Swallows and Amazons

On behalf of George, Monique, Heide, Steve, Ellen, Leslie and myself, I would like to express our appreciation for all of the special holiday arrangements you made for our group this past December 2004. You did a wonderful job of pleasing our group of seven with diverse backgrounds, natonalities and an age range from the early 30's to late 70's. Thank you so much for soliciting our input on wants and needs and securing the "extras" before we even left Manaus.

We all loved our trip aboard the vintage Dona Tania. The trip was fascinating from start to finish. The pace was great, and we enjoyed our frequent swims, hikes and trips in the motorized skiff to see wildlife. Visits to the village with the contacts and family of Anandi really gave us a feeling for life along the Rio Negro. We enjoyed sleeping, lounging and reading in the hammocks and having the choice to sleep in our cabins when the weather didn't cooperate. The arrangements for running the generator for charging batteries, cooling our cabins, and working and reviewing photos on our laptop were a nice balance of roughing it and home-style comforts. The shower beneath the stars stands out as most beautiful and unusual.

To adequately praise the crew would take a book, but we would like to compliment each person for adding special aspects to our trip. We were lucky that everyone worked well together in a professional and friendly manner. Antonia, our cook, or rather "master food artist" never failed to produce three daily meals and snacks that were feasts for all the senses! How she cooked spectacular meals, including a turkey Christmas dinner, from her small galley amazed us. She was flexible and accommodating of requests and surprised us on rainy days with hot popcorn and fried plantain and guacamole. I never saw her frown and she was always smiling, even when we were late for dinner after looking for otters and caiman.

Anandi, our guide and naturalist, was a fountain of knowledge on our hikes into the jungle and trips up the tributaries. His beautiful fan and mat weaving revealed a hidden talent. He taught us to play dominoes and even let us win a few games! We enjoyed his company, and he achieved a good balance between being an employee and a guest in our ten days on the houseboat. Anandi was always patient with our questions and also tried to accommodate our every wish. He kept our safety and health in mind at all times. He and the other crewmembers should be commended for making a supreme effort to find otters for us!

Our captains and first mate worked together well, evident when we ran up on a beach to swim or negotiated a tributary filled with submerged tree branches. In rough weather they stopped rather than risk our safety with "showboating" tactics. I've sailed quite a bit and found that the Rio Negro could be as rough as the sea sometimes. I always felt we were in good hands with a captain who was both careful and knowledgeable of the waters he was navigating.

2711 Market Garden                                                            800-232-5658 or 512-443-5393
Austin, TX 78745                                                                                  Fax – 512-442-8515
www.amazonadventures.com                                                email – jmc12@amazonadventures.com

Feb. 20, 2001

We have been doing business with Mark Aitchison, dba Swallows and Amazons, for the past few years now. I know that they been doing business in the Manaus area since 1992 and have been working very hard to build a strong and profitable business by supplying a safe and reliable, yet exciting and educational product for their clients. I do know that in our relations with Swallows and Amazons they have always done a good job, and have acted professionally and responsibly.
We look forward to working with Mark and his company in the future and will be happy to be able to offer the new and exciting products that he is in the process of putting on the market. We believe that he is filling an important niche in the market and offering things that people are looking for, but that other operators have not offered in the past.
Sincerely,

INTI TRAVEL AND TOURS, INC. ____________________________________________________________
March 6, 2001

To Whom It May Concern
RE: Swallows and Amazon
Dear Sir / Madame,
Inti Travel and Tours of Banff, Alberta, Canada has been working with Mark Aitchison and Swallows and Amazon for the past two years. During this period, Mr. Aitchison has conducted himself in a professional manner and has shown due consideration for our clients. Our clients have enjoyed the trips we have arranged through Swallows and Amazon and we plan to continue our working relationship. Any assistance that you would provide to Mr. Aitchison and Swallows and Amazon in developing their business to its full potential would certainly assist us in sending more and more clients to Brazil.
If you have any questions or require additional information please do not hesitate to contact me.

____________________________________________________________
Box 2284, Banff, Alberta, Canada, TOL OCO
Phone 1-403-760-3565 / Fax 1-403-760-3566
www.discovergalapagos.com
inti@agt.net

I am a producer on the wildlife adventure program The Jeff Corwin Experience which airs on the Animal Planet and Discovery Networks worldwide. In December of 2001 I had the pleasure of coordinating our shoot in the Brazilian Amazon Basin with the local tour outfitting company Swallows and Amazons.
Mark Aitchison was extremely resourceful from the very start as we corresponded about shooting options in the Manaus region. He by far had the most helpful ideas and feedback concerning our plans, as compared to the other companies I contacted. He also submitted the lowest cost proposal. Mark has a wide network of local contacts in the Manaus region and he did not hesitate to call upon them to make sure our shoot was successful as possible. Not the least of these was our guide, Conrad, who traveled with our crew at all times and was extremely knowledgeable about the region and its wildlife.
I would highly recommend Swallows and Amazons as a Brazilian tour operator for recreational groups and film and television productions alike.
Sincerely,

The Jeff Corwin Experience

Popular Arts Entertainment, 2006 W. Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA 91506
Tel: 818-562-6366, Fax: 818-558-7047,

Email: hwilliamson@populararts.com

___________________________________________________________________________________________

BAPTIST HOSPITAL
Paul W. Moore
Executive Vice-President
June 20, 1994
Mark and Tania Aitchison
Swallows and Amazons
Manaus, Brazil
Dear Mark and Tania,

Thank you for giving myself and my family a wonderful experience in the Amazon. It was everything we hoped for and much more. We especially appreciated the following.

* Your personal attention to details.

* Excellent food with customized preparation.

* Very knowledgeable and trustworthy guides, boat captains and cooks.

* The special attention you gave to modify planned activities in accordance with our particular interests and requests.

* Letting us experience safety and comfort without compromising our experience of the river, jungle and local culture.

* Tania's extended family at various locations in the area gave us marvelous opportunities for additional cultural exchanges that would otherwise have not been possible.

Again, thank you for all the extra efforts you put forth to ensure that our experience was unforgettably positive.

Sincerely,

Paul Moore

pc: Journeys

Ann Arbor, MT