North By Northwest

The road home leads us north through the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies via Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua while finishing off in San Juan. Cruising is a great way to travel, however over indulgence, and lack of exercise in addition to the temptation of unlimited wine and beer does come with a price. One does not adapt as well as when I was 50ish or so and I for one am a slow learner when it comes to self control. We had a great self drive island tour in Barbados with yours truly as the self proclaimed guide and driver (keep to the left) as we were excited to show off the island to Lorne, Shirley, Bill and Diane. We have been to the sugar isle on more occasions than I can remember, so it was almost like a homecoming. The drive is very familiar, but the island has changed immensely since we last visited probably over 10 years ago. We did have a quick stopover on another cruise a few years back with friends Eric and Arianne where we took in many of the same iconic tourist stops such as Bottom Bay, see video

Foul Bay, Cherry Tree Hill, the East Coast and of course the famous Fisherman’s Pub for lunch. We did an excursion in St. Lucia, taking a tram ride over the rainforest canopy far below with views of the Pitons in the far off distance, which were somewhat covered by clouds that day. Somewhere over there Oprah must have been waving. The Antigua stop over included an island tour of this British outpost complete with views from the fort overlooking the Lord Nelson Docks. Stunning! The bride as well :) This is the playground of the rich and famous with multimillion dollar yachts dotting the inlets below and a tour of the yacht club was a real eye opener when it comes to the inequality of wealth and opulence and the degree to which there is so much inequality between the haves and have nots of the world. We have reached Puerto Rico, our final destination and it’s time to make our trip back to reality. Thanks for following along. Until the next time. Viagens Seguras!

Papillon

We didn’t find any butterflies this morning, but this was the day we lay anchor off the Ilses du Salut in French Guiana. The main island and Devils Island are noted for the epic film Papillon created in 1973 starring Steve McQueen ad Dustin Hoffman. This movie is based on the true story of French convicts who were sentenced and banished to years of hard labour, by serving out their sentences in the French colony off the coast of French Guiana. Considered the most inhumane place of imprisonment, the small three islands are surrounded by shark infested waters. Very few who actually served time here actually got back to La Republique. Despite disease, mal nourishment and the harsh living conditions, only Henri Chararriere (Papillon), was the only convict to escape according to legend. In addition to the barracks, cemetery and living quarters of the guards who served, real members of the French Gendarmes still reside here and there is a small boutique hotel, but for what reason is unknown to me. Despite the rain we all agreed that the island itself is an idyllic paradise if not for it’s violent history. My son Tyler informed me of the importance of French Guiana in the world of space exploration and discovery. Apparently there are two launching pads located here and run by the European Space Agency of which France is a member. Though quite a few miles off shore I was able to spot the two launching sites and enhance the photographs somewhat. It looked to me that one of the sites actually had a rocket ready for launch. Pretty cool being able to see these launch sites only about 50 miles north of the equator. There was an announcement that we were missing one passenger and the ship’s horn sounded loudly for about 30 seconds to signal our departure. I don’t know if the passenger ever returned or was found as we didn’t pull anchor for at least another hour as there were official motor craft circling our ship. I suppose the guests and the gossip will be rampant with all sorts of theories and anecdotes when we grab a seat at the bar to listen in later this evening. We are heading up the Caribbean and should reach Barbados in the next two days. Viagens Seguras!

It's a Long Way

The river highway between Manaus in central Amazonia and Belem at the Atlantic entrance to the Amazon Basin is about 1500 kms in distance. We will do it with stops in Parintins and Santarem. Local Amazon riverboats would typically do it in five days but we will complete it in three. The highway is wide and it is muddy. We will cross the equator later this afternonn but as I look out from the Sun Deck, all I can see to the horizon in all directions is a green canopy of jungle with a bluebird sky and lots of puffy whites.The river is coffee coloured with all the silt which has been washed down from the Andes. Our stop in Santarem was a cultural surprise with a spectacular indigenous show put on by the locals. See the video Above and beyond for technical merit; this outcast post prides itself on the production. The costumes and energy were spectacular in addition to the music being outstanding. Supposedly the show was put on by locals and was a real testament to their talents and commitment to preserve their indigenous heritage. See video

The walk about town was equally fascinating as we found the locals to be most friendly and welcoming. What gets me is that I would bet that 95% of our fellow travellers would not venture any further into town to discover what else awaits them on the other side of the orange cones. This may be a generalization on my part, but I would venture to say that Americans who are not surrounded by fellow Americans feel very insecure. Could it be that they sub conscientiously realize that many look at them critically? The arrogance of a few has led to being ostracized by many. I am taken by the slight stature of people but what they lack in height is more than made up with their enthusiastic and warm welcome. While washing down a local beverage we were suddenly aware of a torrential downpour. The noise was deafening while we waited it out with beers under a tin roof but now we have really experienced an Amazon deluge. Watch the video for the sights and more particularly the pounding on the tin roof.

The stop in Santarem for me was less than inspirational. Nothing much to see at the local cathedral and the local market wasn’t exceptional in the slightest. However the extension to a local family outpost did prove to be an interesting side trip to see how rubber trees were tapped for its latex substance to make pliable rubber products. The process for harvesting and producing manioc or cassava, a flour like substance was also informative and insightful for how local communities would be able to provide food in order to sustain themselves. It’s a sail day today as we make our way for Iles du Salut in French Guiana. Viagens Seguras!