Monday November 8, At Sea in the Atlantic Ocean

We woke late for a change.  We also had to advance our clocks one more time making it 6 hours difference from Usk time.  We spent most of the day, by the Lido pool, we read, wrote and of course we went dancing.  Tonight was the last formal evening, and we donned our penguin suits.

Tuesday November 9, At Sea

The day was somber with mixed emotions.  The end of the cruise was near and soon we would no longer feel the gently rocking of the sea; we would become landlubbers.  We used the day mostly to prepare for our departure.  Tomorrow we would arrive in Rio, but we would remain one more day onboard.  We began to pack.  Actually we had realized too late our mistake in taking the extended three day stay in Rio; we had to get home and repack, and take our RV to Sacramento for the Ragtime Festival, our favorite festival of all.  The waiters gave us a send off show that evening and we all said good bye.  In the theater, 80% of the crew gathered and sang.  We were given final instructions for our disembarkation.

Wednesday, Nov. 10, Lat. 22 44' S, Long. 43 27 W, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  86 deg. 

Dan awoke to a dark sky, and found lights far away in the distance.  We had been told we would enter Guanabara Bay, about 6am and would dock by 7am.  He went topside, but with the ship so well lit, in was fruitless to try to see the coast.  He decided to go back to the cabin and wait for daylight from our porthole.  Mo woke and we saw the lights at Ipanema and Copacabana beaches.  We also saw many lights on the hills.  We focused our binoculars towards the highest peak, and there it was, the well lit statue of Christ on Corcovado.  As dawn began we saw Pao de Azucar (Sugar Loaf) mountain.  Mo wanted to sleep but Dan was Jazzed.  We went topside to join many other people on deck 9 enjoying the entrance to Rio.  By the Santos Dumont Airport (the smaller one) the ship did a 360 turn for our benefit, or maybe to pick up a pilot.  There is no doubt, this is a huge bay, with cities dotted the surrounding steep hills like a huge stadium.  The long lines of 20 story high-rise buildings, contrasted against the barren brown hills.  The jungle climbing the steep hills seemed to reach the sky.  The weather was a pleasant 70 deg.

This is a city with 10 million people, all wanting to live near the sea.  And as far as we could see the land bulged and pointed into peak and valleys and looked like it had been rumpled by some great force.  Along the coast, housing consisted of condos in multistory buildings and small wooden shacks that clung to steep hills.  We continued north into the port and stopped short of a long bridge, which connects Rio to another city to the east.  We saw buildings that were built by the Portuguese, most of these were military.  An array of small islands dotted the bay.  We stopped by Old Town, the ship slid quietly to its dock and then we waited for clearance to disembark, ..and waited, and waited. 

We had been warned the day before, that the Brazilian authorities wanted to photograph and fingerprint every passenger before disembarkation.  A wave of disbelief and resentment arose among the 1300 passengers.  This was the only country that we had visited on this cruise that insisted on a visa charge of 80 dollars.  Theories circulated and we are not sure which was correct.  One is that the President of Brazil is a socialist and resents the U.S.  There is also a quid pro quo, about charging around 80 dollars fee for a visa, by both countries. 

Since we were planning to spend an extended three days in Rio at the Sheraton Rio, we were not in a hurry to disembark and wanted to spend our last day enjoying the ship, precisely the pool.  The delay was tough for those who had planned excursions or who had to catch an airline back home.  The delay extended to 7 hours, and by 2pm, the authorities changed their mind and gave us our passports and allowed people to leave.  We had decided to stay aboard and use the day as one of leisure and disembark the following morning when we were scheduled to be bused to our hotel.   We finished packing, spent time by the pool, saw a show, and went dancing.  We went to bed at midnight making sure that we put our bags outside our door.  We saw them at customs, and again at the hotel.  

Thursday November 11, Rio de Janeiro

Departure day from the ship was organized bedlam.  By 7am people were ready to leave and would do so when called by the color of their luggage tag.  We were called at 9am and we departed the ship for the last time.  With a nostalgic look back at our majestic ship, we entered the customs building.  There to our amazement, were our bags all lined up, nobody bothering to check or open a bag.  We got a porter and he took the checked ones to a truck, and we carried our computers.

Someone pointed to where the buses were and we boarded a very nice one with a host that spoke good English and knew both the city and the history.  Holland America has to be praised for this easy transition.  On the entire trip our luggage transfers and shuttles were done efficiently and comfortably.

The host explained that since Sheraton Rio had passengers checking out, so we would not arrive till 12 noon.  Our two buses were taken us on a tour of the city.  The port is on the north east side of the city, and the hotel is across town on the south west side.  We went through what we assumed was downtown, because of the traffic, the commerce and the buildings.  Strangely enough nobody was using their horn.  It was explained later that the use of a car horn is an obscene gesture, and people use it only in emergencies.  How civilized.  We passed through the Santos Dumont airport, the soccer stadium, Pao de Azucar, Botafogo, the scenery was tremendous with views of the city and the hills surround the city.  Corcovado with the statue of Christ, dominated the scene.  We passed through Copacabana , Ipanema and Leblon beaches, and the Freitas Lagoon.  We stopped twice to make time for the hotel to receive us.  Finally our guide got the call, and we drove to the hotel which is squeezed between the ocean and the twin peaks of Dos Hermanos, two brothers.

First impressions stay in ones minds forever.  To judge a country by one city is a mistake.  Brazil is a semi continent, since it has a myriad of climates.  It is rich in natural resources and could be a paradise, were it not for the corrupt governments it has been subjected to, and its wars of independence with neighboring countries.  Overpopulation is a hindrance, since the poor people in the province come to the big cities in search of paying jobs.  This creates a metropolis which harbors rich and poor.  The rich have the gold and show it, living in 1.5 million dollar condos, while the poor live in favelas, with no roads, scarce water, electricity and sewer.  The poor are one third of a population of 10 million and live in miserable conditions.  Since the beaches are public, security is a must for the traveler.  Petty theft is rampart and when advised not to walk on the beach or not to wear jewelry, carry cameras or take taxis that are not from a stand, the traveler gets very concerned and the vacation is spoiled.  Walking on the beach was a no no. 

Acclimatized to lower temperatures, we felt the heat and humidity as oppressive.  The room was a comfortable respite.  After receiving our suitcases we put on bathing suits and went to the pool and then to the private beach of the hotel.  We left all belongings by the pool and walked nervously on the beach, looking back all the time.

We also decided not to go to town for dinner and settled by the pool under huge almond and palm trees and a delightful breeze.  Back in the room the window view of Ipanema beach with the glittering lights was the last scene we remembered, before embracing sleep. 

 

Friday November 12, Rio, second day

We inquired about going to town.  A bus would take us to the shopping mall at Rio Sul South River.  We went from Sao Conrado through a curved road following the coast to Praia Leblon and Praia Ipanema.  From the beach there are seven streets before reaching Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, around which there are some very beautiful homes.  This lagoon, which feeds from the sea, is used for canoeing.  On the north side of it is the Race track and the Botanical Gardens.  A fort divides the two main beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.  As soon as we arrived at the mall, we took a cab and returned to Copa and were deposited at the Copacabana Palace Hotel.  This building was built by the Portuguese in a French renaissance architecture.  Inside, elegance reins, but at a price; $70 dollars for dinner including wine.

We walked a few blocks up and down admiring the mosaic patterns on the street, and the beach beckoned.  Once again the police admonished us to be careful.  It was obvious that we were tourists, with a backpack, cameras, and dressed in white shorts and colorful shirts.  Being white and blonde, Mo is also a give away.  Even the cabbie told us to be careful.  We became very uncomfortable and nixed the idea of walking on the beach.  We exchanged some dollars to Brazilian Reales and took another cab to Ipanema beach.  The cab took us through a plaza where vendors were clustered next to each other selling produce, and then deposited us on the beach.  We were very obvious among a mélange of semi naked people ranging from café o lait to chocolate in color.  The girl from Ipanema was 8 months pregnant (literally) and did not look appealing in her dental floss bikini.  With the sun glittering and the temperature in the 30C we began to perspire.  It was time to go back to the hotel.  We were trapped, because we could not go home and had to stay in Rio.  That night changed our outlook. 

As we sat comfortably by the pool, Dan noticed a couple with a thermos and a mate cup and silver straw.  Listening to their sing song castellano (as they prefer to distinguish their language instead of Spanish) it did not take much to discover that they were Argentineans.  Soon another four couples arrived and we were now in Buenos Aires instead of Rio.  Their laughter and banter went on until a few off color words were said, and the first couple admonished them that Dan was originally from Mexico.  Two of the ladies were embarrassed when they realized that he had understood their every word.

Samba Night

We had signed up for a tour; a Samba Show.  A group of 50 of us, very well dressed people, all from the ship, assembled at 7:45pm.  We boarded 2 buses, with Neyla as a guide on one, while Marcelo was our guide.  This young man should be in show business.  He gave us a show, including local songs while the driver fought the Friday night gridlock traffic all the way to the restaurant.  He entertained us with local history and folklore and was embarrassed with the traffic.  A the six miles took an hour.  We were deposited in front of Barra Raza, a popular restaurant with tables that served 12 persons family style.  This restaurant was worth the tour.  Waiters paraded to our table constantly with BBQ meat on long skewers and with long knives they carved off samples for you to taste.  The glitch was that there were 18 different kinds of meat such as: salchicha, veal, beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and each done in at least 3 different styles and from different parts of the animal.  They put on our table dishes of fried potatoes, onions, rice, wheat, empanadas and other goodies.  And a trip to the buffet, offered at least 10 different salads, sushi, salmon, and a myriad of other foods, hot and cold.  Non-stop drinks were included of anything you desired, including a Capirinha, there version of a strong Margarita.  And, of course, there were several desserts to choose from with coffee.  What a dilemma, we wanted to taste every dish, but it was impossible, unless you possessed three stomachs.  We didn't, and we waddled out of there at 9:30pm and were driven to a Samba show. 

By 10pm the place was packed.  On stage a girl that showed remarkable control of a soccer ball and never let it touch the ground entertained the crowd for ½ hour.  The show was folkloric and somewhat historic, showing the first Indians, the black slaves and finally the customs of today.  Their costumes were not only elegant, but rightly stunning.  We were impressed by their dancing, but the music was loud enough for us to long for our earplugs.  We used our fingers instead.  The amount of meat consumed, plus the capirinha and the lateness of the night, combined to exhaust us.  We were happy to retire to our room after midnight, and the city was just beginning to get in gear. 

Saturday November 13, Rio by Jeep

We had signed up for another tour.  After 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, we went down for breakfast.  The coffee was superb.  Then we dressed for the day.  We were going to visit the Christ statue at Corcovado (hunchback) mountain.  We boarded one of the five commando trucks, called Jeeps, each one with a guide.  Again we passed two beaches and began to go through the Old Portuguese neighborhood.  It was a shame to see the old mansions being transformed into restaurants and schools.  Then we entered the jungle.  The variety of vegetation exceeded our expectations and impressed us.  A large variety of palm, and almond trees, plus lush vegetation with hanging vines surrounded us.  Very intriguing was the flute tree.  It is hollow, full of Aztec red ants and its whitish leaves contrast with the lush green of the forest.  It is a medicinal tree.  We kept climbing and wound around innumerable curves while our guide spotted monkeys for us to view.  We made a stop at a heliport pad halfway up.  The view was breathtaking.  The statue was still far away and very high up, while and the city, the lagoon, and the beaches could be seen far below us.  We were probably at 1800 ft.  We proceeded up and finally arrived at the base of the statue.  The jeep left us at a plateau and we climbed 200 steps to reach the base of the statue.  With a height of a 10 story building, the core is cement and then covered with soapstone and triangular mosaic.  We stood at the foot of the statue and at our feet we could see the whole bay.  To the north was the port and old town, farther north the international airport, the Marana soccer stadium.  To the south the race track, (hipodromo), the lagoon and the beaches.

After lingering amid a large crowd for an hour, we boarded our jeeps and began the descent through the forest.  We visited a waterfall and ended at another restaurant similar to the one we had eaten the night before, called Porceo (the Pig), aptly named.  This time we both avoided meat (by choice), and enjoyed the salads and sashimi.  From there the jeep took us to Barra de Tijuca, where hang gliders that had taken off from a high peak were landing on the beach.  The rest of the day we spent at the pool and thought about the wonderful adventures we had had and were happy to be heading home.  Home was good.