Traveling to the Amazon was only a childhood fantasy until the spring of 2005 when my husband John and I boarded Royal Princess in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and headed for the giant South American river. We explored its mysterious waters for about five days, engaging in some exotic activities such as drop line piranha fishing off the side of an African Queen-like riverboat and visiting some native villages.
Marion and her husband John boating on the Amazon.
On the second to last day of the cruise, we docked at Manaus, Brazil, a city built in the heart of the jungle that can only be accessed by boat or plane. We were about to experience an excursion that featured motorized canoeing in the morning, jungle trekking in the afternoon and cayman (South American alligator) hunting at night.
Boating by day was beautiful. The bright blue sky, the tranquil water, the sunken forest, temperature about 90 degrees…the whole ambience was surreal. Not being a great swimmer I was slightly anxious about the motorized canoes, flat bottomed boats that held about 12 people and two guides. But in the sunlight, I felt safe … except when the naturalists tipped the edges of our watercraft, ever so slightly, to show us various deadly plants and animals.
After lunch at the Amazon Village, we prepared for the afternoon jungle trek that ended just before darkness fell like a nightshade at 6 p.m. In order to avoid becoming prey, we had to leave the trail promptly before the jaguars and giant spiders came out to hunt because at the equator, it changes from light to dark literally in an instant!
Marion's "African Queen" - like riverboat.
After sweating out quarts of liquid during the two hour stint, we smelled riper than we ever had in our whole lives. But our hunger allowed us to temporarily ignore this unpleasantness and enjoy a great dinner at the lodge.
Then, the scary reality began to dawn as we prepared to for the nighttime cayman hunt. What was I thinking when I signed up for this? It would be pitch black with only one large floodlight per boat. I foolishly asked one of the guides how long we would be out there and when he calmly stated “oh about two hours” it felt like my heart stood still. When it started beating again, I noticed all the smart passengers lining up to go back to the ship for a shower, relaxation and perhaps a foray into the casino.
My husband and traveling companions didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by the situation. In fact they seemed quite nonchalant about the dark of night and the recently told story of the dentist swallowed whole by an anaconda weeks earlier. As they gently pooh poohed me, my terror mounted.…..Hello people, wake up and smell the Café Bustello!!!!
But since I was too proud to back out, and I had initiated the whole idea, my inner voice chose “you’re nuts for doing this” as a mantra to fight off the terror as we set out into the abyss. All we could see were dark silhouettes of heaven knows what – black trees, black water and black sky, leaving the rest of the senses to focus on the alternating states of sound and quiet. At that point, I became aware that being afraid and being awestruck are quite similar experiences!
Yet, real panic set in when all of a sudden one guide yelled to the other in Portuguese, and the driver frantically steered the boat into a bunch of trees, literally crashing the watercraft into the branches. What was happening? Was it an emergency?? The dark, the screams, the deadly Amazon … piranhas, anacondas and caymans! Oh my!
Marion's husband John and his alligator.
Fortunately, it was only a cayman sighting. Our guide bravely leapt from the boat into the river to grab the animal, which was no more than a hatchling. The little critter bit his hand immediately and he began to bleed slightly. As a good nurse and former Girl Scout, I grabbed my band aids and antibiotic ointment from my backpack to treat the wound – an activity that provided a momentary respite from my fear.
“Little Jaws” was passed around for all to see and touch. My husband was brave enough to hold it, but I was content to take the picture. After putting the scaly baby back into the water (before Mama came around looking for him), off we went.
Since we had been hunting for about an hour, I prayed that the guides would get bored soon, but no such luck! They again crashed the boat into a huge patch of floating grass, waking up hundreds of frogs whose frightened croaks broke the dead silence. After poking around in there for a while and grabbing some larger cayman specimens, they finally had enough and we sailed back to the “African Queen” and reality.
Even though I sometimes questioned my sanity during this experience, I am certainly glad I conquered my fears and can now say that not only did I go night boating and cayman hunting on the Amazon, but returned to tell my grandchildren an exciting tale.
Actually, you can drive to Manaus.
What cruises are available in South America?
Hi Rosalyn,
To view our cruise itineraries to South America please visit: http://bit.ly/j4g6I1
Great story Marion, thanks for sharing. This past January Jan 30 to be exact, we also departed Ft Lauderdale upon the Royal Princess for a fantastic 15 day Amazon Cruise. It’s very difficult to pick out one point of interest that stood out. The entire cruise was an experience, an experience not to miss for those who have traveled elsewhere with Princess. Bad weather throughout the States resulted in a 1 day delay in the arrival of our plane for our return to the states but Princess worked out everything for our additional one day stay on the Royal. One extra day in Manaus, what a great result!!! Thank you Princess, the Royal and the Officers, Staff and crew.
Peter, thanks, It was one of the best trips I have ever been on, especially because I had been so fascinated by the Amazon when studying it as a kid. Unfortunately, we missed seeing Devil’s Island on that one because of weather.
Marion
I have worked for many seasons on Cruise Ships that have travelled the Amazon Itinerary and Manaus and the Alligator Hunting really is a great experience. In fact on the new Royal Princess I was Cruise Director and we did an entire 4 month season. I have been on many crew tours and been able to get some fantastic pictures like yourselves. Glad you enjoyed your experience. Departing from Ft Lauderdale and ending in Manaus you really did get a chance to save the best till last.
Manon, Thanks for your nice feedback, It was a great trip! Definitely one for the bucket list!
Marion
HI Marion,
This was an exciting adventure ! You made me smile on a nice sunday morning.What a suspense! Thanks for writing so beautifully.I just loved it.
Matt, Yes he did! He would have taken him home if he could!
Marion
I bet. It looks like your husband fell in love with “Little Jaws”. I would have too.
Matt, It was a mixture of terror and fun! Being in the dark there with only a floodlight to guide was pretty wild!
Marion
WOW it sounds like fun
Matt, No, The guides were barely able to hold on to them even though they were only juveniles about 18 inches – 2 feet long!
Marion
What happened with the larger cayman specimens? Did they pass those around as well?
Thanks Joannie, I’ll never forget the Mali adventure, but that was another place and time.
Marion
Wow, Marion, what a nicely written episode and with pictures too! Thanks for sharing. We were on the upper end of the Amazon several years ago and had a wonderful time. Your description brings back memories…
Thanks,
Joanie
I am happy to do it and hope to keep on sharing my exotic travels in the future. Cruising on Princess has been a wonderful way to see the world!
Marion
Marion, this is an amazing story and so wonderfully written…thanks for sharing with us!