Wednesday 18th January. Our first day on the Amazon

I woke about 5.30 this morning, the light through the port hole was dim, not quite dark, but not really light enough to count as sunrise.  I tried to go back to sleep, but I knew we were now in the Amazon Delta, and that there would be loads to see, not least the bugs! I was up and out of the cabin by 6.

Anchemola Sphinx

There were only a few of the large moths that I know land on the ship as we do this cruise, but I expected that.  The delta is so wide here (130 miles), that the islands and land are some distance away, so it's a bit of a feat for anything to get over the water to us.  I decided to practice my photography skills on the few that were about. Peter decided to have a play too.  This meant a session of bending over, crouching down, standing on rickety chairs and a stiff neck from looking up at the undersides of the decks above. (Who needs an exercise class?) Net Result?  About 30 photographs each of the moths and I'll probably delete 29 of them.

I don't know what this one is called

As we sailed in, a flock of large billed terns chased us up river, diving for the fish that had been disturbed by the draft of the ship, and flocks of ducks appeared to be lost, flying this way and back, back and forth.  Just about every passenger was on deck before breakfast, eager for their first sight of the massive river.

The ship anchored outside the pilot station at Macapa, and as usual, there is a pause whilst the pilot comes aboard and the ship goes through the custom and immigration procedures involved in this cruise.  This includes around 6 to 8 immigration officials joining the ship.  They'll stay on board for the time we are in Brazil, not leaving until we sail out of the delta. They've taken over the conference room to work in, meaning Peter can't run any more art classes until they get off.

A few hours later we set sail again and I've spent the whole day since watching the Amazon go by. Nobody wanted to leave the decks, mesmorised as we were by the river and the rainforest.

Everyone was armed with binoculars and cameras, and I ended up talking to a guy with a massive zoom lens which made me think he might be a birder. It turned out that photograpy was his thing, "taking the picture" he said.  "What?  Like that one?" I said, lifting the camera and pressing the button.

So it's been an awesome day, which ended perfectly  with the comedian David Huband.  He was even funnier on the second show than the first. Just brilliant.

Tomorrow will be our first Amazon 'port'.  We'll anchor outside Alter Do Chao and go ashore by tender.  Bring it on.

Tuesday 17th January - Four days crossing the Atlantic.

What can I tell you?  The weather has been glorious, with blue skies and temperatures rising day on day. In fact it's gotten to the point that it's unbearable to leave the shade of the ship.

On Saturday the flying fisth started to appear.  All day they've been bursting from the water in panic, whizzing across the ocean surface, flicking their the tips of their tails in the water to add propulsion and desperate to get as far away from the ship as possible.  After a beautiful glide, they spoil the mystique by plopping unceremoniously back into the waves at the end. Fascinating creatures  A couple of sharks have been spotted over the side too.  So there's been plenty to keep the passengers entertained.

As the fish were exposing themselves to the air, the passengers were exposing themselves the sun.  There were a few red faces around at the end of the day as a result, and it looks very painful.

Sunday:- More of the same, fish and burning flesh.  I bought the 50th birthday Commerative book about the Marco Polo, with loads of stuff in it that I found really interesting.  For instance, she was built as one of 5 Russian cruise ships. Of her 4 sister ships, 3 have since come to the end of the service and been broken up, but the youngest ended up sinking off the New Zealand coast and is now a wreck beneath 115 foot of water and enjoyed by divers

Monday:-  More flying fish and more heat. People are getting excited at the Amazon gets closer.  I've been attending the Photography and Whale and Dolphin lectures, as well as the creative writing classes, so the days have been pleasantly filled.  Peter has already sold the first two paintings that he's completed on board, and I've been reading/devouring the book I've brought with me.  It's been a good few days.

Today:- The temperature is still rising - I'm sure you could cook eggs on the decks.  Peter has run his classes this morning, and I attended Robin Petch's lecture on Rainforests and Amazon wildlife and this afternoon we've been out to watch the Crossing the Equator ceremony.  They got the Captain involved this time, and ended up chucking just about every one of the entertainment staff into the pool.  Good fun for everyone involved and watching.

The passengers looking on.  Just about everyone was out on the back deck.  And it was hot!

The service staff dress as the barbers.

At about 7am tomorrow we'll arrive at Macapa Pilot Station. Our Amazon Adventure awaits.

Friday 13th January - Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Islands

The ship was docked when we woke this morning.  Through the port holes we could see the rocky mountains that surround the bay, the blue, blue water of the sea and the bright sky under an even brighter sun.  Mindela looked beautiful.

Looking over the Marina at Mindelo

Last night we'd been surprised to find we'd been selected for tour escorting duties this afternoon, but this morning we had time to look around the city.

I loved the colours of the clothes, beautiful patterns and colours everywhere

We've been several times before, and to be honest, we've seen everything the town has to offer, but it's always good to go ashore and stretch your legs.  Peter wanted to get photographs of fishing boats on the beach for a few paintings he was thinking of, and I still had me head full of the stuff I'd learnt in the photography lectures, so we set off, cameras at the ready. It turns out we haven't already seen everything the town has to offer, I'd never been in the little church before, or the vegetable market.

Many of the buildings have this rather enchanting worn look

We had to get back to the ship so that we could grab a bit of lunch and be ready for our tour at 12.30.  I was escorting the first of three buses. It was as I was taking the tickets from the 12th and 13th passengers that I asked if they were superstitious, since they were getting on bus number 13.  That's when I found out today was Friday 13th. I knew then that it was going to be a good afternoon.

And it was.  Our guide, Willy, was excellent.  He got the passengers singing to him and provided just the right amount of information at the right time to educate us.  The only thing any of us wished to be different was the road. There doesn't appear to be much tarmac on the island, and the narrow roads that wind their way up and down the hills are made from a sort of uneven stone blocking.  And I mean VERY uneven.  It got to the point where I was glad that I still had me own teeth, as I'm sure they would've otherwise fallen out as we bounced and rattled along.  Women on the bus secured their busts up in their arms and all wished for the same thing.  A sports bra!

But it was worth it for the photo stops at Pik a Zua and Mont Verde. The trip ended in a tourist complex near to the ships berth, where we were entertained by what seemed to be the local dance teachers and their pupils.  The kids were wonderful, and you could see how proud the teachers were.  The people of Sao Vicente and Mindelo are very poor, but hopefully a little less so after the Marco Polo passengers gladly gave large tips to both the dancers and our guide.

I think the boy has caught the pigeon for food.

So we've had an excellent day, probably the best so far.  As we looked around Mindelo, we could see the changes that tourism is bringing.  The infrastructure is improving, the city is cleaner and a lot of money is going into policing the streets, which probably accounts for the reduction of beggars.  Sadly, the population is still very poor.  Here's hoping that tourism on the island continues to increase and that the locals are included in the profits.

At last but not least, I have to mention the evening's entertainment in the show lounge.  David Huband is a comedian, and he kept us laughing for the whole 45 minutes of his show.  OK, so quite a few of the jokes were well used, but that didn't stop us enjoying them. A really good evening.

Tomorrow we start across the rest of the Atlantic Ocean.  It will be 5 days until we get off the ship again and we'll have to keep ourselves occupied in the meantime.  Looks like I'll be attending a few more photography lectures then, dunnit?