FUN-travel: South America: Regent 7 Seas Cruise – 22 Days – Amazon River – Parintins & Santarem, Brazil
March 16, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: South America: Regent 7 Seas Cruise – 22 Days – Amazon River – Parintins & Santarem, Brazil
Day 34 – Thursday March 8 – Amazon River – Parintins, Brazil – Sunrise 6:54 – Sunset 7:01 – clouds & sun, hot, humid, high 80’s
Really Good Day!
Boi Bumba Folk Show
- 7:30 – wake up to cup of really, really hot cappuccino in room courtesy of my love
- 8:00 – down to deck 6 for more cappuccino
- 9:55 – breakfast of fresh fruit on Veranda
- Bad News – didn’t book only tour of day & no more tickets
- 11:00 Lunch – Amazon fish BBQ on deck – biggest fresh water fishes have ever seen
- Good News – 3 tickets are available
- Excursion – 12:50 – Boi Bumba Folk Show – fabulous show w/elements of theater & circus w/drumming, singing, dancing – elaborate costumes & floats
- Short walk through very small town
- Bad News – over priced street vendors not willing to deal
- 4:15 – happy hour on pool deck
- 6:30 – pre dinner cocktails @ favorite bar deck 6
- Dinner – La Veranda for more French Bistro
FF (FUN-fact) – The annual Boi Bumba Folkloric Festival held in June last three days and is the biggest celebration in Amazonas and the second largest festival in Brazil after Rio’s Carnaval.
Parintins
More FF – The scales from the fish make great finger nail files.
Day 35 – Friday, March 9 – Amazon River – Santarem, Brazil – Sunrise 6:46 – Sunset 6:52 – hot, humid, clouds
- Bad News – early wake up 7 am
- Good News – really, really hot cappuccino in room courtesy of my love
- Excursion – 8:35 – River Tour & Eco Maica Lake
- Depart 9 am – from dock in small boats – takes 45 min to get to lake – see houses along shore & birds – stop for Piranha fishing
- Bad News – I don’t catch one, but other passenger does
- Arrive dock – 12:40 pm
- Bad News – ship departs 1 pm & wanted to shop
- Good News – local vendors @ end of pier – willing to deal – power shop & get great present for friend
- Good News – 12:50 back on board
- Lunch – Kebabs & Souvlakis on pool deck
Santarem
- 2:30 – Nap
- 6:30 – Happy Hour
- Dinner – 7:00 – new cruise mate friends Katie & Phillip get reservation to Signatures – the other fine dining restaurant – French & VG!
FF – For much of its path, the Amazon River can be as much as one to six miles wide! During flood seasons, the Amazon River can be much, much wider; some report it is more than 20 miles wide in certain places.
More FF – Piranhas may be the smallest of the river monsters to roam the world’s fresh waters, but don’t be fooled by their size. The mouth of a piranha, no matter how tiny, is packed with sharp, triangular teeth that are tailor-made for puncturing and tearing the flesh of prey. This fish, working in large packs, can strip away meat down to the bone in a matter of minutes. Locals in the Amazon region often use piranha teeth to make tools and weapons.
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #397: Hakuna Matata
March 16, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #397: Hakuna Matata
Hakuna Matata – a Swahili phrase that is literally translated as “There are no worries.” It is sometimes translated as “no worries,” although is more commonly used similarly to the English phrase “no problem.”
Do you spend time dwelling on the past? Do you worry about things that haven’t happened yet? Are you fully living in the present?
In 1994 the Walt Disney Studios animated movie The Lion King brought the phrase international recognition, featuring it prominently in the plot and devoting a song to it. A meerkat and a warthog, named Timon and Pumbaa respectively, teach the main character, a lion cub named Simba, that he should forget his troubled past and live in the present.
Timon and Pumbaa
Have you heard the saying, “It is what it is?” Some things are just simply out of our control. And I have learned to not let that affect me. Another saying I have referenced before is, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.”
One of the responses that I am hearing from service personnel more often is, “No Worries.” Especially when we were in Canada and the UK.
One of the things that I like about traveling is that I am totally focused on everything around me and am living “in the present.” The same applies for when I am playing golf. All I think about is hitting that stupid little ball!
This week’s focus is on having “no problems.” Have you ever said, “Hakuna Matata when a problem arose? Did you handle the situation differently? How would it feel to be able to say, “no problem” or “no worries” and mean it?
Reader Responses
“Hakuna Matata is a phrase that I have tried to impart to my daughters. But at age three and 10, everything revolves around them, whether it be home life, school or friends. So, they will worry about very small things, including whether a friend or friends will talk to them the next day at school. On these occasions, especially before my 10-year-old goes to bed at night, I will let her know that by tomorrow her friends will have forgotten about whatever spat had taken place. So, don’t worry about it. As I have matured during my lifetime, I have learned to accept what life presents me each day and enjoy each day as it comes. Over the past five days I have been dealing with a sinus infection, which has kept me in bed. Yesterday morning I was still sleeping at 10 a.m. when my three-year-old starts banging on my mattress demanding to be taken to the park. I had a great laugh as I looked at her and she started laughing. Obviously, she thought it was very funny. I told her that after I had breakfast and showered that I would take her. So, we went to the park for about an hour. She just did not want to get off that swing. I enjoyed that time with Emma and extended the moment. It was beautiful enjoying that time in the present, even though I was still under the weather. I did the same thing with her on Saturday. She had a great time. As I have told friends of mine, these are the best times of our lives. And I am enjoying them. So, whatever happens tomorrow, happens. I am enjoying the here and now. And it is a beautiful thing. Enjoy the Madness, Susan. Take care.” – “Warrior” Joe
FUN-travel: South America: Regent 7 Seas Cruise – 22 Days – Amazon River – Manaus, Brazil
March 13, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: South America: Regent 7 Seas Cruise – 22 Days – Amazon River – Manaus, Brazil
Day 32 – Tuesday, March 6 – Amazon River – Manaus, Brazil – Sunrise 6:08 – Sunset 6:15 – lots of thick clouds, low 80’s
Jungle Cruise
- Bad News – early wake up 7 am
Pet Anaconda Snake
- Good News – really, really hot cappuccino in room courtesy of my love
- Excursion – 8:35 – Jungle Trek – 45 min boat ride to jungle
- Bad News – boat breaks down half way
- Good News – another boat brings fuel & we go
- Bad News – we lost an hour
- Bad News – rain starts when we get to start of trek
- More Bad News – don’t see any animals & path is muddy & slippery
- Good News – minimal bugs & no mosquito bites
- 1:00 head back to ship – ominous clouds roll in – thunder, lightning & torrential downpour
- Good News – boat docks next to ship so don’t get soaked (other tours were not as lucky)
- Bad News – arrive 1:45 & lunch ends @ 2 pm
- Good News – they keep it open until 3:15
- 3:30 – nap
- 6:30 – Happy Hour
- 7:30 – Dinner – Good News – La Veranda has French Bistro night!
FF (FUN-fact) – The Amazon River has the largest watershed (area of land that flows into the river) and more tributaries (streams that flow into it) than any other river in the world. It has more than 200 tributaries.
Day 33 – Wednesday, March 7 – Amazon River – Manaus, Brazil – Sunrise 6:07 – Sunset 6:14 – ominous clouds, rain, humid, 80’s
Meeting of the Waters
- Bad News – early wake up 7 am
Manaus Cathedral
- Good News – really, really hot cappuccino in room courtesy of my love
- Excursion – 8:20 – Meeting of the Waters cruise – 45 min boat ride to jungle
- Bad News – torrential downpour
- Good News – boat has plastic roll down
- Bad News – can’t see anything for 45 min
- Good News – it stops
- Good News – big boat takes us to small boat & it doesn’t break down!
- More Good News – this is like Disneyland except the boats aren’t on rails
- See houses along river – locals & their pets canoe over – see caiman & Anaconda snake
- On way back to ship go to see the meeting of the waters
- Lunch – thank god for pizzeria!
- 2:15 – walk into town to see Cathedral & Teatro Amazonas – opera house symbolizes opulence of the rubber boom – Italian marble, Murano glass chandeliers, & Scottish cast iron all imported
- 4:30 – back to ship & Happy Hour
- 7:30 – dinner in Compass Rose
FF – Meeting of the Waters is the confluence of the Rio Negro (black) and the Rio Solimões (sandy) near Manaus, Brazil. The separate shades of water run side by side for more than 4 miles without mixing. The difference in temperature, density and flow rate of each river causes the separation.
Teatro Amazonas
More FF – Manaus is called the “Paris of the Jungle.”
FUN-travel: South America: Regent 7 Seas Cruise – 22 Days – Amazon River – Alter Do Chao & Boca de Valeria, Brazil
March 11, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: South America: Regent 7 Seas Cruise – 22 Days – Amazon River – Alter Do Chao & Boca de Valeria, Brazil
Day 30 – Sunday, March 4 – Amazon River – Alter Do Chao, Brazil – Sunrise 6:48 – Sunset 6:55 – mostly blue skies w/some high clouds, 90’s, hot & humid
Alter Do Chao
Another Really Good Day!
- 7:30 – wake up to cup of really, really hot cappuccino in room courtesy of my love
- 8:00 – down to deck 6 for more cappuccino
- 9:55 – breakfast of fresh fruit on Veranda
- 12 noon – lunch – thank god for the pizzeria!
- Excursion 3:00 pm – tenders are slow – finally leave 3:30
- Small island w/white sand beaches on the Rio Tapajos – locals weekend retreat – nice walk to town square
- Return 5:00
- Happy Hour – favorite bar on 6
- Dinner – La Veranda is getting a bit boring since every night is Portofino night
- Good News – get an extra hour of sleep!
FF (FUN-fact) – The Amazon River is the second longest river in the world (the Nile River in Africa is the longest) and is about 4,000 miles long.
Day 31 – Monday, March 5 – Amazon River – Boca de Valeria, Brazil – Sunrise 6:54 – Sunset 7:00 – light rain in morning – sun mixed w/clouds – cooler 80’s
Really, Really Good Day!
- 7:30 – wake up to cup of really, really hot cappuccino in room courtesy of my love
- 8:00 – down to deck 6 for more cappuccino
- 9:55 – breakfast of fresh fruit on Veranda
Pet Caiman
- Excursion – tiny Indian fishing village – locals dressed in bright costumes & children w/their pets line the main path on the bank of the river – see sloths, iguana, pair of keets, parrots, & baby caiman!
- 1st stop – local home
- 2nd stop – 30 min canoe ride – $5 per person – up river see lots of birds & just enjoy the view
- Good News – this was the best excursion!
- Lunch – Bavarian BBQ – all kinds of sausages
- 2:30 – Nap
- 6:30 – Happy Hour – favorite bar on 6
- Dinner – Compass Rose
FF – Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are the starting sources for the Amazon River.
FUN-travel: South America: Regent 7 Seas Cruise – 22 Days – At Sea to Amazon River, Brazil
March 10, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: South America: Regent 7 Seas Cruise – 22 Days – At Sea to Amazon River, Brazil
Day 28 – Friday, March 2 – Day at Sea – Sunrise 6:07 – Sunset 6:12 – lots of big, thick, white billowy clouds mixed w/light gray – high 80’s, really warm
More Carnaval Decorations
Another Really Good Day!
- 7:30 – wake up to cup of really, really hot cappuccino in room courtesy of my love
- 8:00 – down to deck 6 for more cappuccino
- 9:55 – breakfast of fresh fruit on Veranda
- 10:30 – enrichment lecture on the Amazon river
- Good News – Amazon anthropologist for 37 yrs has never taken Malaria pills – me either! (twice on trips have taken them & never even saw a mosquito)
- 11:00 – walk around wine tasting – 4 areas in dining room featuring wines from Chile, Argentina, Italy & US w/appetizers – VG!
- 11:45 – King Neptune’s Equator Crossing Ceremony on pool deck
- Bad News – missed most of it because of the wine tasting – looked like FUN
- 12 noon – lunch – Asian BBQ & sushi – thank god for the pizzeria!
House on the Amazon
- 2:30 back to room for A/C & siesta
- Happy Hour – 6:30 – my favorite place – deck 6 (drinks stay cold)
- Dinner – Compass Rose
- 9:30 – entertainment – David DiMuzio – comedian & world champion juggler – pretty good!
- Good News – rain @ night
Along the Amazon
FF (FUN-fact) – Shellbacks are people who have crossed the equator and Pollywogs are those who have not.
Day 29 – Saturday, March 3 – Day on Amazon – Sunrise 6:34 – Sunset 6:38 – big thick clouds w/some blue skies, hot & humid
Another Really Good Day!
- 7:30 – wake up to cup of really, really hot cappuccino in room courtesy of my love
- 8:00 – down to deck 6 for more cappuccino
- 9:55 – breakfast of fresh fruit on Veranda
- 12 noon – lunch – Burger Heaven BBQ w/every kind of extra you can think of
- 2:30 back to room for A/C & siesta
- Happy Hour – 6:30 – favorite place – deck 6 lounge
- Dinner – Prime 7 Steakhouse – upscale, reservation only – lobster tail & perfectly cooked strip steak VG!
- Entertainment – Le Cirque Mariner – fabulous show staring Stephan & Cindy from Paris! (just like a mini Cirque de Soleil w/acrobatics & wires)
FF – The Amazon River carries more water than any other river in the world and is responsible for about one-fifth (twenty percent) of the fresh water that flows into the world’s oceans.