So far the MV Explorer has sailed from Nassau, Bahamas, to Roseau, Dominica, to Macapa, Brazil and sailed the Amazon River into Manaus, Brazil. After sailing back out the same path, we entered the Atlantic Ocean and sailed straight across for nine days to Takoradi, Ghana. The capital of Ghana is Accra, but we were about four hours away in a smaller city. Now we are sailing along the African coast, on our way to Cape Town, South Africa.
The ship was very rocky on our way to Brazil, and many people got seasick! We were happy to sail on the Amazon River, as it was much calmer water and we weren’t swaying from side to side all day. We sailed on the Amazon River for three days and crossed a point called “The Meeting of the Rivers”. This is where the Rio Negro and the Amazon River meet. The Rio Negro (“Black River”) is actually very dark – almost black – in color, and the other river is brown. You can see this difference distinctly as you pass it. In Brazil, I slept in the jungle on an army hammock during a trip called “Jungle Survival Skills”. Men who retired from the Brazilian army took us on a hike around the jungle. We learned about various plants and how they can cure malaria or help heal a wound. We also learned how to set animal traps and learned more about tribes who continue to live in the Amazon Jungle.
Here is one of my favorite pictures so far - the River Boat we took across the Rio Negro to go "survive" in the jungle. It's very popular to take river boats, and you can take one for a few days, sleeping in a hammock along the perimeter, fishing and stopping in villages.
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