January 9, approaching the Amazon

Friday, Jan. 9 Day 7 of our journey
It's been just a week and 2427 miles since we boarded the Prinsendam and we are just hours from crossing the equator. Unlike other cruises, the crossing ceremony won't take place at our first crossing or even the second but on the third, in the Pacific. For this time we will cross in the wee hours of the morning so there will be no Neptune ceremony until later.
Our position at 1:45pm is 01° 30.32'N 49° 04.25'W. The seas are less than a foot, the water coffee-with-cream brown, the relative humidity 90, air temp 78F. Our heading is 324.5 The wind is 5 knots coming across the deck at 90° . The water color is a result of the waters of the Amazon flowing into the Atlantic but more on that later.
We have been told several times that the Amazon and Antarctic portions of this cruise are an adventure, more of an expedition than a cruise. I think it is the ship’s way of saying don’t expect much ashore other than primitive conditions. Today the port lecturer told us that as of tonight we are no longer passengers on a cruise ship but explorers. He said we will visit the Amazon region on its terms, not ours and it will be nothing like our expectations.
We’ve received several notices to please conserve water during our days on the Amazon as the ship cannot make fresh water from the river as it does at sea. According to the Captain's one o'clock announcement from the bridge ) we are cruising at only 11 knots in order to cross the bar outside the Amazon. During the captain's daily announcements we would like to strangle most of the passengers who talk though it making it difficult to hear. From what we could hear we may have only 6 or 7 feet beneath the keel during this crossing. I'll try to get a verification later. (Confirmed: We had 6 feet)
From the Captain's comments it sounded like the trip up the Amazon was not for the faint of heart navigator. It is not expected to be rough but the stabilizers cannot be used as there is much debris, including large fallen trees, in the water. Because of the serpentine twists in the river, there will be a great deal of rudder use, causing listing of the ship in many areas.
The channels and delta area change from cruise to cruise so the ship's officers rely heavily on local pilots. At some points in the river we will not be able to see land, on others we will travel very close to the shore on one side or another.
We expect to see land on the starboard side between 6 and 7 pm tonight and on the port between 8 and 9. We'll travel up the river, drop anchor about 4 am off Macapa* where the ship will be cleared by local authorities. We will then proceed to dock at a small pier at a sawmill operation.
HAL had arranged for free shuttle buses for those not on tours but I don't think there is much to see in Macapa whether you're on a $50 tour or a free shuttle. We will visit a village school that is supported by HAL. We're brought along colored pencils and markers for the kids in the school.
After dinner I saw a half dozen or so people looking out the doors to the promenade deck. When I went over to take a peek out this is what I saw.

The little guy was about the size of our June bugs and his buddy HUGE. And yes, those are pincers. And, they weren't alone.

I'm rethinking forays into the jungle if this is what lands on the ship in the middle of the river.




*With apologies to the romance languages, the program I am using does not have special characters for accents and my cheat sheet is back in Falmouth so you will have to use your imagination on some spellings.

A couple of pictures

Hopefully this will be the newest resident of Devil's Island and a view of Devil's Island from Ile Royale. The shot in the previous post is our ship the Prinsendam as seen from the shore of Ile Royale.

January 8, Devil's Island

Thursday, Jan. 8
It was hard to reconcile the natural beauty of Ile Royale, Ile St. Joseph and Devil's Island with the history of the islands when they served as a brutal prison settlement for France.
The day arrived rainy so we didn't hurry to get ashore until the weather had cleared and the sun began peaking out. We were anchored off a beautify, lush green island of palm trees and jungle like conditions. A short tender ride and we began our walking tour of the island. There was a rough, uneven stone and dirt path (all uphill of course) about the width of a car that took us past the children's cemetery and up to the main prison complex. Except for chapel and the building that is now a hotel and restaurant, the structures are pretty much in ruins but there is enough remaining to give one a sense of the helplessness and horror the prisoners must have felt.
The cells were made entirely of stone with small barred windows set high in the walls.
Some were about 6 x 8 and others a bit smaller. Even with a faint breeze blowing off the ocean, it was unbearably hot and extremely humid.
We stopped into the hotel bar for a coke and bit of shade. Alan continued the walk around the rest of the island while I took the “stairs’ back to the tender landing. The stairs were barely more than rough cuts in some of the stone with no handrails and as slippery as ice.
Alan wandered down a path for about 8 hot, humid minutes thinking he was on his way to the tender landing. However, just after passing several roosters, chickens and pigs he came to a dead end. It was either make a flying, deadly leap off the cliff or retrace his steps. He made the smart choice.
As they say, “A beautiful place, but you wouldn’t want to live there.” I think it was a test for how well we will be able to tolerate the heat and humidity of the Amazon.

January 6 and 7

Tuesday, Jan 6. Bridgetown, Barbados.
We were here two or three years ago and Alan had recollections of a tour which included St. John's church. The only thing I am sure of is that I didn't do the tour and once I saw it, remember the terminal at the pier and the steel drum band playing for the tourists.
Holland America ran shuttle buses from the pier to the terminal, a distance of probably 1/4 to 1/2 mile, but hot and windy and rough walking. The terminal contained the usual duty free shops of jewelry and cosmetics, a few shops of brightly colored clothing, liquor stores aplenty and shops selling rum cakes.
A quick $2 per person cab ride and we were uptown. the shopping center of Bridgetown
was somewhat run-down with expensive jewelry shops next to stores selling fresh fruit and vegetables. We spent a considerable amount of time looking for tonic water for Alan's in cabin evening gin and tonics. For a British island tonic water was in short supply and when we finally found it, Alan bought all they had ----14 16.9 oz bottles.
We were back on the ship in time for a late lunch and a restful afternoon.
The evening entertainment was a singer/comedian who worked Las Vegas in the days of the Rat Pack and the movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Alan tried them both and I read my book.

Wednesday, Jan 7 At Sea
And a somewhat rough sea it is. Not too bad but I did end up skipping the afternoon lecturer, getting a sea sickness pill from the medical center and resting in the cabin for a couple of hours.
Today was packed full of activities with Kate Ross speaking on the Amazon, the Amazon Basin and the rain forest in the morning. A quick cup of coffee and it was time for Maureen, the shore excursion director to talk on upcoming ports and excursions. I spent some time talking to Henk and Lucia Barnhoorn, our Cruise Specialists, Inc., Onboard hosts.
The afternoon speakers were Palmer Acheson with “Introduction to the Languages of our Grand Voyage and plus another talk by Frank Buckingham, the Port Lecturer.
The travel agency we used for this cruise (with apologies to Amy, our wonderful Falmouth travel agent) is an outfit out of Seattle which specializes in long cruises, particularly on Holland America. They have one or two escorts travel along with their clients. Henk and Lucia have "office hours" each sea day for questions, comments and the like. They are also very visible during the day and evening. We will be taking several shore excursions with them, at a much better price than the Holland America tours. So far we’ve had a Cruise Specialist morning get together, a cocktail party and received windbreakers and travel bags.
Gifts from Holland America (which I will now type as HAL) have included journals and travel bags.
Tonight will be our first look at the Prinsendam Singers and Dancers. It might be interesting how they modify their dance numbers as the ship is a bit rocky. Not to mention that the theater is about as far forward as you can get. the movie is Get Smart. In our opinion, HAL missed an opportunity to show Papillon.
For anyone tracking the cruise on a chart our 6:07 pm position was
08° 02.34 N
54° 54.36 W
Our heading was 134
Water temp 80.6F Air temp 78.8F
Our speed 19 knots and the seas 5-6 feet (I don’t believe that one)

Tomorrow --Devil’s Island. A little history.
Devil’s Island is one of three small rocky islands off the coast of French Guiana. Anyone who knows of the French Captain Dreyfus or the book and movie Papillon knows that Devil’s Island was a French penal colony with horrific conditions. The largest and main island, Isle Royale, is about 45 acres and can be walked in about an hour or so. Ile Ste Joseph is the third island.
Before becoming a penal colony in the early 1850s, the islands were known as Iles de Salut, (the Salvation Islands) as the sea breezes kept mosquitoes away and people from French Guiana spent summers on the islands escaping the mosquitoes and malaria.
The most notorious of the three islands, Devil’s Island or Rocky Ile du Diable is almost completely inaccessible due to strong currents. Not to mention the shark infested waters. It was reserved for political prisoners such as Dreyfus. A supply cable provided a means of getting supplies from Ile Royale to Ile du Diable.
Today Ile Royale is home to macaws, monkeys and large wild guinea pigs. It has a small hotel with dining room and a bar, a lighthouse, ruins of old barracks, cells and the hospital. There is also a small cemetery on the island which contains the remains of just children. Families of the wardens and jailors lived on the island and as might be expected lives were short. Inmates bodies were dumped into the sea. I have no idea where the staff and jailers were buried when they died.
Of the 80,000 prisoners sent to the islands, only 30,000 lived beyond their sentence. 70 percent of the inmates of Devil’s Island died while incarcerated. Considering that only 30 prisoners were housed on Devil’s Island at a time the odds weren’t very good. If a criminal was sentenced to less than eight years and survived, he then had to spend an equal period of time in French Guiana as the French were trying to populate French Guiana.
Across the water in Kourou, French Guiana, is one of only 16 space centers of its kind in the world. Another is Cape Canaveral. The Kourou center is run by the French who sometimes cross to Ile Royale for tracking and observations.
More after we have visited this infamous place.

A few more days

Monday, Jan 5. Our second day at sea. Silly me, thinking that yesterday, our first sea day would be one of rest and relaxation. Both today and yesterday were filled with lectures, seminars, bridge, and other things to keep us busy.
But first, our dining experience. We were scheduled for the first seating but after day one decided that 5:30 was just too early so we requested the second seating at 8 pm. At 7:55 on Saturday we arrived in the dining to claim our places at our newly assigned table. As we walked toward the table for eight we spied 6 people and one empty chair. Back to the dining room manager who then lead us to table 154. By the time our appetizers had arrived we were still the only two people at an eight seater. Our waiter then asked if we would like to join the two people at another eight seater behind us. We did and enjoyed the company of a couple from Pennsylvania.
After dinner it was off to the Queen's Lounge for the musical comedy of the Taylors,
a husband and wife who combine dance, singing, comedy and acrobatic adagio.
The third night, last night, we arrived at the dining room and were lead to a table for eight. Again we were the only ones at the table so once again it was back to the dining room manager. The third time's a charm. We have found a home at a table for eight with a couple of from Canada, a single lady from we don't know where yet, a couple from Cleveland and a single gentleman from Toronto. All are very pleasant, interesting and cruising enthusiasts.
It was the first formal night, and interestingly about 90% of the women were in black.
Instead of the usual long lines to meet the captain we were able to say hello immediately upon entering the Queen's Lounge after dinner. Captain Halle Thon Gundersen introduced a few of the ship's officers and after a champagne toast left the stage to the evening's entertainment, Bettine Clemen a flutist.
Yesterday was very busy. After the first meet and greet of the Cruise Critic group at 10 am immediately followed by a cocktail party with the Cruise Specialists group at 11, we barely had time for lunch before it was time for David' Smith's first lecture. We were happy to see David and his wife Anna on board. Last year on the Amsterdam, David gave lectures on digital photography and Anna talks on fabrics.
Today Monday, started off with breakfast, followed by a "morning show" by the cruise director during which he imparts tidbits of advice and interviews the ship's entertainers. Next came Kate Ross, with her first Explorations Speaker Series talk, The Geography & People of South America, an excellent introduction (and refresher for those of us out of school for many years) to Latin America.
There wasn't even time for a quick cup of coffee before the port lecturer's talk on Bridgetown, Barbados, tomorrow's port of call. Frank Buckingham is very British, very humorous and a wealth of knowledge on all subjects.
Here are a few quickie facts about Barbados. The island which gained independence from England in 1966 is known as a little England of eternal sunshine. It is one of the windward islands, and consists of 168 square miles. The name is believed to have come from the vines on the fig trees which looked like beards to the early explorers. The island is moderately tropical, has few streams but many underground waterways which flow through the limestone.
There are about 280,000 people, 91% of whom are black. Life expectancy is higher than on most Caribbean Island--71 years for men and 74 for women. 40% of the inhabitants practice the Anglican religion of England.
In the early years of the island fortunes were made from sugar with the work force being mostly slaves from Africa or people from Ireland. Many of the workers lived in what were called chattel houses. When work on one plantation was finished the small houses could easily be broken down and reassembled on another plantation. A forerunner of the trailers of today's migrant workers?
Organized activities we didn't do today included the morning walk-a-mile, aerobics class, mass, tai chi, interdenominational devotional, yoga, the art of collecting seminar, ping pong tournament, gambling in the casino, a younger looking skin seminar, sit and knit, team trivia, dance lessons on the mambo, crazy golf in the atrium, slot tournament, teeth whitening clinic, wine tasting, art auction, movie goers get together, digital photography lessons, arts and crafts (quilling), croquet target shoot, afternoon tea, watercolor class, culinary lessons, bingo, Friends of Bill, and happy hour. Anyone who is bored on a cruise ship has only him or herself to blame. (Friends of Bill and Happy hour are scheduled at the same time....no conflict there)
Tonight's entertainment will be a comedian, Jimmy Carroll, followed by a 50s and 60s sock hop. I think we’ll probably skip the sock hop. Maybe we’ll take in the late movie, the newest batman one.

Monday, Jan. 5,2009 At Sea

Sunday about Saturday

Yesterday, day one, went well. Jeanne Belford drove us to the Burger King on Pine Ridge Rd. in Naples where we caught the 8:30 am CruiseConnection bus to Port Everglades and the ship. The large bus had only two or three empty seats as we left Naples. It stopped at several ships to drop off passengers and then did the route again to pick up departing passengers.
Our cabin is a bit smaller than previous cabins but is ample. The walk in closet holds everything we brought. There were a few minutes of panic when we couldn't find Alan's dinner jacket or navy blazer. Finally we realized we were missing two bags, which arrived shortly thereafter and contained the all important jackets.
The Prinsendam is very nice.. Like the Amsterdam it is all wood paneling, has a beautiful dining room, quiet lounges, a casino and several bars. Everything is on a smaller scale but since we are below passenger capacity with only about 600 passengers where won't be any problems. I think the biggest problem will be the four small elevators. Although there are fewer people in electric scooters than on the Amsterdam, there are a few and they pretty much fill up an elevator.
We've seen several familiar faces from the 2008 World Cruise, including Kate Ross, one of last year's speakers who will be on board lecturing until halfway through the cruise.
We ran into John Cormack outside the theater but haven't seen Jack or Joan as Joan was feeling a tad seasick.
Yesterday our travel agent, Cruise Specialists, held a cocktail part for their clients to meet the cruise escorts and well as the President of Cruise Specialists.
Early seating is at 5:30 which is pretty early for us so we've changed to the 8 o'clock seating. I hope the people at 8 are as nice as the 5:30 ones were.
The Queen's Lounge, the theater for some movies, SuperBowl party and stage shows, is much small than the Amsterdam's but very comfortable. Last night we saw the movie Momma Mia in there....we thought it was truly awful and can't believe we sat there until the end. What a waste of Meryl Streps' talent.
This morning I slept in until after 8:30! We are now anchored off Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private island. Since we don't go to the beach at home and since we've been to Half Moon Cay we opted to stay on board, organize our stuff in the cabin and relax!
We set up the computer to access the internet (the Internet manager is great.....a big change from the Amsterdam's.)
It's almost time for lunch, then Alan has bridge and I am going to curl up with a book.
Tomorrow is a sea day so we'll have plenty of time to rest.