April 6, 2025

BELEM, BRAZIL

Above is Belem Opera House, not as famous as the one in Manaus but pretty just the same. It wasn't open for tours in the morning when I went out for walk to the Shopping area with Callie but some of our group did visit later in the day. Callie and I were in search of pedicures and after our days in the Amazon forest, the spa ladies said we needed premium treatment versus the regular! I was a little nervous when she plugged in giant sander! But these ladies were pro's! Happily we indulged and was shocked the cost was only $14 USD. We love Brazil's prices! Everything so cheap - Ubers are just 1 & 2 USD and beauty products are plentiful and also very affordable. Since we were in Brazil for  days we got very spoiled and had sticker shock coming back into the Caribbean!


Below is some of the city scenery, I didn't do a lot of exploring, needed more time to regroup and recover from Amazon. Did my own laundry for first time on ship, because all my stuff from Amazon was wet and dank. Didn't want to wait till my Laundry day of Monday. Really chilled over the weekend. On Saturday night we got another hotel room in the City to be able to go out to dinner and the clubs dancing. The tenders to the ship stopped at 11 pm and that was when the clubs started happening!

We went to a local restaurant, that a lady in salon recommended, and tried a bunch of local dishes. Then we checked into Hotel and went to a club that I had seen recommended on travel sites. The music was great and everybody was up dancing - they all twirl as they dance and wear clothing that really highlights the twirl! We stayed out until 2 a.m. !

Meet our new friend Helida Adler below. She was next to us at the club and heard us speaking English and introduced herself. She is from nearby Recife and was in town visiting family, since she and her husband now live in Maui, Hawaii. We hope to cross paths again when the ship gets to Maui. She said she would have a Brazilian meal for us! She also surprised me with her first question - how safe did we feel in Brazil? For the most part we were fine, but there were about 10 residents who had their cell phones stolen and 2 that didn't make great choices and got in a bit of an altercation with locals. We're always trying to be aware and cautious. I have a wrist strap and pop lock on the back of my phone and keep in my hand, in my pocket or in my purse.


MAGNETIC ISLAND - KOALA'S

By Patricia Patrick • February 15, 2026
We got up at 6:45am to get to National Park Forts Walk trail in the hope of seeing koalas . Prior walkers mark trails with tree branches pointing in the direction of their sighting and we were luck enough to see 3 markers in our first hour of hiking. It is so stinking hot and humid the success we had made it bearable. The koala population on the island started with 20 brought over in 1930, to escape fur hunters. Today, the island boast 800 to 1000, and they are so cute and drowsy. They need 20 hours of sleep a day! The early morning is when they are the most active.

MAGNETIC ISLAND, AUSTRALIA

By Patricia Patrick • February 14, 2026
Just off the coast of Townsville, Australia is a special little island (that used to be part of mainland, hundreds of thousands years ago). The island was formed by molten granite that was pushed to the earth's surface with volcanic force.Over time the volcanic overlay weathered away leaving an extraordinary landscape of rounded domes and boulders, many as big as a house and spectcularly perched. Over Seventy Percent of the center of the Island is a National Park. There is lots of wildlife here too - koalas, rock wallabies, snakes & birds.

CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA

By Patricia Patrick • February 14, 2026
This is my third time in CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA and I really enjoy how walkable, clean and charming it is. The waterfront esplanade and lagoon area is a nice walk day or night. We had 2 nights here in the waterfront Shangri La Marina Hotel while waiting for the Ship to arrive and then 2 additional days in Port.