In the Amazon River

We woke up this morning at anchor in Macapa. Brazilian immigration officials came on board, and have cleared the ship. We had all handed our passports into the Pursers Desk, so fortunately we did not need to be seen in person. Although getting Brazilian visas is quite a production, it seems that once you have them the process of going through immigration here is a breeze. We have now taken our 2 pilots on board. There will be one on the bridge at all times until we leave the river on the 29^th.

At about 10:00AM we headed off into the river again. We got quite a good look at the town of Macapa from the ship. It seems to be a mixture of tall modern buildings inland, and small house on stilts at the water’s edge.

We are going through small channels in the river, giving us a great view of the rain forest and jungle. We tried to stay out on the balcony, but it is just too hot and humid to be pleasant.

Luckily it cooled down a bit later, so I was able to spend the afternoon on the balcony. We are apparently the biggest cruise ship to sail up the Amazon, and certainly the first Cunarder to do so. We kept on passing fishermen in their small canoes. I wonder what they thought of us. I mean, we must look like some very large alien being. As we passed by, they would gesticulate wildly and shout at us. The optimist in me thought that they were happy to see us, and were sending us good vibes. The realist thought that they were probably very annoyed that such a monster was invading their territory, and they were not happy at all. In any case, I waved and yelled, “we come in peace”, as any good Star Trek fan would do, and I hope that reassured them.

It was amazing. We sailed up the river all day, and all we saw were forests, fishermen, and the occasional house on stilts. This place is enormous. With all of that foliage providing oxygen, and all of this fresh water, maybe if we could leave this area untouched our planet will be fine after all.

Mid afternoon the skies in the distance darkened, and we heard the most amazing thunder. It was the loudest thunder I have ever heard, it made me feel happy to be safe and sound on our big ship. We did not get any rain, but we saw the storm in the distance, and the most fantastic rainbows. The whole scene was spectacular.

I decided that it would be perfect to have early sundowners on the balcony rather than in the cabin. With the biltong and nuts, Laphroig and champagne to the ready we were set to sit out there and watch the river go by. But then Brian spied a mosquito, so we decided that it would be prudent to forgo our outdoor experience, and observe the river from the safety and mosquito free environment of the cabin.

Dinner was great as usual – the food and service really have been excellent so far. I also really enjoy our dinner companions. The couple from Manchester are both very witty, and I am enjoying hearing all of their stories. The couple from Worcestershire are quieter, but a lovely pair. We have truly been very lucky to be seated with such interesting people.

The show tonight was a violinist, Craig Halliday. He was fantastic, and had a great way of connecting with the audience.

Brian had slipped in the shower a few days ago and bruised his foot significantly. This has put a temporary end to his early morning attendance in the gym, and circling the Promenade Deck. However, the greatest loss has been that he is unable to dance. Horrors! So we headed off to bed after the show – no dancing the night away in Hemispheres for us for a while.