Here's a bit of trivia about the rubber boom of the late 1800's in Manaus: some people were so wealthy not only did they buy their clothes in Europe, they sent them back to Europe to be laundered!! Wealthy women wore diamonds, their girls wore emeralds, and only the hired help wore gold.

Today, our second day in Manaus, we ventured into the city for lunch at a churrascaria and took lots of pics on the waterfront. There was much to photograph, including a sidewalk barber shop. We stocked up on sodas and snacks; once we leave Manaus we will be at sea for 10 days before arrive in Africa. (We'll be in Brazil on the Amazon for three days, but won't get off of the ship again until Ghana.) While on board the ship we spend much of our time on our balcony watching life on the Amazon pass by us. People arrive from villages all along the river to sell their goods and to shop in the city. The port is alive day and night!!! Tomorrow will be another "on our own" day. Tom hopes to find an internet cafe where he can download photos and we want to find the post office. Wednesday morning we will make a service visit to a local orphanage. I'm not quite sure what "service" we will perform, I'll let you know. Thursday afternoon we have a tour which explains the history of the rubber boom in Manaus. Early in the evening we will set sail for Africa.

We continue to meet new people daily. Tonight we talked at length with one of the waiters who was delighted that we knew his home island St Lucia. (We sailed there in 1977.) We also met some shipmates at the restaurant today, two girls who are excited about the "24-Hour Adrenalin Rush" tour they have scheduled in South Africa: cage diving with Great White Sharks and bungee jumping from a 6oo-foot bridge. (They are not telling their parents until it's over!!)

Some of you have read this on facebook, but I think it's worth repeating: yesterday as I took video of natives in a primitive canoe on the Amazon one of them took his cell phone out to take a picture of me on the ship!!

I'm putting a lot of time into studying my Spanish, hope it pays off. Classes resume Friday, we have no classes while in port.

Ciao