Parintins

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Happy March! I think spring is just around the corner (because I am in Brazil and it is 90 degrees).

It was doughnut day at breakfast, which was pretty exciting because breakfast is exactly the same every day. The unfortunate part was that there was no way to know about it unless you happened to walk around the outside of the two halves of the dining room and found them. We usually sit down there because the 2-seat tables are full or un-bussed by the time we show up. Breakfast was ending when we were there and there were a lot of doughnuts left.

We docked in the small town of Parintins, Brazil this morning. Half of the ship tendered over in the morning (rest in the afternoon). We went to a big room to see a show – Boi Bumba Folklori Performance. It was the only excursion available for the day. The cruise director kept saying it was a show with lots of glitter and feathers, and I have to admit a Vegas style is what came to mind, even though that made no sense.

We got our seats – on the far side of the room from the entrance. There were a lot of empty seats around us, so we could see well and the air conditioning kept us comfortable. I heard others complain that it was too warm right away and that the curtain that was a door for the main entrance let all the heat and humidity in (to be sure – Brazil is hot and HUMID). We lucked out! We sat next to a lady from Manchester, UK, who told us she knew where MN was because she watches a quiz show that has USA questions and she has had to look some things up. She knows where MI, WI, and SD are because of that, so it was easy to put MN in the middle (We will be looking up Richard Osman’s House of Games).

I assume the show was telling a story, but I didn’t get any of that. It was a spectacle for the eyes. There were 50 dancers in the chorus who rotated through a gazillion costumes. There were giant float-kind-of….floats that the main character entered on for each section. The music and drums never stopped. I really enjoyed it – always wondering what could come next. I took a few pictures, but knew they would just be bad. Enjoy the bad pictures.

We walked around town for a while afterward. The best part was watching kids get picked up from school (it was about noon) on motorcycles/scooters. No one came in a car – it was two or three to a bike. Two girls giggled A LOT a block away before approaching us and asking in Portuguese if I would take their picture. I am sure it was a dare to talk to the Americans. There was a little shouting from other students toward them, and the laughing was terrific. I was happy to help 😊

Back on board, we had lunch. We investigated the lights that the food sits under. Since the food is always cold, Keith hypothesized that they are just lights, not heat lights. True. I put my hand right under it and it wasn’t hot. That explains a lot. We talked about what we could do for the afternoon and Keith suggested a scavenger hunt. I was totally game. His first suggestion to find: someone doing something. We laughed a lot as we made a list. We went up on deck for a while – found 3 people sunning themselves (I do not count that as doing something), then napped. We watched the river go by from our balcony before going to the show – a Beatles tribute. On the last tune, they suggested everyone get out their phone and wave it back and forth during the chorus. We had a whole row to our ourselves, as the theater was only about 1/3 full, and I moved to the middle because I was tired of the lady behind me loudly singing along. From there, I had a perfect vantage point to watch people hilariously try to wave phones. It was nearly 50/50 which way the phones were pointed. Most of the people starting waving them right away, rather than on the chorus. People have no sense of time and were just randomly shining lights. One lady adorably picked up one of the (electric) candleholders and waved it around (yay that lady!). When the chorus arrived, the singers started waving their arms from side to side. Watching everyone crash into the people next to them was hilarious, and then when they said go double-time, it became even more of a train wreck. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Buffet dinner had surf and turf! Woooohoooo tenderloin! And French fries! I was very happy. As we were walking out, I stopped dead. On a cart was Coke Zero. Every time (every time!) we have asked for Coke, we have had them repeat Diet Coke to us. Nope. Regular coke. We were told on the first day no Coke Zero. Some time along the cruise, they have added Coke Zero. As I was standing there one of the dining room attendants asked if he could help. I said, “I see Coke Zero! I didn’t know you had it.” He said, “yes, of course we have it,” and insisted on sending us on our way with two Coke Zeros for the room. I am having one for breakfast tomorrow!

P.S. We went to the dancing place, Torshavn, because I wanted to hear Guitar Entertainer John and the Viking Band. We sat next to a lamp that looked vaguely like a brass instrument.