take me to the river

...but please, don't drop me in the water! this water is very brown and tho i know it is actually a sacred place, i don't wish to be offered up to the gods that inhabit this watery place. upon entering the eastward end of the amazon that empties into the ocean, the river is about 200 miles in width. as far as the eye can see, we are surrounded by water most of the time. when we reach our "port", the width of the river will taper down to about 30 miles in diameter. of course, the amazon stretches across/thru several south american countries and the 10,000 tributaries that branch off the mighty river are much smaller in size.

the ship has been slowed down a lot because of our being on river water vs. ocean depths. last night, immigration officials from brazil boarded the ship to assure that we are all "present and accounted for" ... properly.

we have had the pleasure of seeing some insect life aboard ship over the past 24 hours being that we are on the amazon.

last night, a beautifully colored butterfly lighted upon the deck; bespeckled with turquoise colored dots along the wingspan--drawn to the lights no doubt on the ship. the sky was dotted with many stars and the air was almost sauna-like.

this morning, a water beetle made its way onto the back of the ship. this bug was about four inches in length from head to tail--brown/black in color and winged of course. and probably about an inch wide. so, a decent sized bug.

everyone is captivated by the creatures that have visited us so far. cameras snapping away to capture what we are seeing. binoculars poised in the rear of the ship to take the eye's reach just a little farther into the lush forestation that we can view from here.

we're told that santa claus will be making a special visit on ship today as it is, afterall, christmas day. there are just a few families on this trip traveling with children. thank goodness they are here! they add a lot of "spark" to an otherwise very "mature" group comprising the passenger manifest.

tonight will be another semi-formal dining night in honor of christmas as well. there is a holiday tea dance being offered this afternoon and a holiday sing-a-long too! the ship is as i have mentioned, very diverse. as such, there has been observance of hannukah in addition to the christmas celebration(s).

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail - Ralph Waldo Emerson