Returned March 16th from the Braemar fly-cruise which began in Barbados & went up the Amazon as far as Manaus & thought I would follow up with a few observations. Flight across was from Bournemouth, picking up further passengers at Manchester, which added 1 1/2 hours to our journey. As this was by Monarch, this made for a cramped flight unfortunately.
Left Barbados that evening, first port of Suriname having been cancelled for some reason, we then stopped at Tobago for 1/2 day, OK as not much to see anyway. Weather then deteriorated & wind blew at Force 6. Braemar being a little ship began to pitch & toss, many people not too good. Because of rough sea, we lost 1 1/2 days of schedule & missed one of our stops at Alto de Chao.
Arriving in Amazon on schedule eventually, picked up pilot at Macapa & journeyed to first port, Parintins, Brazil. Only one trip for 1 hour, so we got off ship to explore. Fine cathedral, rickshaw ride & many street sculptures. From there to Manaus, where we stayed for 2 days, took a jungle trek through the rainforest & organised tour around & just outside the city. Did anyone else see the beggar outside the church in Manaus? From there we visited a village called Boca de Valeira where the inhabitants came out to see us in their canoes & dugouts; what an antidote to our materialistic society, they have so little but are cheerful & friendly. If anyone is going, next time take footballs, which they love, or pens & papers. They haven\'t got enough. A few phrases in Portugese would also go down well in the whole region. Next, & last, stop was Santarem. A cruise on a river boat to see the \'Meeting of the Waters\' & a good ending to the Amazon part. Just remember, the bugs are huge! At Barbados on the morning of our departure we visited the Orchid House & a plantation house where we had English tea! Barbados airport just as chaotic as ever but eventually we got going 2 hours late & arrived back in England on a cold, wet morning, a fitting contrast to the hot, humid country we had just visited.
Many thanks to all staff & fellow passengers on board Braemar; she is a good little ship for the river.
Val H.
