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South America 2026
  • Janine Westlund
  • Mark E
  • Janine Westlund
  • Mark E

South America 2026

A 103-day adventure by Janine & Mark E Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 4, 2026
    South America 2026
    The Birthday Postcard
    Farewell ChicagoStill one of the most interesting & beautiful cities around. Just a bit chilly this time of year...We're not gonna miss that snow, that's for sure.The peaceful skies between Chi & FtL.1Hello Ft Lauderdale!

    Mark gets his wings

    January 3 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 23 °F

    Departing Chicago for Ft Lauderdale to connect w/ our ship tomorrow. Once again, United recognized Mark's birthday with a crew-signed card, some wings & a snack box. (Last year he got a free drink 🫤).

  • South America 2026
    We attended the port discussion and got an overall peak into what we could expect.
    Unfortunately this was as close as we could get.Fortunately Mark's phone has better zoom . . . this is the most we could see.

    Devil's Island ....

    January 11, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 81 °F

    We were really looking forward to this stop. We attended the 'port discussion ' presentation on board. . . the ship showed the original Papillon movie which gave us a little insight into the prison conditions . . . we were pretty intrigued!
    Unfortunately due to some sanitation-maintenance issues on the island, they were unable to send a port guide to us (apparently a requirement). As such, we could only view it from afar. :(

    Oh well, just another 'something' to look forward to next time! :)    Read more

  • South America 2026
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    Rio Beach Drive 1

    January 18 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F

    This is 1 of 2 videos from our bus ride capturing a nice view of Copacabana Beach.

  • South America 2026
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    Rio Beach drive 2

    January 18 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F

    2nd video from the bus: a little more Copacabana Beach as well as a taste of Rio's version of volleyball called Footvolley (they play with any part of their body BUT hands!) Crazy.

  • South America 2026
    When we arrived, this group was serenading the audience before/during dinner; very elegant setting.
    Once dinner was over, the lights went down and the performers emerged to start the show.There was a large screen that projected various images of Brazil behind the performance.At times it was difficult to decide which to watch: the beautiful pictures or the dancers.Look at that cool stage background!

    Roxy Cinema: dinner/theater

    January 18 in Brazil ⋅ 🌙 81 °F

    This show was aMAZing!!
    An immersion 4-hr experience combining food, music & dance. It-s performed in the historic 1938 Cine Roxy in Copacabana.
    Apparently in 2025, the  Roxy Dinner Show was chosen by Time magazine as one of the World's Greatest Places. We wouldn't disagree. The Time writeup summarized it best:
     " A dinner (...) featuring fish and cassava, celebrates Brazilian cuisine; the soundtrack pulsates with the sounds of bossa nova, forró, samba and funk; and the show Aquele Abraço transports guests through the five regions of the country in a vibrant show of colors, percussion and movement," TIME MAGAZINE
    Sidenote: the meal was MUCH more than fish ... filet & chicken was available as well. It was all delicious!
    The music was terrific -- have audio on during the videos.    Read more

  • South America 2026
    Timeline of annual Carnaval prep: it starts only a few weeks after the prior year finishes!
    The financial impact/influence of Carnaval on Rio.The 9 criteria on which each samba school is judged.This was an actual float piece from a prior Carnaval.Another prior float-piece.They put us into some actual Carnaval costumes. (These were selected for us.)Alongside some actual Carnaval dancers.The pic is better w/o us. 😁

    Rio Day 2: Carnaval Backstage!

    January 19 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F

    We had a 'backstage' tour of Samba City. With Carnaval beginning soon (13-Feb) picture-taking has been restricted starting in Oct. But enough opportunities were made available to have a fun record of our experience.Read more

  • South America 2026
    View of Punta del Este as we're approaching it from the water.
    Isla Gorriti -- a nice little island off Punta del Este.View from the tender.Just chilling while waiting for the rest of the tour group to disembark.We had entertainment nearby ...... waiting to get scraps from the fish market clippings.Punta de las Salinas -- where Rio de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean.Rambla General Jose ArtigasGreat Britain SquarePunta Lighthouse1Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of the Candles)Side view of the church.The Lionel Viera Bridge, also known as the Wavy Bridge; 2 wavy lanes over the Maldonado River.Looking the other direction from the bridge; a nice little park.Nick & Shawn (w/ Mark in background) @ entrance to Casa Pueblo.1Designed by artist Carlos Páez Vilaró over 36 years starting in 1958, it was originally his home.It's now a museum, art gallery, cafe & hotel.Fun artwork throughout the 'building'.Made a little more fun w/ Mark's mug added.Mark & Nick extend the painting to be #4 & #5.1The Fingers by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal, depicting five human fingers emerging from the sandLocated on Brava Beach1

    Punta del Este, Uruguay

    January 22 in Uruguay ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Had a nice little guided tour around the city. Because it was Saturday (& probably also b/c of the tour duration) we weren't able to go into most of the buildings, but the insights provided by the tour guide combined with what we saw from the outside left us with a VERY positive impression of Uruguay. It is often referred to as 'the Monaco of South America'. It was clean, beautiful, easy to get around -- we all agreed it could easily be somewhere we would return to & spend more time.Read more

  • South America 2026
    Arriving in Port Stanley.
    The Lady ElizabethOur 'walking path' to York Point.The sand here was just about the finest grain we've ever seen.Those black lumps are penguins. This is the closest we're allowed to approach.York Point residents. (aka: Magellanic penguins)Walkway to Gypsy CoveSome serious effort was made to create a nice, weather-resistant walkway.Gypsy CoveA baby penguin!WW2 remnant: British QF 4-inch Mark IV naval gun installed for harbor defense.The Totem PoleRoaming around the local maritime historic museum.Whaling guns are huge!Whalebone Arch in front of Christ Church Cathedral.Some homes don't weather well down here.The southern-most brewery!When you're tired, any port in a storm will do.A steel-hulled sailboat -- THAT'S dedication to sport.This was the path for our tender return to the ship. Quite the adventure!

    Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

    January 27 in Falkland Islands ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    We found a hop-on/hop-off bus and did our own little day tour that took us on a trip to York Point & Gypsy Cove to see penguins, and a nice little run-around the town area. We ended at the local brewery -- dubbed 'the southern-most brewery'.
    THE WIND HERE WAS CRAZY!!

    There is a 1155 ton iron barque sunk off the coast that has an interesting history. Originally launched in 1879, it made many voyages of varying success. She was damaged in 1913, condemned & converted to a coal hulk. In 1936 a storm broke her mooring lines & she drifted to where she now lies in Whalebone Cove.
    We saw the Totem Pole: a quirky structure signposting various distances. Originally created by military personnel, signs have since been added by many visitors.
    It's easy for us to forget that in 1982 the Argentinians launched a surprise attack on the British-controlled Falklands. The British were vastly outnumbered 57 to 600 Argentinians & had to surrender. The British responded w/ force & over the next 10 weeks there was an undeclared war over the Islands & its territorial dependency South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands. Significant losses incurred on both sides, but on 14-Jun the Argentinian forces surrendered.    Read more

  • South America 2026
    Morning room view
    Another research station.

    Antarctica: Day 4

    February 1, Bransfield Strait ⋅ ⛅ 30 °F

    We've met a number of passengers on this cruise who have sailed this itinerary multiple times and have said there were some sailings where the weather simply did not cooperate and all 4 days were like our first.
    We felt enormously fortunate.    Read more

  • South America 2026

    Full Steam Ahead!

    February 3, Drake Passage ⋅ 🌬 46 °F

    Crossing the Drake Passage en route to Ushuaia. Apparently the Ushuaia Port Authority asked us to arrive this evening instead of the morning, else we might not be guaranteed pier space. So to avoid that 'tendering' possibility, the captain announced that we'll be full throttle to get there as fast as possible.
    HOLY COW WAS IT WINDY!!!!!    Read more

  • South America 2026
    Cruising toward Punta Arenas
    A lot of artistic graffiti again...11Monument to the Crew of the Schooner Ancud.Entrance to the maritime museum.1My favorite mariner. 🥰And his first mate. 😊These are full-sized replicas -- they were not large vessels.(Straight of Magellan)Replica of Shakleton's boat taken to get help for his crew.Sara Braun Cemetery: Tomb of the Unknown Indian, surrounded by notes of gratitude.Many of the mausoleum tombs here rivaled those in Recoleta.Sara Braun's memorial to her husband: José Nogueira (1845–1893).Long parkway in the city.We were told this is the wealthy side of the city.This was La Luna: we went for lunch at our guide's recommendation. 👍Mark needed a haircut. :)

    Punta Arenas, Chile

    February 5 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 55 °F

    We found a local tour that took us to many of the popular sites:
    -- Monument: Ancud Schooner -- honors the 1843 expedition that established Chilean sovereignty over the strait of Magellan.
    -- Nao Victoria Museum: a private maritime museum with interactive displays featuring full-size replicas of the ships that had significance for the Magallanes Region.
    -- Sara Braun Municipal Cemetery: a bit like Recoleta in Buenos Aires; our guide felt it was more beautiful than Recoleta. One area of the cemetery has the Tomb of the Unknown Indian: a site of popular devotion, similar to a folk saint.    Read more

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