Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Santarém, Brazil... Part 1 of 2

I thought I was up early to catch the sail in to Santarém and to my surprise we arrived much earlier than expected. Due to the low water situation, our tender operation was not as sophisticated as previously but turned out just fine. They basically had to put a kind of barge in place to bring the tender alongside.  Ann, Cathy and I got this first tender and took a taxi to downtown Santarem getting out at the Joao Fona Cultural Centre and Museum. We toured this large waterfront mansion with its displays of artifacts and exhibits related to the history and culture of Santarem and the surrounding region. Next, I climbed up the colorful staircase to the Tapajos Fort lookout point. From this vantage point you see the murky (brownish-yellow) waters of the Amazon River where it meets the aquamarine waters of the Tapajos River. For some distance (after joining together) the different colored river waters do not mix and there is a very visible dividing line known as the "Meeting of the Waters,". We made a brief stop at Santarem Pier and continued to the Matriz Square and visited inside of Our Lady of the Conception Cathedral, the oldest church in the city. Next, we started our walk along the city’s riverfront promenade that offers a glimpse into its unique river life history. This waterfront along the Tapajos River provides great views of how the low water levels affect the people from the outlying villages. The villagers live in tributaries off the main river and must make the trip to Santarem for essential supplies…we can only imagine how the low water must complicate their lives on many aspects. My photos should give you an insight into the effects and extra efforts the low water has caused in the day-to-day life on the river. There was a constant bustle of boats coming and going and passengers boarding and disembarking. Along the way, we stopped to check out the produce at the Municipal market, where we saw different varieties of fish…I found a few hot peppers for our dining room waiter Putu Agus. Continuing along, we passed the massive Cargill facility that transships and stores export bound grain and arrived at the tender pier…It was a very hot and humid day in the Amazon with a heat index of 102 F.  Of course, after our return to ship I spent some time relaxing at the pool soaking up some more sun...