On Christmas Eve we approached the mouth of the Amazon River and the city of Macapa where we picked up the pilot who would guide our ship along this vast waterway. In the morning light of Christmas day it was surprising to see no land on either side of us. It could have been like any other day on the open sea except for the muddy look of the water, which reminded us of where we were. Yes, the Amazon is so vast that the mouth of the river is 200 miles wide.

In the spirit of Eco Tourism and social conscience, which is what an Enrichment Voyage is all about, we are voluntarily making efforts to conserve water. We will be on the Amazon for nearly a week and we cannot take on water for the duration. Our small contribution simply involves taking shorter showers or hanging our towels to be used twice instead of just once and not letting the water run as we brush our teeth; painless efforts that go a long way for the sake of the environment.

As we cruised through Christmas day we eventually caught sight of the riverbanks that narrowed on us the further upstream we sailed. The lush green vistas were only occasionally broken by the sight of a windowless hut on stilts or a small dugout canoe gliding silently by. It’s at this point that we were joined by some of the “locals”. Some lovely moths about the size of Shaquille O’Neil’s hand had come to take a break with us on deck and seemed to pose as we snapped photos.

Our adventure is truly that for remoteness such as this is still a hard concept for us North Americans to grasp even as we penetrate the heart of this rare frontier. As one of our ranks asked Dan Everett, Professor of Linguistics, Anthropology, and Biological Sciences at Illinois State University, and who has lived and worked in the Amazon for over 30 years, “What about mail service?” He was lecturing about the Caboclo, the Amazonian River Dwellers, and advised us that news is only gotten by radio or passing riverboats and gently reminded us that most all of the Caboclo are illiterate anyways. Many shook their heads as they tried to imagine life without cell phones, email or even hardcopy mail.

                                 Christmas Day Family Celebrations in the Piano Lounge Onboard

Christmas aboard was filled with carols performed by the Enrichment Voyages staff, a folk dancing exhibition, a festive tea dance, a visit by Santa and a gala dinner. All was warm and cozy aboard and lots of people actually dressed for the occasion although it was certainly not required. I expect that the Enrichment Voyages in May will be even more casual as there will be no holidays as big as Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

Everyone is now anxious to stretch some legs in Manaus. See you there!