Note: We have combined two days of this cruise because, frankly, pretty much the only thing that took place was Steve hunting for souvenirs in both locations. We caution readers that you won’t learn much about these two locations, but we feel obligated to chronicle the days anyway for our own recollections in the future.
November 29th: At 5:15am, Steve wakes up and sees that the ship is underway. He sees barges moored opposite the town of Itacoatiara, so we have covered 107 of the 246 nautical miles we must travel to get to Parintins. The ship appears to be moving very fast, and he checks the information screen on the television and the speed is 14.6 knots/hour. But that measurement doesn’t account for the 2-3 knots/hour current. Since we are now heading downstream, the actual speed is more like 17 knots/hour. Seems faster than that, though.
Cathy awakens, and her right hip is giving her a lot of grief. We have breakfast at the Grand Dining Room at 8, and then proceed to the medical center on Deck 4. They prescribe some pain meds and give her a cortisone shot, which helps. But the discomfort is severe enough that she decides that visiting Parintins is out of the question.
We were originally scheduled to arrive at 11am, but around 9am, we are told that we won’t arrive in Parintins until 1pm, all due to the water barge issue in Manaus. Fortunately, there are no excursions available at this stop, so the delayed arrival is not an issue.
There is, however, a special performance being put on in Parintins, specifically put on for our ship: bumba-meu-boi. This revolves around an ancient Amazon fairy tale, and there is now an enormous two-day festival in Parintins called the Boi Bumba’ festival. We’ll let Wikipedia explain the rest: “Bumba Meu Boi is an interactive play celebrated in Brazil. It originated in the 18th century and evolved into a nationwide festival. It is a form of social criticism. Lower class Brazilians mock and criticize those of higher social status through a comedic Folklore story told in song and dance. Though not as well known internationally as Carnival and other Brazilian festivals, it is older and deeply rooted in the culture of Brazil. The tale can vary depending on the region and social setting at which it is practiced. However, its essential theme remains the same, with a focus on the death and resurrection of an ox.
“The principal figures include an ox, a white master (Cavalo Marinho, in Pernambuco), a black pregnant woman (Catirina), a Vaqueiro or cowboy (Mateus, Chico or Pai Francisco), others vaqueiros (cowboys), índios, índias and caboclos (indigenous people), a priest, and a doctor (or indigenous healers, pajés). The audience is also a key component of the performance, as passionate responses from spectators provide a hectic atmosphere. Additionally, performers are known to become playfully physical with the audience.
“Today, Bumba Meu Boi is separated into traditional, and modern practices. However, only the traditional forms can be found throughout the country. Both versions can be seen in Brazil from the June 13 to 29, as well as from December 25 (Christmas) to January 6.”
The performance is scheduled for 3:45pm today, and our ship drops anchor opposite the city at 1pm. Cathy is really in discomfort because of her right hip, so she won’t be leaving the ship. Steve doesn’t want to attend the performance without her, but intends to venture into the city specifically for souvenir hunting. Naturally, it’s hot and humid, so this might not last long.
The tender drops us off at the foot of an uphill concrete walk. Steve luckily runs into our new friends Mirabelle and Nelson Peterson as he and they are walking up the hill, and it turns out that they are on the same souvenir-hunting mission, so we team up.
Parintins has not seen a cruise ship in two years, and there is a lot of activity. The military is there as a police presence, and there are many pedi-cabs, but no shops specifically geared to us tourists. The three of us walk up the street away from the pier, but don’t find quite what we are looking for.
We turn around and start heading back the way we came. We happen to meet Alton from Destination Services. He tells us of one store a few blocks away, and also mentions that there are booths being set up near the building where the Boi Bumba concert is to take place.
We head to the booth area, and, indeed, find some interesting objects to buy for members of our families. The three of us head back toward the center. The Petersons have succeeded in their quest, but Steve has not. On the first street where we were, there were some really nice soccer shirts, and he wants to see if he can find some in the correct sizes for the grandchildren. We are in the midst of the World Cup, after all, and all of Brazil is engaged, so these shirts are everywhere.
He finds himself at a store he had perused previously, and they just don’t have the sizes he needs. Graciously, the store operator sends me to another store across the street. Bullseye! He is assisted by an adorable young Brazilian girl who does speak some English. He finds everything he wants for the kids and is brought to the cashier, another pair of very attractive young ladies. Steve is now under their spell, for sure. He pulls out his wad of Brazilian rials, and they are delighted to be paid in local currency.
Cash is exchanged, and Steve starts to head for the door. The young ladies must have noted that they hadn’t quite cleaned Steve out of local currency, because they quickly talk among themselves, and his original assistant takes him to another rack of shirts. She picks out one for him. Now, a shrewder shopper and a person not a pushover for an adorable sales person would have said “No, thanks.” Not Steve. In other forty-five seconds, he has parted with the rest of his cash, and has purchased a really nice polo shirt for himself, something he had never considered doing today.
Okay, it’s back to the ship. Nothing worth mentioning takes place for the rest of our visit to Parintins. We cannot say that we did justice to this second-largest city is Amazonas state, but the ship sails away at 7pm for Alter do Chão, 169 nautical miles downriver.
November 30th: Insignia anchors at 7am, an hour ahead of schedule.
Alter do Chão is a small resort community about 25 miles from Santarem, and a popular weekend retreat from that city because of its beautiful beaches. In fact, Wikipedia describes it this way: “It is the main tourist spot of Santarém, [and] it houses the most beautiful freshwater beach in the world according to the British newspaper The Guardian, and is popularly known as the Brazilian Caribbean.”
Ordinarily, a beach break would be just the right activity for us today, but Cathy is not up to it and both of us are consumed with finding Pink Dolphin t-shirts for our grandchildren. Why? Because these animals are symbolic of the entire Amazon River and would make unique gifts for them.
So Cathy stays aboard and Steve takes the very first tender to shore in his quest. Sure enough, there are plenty of booths set up to take care of our every souvenir need. It takes all of five minutes before he spots a clothesline tied between two trees with t-shirts hanging from it. He heads there, and begins to look around. A beautiful young Brazilian woman comes over to help (Uh, oh!). She does speak some English, and he asks if she has any pink dolphin t-shirts. Eureka! She does! The sizes are really just a little large (except for the one for Andy), but no matter. Within five minutes, he has four t-shirts, with a few rials left over. He leaves, thanking her profusely.
He cruises around some of the other booths, but hasn’t enough money for much else. He finds a small toy like one his mom brought back from one of her trips. He stops at another booth. He meets a really nice guy who is displaying his art – mainly jewelry. His English is excellent, and Steve and he have a quick conversation. He finds a little necklace for Sara, and parts with all the Brazilian money he has left – 23 rials (about $5).
After taking a few photos of the beautiful beach and wandering around aimlessly, he gets back on the tender and returns to the ship.
Mission accomplished. We spend the rest of the day and evening immersed in our routines. The ship departs at 3:30pm for the 1,439-nautical-mile journey back down the Amazon River and up the coast to Barbados, our next port of call.
