DAY 16---SANTAREM

 

        Last stop on the Amazon.  We dropped anchor at 7am.  It is already 80 degrees with mostly cloudy skies.  Mostly sunny later in the day with temperature reaching 86 degrees.

Background Info

        This important financial and economic center is located midway between the two largest cities on the Amazon.  Manaus is 500 miles to the west and Belem, at the mouth of the Amazon, is 500 miles to the east.  It is located where the Tapajos River flows into the Amazon River which results in another “meeting of the waters” (deep blue Tapajos River water flows into and meets the dirty brown Amazon water)  The city has a population of 300,000.  Founded in 1661 by the Portuquese, it is one of the oldest cities in the Amazon basin.
    The highway south out of the city is used to transport soybeans from plantations to the Cargill storage facility here and is then loaded on ships for export.  Soybeans are also barged down the Tapajos River to Cargill here.  Huge cattle feedlots, mining, and tourism are also important to the economy here.

LAST EVENING

                           Kasia singing to one of the ship's production cast singers and dancers.

                                                     One of the head waiters, Valeriano.

        This is one of my favorite appetizers, mussel & vegetable cassoulet.  Puff pastry covering black mussels and shredded vegetable in a saffron cream sauce.

        Our fried chicken was very good but they brought each of us 6 thighs.  The chef's idea of cream gravy was not even close.  Not edible!  He needs to visit Texas!

      We did not eat these so I am sure the waiters enjoyed them after their service was over.

                                                     Jeri Sager's show was not very good.

TODAY

There is a barge along side below our balcony today with local boats to transport guests ashore.

        Did not go ashore here.  Tender ride then bus to downtown area is too much of a hassle for my back.  Besides it's too hot (86) and humid.  We had lunch up in La Veranda.  I took the following photos from outside of La Veranda after lunch.

        In addition to the road south out of the city to large farms/plantations, barges (pictured above) haul soybeans down the Tapajos River also to the Cargill facility here for storage then loaded on ocean going grain ships (pictured in first photo) and exported.

                                                     Guests returning from tours ashore.

        We sailed again at 4pm.  Heading back out of the Amazon but will take another day before we are again in the Atlantic Ocean.  This afternoon I contacted Mike in Dallas to have him pick us up on the 21st at DFW airport.  So now all plans are made for going home.  I'm now getting some pre-surgery information from my surgeon's office via email.

        Our Cruise Director, Ray Solaire, will be doing a pre-dinner show at 5:45 with his puppet "friends" in the theater.  He is a very good ventriloquist and can also sing.  So we shall pick up a drink on our way to his show.

        Dinner tonight will be at 7:00 in Compass Rose again.  At 8:30 they are showing the movie, "Gladiator II", on the big screen in the theater.  At 9:15 up in Galileo's Lounge there is a "Rock the Boat" dance party.

        Tomorrow we will be still sailing down the Amazon River.