Wrap-Up

Our final few days on The Amsterdam went by quickly. We enjoyed some outstanding meals and wonderful entertainment. My favorite was Phillip Huber and his marionettes.


Not only did he do a remarkable evening performance. There also was a matinee session where we could see and photograph his creations close up. He answered questions about his life and work. He created one of the marionettes for the new Wizard of Oz movie. Can't wait to see it!



But we couldn't spend all of our time being fed and entertained. We tackled the project of packing our bags, happy that we both like to travel light. A few clothing articles went into the wastebasket, ready for retirement after four months of constant wear. We managed to squeeze our souvenirs into nooks and corners of our suitcases.
One standard sized suitcase apiece went home via FedEx.



We each checked one smaller bag at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. Reading material, electronic gadgets, and other essentials came on board with us.

Five boxes of mail greeted us at home



along with an empty fridge and some cobwebs. But our own bed was there, friends and family were nearby, and we didn't even mind that it was snowing!

Thanks for reading this blog.
This is the final entry. It was fun to share our adventure with you.

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Location:Home

Almost Home

Day 113/At Sea

Yesterday we visited our next-to-final port, Castries, St. Lucia.



We saw some elaborate houses on a hilltop


and some modest ones in a fishing village.


Back on The Amsterdam, we were entertained by a steel band.



The instruments, made from discarded oil drums, have a very pleasant mellow sound like a marimba.

Now we are heading toward Fort Lauderdale and home. We will miss the new friends we have met, but we are really looking forward to getting home and reconnecting with everyone there.

This blog will continue for a few more episodes. The story would not be complete without a few more comments about shipboard life, our flights home, and our reentry into life without all the services provided by our wonderful crew.

Thanks for reading this blog and keeping us company on this fun journey!

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Catching Up, Winding Down

Day 110 /Devil's Island, French Guiana

Sorry, no pictures from Fortaleza or Belem, Brazil. Watson used his camera for these ports. Then we discovered that his memory card is not compatible with my setup for transferring photos to the iPad.


At least I got some nice pictures of Brazilian cloud formations on my camera.
But, moving onward, today we are at Devil's Island, a former penal colony. Tonight we will see the movie Papillon, starring Dustin Hoffman as a prisoner on the island.
Devil 's Island is small and rugged. The jail, chapel, and other points of interest are at the top of a steep hill. One route is paved with slippery, moss-covered stones. The other option features a series of stairways made of large, uneven stones. The heat and humidity added extra challenges. But there were some interesting distractions along the way.



Photogenic monkeys,


A camera-shy agouti,
And finally the prison, with Watson about to enter.



We visited the chapel


And a hotel


before heading back to The Amsterdam with all its comforts.

Only a few days left before leaving the ship for good and finding our way back home. There will be a few more blog entries.

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Day 106/Fortaleza, Brazil

We have been chugging across the Atlantic for a few days. Internet and CNN access have been on and off. We were hungry for news but horrified when we heard about the tragedies in Boston and Texas, and the huge earthquakes in China and Iran.
Our trip is winding down. People are beginning to pack. We think about getting back to friends and family, back to grocery shopping and vacuuming and other activities of life away from The Amsterdam.
On board, so many entertainment options are offered that it is sometimes hard to choose. Yesterday, our Indonesian crew members put on a show for us. Thanks to the excellent onboard camera classes, I finally learned how to take reasonably good pictures from the balcony of a darkened auditorium! Want to see some of them?


These are two of our dining room waiters, performing a traditional dance in non-traditional clothing. To complete their costumes, they got creative and made sarongs from the dining room tablecloths.


We liked the music produced by an orchestra of bamboo and wood instruments. Each instrument is individually tuned to a different note. The effect is similar to a bell choir.



And we loved the dance-drama featuring Hanuman, the monkey god


And a scary monster.
The crew accomplished all this on their own time, rehearsing until 1 am and then getting up at dawn to greet us with a smile as they fill our coffee cups.

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The Shore Excursion That Wasn't

Day 102/Georgetown, Ascension Island

Ascension Island is a tiny dot in the Atlantic. Its main export is Ascension Island postage stamps. The island is a breeding ground for endangered sea turtles. Also, NASA had a communications station there in the early days of the space program.


Here's a view of the city of Georgetown, as seen from The Amsterdam. And that view is as close to a landing as we managed. Waves were so high that mooring ropes were breaking and the tenders that carry us from ship to shore were being slammed against the dock.



This is one of the tenders returning to the ship after its unsuccessful docking attempt. Quite a disappointment for those people who keep track of how many countries or destinations they have visited.



We were a bit alarmed to see crew members wearing life jackets on deck. We wondered if the kitchen staff was about to abandon ship before hordes of disgruntled but hungry guests descended on the buffet. But this was just part of one of the many routine safety drills conducted on the ship.

Extra activities were hurriedly organized. Our wonderful lecturer on cameras and photography put together an entertaining and informative presentation on ten minutes' notice. His name is David Smith. He has some good tips for taking better pictures without adding expensive equipment or absorbing a lot of technical know-how. We haven't had an opportunity to look at his website yet, but if you are interested in learning some new camera tricks, you might like to visit him at interfaceimages.com

This evening we enjoyed a very entertaining performance by classical guitarist Declan Zapala. His specialty is a style called percussive guitar. If you Google his name or the words percussive guitar you may find more information about the artist and/or his unique style of playing.

Our next stop will be at Fortaleza, Brazil. Lots of sea days ahead, while we cross the Atlantic.


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Mid-Atlantic Stopoff

Day 100 /Jamestown, St.Helena

We are at the island of St. Helena, a British Overseas Territory out in the Atlantic, two days by ship from the coast of Africa. There is no airstrip here, but a mail boat arrives once every three months, rain or shine. We will be very careful to be back to The Amsterdam this afternoon, before sailaway time! It is a long swim from here to any major landmass.

And now our time in St. Helena has come and gone. we have seen the island from top


To bottom.



We saw Napoleon's house


And his first grave (although he is now at rest in Paris).


We visited Jonathan, the 150 year old turtle, who lives in the garden at the governor's mansion.



We enjoyed seeing the sights and meeting the friendly and resourceful folks who live in this isolated place.
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Namibia, Part Two

Our second Namibia tour took us back to Swakopmund, but to the "townships", which house the native peoples who have moved to the city.






Quite a contrast between the townships and downtown Swakopmund.


On the other hand, there are no homeless people. Everyone has a place of their own.



Small businesses thrive. These young men call themselves Sounds of Africa. They entertained us with great music and dance. They had DVDs For sale, and of course we bought one.
So much to explain, so little space.

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