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Published: March 11th 2023
Free-Lancing Ashore at Alter Do Chao, Brazil
The Ramp from the Tender Pier Led Straight to the Sand vs. a Hard Surface – A Major Obstacle for Those with Mobility IssuesAlter do Chao, Brazil, population 3,562 in 2011, was our port of call on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 and is one of the administrative districts of the City of Santarém, which we visited on our way upstream on Thursday, March 2, 2023. According to the British newspaper
The Guardian, Alter do Chao houses the most beautiful freshwater beach in the world, is popularly known as the Brazilian Caribbean and is the main tourist spot of Santarém. Holland America offered only two shore excursions, both of which had been offered in Santarém – Best of Santarem (I had already participated in a similar tour on March 2) and Tapajos National Forest (no, I'm not paying $75.00 for a STRENUOUS activity for 5 hours; in fact, I’m not participating in a strenuous activity for 5 hours if they PAY ME $75.00). If both shore excursions offered in Alter do Chao were also offered in Santarém, why didn’t the ship just stay in Santarém overnight so folks could complete their shore excursion list from Santarém? I guess that’s just something that’s out of Uncle Larry’s pay grade! Alter do Chao, Brazil, like several stops on the Amazon River portion of the cruise, was a
Free-Lancing Ashore at Alter Do Chao, Brazil
It Was a Short “Clomp” to a Hard Surface and the “Marina” nice stop for a cruise ship but I can muster no reason for anyone to make it a destination location in their travel plans.
My regular readers know that I seldom pass up an opportunity to go ashore and experience any port of call. When I arrived in the Alter Do Chao downtown area, I found an open-air restaurant and inquired about a coffee. A negative response caused me to order a local beer to quinch my thirst – yes, a beer before noon but another local experience! To back up a few days, I had sat next to another former Marine, Mike, on the way to the “A Night at the Opera House” shore excursion in Manaus, Brazil on Friday, March 3, 2023 (“The Western End of Our Amazon Journey – Manaus, Brazil”). He, like me, was assigned to be a computer programmer out of boot camp, but, unlike me, he stayed in the computer field and never got orders moving him to the infantry. After his enlistment, he worked for the Marine Corps as a civilian and retired from that position to the Missouri Ozarks. Shortly after my beer arrived, Mike and his wife, Mona, made their
Free-Lancing Ashore at Alter Do Chao, Brazil
The “High Dollar” Slips Are Slightly More Accessible for the Owners way to a table near mine, spotted me, gave a shout out and joined me. We had a much more lengthy and productive conversation than that on the short bus trip, and we plan to keep in touch. Again, for the life of me, I cannot remember why we even stopped at Alter do Chao, but I’m glad we did.
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 was spent “Cruising the Amazon River, Crossing the Equator & the Amazon River Bar,” and we left Brazil and the Amazon Basin in the rearview. Amazonia was an incredible experience that I won’t (I hope!) soon forget. There was the predictably incredible flora and fauna, the anticipated indigenous encounters and a totally unexpected city of 2-¼ million people in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Despite the disclaimers in the Holland America shore excursion description, the luck-of-the-draw gave me two tour guides with phenomenal English skills, and all of the excursions I joined provided interesting information and/or delightful entertainment.
Thursday, March 9, 2023 was a day at sea. I had received my “Mariner Pin” in my mailbox some time back but had tossed the pin and recycled the paper card with the blah, da,
Free-Lancing Ashore at Alter Do Chao, Brazil
A Resort without Riverview Hotels, Of Course Not blah, da “… please spend your money with Holland America again the next time you cruise” message. On Monday or Tuesday, I had been “cordially” invited to the Mariner Recognition Event “in appreciation of your loyalty as one of our Mariners onboard.” Not having a clue as to what the event would entail, I decided to attend and find out. I was treated to a glass of wine (at 10:45 AM), a pianist and cello duo playing some nice “funeral parlor” music and surrounded by lots of people who had taken a lot more cruises than I. Many more people were in attendance, but I was totally amazed to find 50+ folks proudly sporting their Mariner pin like a third-grader with a star by his/her name. Geez, like everybody in attendance was a “loyal Mariner” or he/she wouldn’t have been invited in the first place! The Cruise Director introduced the Captain who brought his brand-new ego inflater speech. I thought I was in a locker room at halftime! The Captain left, the “funeral parlor” music resumed and I made a quick exit.
In the afternoon, King Neptune Ceremony was held to christen the crew members, the Tadpoles, who had
Free-Lancing Ashore at Alter Do Chao, Brazil
The Riverfront Is Nicely Maintained and Pedestrian Friendly never crossed the equator before this cruise. Once a person has crossed the equator, the person graduates from Tadpole to Shellback. When I returned to my room, errr cabin, errr stateroom, I found my “suitable for framing,” Crossing the Equator certificate (complete with a proclamation from the aforementioned Captain) conferring upon me the distinction of being a Shellback. I shall proudly display the certificate in my cranium when I get home. Aw shucks, I might as well do it right now!
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