January 15, 2026. Day #11

 After two days at sea it is good to arrive at the port of Icoaraci, Brazil by tender from the ship. The stop is labeled as Belem, but this city is about a 45 minute bus ride from the port. We did the “Highlights of Belem” shore excursion into the city. In the city, but even more so at the port and along the way, there was obvious poverty with broken down ships, houses, trash along the road, with numerous buzzards feeding on the trash piles. I will not dwell on this, as in the city there were also high-rise buildings and some evidence of prosperity as well. Our first stop was the city market with all its smells, heat and humidity. Many stands crammed into a small space with people just trying to make a living. Our group had two guards watching over us at all times and lots of police around. I did not try to take their pictures because I have gotten into trouble doing this is the past. Many police do not want to be photographed. I do have a picture of the fowl that you could buy in the market and take home to butcher for dinner. Of course we also had to traverse the fish market with raw fish sitting out on the counters in the heat. Also lots of trinkets and other souvenirs for sale. They have two local professional football (soccer) teams that each have a strong following, even to the point that they do not have mixed marriages! I didn’t mention that this city is at the mouth of the Amazon River, so has been under the rule of several European counties over the years. Next we saw a fort, that according to our guide the cannons have never shot live ammunition in a real battle. We also saw a prison that has been converted into a chapel, a botanical garden with parrots and a butterfly sanctuary. Final stop was at a Basilica with beautiful stained windows. A long day with lots of walking. When we got back to the port, a tropical storm had blown in and we had rocky seas to get back onboard for a well deserved ice cream cone.