Live from the 2019 Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage

[Krazy Kruizers]

I remember Recife all too well.  That is where DH's cam recorder fried from the heat.  It was in the 90's and the humidity was awful.  Several other people also lost cam recorders and cameras.  Thankfully nothing happened to my camera.

 

Congratulations at winning afternoon trivia.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Recife doesn't doesn't look like it has changed much since we were there.  The terminal wasn't there when we were.

 

Great pictures.

[puppycanducruise]

Great pictures, thanks for posting.

The trivia seems to be getting more difficult (or is it just me?).

[Scrapnana]

March 2, 2019

At Sea

 

Another restful day at sea.  I arrived at Knitters and Stitchers at about 9:40 and stayed until 11:20.   We had another good size crowd with 14.

 

We received a letter today saying that our times have changed in a number of upcoming ports.

               Belem – 11 am-9:30 pm

               Santarem – 8 am – 5:30 pm

               Boca de Valeria – 7 am – 1:30 pm

               Manaus – 10 am (3/10) – 4:30 pm (3/11)

               Parintins – 9 am – 4pm

               Alter do Chao – 7 am – 4:30 pm

 

Patty and I ate at the Lido before afternoon trivia.  Last night at trivia Alice told us about a prank played on her on a past cruise.  All the players had been told to act like everyone had gotten perfect scores.  She asked us to do this with Linda today and we did.  Linda had an inkling that something was up she said, because everyone kept looking at her as we were going over the answers.  Everyone had a good laugh.

We had 17 out of 21 and tied with one other team for the win.

1) The British pound got its name because it originally was a pound (weight) of – gold, salt, silver, or copper?

2) What was the first Baltic republic to secede from the Soviet Union?

3) What radioactive element was named for the god of war?

4) In what decade was judo made an Olympic sport?

5) Name the six original members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

 

Pat and I went to arts and crafts where we decorated masks for the Mardi Gras celebration.

 

I sat out by the Lido pool afterwards.  It had been overcast all day so it kept the temperature down.  I stayed until slightly after 4:00 when it started to drizzle.

 

We had 20 out of 20 for evening trivia and tied with another team for the win.  We lost out on the tiebreaker (we are so bad on these).

1) What nationality is Justin Beiber?

2) What is the term for a black and white pony?

3) The Porsche automobile originated in which country?

4) What Christmas decoration is a parasite of the apple tree?

5) What South American mountain range is the source of the Amazon?

 

Ann and Pat, Pat and Tom, Patty, Sherita, and I decided to dine at The Pinnacle after trivia so we did not have to rush like we do when we go before trivia (it does not open until 5:30).  We had a great meal and stayed until 9:45.  I had the same thing as the first time we went.

 

I did not go to the show because I have to get up early for the first time in ages.  Our pick-up time is 8:30!

 

Afternoon trivia

1) Silver

2) Lithuania

3) Thorianite (none of us had every heard of it)

4) 1960s

5) John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam (this was the bonus and worth six points)

 

Evening trivia

1) Canadian

2) Piebald

3) Germany

4) Mistletoe

5) Andes

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Why are there port time changes?  Are the new times better?

 

Ready to do trivia questions with DH.

 

Sounds like a nice relaxing sea day.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Nice happy group at the Pinnacle.  DH has had the Pinnacle's Baked Alaska quite a few times and likes it.

 

I see the crew was busy fruit carving in the Lido.

 

Was hoping to see a picture of the decorated masks for Mardi Gras.

[The Other Tom]

The reason you've never heard of Thorianite is because it's not an element.  It's an ore.  The element is thorium.  

[Scrapnana]

14 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Why are there port time changes?  Are the new times better?

 

Ready to do trivia questions with DH.

 

Sounds like a nice relaxing sea day.

Evidently, the changes are due to tides and river traffic.

[Scrapnana]

March 3, 2019

Fortaleza, Brazil

 

I signed up for a “Do Brazil Right” tour of the city.  We docked at 8:00 and I was off by 8:15.   We were scheduled to meet at 8:30 and I was one of the last ones there!

 

Our first stop was at the Iracema Beach Statue.  Iracema is a character in a sad Brazilian story by Jose de Alancar.  Her name is an anagram of America.

 

Next, we went to the theater that memorializes the author of Iracema.  It’s a beautiful theatre but the seats don’t look comfortable.

 

The Metropolitan Cathedral was our next stop.  Although it looks very old but was only finished about 40 years ago .  Our guide, Raphael, mentioned that unlike many cathedrals with numerous depictions of various saints, this one only has Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.  Beautiful stained glass windows adorn this otherwise fairly plain church.  It holds 5,000 people and is the third largest in Brazil.

 

Just around the corner from the cathedral is the Mercado Central.  It is a multi-story center for all kinds of products including some locally made products.  We had an hour to walk around but my only purchase was a magnet.  I did find an ATM that accepted my card and gave me money!

 

The final stop was at the beach.  It seems like everyone in Fortaleza was there.  I had an ice cream bar that was crème brulee flavored.

 

We were back a little after 1 pm since we had a 2 pm departure.  Before departure we had our last muster drill.  This was another inside one only this was because of the heat (our last was because of the cold).

 

Sherita, Pat, and I went to the Crow’s Nest to knit before afternoon trivia.  We had 12 out of 20 correct but two teams tied with 15.

1) In what year did Diana and Prince Charles divorce?

2) In 1294, Pope Celestine V was the first pope to do what?

3) What famous actor played Phillip Chandler in St. Elsewhere?

4) How many white keys on a standard piano?

5) Name the code names for the five invasion beaches of D-Day.

 

In evening trivia we did even worse with only 9 out of 19 (winners had 12).

1) How many freckles did Howdy Doody have?

2) Only two states have official beverages.  One is Florida with orange juice.  Another has tomato juice as their official beverage.  What state is it?

3) How many bills does a player receive at the start of a game of Monopoly?

4) How many of the trophies for the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments are gold and how many silver?

5) How many exposures were on the film that came with Kodak’s first box camera in 1888?

 

All present for dinner.  I had French onion soup, fruit, Carne Asada, and a butterscotch sundae for dessert.

 

I skipped the magician.

 

Afternoon trivia

1) 1996

2) Abdicate

3) Denzel Washington

4) 52

5) Utah, Omaha, Gold. Juno, and Sword (Bonus – worth five points)

 

Afternoon trivia

1) 48 (one for each state at the time)

2) Ohio

3) 27

4) 1 gold, 3 silver

5) 100 (and the camera with film cost $25)

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

[Krazy Kruizers]

I like the sounds of your excursion.  Everyone must have been anxious to get going early if you ended up being the last one there.

 

Love the ice cream bar that tastes like creme brulee.  How wonderful that you found an ATM machine that gave you money.

 

Those trivia questions do look hard.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful pictures.  I do agree that the chairs in the theater do not look comfortable.  I wouldn't want to sit on them for any length of time.

[puppycanducruise]

Wonderful pictures, and creme brulee ice cream sounds great.

The trivia is too hard.

Thanks for sharing your day.

[travelnap]

Kathi, thanks for taking us along with you on your cruise.  I am finding that I am no better on the trivia than I was for your world cruise last year.  You would think I would wise up someday.  We miss you on the sail away threads, and there won't be many left in FLL by the time you get back.  

[Happily@Sea]

38 minutes ago, travelnap said:

Kathi, thanks for taking us along with you on your cruise.  I am finding that I am no better on the trivia than I was for your world cruise last year.  You would think I would wise up someday.  We miss you on the sail away threads, and there won't be many left in FLL by the time you get back.  

 

Agreed on the trivia and the lack of you at the sailaways. There is always Juneau, but no toots and no parades. Roy has dropped in a few times and gotten lucky with Dam ships leaving.

 

I love your pictures and reading about what you do when the excursions are not really to your liking. I'm glad you have found plenty of yarn, are you getting a wider choice of source material like you did on the World Cruise? 

 

Continue to enjoy the rest of the cruise and your blog is much appreciated.

[Scrapnana]

2 hours ago, Happily@Sea said:

 

Agreed on the trivia and the lack of you at the sailaways. There is always Juneau, but no toots and no parades. Roy has dropped in a few times and gotten lucky with Dam ships leaving.

 

I love your pictures and reading about what you do when the excursions are not really to your liking. I'm glad you have found plenty of yarn, are you getting a wider choice of source material like you did on the World Cruise? 

 

Continue to enjoy the rest of the cruise and your blog is much appreciated.

I have found lots of yarn I have never seen before.

[rafinmd]

45 minutes ago, Happily@Sea said:

 

Agreed on the trivia and the lack of you at the sailaways. There is always Juneau, but no toots and no parades. Roy has dropped in a few times and gotten lucky with Dam ships leaving.

 

I love your pictures and reading about what you do when the excursions are not really to your liking. I'm glad you have found plenty of yarn, are you getting a wider choice of source material like you did on the World Cruise? 

 

Continue to enjoy the rest of the cruise and your blog is much appreciated.

I'm wondering about the sailaway for March 25.  Will Kathi be willing to start it or Jacqui.  I also wonder if I will be able to watch it.  I have 3 choices that day.  I can fly home right away, I can wait until Wednesday for the train or I can rush to the station for the Silver Starvation.  I've opted to wait and will be in Ft. Lauderdale but am not sure I can bear to watch the Prinsendam leave without me.  I'm also a bit concerned about the sailaways once Denise and Alan head off on the Eurodam.  They will be missed.

 

Roy

[Scrapnana]

9 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I'm wondering about the sailaway for March 25.  Will Kathi be willing to start it or Jacqui.  I also wonder if I will be able to watch it.  I have 3 choices that day.  I can fly home right away, I can wait until Wednesday for the train or I can rush to the station for the Silver Starvation.  I've opted to wait and will be in Ft. Lauderdale but am not sure I can bear to watch the Prinsendam leave without me.  I'm also a bit concerned about the sailaways once Denise and Alan head off on the Eurodam.  They will be missed.

 

Roy

Jacqui will be starting it.  I am picking it up for the sail-away of Koningsdam on the 27th.

[Scrapnana]

March 4, 2019

At Sea

 

As usual, I started my morning with Knitters and Stitchers.  We had about 14 present including one new person.

 

Patty and I had lunch in the Lido.  During the captain’s noon update he confirmed something we have been talking about.  All of a sudden the cloth hand towels in the public restrooms were replaced with paper.  We discussed this at dinner and someone had heard that Brazil requires white paper towels.  Today the captain said that the ship cannot even use towels made from recycled paper.  Evidently Brazil makes a great deal of paper.

 

In afternoon trivia we had 16 out of 21.  Two teams tied for the win with 18.5

1) In 2000 at the Fourth International Penguin Conference, what “w” word was agreed upon as the word for a group of penguins on land?

2) Which Beatle crossed the road first on the Abbey Road cover?

3) How high was the Berlin Wall (in feet)?

4) “This is George.  He used to live in the Jungle.”  This is the beginning of what book?

5) Nostradamus was born in what country?

 

Pat and I spent the afternoon knitting.

 

I ate dinner with my other table at 5:30.  I had fruit, cold blackberry soup (first cold soup and it was very good), a Brazilian beef kebab, and a blueberry sundae for dessert.

 

We had 13 out of 18 for evening trivia but one team had a perfect score.

1) What is the destination of the plane at the end of Casablanca?

2) On what planet is Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the solar system?

3) How many stars on the Chinese flag?

4) Traitor’s Gate is an entrance to which London building?

5) Which African nation is not an island – Mauritius, Madagascar, or Mozambique?

 

Pat and Tom, Patty, Sherita, and I then went to the showroom for the 8 pm show by the MacDonald Brothers.  They are from Scotland and came in fourth in the British show “The X Factor” in 2006.  They were very good and received a standing ovation.

 

We (except for Tom) all then went back to the Crow’s Nest for Name That Tune.  The theme tonight was The Beatles.  We won with 25 points.

 

Afternoon trivia

1) Waddle

2) John

3) 12 feet

4) Curious George

5) France

 

Evening trivia

1) Lisbon

2) Mars

3) 5

4) Tower of London

5) Mozambique

 

Smooth sailing until next time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Congratulations at winning Name That Tune!!

 

Interesting that Brazil requires white paper towels.  We have been to Brazil and never realized that.

 

Questions so seem like they have gotten harder for trivia.

[Scrapnana]

Too much Mardi Gras celebrating to process pictures and write the blog.  Stay tuned, I will get it done on Wednesday.

[kazu]

Sounds excellent Kathi if you are enjoying the Mardi Gras celebrations 😄 

 

Good to hear that a cold soup has made it's way to the menu.  Let's hope that there are more.

[Krazy Kruizers]

No problem.

 

Enjoy the Mardi Gras celebrations!!

[Tampa Girl]

Scrapnana - Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but how full is the ship for this Grand Voyage?

[Scrapnana]

10 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

Scrapnana - Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but how full is the ship for this Grand Voyage?

I have not heard anything official but on the first part the rumor was a little over 75% but there are many solo cruisers so there are not that many empty cabins.  I also heard more got on in Buenos Aires than got off so now it might be more like 80-85%.  

[Scrapnana]

March 5, 2019

Belem, Brazil

 

Because we were not due into port until 11:00 am, we had trivia at 9:30.  We had 17 out of 22 and the winners had 18.

1) Captain Quint was the skipper of the “Orca” in what famous movie?

2) What 1963 Disney animated movie was based on the legend in a book by T.H. White?

3) What word for an academic or scientific conference comes from the Greek for “a group who drink together”?

4) Frangelico liqueur is flavored with what?

5) What English artist popularized limericks in his 1846 “Book of Nonsense”?

 

After trivia I went back to my cabin and paid a couple of bills that come in on the first of the month and then grabbed a quick slice of pizza when the Lido opened at 11:30. While I was eating the heavens opened up and it poured.  I decided I needed to take my raincoat after all.

 

My tour met at 12:45 on the pier.  For the first time I used my perk of priority tendering (which comes with being a 4-star or more Mariner) and left on the tender just before noon.  I arrived about a half hour early and had time to walk around Estacao das Docas which has converted warehouses that house restaurants and shops.

 

I am not real sure why I picked the tour I did (some sound really good at home when it is cold outside).  It was a “naturalistic” tour of the city by Do Brazil Right.  It had a great deal of walking (and standing) and although it was not real hot (80s) it was very humid.  I enjoyed what I saw, however.

 

Our first stop was at Mangal Das Garcas which has numerous birds (many of which I had never seen before), a butterfly house, and numerous iguanas.  There is a tower with nice views of Belem.  We had an hour to wander around. 

 

We then went to the Emilio Goeldi Museum.  This is a research facility and has numerous plant species and animals of the region.  We were there for about an hour but followed our guide, Vito, around as he told us about some of the flora and fauna we were seeing.

 

While we were traveling around the city we saw a number of the famous buildings of Belem including the Mercado Ver-o-Peso which has been around since colonial times, the Basilica of Our Lady of Nazareth, and the La Paz theatre where we had a ten-minute photo stop.

 

We were done around 4 pm.  I looked around a little more although I did not go to the Mercado because the guide said it was not safe to go alone.  Of course, we had not had one drop of rain the entire tour since I had taken my raincoat.

 

I was back on the ship before 5, tired and hot.  I decided to eat in the Lido.  I had fruit, a delicious beef stroganoff with rice, and ice cream for dessert.  While I was eating there was another torrential downpour.

 

We met for trivia at 7 pm and we tied one other team with 18 out of 19 (we both had the correct answer for the tie-breaker so we left it a tie).

1) By what name was Dick Grayson better known?

2) Who was the first man to fly across the English Channel?

3) Who played “The Fugitive” in the 1960s TV show?

4) What color was Spock’s blood?

5) King Zog ruled what county? (the one we missed)

 

We then went to hear the “Jack Pack” a group of four Brits who were finalists on “Britain’s Got Talent”.  They play songs reminiscent of the Rat Pack.

 

Ann and Pat had saved us seats in the Ocean Bar for the Mardi Gras celebration.  There were masks and beads for everyone and the place was packed.  The Brazilian Cultural Ambassadors, Nayara and Fernando, lead the group in a number of dances and a good time was had.

 

I returned to my cabin around 10:30 totally wiped out.  I had a shower and washed my clothes I had worn all day.  We received a note that there would be limited laundry facilities while we are on the Amazon as they cannot take on water.  We have been asked to re-use towels if possible and I am trying to not send out any laundry. 

 

I knitted for a while before bed.

 

Morning trivia

1) Jaws

2) Sword in the Stone

3) Symposium

4) Hazelnuts

5) Edward Lear

 

Evening trivia

1) Robin (as in Batman and…)

2) Bleriot

3) David Janssen

4) Green

5) Albania

 

Smooth sailing until next time!