DAY 132 MACAPA & DAY 124 ON CRYSTAL SERENITY

Before dinner last evening we went to the Magic Castle at Sea Show.  Each voyage has a different Magician who comes from the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood.  This is the third time that we have seen a Magician since boarding Serenity in December.
The Magician's name is Anthony Salazar and he is on the younger side.

We were very impressed with the tricks that he did which included tricks involving cards, jewelry, and a variety of other objects.  He also had a funny sense of humor.

After the show ended we went to the Crystal Dining Room and we had Golf Pro John Clark and his lovely wife Pauline as guests to our table.  A couple of months ago John and Pauline joined us as well.  We have known them since the 2007 World Cruise and they have been on every World Cruise we have been on with the exception of 2014 when Pauline had a health issue.  They are just wonderful people.  While we don't take Golf, John gets high marks with the golfers and he and Pauline are very thoughtful and just very nice people to be around.  They are always full of encouragement and have a very positive attitude about life.  At some point, when we decide that golf is right for one or both of us, we hope that we can learn from John.

If you look closely you will see a bandaid that above Keith's nose from his little accident on the Paddle Tennis Court.

We began the meal with Salads.  Keith had his standing order salad and Anne Marie had a Romaine Lettuce salad with Sliced Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts and Green Beans.

For our entree, all for of us had the Fresh Merluzza fish which was accompanied with Garlic & Mushroom Fricassees, and Parsley-Mashed Potatoes. We thought it was very tasty and was enhanced by the ingredients that accompanied it.

For dessert, we each had berries as Anne Marie had blueberries and Keith had the mixed Berries.

The performance this evening was supposed to be Across The Pond which is a Production Show we greatly enjoy.  It features music and song from  the British Invasion that swept the United States in the 1960's including The Beatles.  However, due to a technical issue, they rescheduled this to another night and added in another performer.

With the washing machines being closed for a few days because Serenity can't make water where we are sailing, we did some last minute laundry last evening.

Speaking of water, the Reflections Daily Program which we received last evening noted that we will now have an unplanned overnight in Santarem as we will arrive one day earlier at 8:00 PM on April 25 rather than on April 26 due to fresh water bunkering needs.

We slept well last evening as we were making our way to our next port of call at Macapa, Brazil.

Keith actually woke up about an hour later than usual and did a shorter workout at the Fitness Center knowing he would go by again to continue working out.  

After his worked, Keith went to the Lido Cafe where he enjoyed coffee, read and wrote, and watched the sunrise.

After she woke, Anne Marie walked for one hour inside the ship and while she was walking Keith went back to the Fitness Center to continue his workout.

The reason why Keith works out early in the morning is that he is respectful of the 30 minute guideline which asks that if other guests are waiting to use say the elliptical machine, a treadmill or stationary bike that guests should limit their workout to that amount of time.  Like most things, most guests are respectful of this although a few are not.  Since Keith likes to workout for 90 to 120 minutes he just works out early when no one is around so he can stay on the machine as much as he desires.

Shortly after our workouts, we enjoyed breakfast in our room thanks to Rao, while watching the daily morning show hosted by Gary and Stacey.  They had the lecturer on board from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) who has been a real hit with the guests.  We have learned a great deal from him.  In his last talk he showed movies that are shown to kids about the risks of drugs from a death of a college student male who took six pills of ecstasy to a female in her 18's whose brain was of someone in their early 70's due to drug use.  He will be giving another lecture before the end of the World Cruise.

Since we were still sailing at sea in the morning many of the morning programs that one would find during a sea day ran as planned.  As such, Anne Marie attended the Gentle Yoga Class and also attended the Knitting Class.  Keith worked out more and watched one of the lectures from yesterday.  One lecture was given this morning by Rob Warne who spoke about the Amazon and the global challenges that exist in the areas of the environment, biodiversity, development and the decimation of it indigenous people.  

During Captain Giske's talk from the bridge he noted that the forecast called for possible heavy rain and he also asked guests to conserve water.  

Keith also played three hours of Paddle Tennis with several guests including Bob from Ohio, Bob from Atlanta, Ray, Lisa, Dwight and Rob.  Towards the end it was Keith and Lisa against Bob and Rob and Keith and Lisa beat them 4-1 and then 4-2.  It's all about fun and we did have many good laughs win or lose.

It was very humid and when Keith returned to there room his whole shirt was soaked as was his pants from the waste to half way down each short leg.

Unlike in 2013 when the Amazon was dryer than usual because of the rains the Mosquito's seem more prevalent.  Because someone saw a mosquito while playing paddle tennis Keith used insect repellent and Anne Marie killed a mosquito in our room.
We arrived to Macapa, Brazil at around Noon today and where we  anchored off shore.  We made an executive decision to not visit this port.  We did so for several reasons; 

It is a tender port.
Heavy rain was in the forecast.
It could be very muddy.
The monument we would have wanted to visit required a taxi to get over there.

Marcapa is considered the Capital of the Middle of the World as it straddles the equator.  It is only 2.5 square miles and his home to a little over 350,000 people.  

If we would have gone ashore we would have visited Marco Zero where the equator meets and one could take a photo with a food in each hemisphere.   It is over three miles from the city center and would have required a taxi to reach.

We would have also have visited Fortaleza de Sao Jose which is a fort that was built in 1764 and completed in 1782.  It is one of the best preserved military structures in all of Brazil.  

Instead, we just enjoyed the ship.  We both walked together in the afternoon and later in the day Keith met up with friends Bill and Richard and Anne Marie did some organizing and also worked on her knitting projects.

This evening we will be having pre-dinner drinks with Betty and Don who we met on our overland Safari Program last year.  

Afterwards, we will have dinner at Tastes with dear friends.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.......

“Progress is a nice word.  But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies.” – Robert Francis Kennedy 

Keith & Anne Marie