Dear Cha-Wel-Dor-Sue:

This Dad-O-GRAM will endeavor to tell you something of our trip on the Society Expedition's Ship, V Society Explorer, down the Amazon River from Iquitos, Peru, to Manaus, Brazil, the capital of the State of Amazonia. Immediately, I must confess that it is difficult to describe Amazonia, for it must be seen, experienced, and felt before its immensity in size, and its enormous variety of plant and animal life, in its rivers and rain forests, can be appreciated. Reading will acquaint you with the facts about the greatest river in the world, but it must be seen first-hand in its virtually virgin state (Upper Amazon) before you can truly appreciate this amazing river. It is ever changing in shape and design, and changes each year with each flood season, during which time, the river may rise and fall as much as 40 feet, depending upon the rain fall in the Andes and over the over 1,000 tributaries that flow into it. Last year's navigational charts are useless, as I learned from the Captain on the bridge of our ship. The Amazon is the very antithesis of the Rhine and the Danube, that are beautifully marked with buoys, distance markers, and directional signals. Yes, the Amazon is unique, and Pat and I are glad we had this unusual experience, but I doubt we would ever repeat the performance. It is most rewarding but also very rugged.

Most of our companions on the trip were people essentially interested in natural history and the natural sciences, and approximately one-third were from the New York Botanical Society and approximately one-third from the Missouri Botanical Society; the rest of us were interested primarily in seeing the Amazon River itself in all its variety. Among some of my friends were the bird-watchers who wanted to add to their score of birds seen, and others who were fishermen who wanted to see and catch a variety of fish unlike anything seen in their countries. Our passenger list included people from England, Canada, and Switzerland, and our distinguished lecture team included four men and one woman, all of whom held Doctorates, and who were engaged in research work in the Amazon Basin. They included an ethno-botanist, a forest biologist, an ornithologist, an ecologist, and a geomorphologist of the Amazon River, and even an orchid specialist whose research station was in Kite, Ecuador. All were knowledgeable, interesting, and all presented fascinating lectures with slides and each headed up field trips to various areas and sites along the river and its tributaries.

Before I discuss the river itself, perhaps a word or two about its history may be of interest. In 1500, the Spanish sea captain, Vesinte Yaniz Pinzon, while exploring the East Coast of South America, found himself in a patch of fresh water 120 miles out to sea and named it La Mer Dulce', or the Fresh Water Sea.

In investigating this phenomena, he found that its origin was a river some 40 miles wide, which, as he traveled upstream, had islands "larger than Switzerland''. He was actually at that time at the very mouth of the Amazon River as it emptied into the Atlantic Ocean, and while moving upstream, began to see manifestations of its enormous delta.

The real glory of discovering the Amazon River, better known in those days as the Solimoens, goes to the Spanish explorer Francisco de 0rellana, a companion of Pizarro, during the conquest of Peru. He crossed the Andes and penetrated into the forest on the eastern side of the mountains until he finally reached the Coca River, a tributary of the Upper Amazon. There, he built a small fleet of ships and sailed down the river, fully intending to return upstream and report his findings to Pizarro. However, the current proved too strong and he had to continue downstream, a distance of over 2,135 miles, until he reached the Atlantic Ocean. His chronicler, Friar Carvajal, originated the name Amazon when he reported attacks by women warriors like the Amazons of Greek myth.

A few facts, largely statistical, may be of added interest. For years, the Nile was considered the longest river in the world (4,000 miles) but recently, a couple traced the Amazon to its origin on Mount Huarga in Peru, and found that the Amazon was indeed as long as the Nile. At this point, all comparisons cease. The flow of the Amazon exceeds the combined flow of the next eight largest rivers on earth and while it rivals the Nile in length, it is 60 times greater in its discharge at its mouth. At maximum flood, it pours eight trillion gallons into the ocean every day, enough to furnish 200 times the municipal water requirements of the United States, or 20 times its total industrial, farming and power needs. The Nile has no tributaries in its final l,500 miles, whereas the Amazon gathers water from over 1,100 tributaries, some larger than the Mississippi River. The average flow is 120,000 cubic meters a second, which means, for example, it could increase the water level of Lake Geneva, Switzerland, 3.3 feet in 81 minutes! Another comparison is that it delivers as much water in one day as the Thames does in a whole year. In fact, as noted by the Spanish explorer, the torrent of water at its mouth draws back the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean for over 100 miles!

It is also of interest that some 14,000 miles of the Amazon and its tributaries are navigable, indicating its future potential for economic development and exploration. At the present moment, most travel is river travel but a series of trans-Amazonian highways are being built by the Brazilian government and these will crisscross this vast area of rain forest, with all of its future ecological complications.

Another interesting fact is that the nature of the water in the Amazon and its tributaries is different and three varieties are described: A) "White water" which is essentially brown and consists of silt flowing down from the Andes Mountains in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. B) "Black Water" contributed largely by the River Negro, which consists largely of decaying vegetative matter and which is highly acidic and poor for irrigation. C) "Clear Water" which flows upwards, largely from tributaries from the south, namely the River Tapajos. Both the "Black Water" and "Clear Water" contains very little nutrient material and comos from granite areas where time has leeched and washed away all the softened surface materials. It is really the silt from the west that has made the flood plains (shorelines) of the Amazon so fertile. Yet, a paradox exists here in that the rain forest, which looks so fertile, is indeed far from fertile and has accounted largely for the failure of Ludwig's Jarri Project. It was surprising for me to learn that in the Amazon forest, the soils are leeched of most minerals, bacteria, and other organisms. Anything that is broken down is carried away by the frequent rains and river floods. There is thus no rich soil, few bacteria, and literally no minerals. The trees survive largely due to the mass of fungi that coat the trees and whose rootlets called mycorrhiza transfer nutrients from decaying matter. Insects, particularly ants and termites, eat the leaves and their exereta forms molds which provide organic nutrient matter.

Orchids and Bromelids are seen frequently, though not as commonly as in the higher elevations. They are epiphytes or air-breathing plants and are not saprophytic, which exist in symbiosis with each other. I was surprised to learn that orchids are the largest group of flowering plants in the world and that there are over 30,000 known species. (Only 212 exist in North America.) Thus, they constitute 10% of all the flowering plants in the world. Cal Dodson made the history of the orchid family fascinating. As a urologist, I used the word orchid frequently to represent the testicle, but little did I realize that the male gonad was used to describe the name of these beautiful flowers.

As one views the rain forest from above, it appears to be a dense luxuriant jungle, but upon examination, it reveals itself to be otherwise. As one walks through the forest, ever on the lookout for boa constrictors, anacondas, jungle cats, alligators, and insects galore, one realizes that the forest is indeed a four or five story affair. The highest trees tower above all and rise some 135 feet in the air. Below this, there is a canopy or mantle of trees that rise somewhere between 40 to 60 feet in the air, and below this, another grouping of smaller trees some 15 to 20 feet in the air, all resting on a ground cover of shrubs, bushes, grasses, etc. At this level, it is dark and only 3 to 4% of the sunlight ever reaches this area. Hence, there is very little growth and the so-called humus soil is virtually non-existent. We were told that the plants recycle themselves. As plants die and decay, their substance is utilized by the living trees but unfortunately, no base of humus is ever created. Therefore, if agriculture on a large scale is to be contemplated, untold tons of fertilizer would be required!

To summarize, Amazonia consists mainly of forest and forms more than 56% of Brazil's national area, but contains only 7% of its population. Most of the inhabitants live in and around a few cities like Manaus, Santarem, and Belem, and there are about 150 Indian villages scattered along the tributaries. There were far more numerous tribes previously, but many were decimated by diseases introduced by foreign invasion and especially during the slavery practices which were introduced during the Rubber Boom (1890-1915).

The Amazon is virtually on the equator so there is no difference in the seasons as we understand them. There is, however, a "winter", when it is completely cool and rainy, and a "summer", when it is warm and dry. The temperature averages 81° Fahrenheit and hovers between 70° and 90° Fahrenheit all year. Furthermore, it is said it is always raining somewhere along the river all year, and this I can believe from our numerous wet experiences.

It is said that while the temperate areas of the world suffered through the Glacial Period and all our forests were destroyed (11,000 years ago), the Amazon remained unchanged and undisturbed and thus has been in that state for over 100 million years. It thus affords an opportunity for one to look back into the past. Apparently, the tropical heat protected this area from the grinding embrace of the Ice Age.

The Amazon River is also of unusual interest in that it was here that Alfred Russell Wallace did his plant and animal research which led him to his conclusion that species evolved gradually over a period of time (evolution), rather than being created in their present form (creationism). Darwin had come to the same conclusion as a result of his studies. Both of these men were friends and members of the Royal Geographic Society of England and each presented their findings at the same time to the Society and both are equally deserving of the honor of being the Father of the Theory of Evolution, although Darwin is better known because of his more extensive publications. Other names, equally renown, such as the French scientist Charles M. LaCondamine, the German scientist Baron VonHumbolt, and the English scientists Henry Bates and Richard Russell, all did much of their research on this amazing Amazon River.

Before describing our adventure, let me add a few comments regarding the future of Amazonia, that I gleaned from readings prior to the trip. At the moment, it seems the vast Amazon giant is only now awakening from its age-long slumber, and given time and development, may realize Humbolt's categorical statement that this immense region would sooner or later become the bread-basket of the world, accommodating more than 300 million human beings! Its potential is vast and Brazil should ultimately become one of the great economic powers of the world.

The trans-Amazonian highway was the first of many highways designed to open up Amazonia. Hundreds of bulldozers, mechanical shovels, graders, steamrollers , cultivators, compressors, and other huge machines are operating day and night in the silent and grim forest. The map below shows the magnitude of the road program for Amazonia.

Brazil hopes to open up this area, much as was done in the United States with the homestead Act of 1862. This, as you know, opened up our mid and far west. In Brazil, the government will grant duly qualified applicants 160 acres of land. At the moment, this program is far from being satisfactorily realized and many people from the Brazilian northeast have had a go at it and have returned home disenchanted with their prospects. A transcontinental railroad through Amazonia is not contemplated at present, as a previous attempt at railroad construction cost a "life per railroad tie"! (Madeira-Mamore Jungle Railroad).

The greatest boom to development to date has been provided by the Japanese farmers, who arrived in 1929 and settled in Acara, batter known today as Tome-Acu, and who today raise most of the world's black pepper. They also raise nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla. In addition, Amazonia provides one of the world's richest botanical complexes with more than 75,000 species of plants, many of which have medicinal value. A woman, Nicole Maxwell, is a pioneer in this area and has written a book on medicinal plants of the Amazon tribes.

Amazonia, it is said, lacks only people, capital, technology, and a spirit of enterprise before it really comes into its own, but it needs, above all, people. A Brazilian senator said in 1978 that "Amazonia is our moon shot. Amazonia cannot wait. Brazil cannot stop."

At least 85% of Amazonia is made up of that most complex of all ecological formations, tropical lowland rain forest, and it is the richest region biotechnically in the world. Although it accounts for only 4% of the earth's land surface, it contains 50,000 species of higher plants, one in five of such species on earth. It also boasts of one in five of all bird species and contains the largest reptile in the world, the 40 foot anaconda; also the largest insect, a 6" beetle. Yet, Amazonia remains a scientific vacuum due to its lack of thorough exploration.

Amazonia has the world's largest stock of timber and contains the world's most extensive reserves of minerals, notably aluminum, tin, manganese, iron, diamonds, and gold! Yet, it contributes less than 2% of Brazil's gross national product. Thus, the basic problem is how to develop these vast valuable resources. At one time, it was to be a land without men for men without land, but it has been difficult to persuade the impoverished farmers of the famine stricken northeast to venture into the jungle and to develop it.

On July 3, 1978, an agreement was reached by the eight countries bordering on the river (Amazon Cooperation Treaty). These countries were Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, the Guyanas and Suriname. This treaty will provide for the promotion of the economic growth of the area, the social well-being of its peoples, and the need for ecological preservation.

Our Amazon trip really began at Iquitos, after we had flown to Lima, Peru (overnight) and then on to Iquitos. Iquitos is a city deep in the steamy reaches of the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, and 4° south of the equator. It is a jungle river port with a population of approximately 200,000 and it is the central terminus for mahogany, rosewood, animal hides, alligator skins, medicinal and dye plants, cinnamon, the quininebearing cinchona bark, chickle for chewing gum, Barbasco for insecticides, tropical aquarium fish, pet parakeets, live monkeys for scientific experiments, and oil, a recent development. Years ago, Iquitos was famous for its rubber production but this went out, as in Manaus, when cuttings from the Brazilian jungle were taken to the Kew Gardens in London, and then transferred and replanted in Malaysia, where they thrived, and essentially spelled the doom of the rubber industry in Brazil.

No roads lead to Iquitos, even though it is now one of Peru's largest cities. It is located 2,400 miles from the mouth of the Amazon and spreads across a narrow swampy peninsula 16 miles long and 3 miles wide. Unfortunately, a severe tropical storm delayed our flight and we arrived too late in the afternoon to see the city. However, from what we saw in driving to the wharf from the airport, one can well imagine that we did not miss very much. Nonetheless, I wish that I might have seen at least its prominent points. Lack of rock in the upper Amazon region long hindered Iquitos growth. Can you imagine an LST loaded some 2,800 tons of gravel in Callao, on the Pacific, sailed through the Panama Canal and up the Amazon to Iquitos, a 7,000 mile voyage between cities only 650 miles apart, to bring this essential building commodity to Iquitos for construction purposes! It reminded me of the fact that Singapore had recently barged in gravel from Malaysia in order to build its new airport in the water adjoining its old runway!

We visited two Indian villages along the tributaries of the Amazon and did so using our "Zodiac" which we will also employ on our Antarctica trip. They are inflatable craft, designed by Jacques Cousteau and powered by outboard marine engines (40 hp), and unsinkable due to triple cylinder construction. They can carry conveniently up to ten people and we had both wet (shoreline) and dry (dock) landings. Our first trip was in a drenching downpour upriver to visit the Boca and Huitoto tribes. Pat chose to make a shorter trip to a small primitive town called Pevas. The Indians entertained us in the Community Building (Moluca) which was a large round thatch-roofed structure. Their tribal dances were dull compared to some others that I have seen elsewhere in the world. We visited a small coca plantation and learned how these "Low-land" Indians used it to deaden the pangs of hunger while out on an all day hunt. Apparently, cocaine, used in this manner, has no deleterious effects. In the case of the "Highland" Indians, (Incas), the coca leaves enable them to perform strenuous feats at high altitudes. The constant rain made walking in the mud precarious, and by choosing to walk through the grass, I invited an army of Chugoe or chiggers to invade my lower extremities, and it was over three weeks before the reaction subsided, and only after I individually dissected out the stinger. While walking in the grass, I was totally unaware of the presence of chiggers and we had not been forewarned of that possibility by the guide or the ship surgeon.

It is interesting that the Indian tribes we visited did not make much use of fermented beverages except for and on ceremonial occasions, but all of them used various hallucinogenic plants for the working off of all sorts of frustrations and aggressions. For example, two men would snort the powder, become semi-anesthetized, and then beat each other up, neither feeling any pain in the process, but each thereby lowering his level of animosity toward his rival or antagonist. The powders are also used by the Shamans or witch doctors to enable them to go into a trance and in so doing, cast out evil spirits. The Indians live off the land with a variety of products but mainly, they use Manioc or cassava or tapioca root which provides their chief source of starch. This has to be treated before it is edible and this is done in order to remove cyanide that is naturally present in the plant.

Another fascinating ritual of the Indians is that of burial. The dead body is cremated, the bones crushed into fine powder, mixed with a palatable paste such as a banana or fruit paste, and then, this concoction is consumed by the living descendants of the deceased. Only in this manner is the deceased spirit liberated. If you want to threaten one, you might say "I'll not eat your bones". They consider burial in the ground barbarous.

The Indians use the slash and burn method of agriculture and move on to new areas when their soils are exhausted. They usually live in communal groups of 60 to 100 inhabitants. Virtually all females over 13 were pregnant, despite the fact that we were told that they were aware of a contraceptive plant that grew in their midst. In one of the villages, half of the houses had a cross on them, indicating that they had been semi-Christianized. I am sure they really had no idea what it was all about, and no schools were operational anywhere, although we were told that plans are in being to start some sort of a Program of elementary education. Of the present 150 tribes, all are linguistically different.

Fishing was one of the activities that I enjoyed and I elected to try my hand at it on three occasions. I was successful in one respect in that I caught the largest piranha and catfish among the entire group. The piranhas (red, white, and black- vegetarian) are very common, and only the red and white are noted for their sharp teeth and the rapidity with which they can consume their prey. On some occasions, our bait was gone before our line reached the bottom. We used red meat and cut up fish as our bait for the piranhas.

Swimming in the mid-Amazon was offered and I tried my hand at it. The water was a deep brown and the current too swift for me to contend with. It really wasn't much fun.

Perhaps the most exciting event for me was the alligator hunt in total darkness. Our Zodiac went up a small tributary and our naturalist shone a brilliant light along the shore, looking for a pair of brilliant red eyes, reflecting back his light. There were many to be seen. The trick is to approach the pair of eyes slowly and quietly and then, when they are within a hand's reach, to quickly grasp them by the neck. In this manner and with some experience, it is not too difficult to catch a small cayman (three to four feet) but larger ones could not be caught in this manner unless one had a pair of guerrilla hands. We all brought our catch back to the boat to be placed in the swimming pool and to be photographed while we all enjoyed a barbecue on the aft deck. It was a sumptuous affair with adequate beer, wine, and spirits. The native Indians themselves usually spear the alligators and poaching in this manner, while illegal, is still carried on to a great extent by the local poachers.

Our final stop was Manaus which necessitated our leaving the Amazon and entering the Rio Negro, at which juncture, the socalled White Water or truly Brown Water meets the Black water. This is rather a dramatic sight to see and because of the rapid flow of the streams, each maintains its individuality for a distance of 40 to 50 miles downstream before they merge into a common color.

Our voyage was concluded at Manaus, the capital of Amazonia, and a large city some 1,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. It was named after a local tribe of Indians called the Manaus tribe. The rubber boom at the end of the Nineteenth Century brought fame and fortune to this city and its prosperity brought people from all over the world. An opulent, elegant opera house was built and Enrico Caruso, Anna Pavlova, and Jenny Lind, the Nightingale, sang there. The Customs House is beautiful and was designed and built in England and then disassembled and brought piece by piece and reassembled in Manaus in l909. Its prosperity was enhanced by the discovery of vulcanization, which enabled raw rubber to develop the properties of elasticity, strength, stability, and insensitivity to temperature variations, so useful in industry, and particularly in the manufacture of automobile tires. Manaus fortunes, however, were short-lived, when its rubber plants were transported to Malaysia and grew there abundantly under controlled conditions.

In 1967, Manaus was declared a duty-free zone or city and no import taxes were imposed on anything. This was done to persuade Brazilians, tourists, merchants, etc., to visit this area, to develop it, and to bring new life to the heart of Amazonia. While in Manaus, we stayed at the Plaza Hotel, because it was air conditioned. The world famous Tropical Hotel had lost its air conditioning and was intolerable to stay at. We did, however, see the place and had dinner there but the tropical heat and flying insects made our visit there a short one. The Tropical Hotel is, when it is operating properly, an incredible place to stay and covers more ground than any other hotel in the world. It really opened up the Amazon to international tourism. It is situated on the Rio Negro and from there, one can make river expeditions up the river to visit the Igarapes or minor tributaries where the Caboclos live. (Half-Portuguese, Half-Indian) Also while we were in Manaus, we visited their Scientific Agricultural Research Institutes where they are trying to develop better palm oil trees, better rubber trees, and more productive guarana trees, the latter tree producing a fruit from which the native soft drink is made. It is rich in caffeine and I found it far superior to my taste to Coca-Cola. I brought home some guarana powder with instructions on how to make the soft drink, but the prescription was obviously wrong and all my efforts have ended in disaster.

A visit to the Military Zoo was also most interesting and we saw every sort of animal, reptile, etc., that was to be found in the jungle. This zoo was created in order to acquaint the soldiers who might have to fight in the jungle with the type of animals that exist there in order that they may be familiar with them and thus avoid this form of danger.

We flew home from Manaus to Miami on Varig, the National Brazilian Airline, and it was certainly one of the best serviced airlines in my experience. Good food and drinks, all free of charge. Before we finally took off for Hartford, we flew to Tampa to spend an overnight visit with my son Ted and his family.

Someone once said "It is a humbling experience, and surely a healthy one, to enter a landscape that man has not been able to alter, to dominate and to twist to his own purpose". Yet, today, the exploration for minerals, wood products, medicinals and the development of farming of all kinds seems destined to alter Amazonia as we know it today! The new highway network will open up the entire area to immigration and the assignment of the Indian tribes to reservations will no doubt occur. I am glad that I saw Amazonia before all of this will have happened.

With Love,

DAD

CEJ/ngb

Coming from the Caribbean we enter the Amazon through the north entrance 173nm without local Brazilian pilots.

The Amazon is not merely the largest river on earth, it is a moving fresh water sea that dwarfs in size any other river. Nearly one fifth of all the river water in the world is flowing in the Amazon. The immensity of this 4,000-mile-long rolling flood is comprehensible only by a string of staggering comparisons. The volume of water discharges into the sea by the Amazon is 7,000,000 cubic feet per second which could fill the whole of Lake Ontario in about three hours. The outflow is nearly twelve times greater than the Nile's. Ten Amazon tributaries are larger than the Mississippi. Totally there are more than one thousand tributaries, seventeen of which are more than a thousand miles long. The mouth of the river covers the same area as between London and Paris.

Over a good part of its course, the main river averages one hundred feet in depth, enabling ocean-going vessels to navigate 2,300 miles upstream, and nearly across the continent, to the port of Iquitos, Peru, at the eastern edge of the Andes. Even though the river a thousand miles inland is often 7 miles wide (and that can swell to 35 miles during the wet season) the navigable channel with the required depth for 'M.V. WORLD DISCOVERER' is for longer distances only 30 to 50 yards wide. This refers especially to the upper Amazon between Manaus and Iquitos. Every third ship runs aground on the Amazon.

But how to trace this navigable channel under the muddy surface of the Amazon river? Nowhere along the river are there lighthouses, beacons, or buoys to show the way - to give assistance. In addition the real depth of the water is always unforeseeable.

In considering all of this, it is quite a challenge for a Captain to conduct a vessel safely and on time through the swirling surface of this river. The adventure cruises of the 'M.V. WORLD DISCOVERER' start either at Santander or Belem upstream. As Captain, I have successfully negotiated 11 Amazon journeys since 1977. The bridge of 'M.V. WORLD DISCOVERER' was kept on twenty-four hour alert to sight hazards capable of disabling a vessel: hardwood logs that could blunt the ship's propellers, splayed tree trunks that could damage the hull plating, drifting islands of dense vegetation that could slide beneath the vessel and snarl the propellers.

In total 4 pilots were used. From Belem to Manaus the two Brazilian Pilots, and for the upper Amazon from Manaus to Iquitos two Peruvian Pilots. They do their jobs well and patiently endure all our requests - like unscheduled expedition stops - morning/dawn anchorages for bird watchers and spontaneous rubber boat landings, in order to provide our passengers with new excitement and new adventures, as promised in the Society Expeditions brochure . . .

During the last days of our upstream voyage, we ran into an extremely low water situation. Within 5 days the water level fell to about 8 feet. Three feet more and our downstream voyage would have been impossible. In order to get the minimum possible draft on our way back, all ballast water was discharged and only a minimum amount of fresh water was taken on. This preventive measure was supported by a very reasonable consumption of water on board. Nevertheless, we had to rely on the water level of the freshwater river Jutai and Altar do Chao where finally freshwater could be resupplied. All this must be real expedition!

The number of shallow water areas increased rapidly. Several daylight passages were necessary, 12 in total, often with no more than 6 feet of water below the keel. Considering the fact that sandbanks, sometimes 8 feet high in depth, were bulldozed along the bottom by strong currents creating ripples of course sand that invalidate navigational maps, we had sometimes to anchor and take a superlaunch to take surroundings in order to trace the navigable channel. The lowest depths were always experienced when passing a mouth of a tributary or crossing the main river's main course.

Precise navigation is essential throughout the day and night. Hand steering is necessary for the whole of the Amazon journey. The helmsman's concentration was really proven - a wrong execution of a sudden order would have taken our ship right into the jungle, especially when we have to sail so close to the river bank. Also there are islands growing and islands floating away - like Aranapu which has gone, together with 10,000 monkeys. The navigation charts cannot be altered as quickly as these islands come and go. It is a help to navigation and anchoring when there is a full moon but that occurs only for a few days each month.

The pilots have known the river for over 20 years. Nearly every tree or side stream or even an Indian hut become markers for navigation and it is not necessary for them to refer to the nautical charts. At night time through the binoculars the pilots will watch the surface of the water which will show them that where the most current is running - there will be a channel. When it becomes necessary for a daylight passage due to shallow water, both pilots will be on the bridge assisting one-another. Every three or four minutes the course has to be changed by 5 degrees.

Each year going upstream it is necessary that new channels have to be checked with the ship's superlaunch. Soundings have to be taken ahead to find a safe passage across the river bed. The current runs at between 2.5 and 6 knots. All anchoring grounds have held good, no rocks and no stones around. Wind and weather have remained virtually unchanged. A rain shower with lightning lasts only thirty minutes - that's all. There is no twilight, immediately after sunset it is completely dark and from then the night shift takes over for the next twelve hours. This is the time of mosquitoes, bats, moths, fire flies, and caymens. Being just south of the Equator it is possible to see the Southern Cross about two hours before sunrise.

The keywords of an Amazon expedition cruise are:
99% Expedition
Adventure
Challenge
Fun
nice, friendly Indios, wildlife

and the memories of the happy friendly faces of the residents of this mighty river, and the birds and the dolphins and the fish and the monkeys and the caymen and and and . . .

and to belong to only a handful of people from all over the world (less than 15,000) who have ever explored the River Amazon between Belem and Iquitos.

November, 1989

Captain Aye

Master, "World Discoverer"