Danger in Northern Brazil

The terrain is now much flatter and more like that of the Amazon basin. In Natal, TSH and Diva used the shuttle bus to visit a tourist market and then a modern shopping mall. The latter was extremely welcome because of air-conditioning and clean toilets. This is another city with big differences between rich and poor but in this case the better off seem to exist in greater numbers. However, the nice houses still have razor wire on their garden walls and at the tourist market, the local guide said that the market was safe but across the street by the beach was unsafe. This posed a dilemma for TSH, as it is a well-known fact that all photographs are superior if taken from a vantage point across the street. Diva eventually agreed to let him go, so long as he stayed by the police car. This was a fictional safety, as both knew that all the armed (!!) police were guarding the entrance to the tourist market and the police car was unoccupied. He managed to return unscathed, in spite of the fact that an expensive camera is one of the items that tourists are advised not to carry.

The next port of call was Fortaleza and the Silver Spirit was by the dock soon after 8:00, as scheduled. The captain used the PA system to inform everybody that it would be unsafe to allow anyone to go ashore because of excessive swell. Most captains tend to leave it at that but this one made several announcements, stressing his long years of experience and his (and Silversea’s) dedication to our safety. He provided a graphic description of ropes snapping and the unsafe gangway breaking with guests standing on it, leading to a massive accident. The guess is that some guests had been complaining about not going ashore, saying that the conditions did not look too bad to them. TSH and Diva were quite happy to accept his judgement. They found out later that the danger was even greater, as the shuttle bus they had intended to take to the centre of the city was to be diverted by the local tourist authority to a guarded beach, because the city centre was ‘unsafe’.

So Brazil is no more and there will now be 3 sea days before Devil’s Island – not great but unavoidable. There is to be a change of one of the ports on the next (final!!) leg of the cruise because of frequent past difficulties in landing there because of the swell. Not a major port so no problem there.

Parintins

The day started with great excitement. Christmas trees and decorations appeared overnight in the public areas.

A waiter at breakfast said that some of the grassier areas look from a distance just like England, a thought that had already occurred to TSH and Diva. A second waiter walked past muttering in gloomy fashion ‘we are in the middle of nowhere’.

The deck was not as wet as just after yesterday’s torrential rain when in some parts there were several inches to wade through. There were lots of small moths and insects but no big ones. The scariest landed on Diva’s lip and almost into her mouth.

The excursion was to a show in an air-conditioned centre. It covered traditional music and dance with fantastic costumes – a pale imitation of Rio’s Carnivale, but still very enjoyable. Until half way through when the lights went out at a dramatic part which seemed to be some kind of death rite. Everyone thought it was part of the drama but it turned out to be a power cut which might be fixed in five minutes ‘or tomorrow’. So everyone returned to the ship early, disappointed but impressed with the enthusiasm of the dancers.

Moving back towards the northern hemisphere and the Amazon mouth.

No new animals today (especially tigers) – just more vultures.

Getting to the furthest point

After dinner with the International Hostess, TSH and Diva made a rare after-dinner visit to the bar for whisky and port. The barman took the microphone and hammed up ‘Delilah’ in a unique way that made Tom Jones sound restrained.

Silver Whisper sailed past Manaus, providing a sight of a large populated area along the waterside, with a lot of industry as well as a city centre. This area has the first bridge across the Amazon, which is so important to road communications (most people use the river) that Silver Whisper had tugs as well as a special pilot to prevent any collision. Words from the captain suggested he was more than a  little insulted. The bridge is mostly conventional, with a beautiful suspension section in the middle. It seems to carry very little traffic.

The afternoon tour was to an area (Anavilhanas, and Acajatuba Village) which is nationally protected. The village was much more authentic than experienced a couple of days ago. The ‘see the pink dolphins’ experience was OK and some people swam with them but the sightings were no better than already experienced. For the first time ever, Diva saw a rainbow in the water other than in waterfalls. No unusual animals were sighted, in spite of the guide talking about anaconda, cayman and jaguar. Ancondas have been found under beds in the rainy season, whilst caymon and jaguar have an appetite for pet dogs.  A very large beetle was seen but an Australian said it was very small by Australian standards.   After being told not to stand under the Brazil nut tree because of the damage falling Brazil nuts can do, the guide had everyone stand in the shade under the tree whilst he delivered his talk. (see earlier reference to size of Brazil nut shells to appreciate potential danger) Diva kept a sharp eye out for jaguar but the most scary part was scrambling on and off the small boat. Getting back onto Silver Whisper for cold towels and Prosecco was the best bit.

The overall impression of the Amazon is the sheer scale of it. Hundreds of miles from the ocean and there are still places where the water stretches as far as the eye can see. Very little habitation, lots of forest and communication restricted to the water. If Brazil is experiencing an economic boom, it is not happening in this area, with the possible exception of Manaus. The biodiversity of the region is not accessible on this type of holiday – presumably you need jungle treks (and not the kind offered by Silversea) and expert guides. The only disappointing aspect of the cruise itself is the lecturer, who was yesterday talking about the Falkland Islands. TSH and Diva think that there should have been a specialist such as a zoologist to talk about this  special area so that everyone could get the most out of it.

On board: 15:55. Sail away 16:00. Essential to get back under the bridge to Manaus in daylight.

The fingernails were looking worse every time DEET was applied so eventually Diva paid the money to have the shellac removed.  The spa was lovely and the foot bath (bronze, with all kind of taps and jets) was amazing and worthy of being in pride of place in any home.

Santarem

This is one of the two large cities to be visited but despite this, neither TSH nor Diva has a phone signal. It is odd to see Christmas decorations and trees in temperatures which reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Huge insects came to the deck of the Silver Whisper in the morning providing TSH with photo opportunities.

The morning tour included a short walk through the forest to a production facility for tapioca. Well, a covered area in a woodland glade. There are two kinds of fruit and the best tapioca flour is made from the poisonous variety. (Just stay with me). And by poisonous, they mean ‘induces internal haemorrhage and you die’.  To render it harmless involves squeezing out the poisonous liquid and then heating it to drive out any remaining liquid. The guide handled the product at all stages but did eventually wash her hands. Diva stayed well away and did not inhale at any point. Or take advantage of the snacks. And in view of the level of peril, TSH was not allowed to do any of this either.  Diva will never eat tapioca again.

TSH and Diva also saw a local man slash a rubber tree to allow the latex to seep out – it dries very quickly so it soon turns into a long string like an elastic band. Brazil nut shells usually have over 20 nuts crammed into them and are very difficult to get at.

Slight contradiction: One guide said that yellow fever is endemic in the squirrel monkeys and another said that there has been no case of yellow fever or malaria in humans in the Amazon basin for years. So have TSH and Diva wasted a great deal of money on vaccinations and malarone?

Another visit was to the church where people were celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception. This takes one day in the UK but two weeks here, with much exuberant music, singing and waving.

The afternoon boat tour provided sightings of pink dolphins, but these are more difficult to see than whales or ocean dolphins because they only come to the surface very briefly. And Diva was very excited to see a large (4-5 ft??) iguana up a tree.

The ‘Meeting of the Waters’ is amazing with a definite line between the muddy brown Amazon and the blue Tapajos.

The piranha fishing was a disappointment as hardly anyone caught anything. TSH tried hard but just lost 6 lots of bait. Diva had expected it to take place at a fish farm but it happened at a random place along the river. The local fishermen did much better and held up a number of examples of large fish they had caught.

 There was compensation in sightings of many raptors (including many black vultures and a caracara), egrets, heron, cormorants, terns.