Bad Things Can Happen on Cruises

In many ways being on a cruise is like living in a bubble.  Holland America does
everything it can to protect us from anything dangerous or unpleasant.  But they
don’t control the world.

Yesterday we docked near Belem, Brazil.  We dropped anchor in the very wide and
shallow river.  I'd chosen not to go onshore because of issues with tenders and
bus transport.

After lunch in the Lido I was chatting with a couple.  The man at the table behind
us stood up, pointed toward the water and said “There’s a dead body.” We ,
Looked of course, but assumed he was kidding or mistaken.  I expected to see s
garbage floating by. Sadly, he was correct.
A man’s body was floating a few feet from the ship, being carried along by the s
current.

Word quickly spread, crew called the bridge to notify the Captain and
local authorities were notified.  The jet ski that had been cruising around
earlier came back and headed toward where the body was
last seen.  

Based on the clothing and condition of the body (we had just arrived and it
appeared the body had been in the water for some time), I assume the man w
a local.  I hope they were able to recover his body for his family.

This tragedy was a very graphic reminder that life is fleeting and while
I may be in a very luxurious protected bubble, real life goes on.

Update: I talked to one of the staff. It seems the local authorities did not want to
recover the body because it's a common way to dispose of a body because it is cheap.
But at the Captain's insistence, they did recover it.