I've had a busy day of workshops, and sold another painting - woo hooooooo!

Tonight was a formal night, and the show company put on their rendition of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat'. I only know one song from that, but was generally impressed with what was quite an ambitious production.

Tomorrow, we are due to arrive at Iles de Salut - very excited!

We've spent our last day on the Amazon River. For most of the day, the forest has been visible from both sides of the boat, but the expanse has got slowly wider as we head towards the Atlantic Ocean. Having said this; by early evening, we were still on the river. so I can only assume that we'll hit open sea sometime in the early hours of the morning.

This morning, the wind was blowing so hard, it whipped the sunglasses off my face and into the river... I'm a little reluctant to spend £13 on a pair from the ship's shop, so replacing them will have to wait until we reach civilisation, and I'll just have to squint. At this point, I should say that £13 is the cheapest pair on offer - there was a pair with a designer label on them, which cost £150 - frankly, they all looked a little girlie to me... just as well, really. It looked like it was going to be turning into a bad sunglasses day, as sometime soon after my incident, Tracey started looking anxiously for her own sunglasses, which had mysteriously disappeared - my loss is relatively small, since they only cost me a fiver in the first place - Tracey's are a prescription pair which cost about £300 to replace - makes the Ray-Bans seem quite cheap in comparison. The good news is; they'd been handed into Reception, so panic over.

One thing which was noticeable this morning was our speed. Heading downriver, we have the current behind us, but the captain also seemed to be putting his foot down rather. We seemd to be fair chugging along, and the funnel was chucking out a light, occasional smattering of ash, which was falling onto the open Pool Deck. One chap was quite annnoyed at this, and called one of the officials over to complain in no uncertain terms; "How can we be expected to eat our breakfast and drink orange juice out on deck with this ash falling? It's just not good enough"... I'm not entirely sure what other chap was supposed to do about it - go and ask the captain to slow down, or stop the engines altogether, I presume. Best solution was simple; go and eat breakfast somewhere else...

It has been noted that some people will complain about anything - and agressively so. Our electrical problem, a few days ago, brought out the complainers in force - one assumes that they're out for some sort of compensation, and that a free glass of champagne and free wine with dinner on the following night, just wouldn't be enough to appease some folk.

It's been back to work for me. The good news is; I've sold a couple of paintings - one of an Egret, and one featuring boats and a stilt house... needless to say; later this afternoon has been spent in the cabin painting more to replace them - gotta strike while the iron's hot...

Today we arrived at what is, sadly, our last Amazon port; Santarem.

The day began early because we were booked on an excursion - Maica Lake and Piranha fishing. It turned out to be a popular choice amongst the passengers, with 5 large river boats waiting to take everyone on their trip, and similar numbers booked to do it all again in the afternoon. Compared to many of the ports we've visited, Santarem seems quite small, but it is still extremely busy, with boats preparing to take passengers on their long trips to the other cities and villages in the region (some taking 3 or 4 days). Regular travellers in this part of the world carry their own hammocks with them, which are hung up for the duration of their journey. One of the boats we saw had loads of hammocks, of all sizes and colours, all ready hung up, and many occupied by their owners. On the deck below them, a truck-load of new motorbikes were being loaded - folks like their bikes around here...

Once aboard our own boat, we were taken to see the meeting of the waters, where the Amazon meets the Tapajos River. As is customary, our guide explained how the bizarre spectacle comes to be, with the two rivers being of differet temperatures, speeds and densities (the Tapajos is clear, while the Amazon is full of sediment carried down from its source in the Peruvian Andes. the two water courses travel side by side for several miles, creating a discernible line between the two. It was at this point that we also saw several grey dolphins. We've actually seen quite a number of dolphins on this trip, but my attempts at videoing them have been quite lame.... you simply don't know where they're going to pop their heads up next - consequently, I have lots of footage of water, where the dolphins have been but aren't now, and little else.

The water way became narrower and more interesting as we made our way to Maica Lake. For me, this was the best part of the excursion, with the river bank being only a few feet away from us. We saw loads of birds, and several large Iguanas.

When we finally reached our destination, it was time to do a spot of fishing. They pulled the boat into the bank and handed out lines, ready loaded with a lump of fresh meat. Everyone cast their lines over the side and jiggled them about in the hope of atttracting piranha. Several people had a few nibbles - myself included - but it looked like it simply wasn't going to happen for us, so we moved to a different location in the hope of finding some fish that weren't vegetarian. In the half an hour or so that we fished, a grand total of 2 piranhas were caught, to the rousing cheers of everyone on board. I have to say, they were much bigger than I expected them to be, and it was fascinating to see them up close and personal, wriggling away as photos were taken as proof of our expertise. All-in-all, it was a relaxing half hour, and the couple of nibbles that I got on the end of my own line provided a bit of a buzz, but I don't think I'll be taking up fishing any time soon.

We were back at the ship for about 1:30. just in time for lunch. After a bit of a power nap (both Tracey and I were completely exhausted, mostly from the intense heat, and the excitement of the piranha fishing), we spent our last afternoon walking into Santarem. We were approached by two students who turned out to be quite charming, and wanted to just talk to us, ask us loads of questions, and try out their English. We said farewell to them somewhere near the fish mmarket, taking photos and Tracey promising to keep in touch through Facebook.

Santarem is reputedly the third largest city in Amazonas. You wouldn't think it, though; it is nothing like Manaus or Belem, with a character more in similarity to Parintins or Almeirim. It's colourful, and vibrant, and slightly whacky; a cyclist rode past with an enormous speaker (I'm talking easily 3-foot square) strapped to the back of it, blaring out music... why? And what was powering it? We have no idea. Another chap took our eye, as he struggled to drag a reluctant goat off one of the many boats that were moored up by the quayside. At the same time, we also spotted a very old, and quite battered, Volkswagon Beetle pulling up to the side of the road, being driven by a wizened old man. The man with the goat pulled, and the goat dug its heels in, quite comically; the old man in the Beetle sat patiently... to our amazement, the young man with the goat and the old man with the Beetle came together, shook hands, exchanged money, and the goat was shuffled into the back of the Beetle and driven off... I wondered if this was a kid-napping...

We like Santarem. Come to think of it; we've loved all the places we've visited on this trip. They've all had their own character and all have been extremely friendly, and quite welcoming - one wonders what this area is going to be like in 50, or 100, years from now - will it retain its ecological stance? Or will it be unrecogniseable? Our guide today pointed to an area on the outskirst of Santarem, which had been badly flooded quite recently. The old buildings that had been there previously have been washed away, or damaged beyond repair and demolished, to make way for a new estate to be built. I know that progress has to be made, but the new estate looked quite ugly to my eyes, and not entirely in keeping with the area. Is this a sign of things to come? I hope not...

Tomorrow, we leave Brazil and head towards Isle de Salut, in French Guiyana, which is famous for its penal colony. To help set the scene for this visit, the Marco Polo Lounge was turned into cinema mode, showing 'Papillon', with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. What a classic! I can't wait for our visit to Devil's Island...

Being at sea tomorrow means back to work... three classes starting at 11am. 

I got my days mixed up - in my last post, I said that today we would be in Santarem - I was wrong; today we arrived in Boca do Valeria (it's piranha-fishing in Santarem tomorrow).

Boca do Valeria is as close to the genuine Amazon experience as I think it's possible to get from a cruise ship. Ships can't actually get to the village - they have to anchor out in the river and approach it in tender boats.

Even before the lifeboats had been prepared, the first boat from the village had come out to take a good look at us. By the time the first bunch of passengers have been ferried across the short expanse of water to the tiny inlet leading to Boca do Valeria, people from all the surrounding villages have started to descend on the place, bringing crafts to sell, and dressing the young girls up in their very best native regalia, in an effort to extract as much money from the wealthy tourists as possible. As passengers alight from the tender craft, they are surrounded by eager native children, taking the hand of the unwary, on a bid to guide them around the village, hopefully pose for photographs, and charge the going rate of one dollar for the privilege.

This may all sound rather dubious, but there's another side to Boca do Valeria that makes the visit special. After wandering around the craft stalls and photographing the sloths, capibara and lizards that constitute pets in these parts, we teamed up with Louise and John Bonner, two of the other lecturers on board, and hired one of the $5 per person boat-rides on offer. From our previous visit, last year, we knew this to be extremely good value for money; mostly because it provided us with a ride in a small boat, along some less-visited waterways, but also because the boatman took us to his own village (the same one we were taken to last year, as it happened), which was a total delight. He showed us their well-appointed school, and the village church, and the few villages there, who hadn't dashed off to Boca do Valeria, came out to greet us in a superb display of hospitality; the best $10 we've spent!

On returning to Boca do Valeria, we had a welcome drink in the bar there, and then went for a walk along a forest track that took us deeper and deeper into the jungle. It was an extraordinary stroll... once the sounds of the village had died away, the only sounds to be heard was a cacophony of birds and insects. The heat was stifling, and the midges were biting... hurrah for Deet! We walked as far as we felt we needed to; the track was becoming more and more dense, and the odd few people who had managed to walk further, all said that it didn't get any better, and that fallen trees had eventually stopped them from proceeding any further.

All in all, it has been an excellent day. We both love Boca Do Valeria, and despite the fact that the culture shock has a tendency to divide passengers, I think the experience was largely enjoyed by the majority. Money changes hands for many reasons, and those natives that have very little, benefit from our visit in all sorts of ways. They are as curious of us as we are of them, and the over-riding feeling is one of overt friendliness. A flotilla of local small boats vied for position at the rear of the Marco Polo, ready to take any items thrown to them; food parcels, made up of left-over cakes and sandwiches were thrown to them, along with items of clothing and toiletries. In an effort to promote 'responsible tourism', the ship had collected items for the local school from the passengers, and presented them to the village leaders early in the day; we happily paid $15 dollars for a hand-carved wall-hanging...

Excellent Day!!!

Then the wi-fi kicked me off, and I lost it... (my own fault - save often!!!)

The gist of it was that, after dinner, we went looking for the crazy, bustling, throbbing night-life of Amazon's largest city, and failed...

It is, by all standards, a massive conurbation, that does throb and pulsate, long into the evening, but we, like many others off the ship ended up not going very far, and ending up back at the terminal bar, watching out for the cockroaches that occasionally scuttled across the floor and under the tables, perilously close to our feet.

Today was a good day.

We went on a river tour that we did last year, and enjoyed it just as much a second time around. First, we were taken to see the 'Meeting of the Waters', where the brown Amazon (actually, more like Raw Sienna) meets the Negra River (Dark something-or-other). Because the two rivers are of different temperatures and densities, they create a visible line between them, which is quite remarkable to see. After this, we were taken to Lake January, a small village on one of the local tributaries, were we were transferred to small motorised canoes for a trip deeper into the jungle. It was thoroughly enjoyable, with lots of great photo opportunities, and tons of wildlife (birds mostly) - a real taste of the life in this part of the world.

We were back at the ship for about 1pm. After a quick lunch, we returned to the city to enjoy our last few hours seeing whatever was to be seen. We returned to the Opera House area, via the busy streets, which are chock-a-block with market stalls. It's all rather difficult to describe, actually. I suppose in a strange way, they resemble the souks of North Africa, but in a thoroughly modern setting. Imagine a busy modern city centre with market stalls overlayed and morphed onto almost every street length. It is extremely busy, and has a good atmosphere... but... mostly because of many reports of thefts and muggings, I don't feel too comfortable about whipping my video camera out to try and capture it all - Tracey took a couple of photos, though, so I'm sure they'll be appearing on her blog soon.

Alongside the Opera House is a large building called the Palace of Justice. We decided to take a look - half, because we knew it was free entry, and half because the rain was starting to come down again... we were mightily pleased that we'd made the diversion, because it was a beautiful building inside, and a young lady who guided us around the upper floors was so enthusiastic, and energetic, it didn't matter that she didn't speak much English - we managed to understand each other somehow, and the tour around the courtrooms and magistrates offices, that were still used up until 2006, was a thoroughly satisfying one. It's now a cultural centre - the ground floor rooms were being used for a photographic exhibition, which we also thoroughly enjoyed... all for free (my kind of price!).

We've just spent out last hour in Manaus taking advantage of the free wi-fi. t's all about in just over half an hour, and we set sail for Santarem at 6:30.

Tomorrow, we're booked down to do some piranha fishing.....

I say hobbled because the electrics haven't yet been fully restored. There are still many people who haven't got light in their cabins, and until they're able to do a full, controlled, restore at half-past midnight tonight, there are may areas of the ship going to remain in semi-darkness.

The problems we've had had meant a delay, which has had a knock-on effect on planned excursions. We'd originally planned to be on a city tour of Manaus this afternoon, and a river tour tomorrow. When they announced that this afternoon's tours would not be going ahead as planned, we were faced with a decision; we couldn't do both - so, we opted to take our names off the city trip and stay on the river tour tomorrow. this was a bit of a gamble, since the primary reason we wanted to do the city tour was to see the inside of the Opera House here, which we missed out on last year. We decided that we could make a dash for the Opera House once clearance had been given to go ashore, and, if not get a guided tour today, at least check out costs and available times to come back tomorrow...

We were in luck...

An English-speaking tour was literally about to start, just as we entered the building. We'd absolutely legged it from the port, up past the Cathedral, along Manaus's busy main street, thinking we'd missed the last tour (it was approaching 4:30pm at this point).

Legging it meant we got to share the tour with just two other people - a young American couple, who are currently on a massive tour of South America, from new York, and commented on the fact that ours were the first English-speaking people they'd met inn two days.

The Opera House is pretty amazing, and more than worth the 10 Reals (about £5) each.. the ship's tour was going to have cost us about 80 quid!!

Our guide was struggling with his English, and admitted he was new to it all, but what he lacked in language, he more than made up for in enthusiasm, and the look around one of Brazil's most famous crown jewels was an excellent experience.

We're currently enjoying free wi-fi in the Terminal building, allowing us to update blogs and check email etc. before heading back on board ship for dinner.

We're here until 6:30pm tomorrow evening, so any available opportunity we'll get to come ashore, I'm sure we'll be taking. Hopefully by the early hours of tomorrow morning, the Marco Polo will be back to its old self again, and we can continue on our trip without any further hitches.

After about two hours of waiting, a ferry boat finally arrived to take passengers ashore. In the intervening period I learnt something very interesting; that a black circle hoisted at the front of the ship is a signal that the vessel is in distress.

Passengers booked on the Boi Bumba Tour were the first to leave our crippled ship behind. It only took 30 minutes or so to arrive at Parintins marina, where we were greeted by jumping dolphins.

A short walk from the pier brought us to the Parintins conference centre, were we were treated to a show of spectacular proportions. Every year, Parintins plays host to the Boi Bumba Festival, which is a huge festival of dance and music, where dance groups from all around the region get together and compete to see who can produce the most ellaborate costumes and biggest and best dance pieces. What we were shown today was but a small extract, featuring just some of the dancers from last year's festival. To say it was spectacular is a bit of an understatement; huge set pieces featured giant frogs, snakes, fish and butterflies, whilst dance troupes in the most exotic of costumes danced to a live band that bashed their way through almost an hour's worth of non-stop music. I'm sure every dance told a different story, but there was no explanation of what those stories might be = it really didn't matter; at times, there was just so much going off that you didn't know where to look - visually stunning, it was all actually quite awesome....

After the show, we returned to the Marco Polo, just as the first of the electrical systems were starting to come back online - approximately 9 hours after it all went dead in the early hours of this morning.

It's been a right funny old day. Despite the stricken status of our vessel, the tour went ahead, and passengers were still able to get ashore, if only for a short time.

It's early evening now, and there are still many cabins without full lights. Thankfully the water and sewage systems now seem to be operating normally (I can't discribe how awful the smell was down in the lower decks as the pumps kicked in), and, as compensation, everybody has been promised a free glass of champagne at dinner tonight - bribery and corruption works every time.... works for me, anyhow.

An announcement made a short time ago explained that the electrical failure was found to be due to water leak, from a burst pipe (presumably from the heavy rains we've had) having got into one of the main circuit boards. Although most services are back online, the only way way they can safely attempt to restore the remaining services is by doing a total, controlled shutdown and reboot - something they can only do when alongside a port - in other words full, normal service won't be resumed until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest, when we are due to arrive in Manaus.

As someone jocularly suggested earlier today... try switching it off and switching it back on again - seems they were right after all!

Monday - Lost Power - full update

Yesterday was a good day. After enjoying the free wi-fi in Alter do Chao, we joined the hordes of people enjoying a swim in the clear waters of the Verde Lago - not something we thought we'd be doing here in Amazonia. For an hour or so, we swam and lounged in the sun - 'The Caribbean of the Amazon' is a tag justly deserved!

This morning we were due to arrive in Parintins.

As I write this, though, we're still waiting.

9:30am:

At about 7:30 this morning, everything suddenly went very quiet - the engines had stopped, and all power had gone off in the cabin. Some time later, an announcement informed us that we had experienced a 'minor electrical fault', resulting in an electrical blackout. My idea of a minor electrical fault is one where you change the battery or bulb - not one that stops the entire ship dead in the water and plunges it into darkness (except for the emergency lighting), and forces us to drop anchor while the electricians battle to find out what the problem is.

Needless to say; everything is effected. Tracey was in the bathroom at the time of the blackout, and was plunged into total darkness. We've been told that cabin loos will flush once, although we managed to squeeze 2 or 3 flushes out of ours... Water is now down to a trickle in the cabin, and folks are wondering what's going to happen as bladders and bowels need to do what comes naturally of a morning...

We're quite lucky being on an outside cabin, which provides us with light from the portholes. People who are in internal cabins have been told to open their doors to make use of the emergency lighting in the corridors.

Breakfast has been disrupted big-time, of course; tea and coffee were initially available, but have since run out. Quite how they managed to knock up the scrambled eggs and sausages without any power is beyond me, although one assumes that the majority of it had already been cooked earlier - full marks to the kitchen staff, though...

There's no air-conditioning, so the ship is stiflingly warm; unfortunately, when I last glanced outside, it was raining quite heavily, so there wasn't a great deal of choice - all the lounges are full, and seating is at a premium. People are being stoical, of course - all very British - but I sense the patience will start to run very thin if the emergency runs on for too long. For starters; there are many passengers due to be on tour in Parintins, to visit the Boi Bumba Festival (or what is, actually, a re-enactment of the annual festival, which is meant to be quite spectacular) - that's going to be delayed, if not cancelled outright (there is a rumour that the ship is trying to hire a ferry to take people to the festival, but there haven't, as yet, been any announcements confirming that.

Here's a spooky fact....

Last year, when we came this way on the Boudicca, Parintins was our last stop. Some 20-30 mins downriver of the town (we were on our way out of the Amazon at that point), the ship broke down. It suffered a steering problem and was stuck in the river for 6-7 hours... it was more or less the same location were we find ourselves now.... the Amazon Triangle??

Gareth, the Cruise Director, a short while ago, announced a revised timetable of events for the morning; a revised timetable for the afternoon will be announced at midday, when hopefully we will also have some power...

10:40am:

An announcement has just been made confirming that the electricians have successfully diagnosed the fault, and that they are hoping to have power back in an hour to and hour-and-a half's time. In the meantime, he confirmed that they are in touch with the shore agent in Parintins, and that they are currently trying to negotiate a couple of large, local crafts to ferry passengers to the port - they also confirmed that our stay here would be extended to allow the Boi Bumba Tour to go ahead (in other words; they're waiting for us).

They call it the Caribbean of the Amazon - and with just cause! It's situated on a lagoon they call Laga Verde, which changes colour from blue to green throughout the day. It has sandy beaches, beach bars and straw huts, and is upriver from Santarem, where people flock from on a sunny weekend day to swim and chill...

We've come ashore by tender and spent a bit of money in the craft shops. We're sat in a shady bar (that is: out of the sun - not dodgy), where we've discovered the whole area is a free wi-fi zone... YESSSSSSS!!!!!!

A swim is on the cards later, after we've finished drinking the expensive beer and chips (13 reals= £6.50 approx... very pricey chips - beers cold though).

We only brought one netbook ashore with us, and Tracey is chomping at the bit to update her blog, so that's all from me right this minute.

Loving it!!

Today we arrived at Almeirim. The Marco Polo dropped anchor somewhere in the middle of the river, and tender boats ferried passengers to and from the village. There are a lot of stops like this, and people seem to be getting used to the drill (collect tickets from Reception and wait for the letter on your ticket to be called). There weren't any excursions today, though, so all passengers going ashore were going to do their own thing.

I have to say that both Tracey and I realley warmed to Aleirim. I, for one, had the impression in my head that some of the places we'd be seeing along the Amazon River would start to look alike. We've never been here before, so we didn't know quite what to expect - it turns out that the place has a very distinctive character all of its own.

First and foremost; it felt very laid-back, and extremely friendly (several people had jewellery and other items snatched in Macapa). The locals seemed very happy to have all these affluent tourists from the boat descend upon them (we represent income, after all), and there were many instances of them taking photographs of us. As we walked along, a young girl approached us with her mobile phone and took a picture of us - and in one of the shops, Tracey was asked to pose for several photos, first with one person, then another; it was all very sweet, actually - they seem as curious of us as we are of them.

Almeirim isn't a big place by any means. A long, straight road stretching both ways from the quayside gave it the feel of a seaside promenade. As with most places in these parts, the buildings were colourful, and most of the locals seemed to get about on motorbikes - in fact, there were a great number of car and motorbike repair shops dotted about the place. At opposite ends of the promenade the dwellings became less colourful, and more rundown - houses on stilts at one of the village, and an old, but very busy, boatyard at the other.

The heat was quite stifling today, and many passengers opted to just sit in bars and drink the local beer. We walked for as long as we could, to see as much as we could, before finally admitting defeat and heading into an air-conditioned supermarket with tables and chairs to sit and recouperate with a cold drink.

It was all-aboard by 2pm, and we were away by 3pm. Cruising down the river is a great experience, and many people just stand on deck watching the trees go by. It rained a couple of times (quite heavily on one occasion), but by late afternoon/early evening, it was pleasant watching the light fade, and night falling over the Amazon. Being on board ship can be a fun experience, and a major part of what cruising is all about (in fact, some people just stay on board ship and don't even bother to get off at ports). For Tracey and myself, however, it is the ports that we look forward to, and enjoy the most - for us; this is what it is all about!

With the weather now being consistently warm, evening entertainments (except for the main shows which still take place in the Marco Polo Lounge) have moved almost permanently out onto the pool. Many people choose to eat their dinner out on deck, although tonight there was a preponderance of small flying insects, so many sat at tables just out of the most brightly lit areas.

It's been a good bug day today, with many passengers wandering around deck spotting, and photographing, the moths and beetles that have landed on board ship. There was one particularly large, and ugly, looking critter this afternoon, which caused a whole heap of interest, looking like a cross between a giant cockroach and one of those alien bugs from 'Starship Troopers'. Mostly, there are moths of all shapes and sizes (some very large), and colours, and many little black shiny beetles that scuttle around the edges of the deck. Most are quite beautiful to look at - some just make you itch.

Today we arrived in Santana (I've Got A Black Magic Woman.....), which is about 10 miles away from Macapa, after a day's sailing, heading North and West, back into the Amazon Basin. The point at which we entered the area was marked by a dark line stretching right across the ocean, which is the furthest point reached by the fresh water from the Amazon River itself. Apparently, the Amazon chucks out as much fresh water in a second as would serve the city of New York for 9 years... that's a heck of a lot of water!!! The line we crossed is created by the different densities and temperatures of the two waters meeting - something that actually occurs a lot in these areas, and we expect to see further upriver.

Last night, we were treated to the bizarre spectacle of flocks of birds circling the ship, presumably chasing the moths that were attracted by our lights. It brought a fair number of passengers out on deck; the chittering and squeaking from them caused many to ponder whether in fact they were birds or bats (I saw them through binoculars, and they were definitely birds - but this was in the dark, which made it all seem quite spooky).

Santana is predominantly an industrial port at the the mouth of the Amazon, and many people had been encouraged to pay the £29 per person to take a transfer bus into Macapa, or to sign up to the Macapa City Tour (which would have cost them about 50 quid per person).

We decided, having taken the tour at the previous stop to give this one a miss, and just go for a walk - after all, who wants to pay best part of £60 just for a short bus ride into the city? How chuffed were we, then, to come across taxi drivers hanging around outside the port gates offering rides into Macapa for a fraction of the price?.... (very). The prices started out at 120 Brazilian Reals (about £60) for a taxi, which would work out at £15 each. Then we found ourselves talking to a taxi driver who wanted to charge only $80. We'd found another couple who also wanted to visit Macapa, and at the last minute went for a young chap who offered only $30 for the round trip, for all four of us.

So we ended up with our own personal taxi driver for a visit to Macapa. He couldn't speak a single word of English, but we got by somehow.

Our first stop was at the Equator Monument on the outskirst of town, which marks the equator (of course), and provides visitors with an ideal photo opportunity, to stand on both the Northern and Southern hemispheres both at the same time. After that, we visited an old fort, where we found ourselves mingling with many of the passengers on the paid tour from the trip... hee hee!!

Finally, our young taxi driver took us to a crafts market and a small cafe for a drink...

The heat was stifling... we did see some rain, though - and when it rains - boy does it rain! It doesn't last very long though, and everyone steams off nicely.

When we got back to the port, we felt so happy with the service we'd got from the taxi driver that we gave him $40 - just $10 per person... we can't help wondering, though, if he'd actually meant for us to pay $30 each way.... that would be very disappointing for him to receive only $40... we'll never know.

The other good thing about today's visit is that we've found some free wi-fi by the port offices near the ship. It's not very quick, but its free - and after having nothing again for two days, we're grateful just to have anything. I'm pretty sure, remembering what it was like last year, that the Amazon area itself is a bit of a bad zone for internet anyway, and not much better for mobile phone reception...

Whatever... when I get a service, I'll use it... it might be tomorrow, or it might be three or four days from now....

We're right into the Amazon River proper now, and today is the start of 7 port days back-to-back. It's great to be back here again, and we're both looking forward to the next few days...

Today we dropped anchor just off Icoaraci, a stone's throw away from Belem; getting passengers ashore under these circumstances is like a major military operation. Lifeboats become tender boats, ferrying folks to and from the quayside, which means we get to see what it would be like to be put to sea in one in an emergency (but without the panic). I can tell you that I now know what sardines in a tin must feel like.

One confused (and slightly tipsy) lady asked me today; "are we actually in the Amazon yet?" We sort of are (we are definitely in Amazonia), but our stopping-off point today was in one of the many outlets into the area. Tomorrow, we'll be sailing back up the coast a little way, to Macapa, when we will actually be in the Amazon River, and not one of its tributaries. It is slightly confusing, and no-one seems to know exactly why we're doing it like that, but there you go - what matters is that we're here - in Brazil!!

Passengers on tours were given priority, and as we had tickets for the Guama River tour, it meant being up, and breakfasted, early. Once on the quayside, we were herded into four coaches, which, to everyone's relief (and amazement, I think), were air-conditioned, and a 45-minute drive brought us to Belem. With a population of 1.4 million inhabitants, Belem is the second largest city in the Amazon region, after Manaus. It's big, with sprawling suburbs that look largely poor and scruffy, and with a constant backdrop of impressive high-rise buildings - definitely a case of 'the haves' and 'the have nots'. We'd been rather taken by Icoaraci, with its bustling main street and colourful image, and planned to take a look around it on our return from the tour. As we approached Belem, however, the urban landscape changed dramatically, and the traffic became heavier, until eventually we found ourselves in a horrendous queue that made the M25 look like Silverstone. Once it was established that the traffic had, indeed, ground to an embarrassing halt, the guide explained to us that we were stopping and getting off, to walk it the rest of the way to pick up our boat for the river trip.

The remainder of the excursion was very pleasant. The trip down the river Guama took about 45 minutes, delivering us to a small quayside, from where we were required to walk again. From here, it became a nature walk, with the guide giving us information about the various plants and vegetation visible along the way. It was actually quite an interesting insight, also, into the daily lives of people who live along the river. For most of the river-trip part of the tour, we were treated to a grandstand view of stilt-houses and boats along the water's edge, where people mostly seemed to just sit and watch the world go by, hang out washing, and wave at us as we passed. I had this constantly nagging, and I'm sure rather naive, question in my head... what on earth do these people do all day? The answer, of course, is 'survive'. The people who lived at the plantation where we had our nature walk harvested a whole range of cocoa beans and fruits, which would be taken to Belem early in the morning to sell. People don't use roads in this area much - they travel to the city on their boats.

The earlier traffic jam had set our timings back quite a bit. Although the tour had been advertised as being from 9:30 until 2pm, we didn't get back to Icoaraci until about 4pm. This only left us with a short time to take a quick glance around the village before catching the last-but-one tender boat back to the Marco Polo.

...Just when we thought communication with the outside world couldn't get worse...

...it got worse.

On Sunday night, just before midnight, we lost a huge chunk of our satellite communication, and my backup system (in the current absence of crew wi-fi), my mobile dongle, became useless. The ship had entered what can only be described as a 'Dead Zone'; with only a minimum signal available, one of its two satellite communication links were disabled, leaving one to cover everything important (which, apparently, didn't include my blog). At least, that was how Gareth the Cruise Director, explained it to me. He reassured me that as we get closer to land, sometime around Wednesday evening / Thursday morning, then things will start to pick up again. Concensus of opinion, though, is that the crew wi-fi cards are probably unlikely to turn up in Belem on Thursday, as hoped - if at all.

This initially frustrated me and made me quite tetchy (as I'm sure Tracey will testify); I really don't like being cut off like that for any length of time - I know there are important emails waiting to be answered, and things that need to be taken care of - I'm just not used to having no internet at all.

For three days, then, not that much has happened; sea days can be long and uneventful. Flying fish-watching is a pastime continued to be enjoyed by many, while the remainder simply lounge around on sunbeds reading or... lounging. Days such as this are punctuated by bouts of eating, at breakfast and lunchtime, and attending lectures or art & craft sessions. People are waiting for the main event.

We've had several early nights on account of the draining heat making us want to do nothing but sleep. We did make an effort on Sunday night, though, which was the second formal night, meaning best bib and tucker. After dinner, we enjoyed a pleasant evening's walk around the outside of the ship; The Marco Polo is actually a fine vessel, which looks lovely when it's lit up at night. A show in the Marco Polo lounge performed by the Showteam and orchestra, followed by a relaxing drink in the Columbus Lounge wasn't a bad way to spend an evening at all, and it helped to take my mind off my internet woes.

Last night, we were treated to a fantastic show by the resident comedian, Andy Ford, who is also the husband of one of the craft lecturers, Michelle (who does the scrap-booking). He was absolutely brilliant - a very funny man who managed to pitch his routine just right... This was followed by a 'Name That Tune' quiz in the Marco Polo Lounge, which was also enjoyable.

Today (Tuesday), I managed to pursuade the Cruise Director to give me the afternoon off, and only do the 11 o'clock workshop. This was not out of idleness, but because of the activities planned for this afternoon out on deck, which were a must-see (not only was it something that I didn't want to miss, but I figured that my students wouldn't want to miss out on either). This afternoon, we had to undertake a time-honoured ceremony whereby we seek from none-other than King Neptune, permission to cross the equator.

It was a well-executed, and stage-managed ceremony, performed by the Entertainments team. After welcoming King Neptune aboard (a long, white-bearded figure who stood on the upper decks, viewing the proceedings), they played 'I'm An Entertainer, Get Me Out of Here', which featured 6 members of the team having to do lots of daft things, like get a pair of flip-flops, a bra, and a pair of false teeth from the passengers. Another game entailed holding a bucket full of water at arms length for as long as possible, and picking up an empty cereal packet in their teeth without touching the floor (except for their feet). One by one the entertainers were eliminated, with the final choice between the remaining two always being determined by the volumne of cheers from the passengers; the person being eliminated was unceremoniously pushed into the swimming pool.

It was all extremely good fun, and passed an entertaining hour... Needless to say, King Neptune granted us permission to cross the equator, which we will be doing between half-past ten and eleven o'clock tonight, when more celebrations are planned.

The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting at the front of the ship watching the ocean go by. The flying fish seem to have got smaller in size, and we actually spotted two small fishing boats - the first boats we've seen in four days (since leaving Mindelo).

It's been nice having the opportunity to get into conversation with other lecturers and passengers. Steve Ragnall, one of the lecturers, who has been talking about maritime matters, and gave a great lecture about 'The Two Henrys' (Henry Wickham and Henry Ford), who between them pretty much descimated the Brazilian monopoly on rubber, was telling us a story he'd heard from Richard Sykes, one of the guest acts, and who was until recently Cruise Director for the Marco Polo, about a lady who complained about bumping noises in her cabin every night. Each morning, she would complain to Reception, who couldn't figure out what the bumping might be. After several days of complaints; the lady insisted that the mysterious bumping was continuing, so the Cruise Director said that he would sit in the cabin with her, to try and identify the source of the noise. Lo and behold, the noise started up, and the CD made his way upstairs to discover that the noise was being made by a German guest who was taking his sun-lounger into his room each night!

Tomorrow, we are due to arrive at Icoaraci, near Belem, the first of our Brazilian stops. It's an anchor stop, with passengers being taken ashore by tender boat; priority will be given to those people on excursions, though, so we're expecting to be ashore early, as we have our first tour of the cruise - Guama River Tour.

Today was the first of four sea days, as we head towards Brazil - it certainly doesn't feel like a Saturday! Unfortunately, the crew wi-fi cards didn't turn up in Mindelo (why am I not surprised?), so we're having to make do with carrier pigeon, and keep our fingers crossed for Belem. The problem of our status being crew and not passenger still means we cannot use the passenger wi-fi (although we have been offered use of the PC in the entertainments room for emergencies), so I've had to dig out the old dongle again (to be used very sparingly, and for nothing more than very lightweight online tasks...) - we also have 5 minutes left on the last card we bought, so as I write this blog entry, I'm not entirely sure how best to upload it...

My new regime of three workshops a day has continued, although I have to say that, as people get used to it, the setting-up and changing-over of sessions is getting much easier, and more efficient. Today, the remedial group were given the tonal study to do, whilst the other two groups did simple figures - they're still talking about my Nureyev impression... I'm still hoping that we lose a few as the weather warms up, meaning we can go back to 2 sessions a day... we'll see.

After five hours in the meeting room, I was ready for chilling out on deck and doing nothing more than watching the sea. The weather is growing decidedly warmer, and as the days go by, so the amount of bare flesh on show increases (shudders involuntarily). The top deck reminds me of one of those David Attenborough documentaries about basking seals...

Now we have the Cape Verde islands behind us, the flying fish have started to make an appearance. It was just the odd one or two at first, but as time goes on, and we get closer to the equator, so their numbers are increasing.

I could happily spend hours just stood on the front deck, watching them as they flee the ship, breaking the surface of the water and flying for quite a distance, sometimes skimming like stones, before disappearing in a rather ungainly fashion back beneath the waves again. They vary in size and colour; some are the most beautiful blue, others are silvery. Mostly they appear in ones and twos but, occasionally, they appear in a whole cloud of little bodies, shimmering across the surface of the sea - fascinating, and quite captivating, to watch.

I spent most of what remained of the afternoon trying to photograph them. I don't have much of a zoom lens, but I do have a camera with a high resolution, and the ability to alter the shutter speed. I've took a number of reasonably decent shots, but reckon I can do better tomorrow, with a bit more practice. I expect Tracey to borrow a couple of the better shots to add to her blog - unfortunately, that's going to have to wait until we can get acccess to some proper internet (fingers crossed for Belem).

It was still warm enough this evening to eat dinner out on deck, which was lovely. After dinner we went for a wander through the ship's shops, and discovered, of all things, Thermos Mugs bearing the Cruise and Maritime insignia. After all that searching, we were amazed to find them right under our very noses! At £5 each, they weren't cheap, but with a crew discount, that brought them down to £4 each. The brilliant thing is, it means we can now take a mug of tea back down into the cabin - and Tracey can have a mug of her favourite coffee that she's brought with her.

Ship life can be tiring. It creeps up on you, and takes you unawares; suddenly you just feel a great doziness wash over you, and feel that all you want to do is sleep. Tracey's cold is starting to get better, and mine has almost gone completely, yet we've opted for an early night on both the last two nights... sometimes it just seems easier. Tonight, I think, we are determined to try and stay awake a little longer, and maybe try to catch the late-night cabaret in Scott's Bar, where Cait, our Assistant Cruise Director will be singing.

There's a definite sense of growing anticipation amongst the passengers now as we draw nearer to South America. Tonight we'll be putting our clocks and watches back one more hour, meaning we'll be 2 hours behind the UK. In two days time, we'll have to start taking the Malorone (anti-malaria) tablets - it seems not everyone sees this as necessary; one of the lecturers we were talking to today admitted he wasn't bothering, and claimed that something like 40% of the passengers were the same. Personally, I don't think its a risk worth taking (and I remember just how much I got eaten by the little buggers last time around).

Mindelo hasn't changed  much in 12 months. There are a few noticeable building improvements here and there - in particular, a huge hole that we remembered from our last visit has actually been filled in and a few of the tattier buildings have been spruced up.

Last time we were here, it was Sunday, and everywhere was closed. Today, it's a bank holiday - and everywhere is closed....

With Tracey's cold in full flood, we needed to try and buy some soft tissues from somewhere, and were quite pleased to discover a supermarket open. Unfortunately, we only have a couple of euro coins on us, and a 20 euro note. The local currency here is escudos, and one problem visitors discover is that, although they're happy to take payment for things in euros or dollars, they will only give change in escudos. A large multi-pack of soft tissues came to about 98 cents - less than a euro - but.... they wouldn't accept a single euro coin - they would only take notes... needless to say, we politely declined - we didn't want to be saddled with 19 quid's worth of escudos that we'd be unable to spend anywhere else.

It's still pleasantly mild to warm, which rises to quite hot when the sun occasionally comes out. Unfortunately, it's remained overcast for most of the day; thankfully, the light rain we had earlier hasn't been repeated.

There are lots of feral-looking cats and dogs in Mindelo. Whether they belong to anyone as pets is difficult to decide. Sometimes you'll see one following someone, like it knows them, and is probably fed by them, but for the most part, they appear to just live wild around the streets, flopped into corners, often looking quite worse for wear (we were quite appalled to see one of the passengers petting one of the dogs hanging around the port - an activity strongly discouraged by the ship - I can see us all going down with some bizarre disease contracted from a manky animal). At one point, we passed the fish market, which although closed today, is clearly home to many well-fed moggies - they were all curled up on the counters, presumeably dreaming of fish....

Old men playing cards on street corners, and young men cleaning their motorbikes seem to be the choice occupations of Cape Verdeans on their Bank Holiday. The rest hang about, waiting to pounce on passing cruise ship passengers, and hassle them for a euro or two. Whichever way you look at it, Mindelo is a pretty laid-back place. We rather like it, both for its laid-backness, and its location; the circular harbour is that shape because it is the mouth of a long-extinct volcano, and tall, jagged hills rise up in every direction, like sharks teeth.

It's all aboard by 5:30pm today - the Marco Polo is due to set sail at 6pm.

We have 4 sea days ahead of us (that's 12 workshops for me) - we are due to arrive at the mouth of the Amazon on Wednesday. From here on, the weather should get even warmer, and the flying fish should start to appear....

Bring it on...

We actually managed to be up on deck for 7:30am, in time to see us arrive in port, and to watch the sunrise. It's pleasantly warm, but slightly overcast, and keeps feeling like it's threatening rain.

First job of the day was to find wi-fi, which we found for a very reasonable price - for just over 5 euros, we get unlimited access for up to 64mb of data at the Marina Club. There is a free area just along the promenade, but the bloke here warned us that we were likely to have our laptops snatched from under our noses (then again, he would say that, wouldn't he?).

The internet access has allowed both Tracey and I to catch up on a few on-line tasks - particularly important because we won't know until later whether or not the crew wi-fi cards have turned up, or if we'll be without access for 4 more sea days.

The good news is; my cold has almost gone.

The bad news is; Tracey has it.

Mindelo is a cool place. If anything, it's a bit on the shabby side, but it has a certain, unspoilt charm about it, nevertheless.

It's now coming up to midday, and we're about to go off wandering (it's also just starting to spot with rain).

Will hopefully post something later....

This is a short catch-up post to fill the gaps before arriving in Mindelo on Friday.

Two significant things have happened since the last post. Firstly; we lost the crew wi-fi: Crew wi-fi is issued on cards, which cost £20, giving access to 200 minutes. What we didn't discover until yesterday is that these cards, and the codes they use are not randomly generated or infinite. They are issued in batches by the company that manages the onboard system, and are out of the hands of the IT man. In short; they ran out, which was a bit of a shock to everyone, as they never had before - they've never had us on board before...

This is the reason for the gap.

The other significant thing that has happened is; due to the ongoing complaints from passengers unable to get into the painting classes, and the uncertainty of them securing a place in the room on either of the two sessions, 'Priority Pass' cards have been issued to regulars who have been turning up since session one, and a third session has been set up, meaning that, from today, I will be running three workshops on each sea-day, with an 11 o'clock session starting from scratch again for those people who missed out the first time around.

Yesterday we spent a little time on deck with our binoculars, wave-spotting - there were millions of them!

Tracey would like me just to say, to those who asked who the statute of the guy prancing about the pool is, that it's Nureyev!...

Everyone is hoping that the new batch of wi-fi cards arrive in Mindelo tomorrow, so that normal service can be resumed.

In case you're wondering how this particular post could possibly have been uploaded... it's come to you via mobile broadband dongle, via gold-plated ship's satellite... I can't even begin to imagine how much it's cost me....

Today, we arrived in Funchal, Madeira, which is, apparently, the second largest port in Portugal, after Lisbon. Time was precious, as this was just a half-day's visit, so after breakfast, we headed into town.

The Marco Polo may have many similarities to the likes of Fred Olsen's Boudicca, but there are two significant differences that I feel I should summarise here (three, if you count the lack of double-beds). Firstly; there are no kettles, or tea-making facilities of any sort in any of the cabins. Frankly, this is a drag; tea and coffe is only available from the  dispensing points in Marco's cafe, and on the rear deck. These are usually self-service stations, but are currently, due to the restrictions still being imposed on the ship, manned by staff, who take your order - I have yet to see the one on the Aft Deck open. This is the first ship I've been on that doesn't provide a kettle, and pre-cruise thoughts of whether or not to smuggle a small travel kettle aboard were dashed when we'd read the small print, which expressly disallows such behaviour. As a compromise, we'd considered bringing a couple of those thermos mug things aboard, but forgot...

Between you and me, unofficially, I know that there are passengers who have brought kettles aboard, and the use of thermos mugs is widespread. We're kicking ourselves a bit now.

The other significant difference is a lack of laundry facilities, which I think I've already mentioned elsewhere. The reason I bring both these things up now is because, this all helped to form our shopping plan for Funchal; two thermos mugs, some hand-washing powder (to wash our own undies, and avoid having to pay £1 per small item for the staff to do it), and a set of pegs. Although we contemplated it, we didn't dare buy a travel kettle, because they would surely confiscate it as we re-boarded the ship, to be returned to us at the end of the cruise...

Unfortunately, we couldn't find thermos mugs anywhere. The last pegs we'd seen were in Lisbon (which, in retrospect, we should have bought); nowhere could we find such items in Funchal. So, we opted to buy a load of soft drinks for the cabin. Wash-powder was easy, of course - but we were amazed when returning to the ship, loaded down with carrier bags, that they didn't even bother to search them. Despite alcohol bought ashore being banned from being taken to your cabin (it is taken off you and returned at the end of the cruise), we could easily have smuggled on a kettle, bottles of whiskey, drugs, anything, and they wouldn't have batted an eyelid...

The rest of our time in Funchal was spent sitting outside one of the many cafes along the main street, which is a free wi-fi zone. We drank tea and coffee and answered emails, as Funchal bustled in the way that only Funchal can... it's a beautiful city, on a beautiful island; after several visits here, we never tire of its charms.

Berthed alongside the Marco Polo, when we returned, was Saga Pearl II, which, as far as I know, is Saga's newest aqcuisition, replacing the clapped-out Saga Rose. Parked in front of that was none other than the Saga Ruby, which took me back to my very first cruise assignment back in 2004. Both ships are smaller than the Marco Polo, and the Pearl has quite a distinctively-shaped funnel - I'd just call it UGLY!

This afternoon, painting workshops weren't scheduled, so its been quite a pleasantly relaxing one. I downloaded video from my camera to the laptop ready for editting later, whilst Tracey had a little nap - I think she's still acclimatising to ship life. Incidently; one of the reasons I don't post many photographs is because I don't take many photos - but I do film lots and lots of video. In case you haven't seen it, you might like to check out Tracey's version of the cruise in her own  blog at http://dittzzy.blogspot.com/ (or us the link to the left of the screen) - Tracey posts lots of great photos!

We spent the second half of the afternoon in one of the lounges reading; Tracey on her Kindle, and I using one of the more traditional methods. I'm currently trying to understand how it is that Quantum Particles can truly exist in an infinite number of places all at the same time, in Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaws fantastic new book "The Quantum Universe: Everything that Can Happen Does Happen". I'm both enjoying, and struggling with, its contents both at the same time - a little quantum experiment of my own.

Finding good seats in any of the lounges of an afternoon is difficult; most of the window seats are already taken. One particular group of four seats by the window was occupied by just one lady. As we approached, she pointed to a bag that was placed opposite her, saying that someone was already sat there. As it was Tracey's turn to get the tea and coffee, I sat there watching as the same lady turned away several people with the same line... In all the time we were sat there I don't believe anyone actually came back and sat opposite her - in fact, I'd swear blind that the bag was hers, placed there as a ruse to dissuade people from sitting anywhere near her.... canny!

Today's workshops went quite well. 'Linear Perspective' is a bit of a biggie, and a struggle for many students to grasp; condensing what I would normally take about 45 minutes to explain, down to 10 minutes is even trickier, but I think I pulled it off...

Today, we took a slightly different tack. With Tracey helping me, we stopped anyone from entering the room until everything was prepared, leaving participants to queue outside the door until we were ready. As they entered the room, Tracey handed out printed notes, and I counted heads, warning them, as we went along, that the arm would come down at 20.

I was convinced that this would lead to disappointment and aggro, but as the tail end of the queue finally made it through the door, to my astonishment, everyone who'd queued made it in. I'd bluffed my way through it, insisting that the new regime had been dictated by the powers-that-be... fortunately, everyone (well, mostly everyone) took it on the chin, so a new routine has been established - long may it continue.

The tablets seem to work for so long, then the runny nose comes back with a vengeance. I sailed through the first session without too much trouble, but half way through the second session, everything was streaming, and it was all I could do to avoid dripping on everybody (everyone was very polite, though - they'll be cursing me if they all come down with colds).

This morning, I'd struggled to get a good connection on the ship wi-fi, and eventually gave up. This afternoon, while I was teaching, Tracey did some experimentation, moving about from lounge to lounge to find the best hotspots; hence the delay in uploading the last two posts.

This evening, after dinner, we watched Richard Sykes do his thing in the Marco Polo Lounge. His act was a broad spectrum of songs, from Victoria Wood comedy to Chuck Berry. I don't think I've ever seen so little movement from an audience - I don't blame the performer (we were rockin' and rollin' at the back), most just seem like they don't know how to have a good time, and can't wait to get to their Horlicks and an early night. I must confess, I'm not that mad on pre-recorded backing tracks, and felt that the last number, when Richard was accompanied by the live orchestra was the best thing he did.

After this, we sat in the Captain's Club lounge and was entertained by two classical musicians; a pianist and violinist, two young ladies who know how to make a good sound.

There are always lots of things going off on the ship, of an evening. Live music is being played in most lounges, to suit most tastes, and it encourages folks to wander from one to the other. Of course, it also encourages passengers to relax and have a drink; having a drink every night for 45 nights could notch up a large bill - I've noticed that, for some, the drinking starts very early (I'm talking, before lunchtime) - I wouldn't want to have to settle their onboard account...

So the evening is yet young. Activities continue long into the night and beyond, and I don't know if we've got the stamina to last that long - not tonight, anyway. There's a cabaret at 11:15 in Scott's Bar... we'll see...

Tomorrow, we arrive in Funchal, Madeira. We already have a bit of a shopping list of items we need to spend our precious euros on, and we'll almost certainly be taking advantage of the free wi-fi to be found in the town centre. It's only a half day; the ship is due to dock at 7:30am, and leave at 2pm, so there isn't going to be much opportunity to do much else.

Marco's Cafe was so chock-a-block at breakfast this morning that we opted to eat out on deck. Despite being a little overcast, the temperature wasn't unpleasant, and the wind has finally dropped. It occurred to me that in about a week's time, everyone will be fighting over the outside tables, and inside, there'll be loads of space.

First job of the morning was to visit the medical centre.

My cold has shown little sign of abating, and after asking in the on-board shop if they had anything to dry it up, we were advised to visit the Med Centre. In the Medical Centre, we were told to go away and get a slip of paper from the Cruise Director. Gareth was more than happy to sign a chitty for me, authorising free medical attention, on account of being crew, telling me that a visit to see the on-board doctor can, otherwise, be a very expensive experience (we're talking thousands of pounds here, potentially....). Of course, all of this is very much not me; I've never been to the doctor with something as trivial as a cold, and I have to admit that it was only Tracey's badgering me that I agreed to go there at all.

The doctor poked things in my ears, shoved a spatula in my mouth and told me to say 'Agh', had a little rummage around my neck regions and then asked me to raise my t-shirt and breath in and out while he listened to my innards. Finally, he sent me out with a box of 'Day Nurse', telling me to take 2 tablets, three times a day, and that if the symptoms persist, to go back and see him. All for a bit of a sniffle.

Second job of the morning was to visit the Tour Excursions desk and hand over our wish-list. Arranging tour escorting and ensuring that we get the tours we most want and, where necessary, agreeing which tours we're happy to pay the full-price tickets for so that we don't miss out, can be a complicated business. Rhys, the Tour Excursions manager had told me the other day that everyone has a different method of exppressing theiir wishes, with complex combinations of symbols and notes. We think we've got it all sorted, and are happy that the next few weeks are now planned as well as possible.

Sunday - Lisbon

Today we arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, and Tracey joined the ship exactly according to plan. I whiled away a couple of hours in the vicinity of the port, taking photographs and shooting a bit of video in the gorgeous morning light, casting my eye skywards every time a plane descended from the skies heading towards the airport, trying to spot the Easyjet livery. Just before 11am, I received a text from Tracey to tell me that she had landed and was going in search of a taxi. Within 20 minutes, she'd arrived at the port and we'd checked her in. I love it when a plan comes together!

I seem to have developed a streaming cold, and have spent the day blowing my nose. By tomorrow, I expect to resemble Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.

After a light lunch, we took a walk into Lisbon. Although our plan was to head roughly towards the town centre, we managed to visit three interesting old buildings en route, one of which was the Cathedral, another which was a very large and impressive church (Sao Vicente) which we only really managed a glimpse of its interior because, it being Sunday, there was a service on. However; neither were as impressive as the first building we visited, The Church of Saint Engracia, also known as National Pantheon. We were bowled over by it the minute we walked through its doors, with its high domed ceilings, and its clean simplicity (and Enya soundalike streaming, etherially, through its wall-mounted speakers). I warmed to it even more when we where told by the man in the ticket booth that entrance was free until 2pm (it was 1:45pm - free is my kind of price!).

He promptly directed us to the stairs that would lead us high up into the circular gallery, and onto the outside terrace that surrounded the huge dome. From here, we were treated to magnificent views across the city, in all directions; it was all rather fantastic.

Our route took us through winding streets, following the tram lines, dodging the trams, stopping off for a drink at a roof-top restaurant, down towards the huge square by the riverbank, where they erect a very unique, modern, enormous christmas tree every year. Here, we discovered craft stalls beneath the old, slightly tatty, arches, and as we drifted towards the riverside, the sounds of a live band performing to passers-by reminded us that Lisbon is a living, breathing city, with a very bohemian heart. It may be slightly rough at the edges (of that, we both agreed, our assessment hadn't changed), but I think both of us rather warmed to it more this time around than the last time we were here (February 2011).

The Marco Polo set sail at almost bang-on 8pm. We'd just finished dinner, and dashed, first downstairs to the cabin, then back upstairs to catch the last glimpses of night-time Lisbon, and watch as we passed under the brightly-lit suspension bridge, and back out to the ocean, heading towards our next port-of-call, Funchal, Madeira.

By the way; the reason we had to dash down to the cabin first was two-fold. Firstly, I wanted to grab a camera to capture our leaving on film. The other reason is this...

For some reason, when the cabin stewardess had tidied the cabin last night, she omitted to leave a copy of the Daily Blurb (officially entitled 'Daily Programme').Because of this, I'd had to ask at Reception for a copy, which they happily did. Unfortunately, it wasn't until much later that I realised she'd given me a copy printed in Dutch (we took on 100 extra passengers in Amsterdam, and many of the tannoy announcements are made both in English and in Dutch). I decide that it wasn't a problem; after all - we would be using it mostly just for timings of events, and there would be a new one tomorrow. However, when it came to getting ready to go up to dinner, Tracey asked me what the dress code was for this evening; I checked the Daily Blurb which told me the dress code for this evening is 'VRIJE TIJD'. Needless to say, I had absolutely no idea; process of elimination meant it definitely wouldn't be Formal, because that was last night, and you never get two Formal nights in succession. The most frequent dress code to come up is 'Informal' so with, what I considered a slightly better than 50-50 chance,  I plumped for Informal.... wrong!.... Apparently Vrije Tijd means 'Casual'. The consequence of this was that both of us felt slightly overdressed, as people were slobbing about in their casuals (cardigans mostly), so we decided that a quick dress-down was necessary before appearing anywhere else on the ship.

It's late, and both of us are extremely tired (Tracey more so, because she only managed to get 3 hours sleep last night), so this post will have to wait to be uploaded now until the morning.

Tomorrow's a sea day, and my third workshop will be on Perspective.

The Tone Workshops went well. Results were good, and everyone genuinely seemed to enjoy themselves. The double workshop plan seems to be working, except for one small thing; the room still isn't large enough to accommodate everyone who wants to attend, even over two sittings. This was compounded today by the arrival of 3 or 4 complete newcomers who pipped people who came yesterday to the finishing post. Not only that; the room was full at least 10 minutes before the start of each session, so people turning up 5 minutes before the start appeared shocked, and quite put-out, by the fact that they couldn't get in. One gentleman actually started getting quite aggressive about the situation, demanding to know who is in charge, and all I could do was to recommend he go vent his anger at the Reception, where his grievences would be passed on to the relevant people.

Apparently; someone even turned up at 10 minutes to 12, 5 minutes before the end of the previous craft session (my first session is at 12:30), hoping to be first in at the art class... Pam had sent them away, and then they subsequently failed to get to either of my two sessions, so they weren't happy bunnies...

This could escalate, of course. I have visions of people turning up earlier and earlier, and fights breaking out over ownership of chairs and the 'right to be there'. In future, I think I'm going to have to make them queue outside the door, and let them fight it out in the lounge, then let them in one at a time, counting heads and dropping the bar at 20 (I wonder if I could draft the services of two burly members of crew to stand at the door dressed in black, look mean, and do the counting...).

I've found out only today that two port visits have been switched; Barbados and Antigua. Thank goodness Tracey hasn't already bought her flight ticket home from Barbados (at least, I don't think she has....).

Another thing I learned today was the extortionate cost of laundry. I was quite surprised, on first arrival, to discover that there isn't a passenger laundrette on board (a major feature on board all the ships I been on previously). Instead, you're meant to notify your cabin stewardess, and she'll arrange cleaning / ironing for you. It came up in conversation during the art class; apparently, they charge £1.50 for a t-shirt, and £1 per pair of knickers! Unbelievable... most people said they would be doing their own cleaning in the shower (which has an extending line to dry washing on... ironing is another matter, though - irons and kettles are strictly forbidden in the rooms.

I managed to make up for this morning's poor 4-lap effort of walking around the deck by doing 8 laps just before sunset, which was glorious (the sunset, not the walking). For the first time, people have been sat outside today, lazing and reading in the sun. At sunset, the long shadows and rich, warm light was very uplifting, and a taster of things to come. After this weekend, things should start warming up a bit.

This evening is the first formal night, but I just couldn't dredge up the enthusiasm to get spruced up in formal attire; informal dress seems to be acceptable in Marco's cafe, though, so that's what I opted for.

Would you believe that the Housekeeping Maid knocked on the door at 6:30 this evening, just as I was about to get in the shower. Bless her - she's clearly trying hard to get it right - I told her 7pm, and the room was cleaned up before I returned from dinner. Maybe the penny has finally dropped...

So; tomorrow we arrive in Lisbon, Portugal. I expect to be seeing Tracey and getting her checked-in and all-aboard by about 11:30, which should give us plenty of time to go out again, and give Lisbon another look (we weren't very impressed last time we were here, but I'm always happy to give it another shot).

There's a cabaret on this evening featuring songs from the James Bond movies, which I'd like to see... but it doesn't start until 11:15. What sort of time is that? That's bedtime that is... anyway... we'll see if I can stay awake long enough...

The sun's out, and people have ventured out on deck, properly, for the first time. It's still a tad fresh out there, but it isn't too cold, and quite bearable.

8 laps around the deck equals one mile, and the 'milers' have been stepping out in force. I only did about half a mile (that'll be 4 laps then), but kept stopping to look out to sea. Off to our port side, in the hazy distance can be seen the coast of Portugal; tomorrow we will be in Lisbon. I'm looking forward to Lisbon, because, as I write this, Tracey will be travelling by car, train and plane to meet me there. From tomorrow, I'll have my partner in crime with me - someone to share the experience; She'll be smuggling much-needed hairdriers aboard, for the art class - and... no more losing my place at breakfast!!

Today's Daily Blurb included a letter from the Passenger Services Director, to all passengers, thanking for them for their "patience and understanding during the first few days or our cruise as we adhere to the extensive Health Protection Agency protocols following the deep-cleaning and disinfection of the ship in Tilbury on Tuesday."

It goes on to say that...

(Edited Highlights...)

"As you are aware, food and beverages are being served to you in Marco's Bistro for the time being - again in accordance with the protocols that we have to follow - but we will restore the self-service element at the earliest opportunity."

and...

"The daily cleaning routine of glass and surfaces, where crew members wear protective clothing must also continue for the next few days in order to comply with the set requirements. Although we appreciate that the cleaning fluid residue, which has to remain for a given set period for maximum effect, looks unsightly on the various surfaces, you can be certain that our Housekeeping Department will be keen to restore all areas to their usual pristine condition."

"We very much regret any inconvenience that these various procedures, which are to ensure and maintain your continued well-being, may cause but sincerely hope that they will not mar your overall enjoyment of our cruise as we head towards South America and the Amazon River."

Fair play to the them!

This afternoon's workshop is 'Undertsanding Tone'. I'll be getting them to paint a picture using just one colour - hopefully not to music.

After another rollercoaster of a night, I actually managed to get up in time for breakfast today. Mysteriously, there was a shattered window in Marco's cafe - everyone told the same joke; must have been a bit rough in here last night - fighting for the best tables etc. It's still a mystery as to how it happened, although, it must happen occasionally, just from the movement of the ship - the shatter looked like it had started up in one corner, and less likely that it had been from a flying chair. They're clearly geared up to handle such incidents, as the offending window had been replaced by midday.

I imposed myself on a couple's table today, at breakfast, specifically to get them to keep an eye on my place when going in search of orange juice and tea..

The tea and coffee station is currently being manned by staff, who take your order and pour out for you. I asked for white tea with no sugar last night, and sent it back - I don't know what language the staff speak, but I was struggling to make him understand that all I wanted him to do was to fill it up to the top - "it's only half full", I said - but he didn't understand. I've also learned to specify, by creative gesticulation, only a small amount of milk, after receiving a cuppa yesterday that just looked like weak milk and water.

Plates and cutlery are also being handed out by staff wearing rubber gloves. They're playing it down, of course, but there's no denying the spectre of noro-virus in the ether. Occasional tannoy announcements reassure the passengers that the sight of white-suited cleaners in full face masks cleaning out the loos is all perfectly normal, and that it's just precautionary, and following national health guidleines...

It would, of course, only take one infected person to touch something on the ship that is then touched by another, who transfers it further, to bring an unacceptably large population of the vessel down. Confusingly; there are regular appointed cleaners going about the ship rubbing down the handrails, yet we are also told, when the sea is particularly rough, to remember to use the handrails...

This afternoon's double-bill of workshops went reasonably well, I feel, with just one exception...

At the start of my first session, there was some awful piped music playing in the meeting room - made all the more awful by being Christmas music. I'd complained of this yesterday, and had the music switched off, so I dashed to the office to ask for it to be turned off again today. It went silent for about 10 minutes, then reappeared... louder and even more irritating than before!

Sick of trying to make myself heard over the music, and aware that my students were also visibly agitated by it, I legged it back to the office, to announce that it had been turned on again, and that it was driving everybody potty. Cait immediately picked up the phone and started ranting at reception... I won't repeat the things she said to her... but she was cross...

Needless to say, the music eventually disappeared. No-one seems to know how to isolate the music, to stop it playing in that one room - apparently, it's linked to the lounge just outside the meeting room. After my second session, there was a 30-minute turnaround while I clearerd my stuff out and Michelle (the Scrap-booker) moved her stuff in and rearranged the room to her liking. It was tight... but it worked... As I bid her farewell, the piped music came on again...

This double back-to-back workshop arrangement has one big drawback; I miss lunch (which is at 12 noon). Returning to my cabin, and glancing at the daily blurb, though, told me that 3:30pm in Marco's Cafe is tea-time (very British) - I looked at my watch... 3:28pm...

So, I dashed upstairs, and joined the small queue that was forming by the coffee station. As I sat down with my tea, they opened the food aisle, and so I dashed to grab a couple of cream cakes and chocolate chip cookies - and... I was so hungry, I even picked up a couple of small sandwiches that had half-red-grape-things skewered into the top of them (needless to say, I didn't eat the grapes... eeeeuuuyyyuurrggh!!!!!!!).

My timing had been perfect; two minutes later, huge queues had formed in all directions, for tea and coffe, and for the eats. Tables were being bagged by the dozen, and anxious tea-laden passengers searched hopelessly for spare seats. It was bedlam! I never knew tea-time could be such fun.

This evening, the Showteam and Orchestra came out of hiding to perform their first show. As I understand it, they've been waiting for the choppy seas to calm down - and what a little gem they pulled out of the bag. I must say that I tend to blow hot and cold with the main evening shows, and haven't really taken much interest up until now of what's been going on in the Show Lounge (although Gareth did a fantastic Dan Ackroyd impression with his 'Blues Brother' show the other night). Tonight, the Showteam performed their tribute to Abba and Queen, with their show entitled 'Dancing Queen', and it was a real treat, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

It's just gone 9pm, and I've just been turfed-out of my cabin again by housekeeping... I tried to explain to her that earlier is a better time for her, between 7 and 8, when I'm out dining... she kind of nodded, and smiled in a strange, but bold, attempt at trying to look like she understood me. I've found a nice, quiet corner in the Palm Garden Lounge where no-one will disturb me, to update the blog.

There's a Rock n' Roll Cabaret coming up in Scott's Bar later, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to stay awake until 11 o'clock...

We'll see...