When I opened Google News and saw an article about a cruise ship floundering in the icy water off Antarctica, I had to check it out. Dad went to Antarctica many years ago on the Explorer and then several years after that we spent two weeks on the "Little Red Ship" going 2,000 miles down the Amazon River ("Iquitos to the Sea"). I was reminded of that trip as I looked at all the many photos of the sinking.
It was a neat boat ("It's NOT a boat--it's a ship!" I hear my father cry.) It accommodated 150 passengers but there were only 55 on our trip. I often felt there might be more crew than paying customers. Dad and I shared a cabin across from the gift shop which was overseen by a very attractive young woman so Dad did a fair amount of shopping. There was a library/lounge that was a lively gathering place before dinner. Lectures took place in the auditorium, which some of the guides nicknamed the Nap Room because no matter how interesting the lectures, almost everyone fell asleep at some point once the lights were dimmed. Dad and I finally stayed in our cabin and listened to the lectures over the in-room audio. The beds were more comfortable than the seats in the auditorium! In our defense, we were up at 5:30am and in the zodiacs to go in search of birds, sloths, caiman, piranhas, pink dolphin or whatever there was to see.
The sinking of the Explorer reminds me of such wonderful memories--locals pulling up in dugout canoes behind the ship to offer fresh fruits and vegetables and often some crafts, the tour of the Manaus Opera House (and a less memorable performance) which was seen in the movie "Fitzcarraldo," the "meeting of the waters" caipirinha party, jumping in the river and floating (really fast!!) to the raft they anchored further down river, watching the feather-clad lovely women dance the Boi Bumba, motoring through water buffalo grazing under water, water lily pads the size of my bed, hanging with my father, the views along the banks as we cruised by (in some places you can hardly see the other bank--in others, I was glad I wasn't on the bridge guiding the ship because the narrows are pretty narrow when you consider the maneuverability of a slow moving, not quick to react vessel. And we only ran aground once!) And the birds!!! Did I mention the birds? And all of this from the comfort of our little red ship.
I think of the many people who are reliving their memories of the MS Explorer as it went to its watery grave (I always wanted to say stuff like that). It's a kind of neat tribute to ship that served so many so well. I only wish I could relive the memories with my dad.
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The photo was sent to me by my sister who got it from a friend who sent me the address for someone who knows someone who may have taken it, but I haven't heard back. I will update this when I find out who took it.
