PARDON MY ABSENCE PART 1

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I’ve been away from my blog for a bit, but that does not mean that I have stopped traveling.  Since Rio de Janeiro, we have cruised up the Brazilian coast, crossed through the ABC Islands of the Caribbean, and are about to pass through the Panama Canal for the second time on this voyage.

Here is a quick catch-up on where we have been while I try to get my head back on straight…

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil 12-13 March

We took a taxi tour of the city, visiting the black and white lighthouse that dominated the shoreline. We went to the central park near the huge favela, which is a concentration of small shacks and homemade shelters that form a common community of the impoverished in Brazil. The park had wildlife and open spaces that we enjoy when we go ashore. In the pond, Dique do Tororó, there were eight giant statues representing female African deities.

The woman in the parking lot had a truck loaded with coconuts.  She held the coconut in one hand and hacked the top off in three quick chops with a machete using the other.  About three or four of these were enough to fill a one-liter bottle.  A cold one was pulled out for us to enjoy under the hot tropical sun.

We saw porcelain tiles being painted by hand. We visited a couple of churches and had lunch in the colorful UNESCO Heritage site in the heart of the city.

The next day, a few of us took a ride to the market a couple of miles away.  After checking everything out, the walkers among us walked back to the ship, while the shoppers moved on to the mall for a bit of shopping.

Later that night, many of us got up early in the morning to watch the eclipse. The early birds saw the clouds and gave up. The ones that showed up nearer the peak were rewarded with a peek of the glowing red face of the moon at 3:20 in the morning.

Recife, Brazil. 15-16 March

Dusty and I took a walk around downtown Recife with Laura, Amanda, and RJ.  We looked at the old buildings and sculptures across the way before catching a cab to nearby Olinda.  When we got there, we walked through the park, went to the beach, and grabbed an early beer to recover from the heat.  When the weather forecast warned of impending rain in just about ten minutes, we found a good spot for lunch and climbed an insane hill to get there. We never got wet and didn’t need to rush.  But the view and the food were worth the effort.

We had learned that a castle had been built to display a wealth of art, sculptures, medieval weapons and armor, and even an original Rodin The Thinker. The place was called the Instituto Ricardo Brennand. We had time that afternoon to catch a cab out to the castle to be overwhelmed by the architecture, the art, as well as the grounds.

The next day, Dusty went with Andy and Alicia kback to the castle while I went on a scavenger hunt back in Olinda with a group of traveling buddies. I gained a deeper understanding of the city through the landmarks in the scavenger hunt, and Dusty got more time checking out the art in the castle.

Towards the end of our scavenger hunt, Doug found himself face to face with his doppelgänger in the marketing poster in front of a frozen drink stand. I got the shot to prove that it really was a remarkable resemblance, right down to the clothes and mustache.   

Fortaleza, Brazil 18 March

They suggested getting off the ship to go to a beach and have something to eat or drink there. This is where you realize that you are living on a ship and not constantly on vacation.  We took the day off to chill.

Belem, Brazil 21-24 March

We would be spending four days in Belém in part due to restrictions on the time our ship could be in Brazilian waters.  We could not go up and back on the Amazon River without incurring huge fines from the government.  So we made the best of it and did an overnight stay up the Amazon for a birding adventure with Kate, Harlee, and our previous birding buddy, Basia.

An hour and a half Uber ride for under $30.00 got us to the Eco Hotel Fisher on the banks of the river.  It looked like a faded gem with marble floors and chandeliers in the lower level and a room with two balconies for us to enjoy upstairs.  We had preordered dinner and when it came we realized we made a mistake.  There was enough for twenty people and we were only six.  It was wonderful and miserable all at the same time.

Early the next morning, we were driven to the home of the guide who would show us the birds of Brazil.  We were fed a local breakfast while watching birds come and go in the backyard of our hosts.  We didn’t have to go far to go birdwatching.  Out the front gate and to the left, we began.  Their property was adjacent to a national preserve, so the wildlife was abundant. There was a toucan trying to take down another bird’s nest from a tree, flocks of parrots, a paradise jacamar, and we were nearly run over by a greater yellow-headed vulture.

After a lunch of local fish, cassava, and fruit, we made a second attempt at birding in the heat, only to stop short of the full day of birding we were hoping to do. As we had come out in two vehicles, we were going back in two. The first group was taken into town to try and catch transportation from there. They ended up taking buses to get back to the ship. I decided to give Uber a shot out here on a dirt road in the light rain that had started. I was surprised when they said it would be there in five minutes. As we got into the car, it started to pour, and we were grateful for the nonstop ride back to our home on the water.

The next day, Joe, Patty, Andy, and Shelly joined me in a walk up to the market that was open that day.  There were stalls all around the park selling arts, crafts, food, and souvenirs. Shelly found a hand-carved wooden charcuterie board to gift her brother, who can’t be shopped for.  I found meat on a stick and took full advantage of it.

Before we left we checked out the famous fish market and managed to pick up the cachaca that was needed to make the local cocktail called a caipirinha.

Devils Island, French Guiana 27 March

The site of the prison on Papillon was not for us to visit. The seas were too rough, and the tenders were not able to get us to shore, so all we could do was look from our ship.

St. George’s, Grenada 1-2 April

Grenada would be my first scuba dive since I left the Caribbean last year.  It would also be my first night dive.  With ten people in the group and two dive masters, it would be exciting but not really risky.  We have a family with two teen girls who would be escorted by JR, who is very experienced, as well as the dive master.  I would be diving with David, Darrel, Andy, and Lori. Later, it turned out that Lori wouldn’t make it due to a shoulder injury.

We would dive a shipwreck and the famous underwater sculpture garden in the daytime. After sunset, we would dive Flamingo Bay. The wind was up a bit on our first dive, and it took a little coordination to get us all to the bottom before we could get started. The wreck had plenty of sea life around, on, and in it. I was happy to be back in the water and really getting to love scuba diving.

The sculpture garden was a bit surreal.  It had been constructed to help take some of the stress off the reefs and had become an international celebrity itself.  Some of the images are iconic, and the fact that they are constantly changing as the coral grows on them and the fish interact makes it a marvel to move through.

We were well briefed before each dive, and the night dive had a little extra information. They reminded us about the use of lights and what to do to avoid disturbing sleeping fish and ruining our night vision with our own lights.

It was definitely a different experience and one that I will want to do again.  The world is only what is within your beam. The activity is different, and the whole group looks like specters wandering through the underwater space.  At one point, a large sea turtle swam into our group.  First one, then another swept across the gliding creature.  He seemed unfazed and slowly began to circle within the stadium of light we had created.  When he tired of us, he shot off with amazing speed into the blackness below.

The next day I returned to both the sculpture garden and Flamingo Bay.  This time I was snorkeling instead of scuba diving.  The contrast gave me a greater appreciation of the merits of both.  The freedom of scuba to spend time below water makes every site below the surface an opportunity to really examine details.  The limited equipment and low cost of snorkeling mean that any place where you can get into the water and have face-down time, you can just jump in.  You have unlimited air and almost no hardware on your body to keep you from being one with the water. Both places were beautiful each day in slightly different ways.

Kingstown, St. Vincent & the Grenadines 3-4 April

One of the things to do in St. Vincent & the Grenadines is a hike up La Soufrière Volcano.  A group of us from the ship hired a couple of vans to get us there and guide us up the very physical climb.  People who had done it the day before said that it was one of the toughest climbs they had done, and some had not finished.

On the way, we stopped to pick up one more guide at a shore along the way.  It turned out this local was not worth the trouble to bring along.  It turned out he was both drunk and high and became more than a nuisance to one of our shipmates.

The hike started out in a forested area with bamboo and lush growth.  Clouds covered the top of the volcano, and we were aware there was a good chance of rain before the day ended.  Our extra guide set out at a pretty quick pace, and some of the more advanced hikers kept up. The rest got spread out, and eventually, we had about 500 meters between the front of our group and the back.

I tried to keep up with a pace that wouldn’t stress me too much, but still get a good workout in. My watch could monitor my heart rate, and when I got over 140 beats per minute, I would pause for it to drop a bit.  My shoes were not really up to the job, and as we got above the tree line, I found myself slipping toward a 200-foot drop-off and again adjusted my technique from exercise to survival.

About an hour and a half into our climb, the rain started, followed by wind that was increasing as we got higher. Eventually, our original guides decided that safety outweighed summiting in rain and wind that would yield no great vistas.

On the way back down, our stoner guide tried to separate one of our group to express his affection. She was not receptive and managed to keep him at bay until we all got back down the mountain.

Fort-De-France, Martinique 5-6 April

La Favorite rum is one of the best in the world, and it is made at a family-owned distillery in Martinique.  While we were on the island, a group of us made our way there by taxi to take a tour and tasting.  It was rather amazing how different the samples were that we tasted.  And yes, I did pick up a bottle for later.

On our second day there, we had our first Global Harmony event.  We contacted a local Lions Club and asked them to join us on the ship.  They brought several young Lions “Cubs” along and told us about the charity work they were doing to help children in Haiti with education after the earthquake and social unrest there.

Bridgetown, Barbados 7-8 April

In Bridgetown, we took a walking food tour of the city. Baked and fried goodies were provided in abundance, and we got a chance to see the local fresh markets as well. On our return, there was a local dance group who entertained us onboard with brightly colored outfits and bouncing body parts in rhythm to the drum beats.