Each June, the City hosts the famous Boi Bumba Festival when tens of thousands of visitors pour into the town for the week-long party. Many festival-goers even sleep in hammocks on the boats that carried them to Parintins. The Boi Bumba is really a friendly competition that started between two Parintins' families prior to The legend involves a young woman, her husband, a bull, and a happy ending. The Boi Bumba Festival involves a lot of music, dancing, costumes, and huge animal floats.
By air, the estimated time is one and half hours from Manaus. Santarem is the closest town to Parintins , a couple of hours by boat and a few minutes by plane.
Yesterday I received an e-mail from Cruise Critic, a curious thing to receive, especially when from a senior editor of that organisation. It was there in my Inbox when I checked e-mails yesterday evening. I just wonder who is blocking e-mails to Cruise Critic?
My only way of relaying information on this subject was therefore via my blog. Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK and we were woken at 6. Wow what a girl, all the way from the UK to the ship. Now that wasn't a cheap phone call. This was because the pilot was not available to board the Prinsendam at the expected time in the early hours of the morning.
The ship is now travelling at its top speed of 22 knots trying to make up some time. We now expect to be at Parintins at around 10 o'clock and not 8. We ourselves have no particular plans for the day and will just take the tender over to the town once the ship has dropped anchor. Knowing what the local climatic conditions will be like, we don't intent being away from the luxury of air conditioning for too long.. Maria has used the extra time we have on board this morning to pack away some more clothes and bits and pieces.
