and piercing high cicada calls. Still, except for the steady drip of rain. Scary....as our guide finds a beautiful and deadly spider. We are told not to touch anything, as many things in the forest are poisonous or at the least, could cause an allergic reaction. We had to watch our footing on the wet and slippery trails, so looking around us had to be done quickly and from a standing still position. But what a reward when we did....beautiful orchids and other flowering plants were popping up in the most unlikely places.

We saw rubber trees, giant bamboo, and brazil nut trees. Those trees are huge. Their seed pods are about the size of a medium grapefruit. When broken open, they contain roughly 20 brazil nuts....the kind that are readily available in supermarkets at Christmas. Our guide peeled one with his machete and it was delicious.

Too soon our forest trek was over and we had to hightail it back to the ship. To get back to our bus, we had to walk about 1/2 km on a very muddy dirt road. By the time we got to the bus, we were all about 4 inches higher because of the sticky gumbo mud. What a mess! But, our guide scraped the majority of the mud off our shoes (using the same machete with which he peeled the nut) and we were off. As it was, we got back to the pier an hour later than we were supposed to. There was no question but that the ship would wait for us, as we were on a ship-sanctioned activity, but it was a good reminder why it is a good idea to go on ship excursions when out in the wilds!

We are now underway and will anchor off Parantis tomorrow. We are going to a folkloric show tomorrow afternoon there. One of us is a little more excited about it than the other!

 CHECKING OUT A BRAZIL NUT TREE....THEY GROW VERY VERY TALL!

THOUSANDS OF SMALL HOMES ARE BEING BUILT BY THE BRAZIL GOVERNMENT FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE BANKS OF THE AMAZON RIVER, AS THEIR HOMES ARE CONSTANTLY BEING FLOODED. QUESTION....HOW WOULD YOU FIND YOUR WAY HOME IF YOU'VE HAD A DRINK OR TWO?

 A TYPICAL SCENE IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST....A SMALL POOL OF RAINWATER, LOTS OF VINES, TREES, ETC.

THE MIGHTY AMAZON. ALTHOUGH THIS LOOKS LIKE A LAKE, IT IS THE AMAZON RIVER AS SEEN FROM OUR SHIP.

 OUR SHIP TENDER BRINGING PEOPLE TO AND FROM THE SHIP. ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE PHOTO, YOU CAN SEE THE BUILDINGS THAT HAVE FLOODED DURING THIS RAINY SEASON.