rose
1-22-12, 12:16pm
I just returned from a 23 day trip to Manaus, Brazil which is 900 miles up the Amazon river. Like Loose Chickens I was on a ship, the M.V. Explorer,which is owned by Semester-at-Sea people. The ship travels around the world twice a year with college kids from all over the country who earn a semester of college credits. Run by U of Virginia. In between trips with the kids, they do "Enrichment voyages", or as I say, Semester at Sea for older people. The ship holds 800. 500 passengers. The casinos were taken out and replaced with classrooms.
The Amazon is powerful and beautiful - 200 miles wide at the mouth. Just incredible.
The voyage is educational and we had many speakers every day by college professors hired for the voyage. They would speak on environmental issues in the area, history of the region, birds in the region, etc. All excellent. Julian Bond was keynote; Rita Dove, former poet laureate, was also keynote
We also had the opportunity to take a few classes. I took watercolor from a fellow that teaches at the Bronx art museum in NYC. I have never taken an art class and found a new love. It was so relaxing and so much fun and he was a great teacher.
In Manaus, we left the ship for an overnight in the jungle forest at an eco-lodge. We hunted Caimans on a tributary of the Amazon river in the dark from boats. We took a three hour jungle hike, seeing termite nests 4 feet across, sloths in trees, and beautiful plants. We also had time for a city tour and a tour of the beautiful old opera house in Manaus. Manaus has about 2 million people. We also saw the meeting of the waters where the Rio Negro and the Amazon travel along side each other and do not mix.
In Santarem, Brazil, we spent a day in boats on another tributary of the Amazon. Saw seven Caribbean Island -- spent a day on each doing day trips to jungles, gullys, beach, etc. Saw pink dolphins in Santarem.
Anyway, it is another wonderful way to travel. I'm usually ready to come home at end of trip but NOT this time. Highly recommend their trips.
"lifelong learners" are allowed to join the semester-at-sea 5 month trips that go around the world. Mostly students on board at that time. Expensive but my next goal! South Africa, India, CHina, Vietnam, Cambodia -- all on my list -- and all could be done on one of their trips.
Edited to add a link to Semester-at-Sea website. The short voyage I was on is called an Enrichment Voyage.
http://www.semesteratsea.org/landing/overview/enrichment-voyages.php
The Amazon is powerful and beautiful - 200 miles wide at the mouth. Just incredible.
The voyage is educational and we had many speakers every day by college professors hired for the voyage. They would speak on environmental issues in the area, history of the region, birds in the region, etc. All excellent. Julian Bond was keynote; Rita Dove, former poet laureate, was also keynote
We also had the opportunity to take a few classes. I took watercolor from a fellow that teaches at the Bronx art museum in NYC. I have never taken an art class and found a new love. It was so relaxing and so much fun and he was a great teacher.
In Manaus, we left the ship for an overnight in the jungle forest at an eco-lodge. We hunted Caimans on a tributary of the Amazon river in the dark from boats. We took a three hour jungle hike, seeing termite nests 4 feet across, sloths in trees, and beautiful plants. We also had time for a city tour and a tour of the beautiful old opera house in Manaus. Manaus has about 2 million people. We also saw the meeting of the waters where the Rio Negro and the Amazon travel along side each other and do not mix.
In Santarem, Brazil, we spent a day in boats on another tributary of the Amazon. Saw seven Caribbean Island -- spent a day on each doing day trips to jungles, gullys, beach, etc. Saw pink dolphins in Santarem.
Anyway, it is another wonderful way to travel. I'm usually ready to come home at end of trip but NOT this time. Highly recommend their trips.
"lifelong learners" are allowed to join the semester-at-sea 5 month trips that go around the world. Mostly students on board at that time. Expensive but my next goal! South Africa, India, CHina, Vietnam, Cambodia -- all on my list -- and all could be done on one of their trips.
Edited to add a link to Semester-at-Sea website. The short voyage I was on is called an Enrichment Voyage.
http://www.semesteratsea.org/landing/overview/enrichment-voyages.php