We once again pulled into the port of Manaus under this amazing bridge at sunset.
While Christie and I were sitting in the lobby waiting to get into our hotel room, Pat and Kay went off on an adventure and found this church. They sent us photos.
I asked them to pray for us while they were there.
Maybe an hour later I get a text saying “and we prayed for ourselves!! I was attacked and they only got my necklace which was given to me by my son and blessed by the pope from the Vatican.”
I thought it was a joke — but it wasn’t. Two boys, 13 or 14, jumped on Pat’s back and tried to get her to the ground. They were pulling her phone out of her phone case and yanking on her neck and trying to get her purse.
Well they picked the wrong grandma because she kills rattlesnakes and makes belts out of them. So the words that came out of her mouth when they were attacking her would make anybody blush. And she was grabbing and hitting them as much as they were her. They never did get her to the ground.
Of course Pat was shook up and she needed 15 minutes just to calm down.
It could have been so much worse.
I have now learned my lesson about wandering around cities alone. I do it a lot on trips with Tom, while he’s napping. But I think that is going to stop.
I knew we were going to have a final dinner with the captain and I brought nothing fancy. So I bought this dress at the first Village on the Negro River we visited. It cost 40 US dollars.
When I put it on it hung like a sack. So I got out my travel sewing kit, folded over the back elastic about 6 inches and sewed it up. C
It caused the pleat in the back that looked like it was supposed to be there.
I certainly won’t be wearing it to my Mongolia trip since the weather will never get higher than 69°.
Kay bought this from the ship’s Gift shop and I think it is so flattering on her.
Another plated meal, rather than a buffet; but it was fish and the dessert was delicious.
CLICK.
That Kay is a pistol. She got our waiter to dance with her our final night.
A couple days before, we were drinking at the top deck when our waiter came by and Kay was feeling sleepy and asked the waiter if he would take her to bed.
She turned red. He turned red. We all laughed. He turned redder. And she turned redder. And then she said she meant to say would you put me to bed. Too too funny!!
The girl on the left was named Lucia. She couldn’t speak a word of English but one afternoon she came over to watch us play the card game 7’s. We invited her to join and learn the game. Then the bitch beat us!!
So she joined us for our last photo of the cruise. A good time was had by all.
Christie made some friends.
It’s always sad to see the suitcases ready to leave a great vacation.
Pat, Kay and Jamie were smart enough to order three cabs for us in order to get to the Ibis stylus Hotel after everyone had gone.
We ended up eating dinner at the Beirut restaurant. The waitress did not speak English. Christie and I ordered hummus. Sorry we’re out of hummus. Then we ordered babaganoush. Sorry we’re out of babaganoush. So we ordered the only thing available which was a little too yogurt tangy for me.
Christie pointed to something on the menu and told them she only wanted one lamb stick. In the meantime we were told there was no lamb or any other meat except beef and chicken. Christie ended up with the entire meal that she had pointed to, and I suppose it was chicken.
We wanted wine. Sorry no wine. Only beer. So I ended up drinking a Stella for the first time since I was 18. It was then I realized beer is carbonated and was warned my by my fellow travelers about the belching, which, again, I hadn’t done since I was 18.
We all got to the airport by 11:30 PM for our 3:35 AM flight.
Christine and Lee were in wheelchairs and everything was going smoothly as we waited 2 hours.
We waited. We waited. We were tired.
At 4:00 a.m. we were told all flights were canceled. They also told us there were no hotels so we better find our own and get reimbursed at the airport the next day.
This is NOT what you want to see on your phone at the airport at 3:00 in the morning.
Again. Thank goodness for Jamie and her prowess on the internet. She found a hotel, three rooms, and asked if we wanted a room. YES!
At a time like this one doesn’t ask questions about logistics or price.
And Copa gave us vouchers for round trip Ubers to the hotel.
The vouchers work to the hotel — how about that! (but we not accepted on our return trip).
I don’t have many pictures because when I’m extra tired or stressed I’m not thinking about the future story-telling..
We all hauled our luggage into the hotel and they tell us check in time is 3 p.m.. It is now 5:30 AM.
They suggest for an extra price we might be able to check in at 8:00 a.m. YAY!!
They make us pay for our breakfast which opened at 4:00 a.m. I was not hungry. Actually we all sat on the couches, charged our phones and slept.
Miracle of Miracles we all got into our rooms at 8:00 a.m.
Oh yeah. I find this little note near the elevator very interesting about not falling to the bottom to our deaths!!
By this time Christie knew she was very sick. Could barely speak and she was wheezing.
I brought her tea and ice cream bars and kept pumping her with airborne and zinc.
Luckily, she was able to sleep in her bed from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 P.m.
I went down for my breakfast at 10:00 AM and ate a giant ham, cheese and tomato sandwich on a hoagie bun.
I wasted away the day reading, looking at my phone and sitting outside in the warmth.
I went to the bar and asked about wine they pulled out two bottles. I asked for a glass of wine and they looked very surprised. So I said can I buy the bottle. oh yes. It was $25 US, but I didn’t care. Gave them my credit master card, it got declined. Told them to try it again, it was declined. Give them my other visa credit card and that too is declined.
I had plenty of us cash but they didn’t seem to want it. They finally took it and let me have a wine glass to boot.
It’s certainly scary to be in a foreign country with no credit cards and they don’t want your American money.
Christie was able to come downstairs and we all ate dinner at that hotel before we fought for cabs at 10:30 PM to start the trip home all over again.
We had all flown in together to Manaus, but once we were rebooked Christie and I left at 8:11 AM from Panama, Jamie and Lee left at 9:00 and Pat and Kay left at 11:30.
So Jamie and Lee had to cool their jets one last time at the Orlando Airport until Pat and Kay arrived and they all used a driver to get home.
Christie and I booked the business class from Panama to Orlando. I still say business class is not worth the cost but it was sure nice to have two seats instead of three and a real glass of wine instead of a plastic cup.
This is the pound of candy I bought dad along with the one Brazil nut I smuggled home.
Kay and I scouted out my coffee mug at the market in Manaus. Once I got home, upon opening my suitcase in my dining room, the mug fell to the tile floor and broke off the handle. Darn! This was a cup that I could use and put in the microwave and the dishwasher.
As we were walking through downtown, I found a fabric store and Kay lent me the Brazil money to purchase two yards. I will use it for some sewing project and remember fondly my trip to Manaus.
I’ve got one more week before I fly to Houston and then Mongolia. If I stay as healthy as I did through the amazon jungle, I will feel Lucky.
After all my bitching, I still give this trip a 12 out of 10.
Happy travels.
Linda Jeanne