That evening, we sailed on a mirror of water past Sugarloaf Mountain.
But in the twilight, it appeared as little more than a dark paper cutout.
As we headed out toward open sea, they vanished entirely.
From left: Free diving near Búzios; a starfish from the sea near Búzios.Credit:Marta Tucci
First, though, I got an orientation to the 558-footVenturefrom expedition coordinator Claudio Schulze.
He led me to the ships Discovery Center, a theater designed for lectures and films.
WhileVenturecan accommodate 264 passengers, just 145 were on this cruise, accompanied by a 245-person crew.
Exploring the Amazon by Zodiac, not far from Santarém.Marta Tucci
TheVenturehas 24 Zodiacs for offshore expeditions, and one of them zipped me to shore for a snorkeling adventure.
At the port, I boarded a wooden schooner for a sightseeing excursion.
As we got to chatting, I mentioned my interest in seeing bottlenose dolphins.
A daytime infrared image shows the stars above the Venture.Marta Tucci
Olsen was quick with some advice: You have to be outside early.
So the next morning I was up at 5 a.m., and I wasnt alone.
Gathered at the bow were several ofVentures ornithologists and naturalists.
From left: Lagoa de Genipabu, a freshwater lagoon near Natal; a boto, or Amazon river dolphin, in the Río Negro.Marta Tucci
Then, as we glided toward the port of Recife, the weather turned.
Hes our Hank Williams, Menezes said.
(Brazil abolished slavery in 1888.)
From left: A schooner, near Búzios; guests snorkel just off the schooner.Marta Tucci
There were lighter moments, too.
During our amble around town, Menezes pointed out more than two dozen types of fruit-bearing trees.
From Recife, we pressed onward.
From left: A Signature Suite on the Venture; prosciutto and fresh melon salad and pan-seared salmon in the Restaurant, aboard Seabourn Venture.Marta Tucci
I consumed many flat whites in the cafe just seconds away from my suite.
The ferociously athletic pursuit is a combination of martial arts, dance, and gymnastics.
Capoeira also involves clapping, chanting, and beats from the atabaque, a tall drum.
From left: Fresh Brazil nuts, a common sight along the Amazon; capoeira practitioners at a gym in Natal.Marta Tucci
Created by enslaved people from West Africa, it was later integrated with regional dances.
Today, its a window into the countrys diversity.
We have a very exciting day tomorrow!
From left: Moqueca, a classic seafood stew, with rice, beans, and farofa, in Natal; the basilica of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, in Olinda, Brazil, near the port of Recife.Marta Tucci
he exclaimed, before piercing our lofty expectations by running through a laundry list of misconceptions about the Amazon.
Rojas warned us about anticipating a parade of jaguars, anacondas, flowering jungles, and howler monkeys.
Its not just a river, he told me.
From left: Colonial-style façades in Olinda; Seabourn Venture near Búzios.Marta Tucci
The Amazon, Rojas concluded, is like love.
Its a concept so big you cannot possibly explain it.
The next morning, I was back at the bow ofVenture,alongside Rojas and many others.
From left: Expedition essentials, including required reading, aboard Seabourn Venture; bird-watching near the mouth of the Amazon River.Marta Tucci
To our southeast was Marajo, an island about the size of Switzerland.
I paused to fathom the astonishing vastness.
Its home to almost a third of all the plant and animal species.
From left: The Bow Lounge, on Deck 6 of the Seabourn Venture; Anthony Ubarte, a safety officer and one member of the 245-person Venture crew.Marta Tucci
I thought back to a trip, not long ago, when Id sailed up the Nile.
Its banks always seemed within reach.
During the rainy season, parts of the Amazon can be a staggering 30 miles wide.
Seabourn Venture on the Amazon River near Santarém.Marta Tucci
Guests were asked to limit their use of water by taking shorter showers.
Against an easy current, we kayaked past water hyacinths and watched jacana birds trot across giant lily pads.
The good thing about expedition ships is that people bring their curiosity, a member ofVentures team said.
I had learned so much from the expedition crew.
I had sampled sticky fruits I never even knew existed.
And deep in the Amazon, I felt the granular and the grand merge once again.
14-day Amazon Delta trips on theSeabourn Venturefrom $5,999 per person, all-inclusive.