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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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  • South America 2026
    1This is where they're sorted for export is local markets.Once sorted, this is how they're packed.1The variety of roses were amazing.1For those oddball colors: the rose is dried a bit, then the stem is placed in dye for absorption.1If parts of the stem are placed in different colors, you get a multi-colored result.

    Group Tour: Day 6 - Rose Farm

    March 12 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Visited a rose farm -- amazing!
    Ecuador exported 390 tons of roses to the US this past valentine's Day. That was 1/3 of the annual exports!
    It can be only 3 days from when a rose is cut to it landing on someone's desk in another country:
    Day 1 - am: roses are cut; pm: they're sorted & packed; eve: they're placed in a refrigerated space.
    Day 2 - am: they're flown to Miami for the US & Canadian markets, distributed to stores.
    Day 3- purchased & gifted.
    Ecuador's cut roses last up to 3 weeks. Their uniqueness is their long, straight stems & lack of scent -- the latter was a genetic modification to prevent insects (who are attracted to flowers by smell) from destroying them. Oftentimes the scent from 'scented' roses are sprayed onto the cut roses to satisfy the customer's expectant nose.    Read more

  • South America 2026

    Football Game!

    March 15 in Brazil ⋅ 🌙 81 °F

    BR Championship A Series:
    Fluminense (home team, based in Larnajeiras) vs Paranaense (Curitiba, Paraná). Fluminense won 3:2.

  • South America 2026
    A very elegant main foyer.Games room.

    Last day in Rio; board the ship

    March 17 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    We found a nearby lake (Rodrigo de Freitas), took an Uber to it, found some bikes near it and commenced to pedal around it.
    We then boarded our next ship, unpacked and enjoyed a great local Brazilian performance that evening.Read more

  • South America 2026
    Fun music, fun crowdListening to the crowd reactions was fun as well!A circular view of Ground Zero Square, now much less crowded.The making of sugar cane juice.Local market.1Everyone fits in somewhere...11View of the square from the church steps.How do they get graffiti all the way up there??Low tide. :)The contrasts in this city are amazing: dilapidated & fresh/new all w/in the same block.

    Returning to Recife

    March 23 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F

    Always leave the boat!
    We had no specific plans, but our (somewhat) aimless roaming was immediately paid off with a local air show!
    Held at 'Marco Zero' ("Ground Zero Square ") this was not unlike Chicago's Air Show, just a 'bit' smaller. Seven A-29 Super Tucano aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force participated, celebrating the city’s 489th anniversary with a 35-minute aerobatic demonstration; & we got there just in time!
    The Square is so named b/c it's the geographic distance from which all distances in the state (Pernambuco) are measured.
    We spent the rest of our time roaming around the colorful, diverse & historic district of Ancient Recife.
    Fun fact: Recife is closer to the western coast of Africa than it is to the farthest western border of Brazil.    Read more

  • South America 2026
    Just a neat art installation on the ship near where I was taking pics.
    This guy seemed to be trying to enter through the window. Not on my watch!Approaching Santarém.Santarém60 seconds of Amazon River cruising.

    Alter do Chão (state: Pará)

    March 25 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    A village in the middle of the Amazon, Alter do Chao is ~38km west of Santarém. We spent the morning getting there and the journey was unique. It is known for its stunning freshwater beaches along the Tapajós River.
    In the afternoon, we had a local bike tour in Belterra (a nearby town).    Read more

  • South America 2026
    Colorful homes on stilts.
    Colorful homes on stilts.The line of children waiting for passengers to disembark the tender.We weren't allowed to even hold the stick; ghi as guy apparently bites if you're too close.1A baby sloth!!Our break before returning to the boat. We could get 7 of these for the price of 1 on the boat!Full sunset in 60 seconds.Incredible post-sunset sky.

    Boca da Valeria (state: Amazonas)

    March 26 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    A tiny village of 75-100 inhabitants. No dock, no organized tours; just an opportunity to experience an Amazonian lifestyle.
    Once you disembark the tender, there are children approaching you, grabbing your hand wanting to give you a tour of their village. A small monetary token is expected but not unreasonably pressured, the same goes for the opportunity to have your picture taken with colorfully dressed locals and their exotic pets. When you witness their life here, you only wish you brought more to give.
    We took a 30-minute boat ride w/ a local to see some of the area from the river and area canals perspective. More incredible views of the Amazonian life.
    And once again, the sunset did not disappoint.    Read more

  • South America 2026
    Rio Negro Bridge (2011): connects Manaus to Iranduba municipality; longest cable bridge in Brazil.Roaming the market.Not sure that's a fish to kiss....Leaving the market.Metropolitan Cathedral of Manaus (1877)(That decay in the background is a separate building.)For Sale: 2 homesPeek in the doors & this is what it looks like...a bit of a fixer-upper.Monument to the Opening of the Ports (1866)The statue commemorates the liberation of the Amazon River ports to foreign trade.Amazonian Theater (1896)1Built when fortunes were made in the rubber boom.Seating for 700.30,000-piece Lego model, a gift from Denmark in 1973.The Mayor's box, seats 15. But the current mayor prefers to sit amongst the people.Seats from the days when it was more important to be seen than to see.Made in Murano, each of these lights is estimated to be ~US$4mil. There are 16 in this room.View from the upper deck of the theater.🤗

    Manaus (state: Amazonas)

    March 27 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Wandered around Manaus, visited the market, took a tour of the historic theater, & attended a performance & saw 'Romeo & Juliet of Parentins' (we're not big opera folk, even less so when sung in Portuguese; but we hung in there for ~45 mins).Read more

  • South America 2026
    Never saw a pink dolphin before; not very cute (most visible @ end of video).This is a type of fruit; meh.Just looking 'up'.See the little cayman?How's that for a look....he doesn't seem pleased.Our driver just reached in & pulled him out of the water.This cannot be an easy life...These lillypads last ~3 mos b/f deteriorating; their flowers only last 3 days.A little bird eventually pops out here.The 'meeting of the waters' (in front of an incoming storm).

    Manaus, day 2

    March 28 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Boat tour around a few canals -- amazing.
    At the end of the ride we passed through what's called the 'meeting of the waters': a natural phenomenon near Manaus where the dark Rio Negro and the sandy-colored Solimões River run side-by-side for over 6 km (4 miles) without mixing. They don't mix for a few reasons
    Rio Negro: Dark, warm (~28°C) & slower flowing (~2km/hr).
    Rio Solimões: Light/muddy, cooler (~22°C) & faster flowing (~4-6km/hr).
    Pretty neat to see.    Read more

  • South America 2026
    Every now & then there'd be these grass swatches floating by....

    Bye Manaus

    March 28 in Brazil ⋅ 🌧 81 °F

    Once back on board, the skies opened up w/ huge rains, for about 20 minutes. Then just in time for our departure, they cleared up so we could watch our leave.

  • South America 2026
    Good morning.
    Touring the town.There is red & blue representation all over the town.(Palm Sunday)The BumbódromoMurals outside the blue side of the stadium.Murals outside the red side of the stadium.Even the parks have red & blue representation.Our driver was a fierce blue-team supporter.Much of the graffiti around the city is rather artistic.Floats-prep area for the red team.Billboard promoting the 2026 concert to kick off the Festival.Floats prep area for the blue team.1Backside of the Bumbódromo, & us in our tuque-tuque.The blue teams' entertainment area.View from our tuque-tuque.Street market (fish, fruits, etc) in front ; boats & houseboat in back.Thought we'd try what appeared to be a local favorite dish...

    Parintins (state: Amazonas)

    March 29 in Brazil ⋅ 🌧 75 °F

    Parintins is a river island city located on Tupinambarana Island on the Amazon River. It's famous for its annual Boi Bumbá Folklore Festival (every June) which features a dramatic competition between the red (Garantido) and blue (Caprichoso) ox groups inside the Bumbódromo.
    EVERYone in the city aligns w/ one of the groups; it's like being in a city w/ 2 pro sports teams if EVERYone in the city is a fan of that sport. Crazy.

    We connected with one of the (many) motorized tricycles ("tuque-tuques") -- the driver took us all over the city.    Read more

  • South America 2026
    5:53a -- the start of a beautiful sunrise.
    View from our deck.Our building.Rooftop view.Sand art, naturally created.It was like walking on diamond dust.

    Low Key Day

    April 8 in Panama ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    am: Beach walk on the finest, sparkliest, blackest sand we've ever seen. Met Dawn & Victor for lunch, then toured each of our respective properties.
    pm: D&V came over, we ordered pizza then went to a rooftop social in our building.
    Perfect.    Read more

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