Random thoughts from the sea
Days 15-16, 2026 Grand World Voyage Sunday and Monday, Jan. 18-19, 2026; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Having previously toured the tourist highlights of Rio de Janeiro – Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, and even the nearby summer royal resort town of Petropolis – I
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Days 5-9, 2026 Grand World Voyage Thursday to Monday, Jan. 13-16, 2026; Recife, Brazil, and Atlantic Ocean. Just because we aren’t in a port every day doesn’t mean we have nothing to do. On top of the full daily program of activities and talks, special events and dinners keep us
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Days 5-9, 2026 Grand World Voyage Thursday to Monday, Jan. 8-12, 2026; Barbados and Belem, Brazil. Despite being distinctly (at least to my eyes) not on the Amazon River, Belém, Brazil, is considered by many to be the gateway to the Amazon. I’m guessing it achieves that distinction because the
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Day 17, 2024 Grand World Voyage Friday, Jan. 19, 2024; At Sea, Atlantic Ocean I awoke to the motion of ocean swells yesterday, and it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t felt them for a week. The waters of the Amazon River were calm, despite currents of three or
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Days 13 & 14, 2024 Grand World Voyage Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 15-16, 2024; Parintins and Santarém, Brazil I’ve always believed that success in fishing is mostly a matter of luck. After today I think experience must play a role. As we all were dropping lines with raw meat on
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Days 10 & 11, 2024 Grand World Voyage Friday and Saturday, Jan. 12-13, 2024; Alter Do Chao and Boca da Valeria, Brazil What a difference a month makes. When I was on the Amazon River in December, it was touch-and-go as to whether we could even cruise up the river
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Day 62, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023; Alter do Chao, Brazil Sand, sand, sand. Alter do Chao is known for its beaches, and when the Amazon River is at record low levels, the beaches multiply. Today’s port is near Santarém, where we stopped five days
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Day 60, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023; Manaus, Brazil. After cruising about a thousand miles up the Amazon River, I was surprised by the city of Manaus. I expected a sleepy river town, dominated by an opera house seeming out of place. Instead, I found
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Day 58, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023; Parintins, Brazil It’s all about the Boi-Bombá in Parintins. Each summer thousands travel here for this folklore song and dance festival, older than Carnival and one of the largest festivals in Brazil. As we are not here in
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Day 53, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023; Fortaleza, Brazil With Brazil’s population of 200-plus million people, I shouldn’t be surprised that it contains some big cities. Today’s port of Fortaleza is another one, with three million people, give or take. Its long stretch of beach,
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