We stopped in St. Louis to visit Donna’s brother and sister-in-law. It was fairly nice for January, reaching 55 F, so we were able to go out and walk in some parks. We also went to the St. Louis Science Museum and saw Antarctica.

Today we get off the ship and return home. Our flight was later in the afternoon, so we booked an Everglades airboat tour that dropped us off at the airport. Airboats are not allowed in Everglades National Park, so this tour is in an area outside the National Park, but is very similar to the park.

Half Moon Cay is Holland America’s private island in the Bahamas.

Jamaica is a small island south of Cuba.

Aruba is a small island that was colonized by the Dutch.

Barbados is an island in the eastern Caribbean.

Belém is a large city near the mouth of the Amazon River.

Boca de Valeria is a small village along the Amazon that has a about 150 people. A cruise ship broke down nearby a number of years ago and took folks over to visit while it was repaired. The locals fled at that time, thinking they were being invaded. Now they come from surrounding villages bringing their exotic pets to photograph for $1 and small boats to take you on a tour.

Manaus is a city of over a million people almost 800 miles up the Amazon in the middle of the Amazon rain forest. It’s 300 ft above sea level, our ship has been sailing uphill as we go up the river. We spent a day and a half in Manaus, arriving Friday just before noon and leaving Sunday morning at 8:00 am.

Parintins is known for its folklore festival. The town put on a special showing of the show as an optional shore excursion. It was quite expensive to go, so we chose to walk around instead.