End of the World

After leaving Montevideo the weather and landscape have changed dramatically. Temps have dropped and being in Puerto Madryn reminded me of traveling thru the desert of Nevada(but not hot). We saw some fascinating wildlife including elephant seals, penguins, fox, hairy armadillo, (yes they have hair) Guancho´s and rabbits that are as large as kangaroos.

Next came two sea days, the second one we cruised around Cape Horn and crossed from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back to the Atlantic again. With snow flurries, winds of 57 knots and 17 foot swells, it was actually a beautiful day for cruising the horn. I recorded being at latitude 56.57.48 south.

We then went up the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, our last stop in Argentina, also know as the end of the world. This is where most expeditions for Antartica begin. It was a beautiful town that reminded me of a mountain town in Austria. The wildlife image above was taken from a catamaran cruise we took on the Beagle Channel while in Ushuaia. This afternoon we head up the Straits of Magellan to Chili. (sorry for spelling errors I am in an internet cafe with strange keyboards and computers) Internet on the ship is worse than ever, so our communication is limited to finding internet cafes.

Olinda, Brazil

This is my last pic before having to reboard the ship and head south. It was taken from a small cafe in Olinda. We stopped and enjoyed some local beer and wine. Had the entire cafe to ourselves. In another shot I took from this window, you can see all of Olinda, Recife and the ship. You can see why we are having such a great time. Every day brings more amazing views and experiences of a beautiful continent. It is true that when you get to the end of your trip, you realize that the "journey" getting there was the the trip.

Fortaleza

Here is one of the first sites I got of the beach we walked in Fortaleza. It is more beautiful than any picture can possibly show.

Carnaval Stand

Here is an image from Recife and Olinda showing how colorful the city is getting ready for Carnival (or Carnaval as they would spell). It has been interesting to learn that each city has a different color combinations for decorating for the festival. When I am finally able to share more pics, you will also have a chance to see a Carnaval block party. It is wild!!!

Salvador Women

This is a pic of Gary and our friend Steve (from Northern CA) we have done so much touring with and are our table mates for dinner. It was taken at the old upper city in Salvador. There is a strong African influence from all the earlier slaves. Can't wait to show the the pic I took after this one of the three women attacking them for money. It was funny to see them against ladies of such large size. Steve donated $5 to their cause, but Gary got away with a $1 donation.

Montevideo

I still have not yet found an internet source with enough power to install the needed upload software to post all my pics to picasa. So here is a pic of me at the top of Christ the Redeemer in Rio. I am currently sitting at an internet cafe in Montevideo, Uraguay, an antiquer's heaven. Will try to get a couple more pics posted, but I will apologize in advance that it has been such a problem. The good news is that I am learning a world about blogging.

The ship is to capacity on this leg (3600 pax) many are from So. America. Our new table mates for dinner are four couples from China. Even dinner is a cultural adventure.

In Love with Buenos Aires

We had perfect weather and two full days to enjoy Buenos Aires. I always thought Paris was the city of “Love” but it has nothing on BA. It was extremely clean, safe, and friendly and full of manicured plaza’s and gardens. Not to mention unbelievably affordable!!! You would never guess it has 11 million people living in such harmony. PDA is seen everywhere! Founded in 1580, it is filled with architectural diversity.

We spent the first day exploring the downtown area from the Plaza De Mayo to the famous Café Tortoni (Tango Hall) to the Casa Rosado (Government House) we walked the bustling Florida Street area where you can often see the tango dancers performing on the sidewalk. There were blocks of shops with leather, cashmere, Rhodochrosite jewelry (national gem stone) and other fine items to purchase as well as typical tourist items. That evening we took a ship excursion to a Tango House where we experienced Argentine beef, empanadas and an endless supply of local wine. The show was FANTASTIC! The most impressive tango music and dancing I’ve ever experienced. Extremely professional!

When we came out of the show at 9:30pm and it was still daylight, I realized that the further south we go, the longer the days are becoming. By the time we go around the horn, it will be like an Alaska summer.

We then returned to the ship to enjoy another Folkloric dance presentation including Gaucho Dancers, Zambe, and other local dance and music demonstrations. I learned just how connected Uruguay and Argentina are in their history and cultures.

The second day, we teamed up with our friends Steve and Tony , used taxi’s and explored other areas of this massive city including La Boca (very colorful port town), Recoleta, where we saw Evita’s tomb and Palermo (the Hollywood of BA) full of spectacular Japanese and rose gardens and other wonderful green spaces. Everywhere you look there are breath taking sculptures and blossoming trees. This is definitely a city worth returning to spend more time.

I did try both days to get pics posted. The first day the internet café did not have Picasa downloaded for me to post pics for a slide show and they would not allow me to add it. I didn’t have a cable for my camera to upload some directly from the camera. I tried going back at 11 pm to try again, this time with my own computer, but the internet was not working. Day two I waited for more than an hour, but with only four computers and four ships in port, they were in high demand and I was not able to get one to use. I will try again in Montevideo tomorrow.

RIO DE JANEIRO
Until now the weather has been perfect, so it was hard to complain when it was cloudy and raining when we sailed into Rio. Our driver told us it was 40 degrees Celsius two days earlier, so we were lucky to have a comfortable day. In the morning, we drove thru town, past the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas to the Sterns headquarters were we were able to watch them cut and create beautiful jewelry. From diamonds to emeralds and many other precious stones, it was fascinating to view “Bowls” of diamonds and other jewels. Even better, was when Gary surprised me by purchasing a necklace with a rainbow of jewels including blue topaz, peridot, citrine, amethyst and garnet. What a wonderful Valentine’s Day/ Birthday surprise. It makes the perfect addition to the collection of jewelry I get when we travel.

We then returned to the ship for an afternoon tour that included many other sites and taking the train up Corcovado Hill to the Christ the Redeemer Statue (an icon to Rio). The clouds covered us on the ride up the mountain, but cleared enough to see the entire area while on top. Can’t wait to share the pics with you.

We also visited the famous Copacabana & Ipanema beaches. Both had some unbelievable sand sculptures on display. On the way back to the ship we went by a Carnaval Block Party and got just a hint of how crazy this city will be a week from now. If you can imagine Halloween, New Years & 4th of July all thrown together into one celebration, it still won’t compare to Carnaval. I did get some great pics of some of the costumes, so hopefully when we get to Buenos Aires I will be able to find an internet café and get my photo’s transferred for you to view.

We are up to one mile on our sea day walks and hope to be walking three by the time we return to the US. Every night we are dancing to wonderful bands. Tonight is another Formal Night.

We found from the afternoon group tour that we much prefer going out on our own with our friends Steve and Tony, so we are looking forward to doing just that in Buena Aires and Montevideo.

SALVADOR
So far, our favorite port to date, Salvador was a wonderfully clean, safe and delightfully friendly city to wander and see everything from crafts to cathedrals that marvel the ornamentation of those in Europe. We spent much of our time in the UNESCO historical center where we walked miles of cobblestone roads and sampled the local drink with our friends Steve and Tony. There is a strong African influence throughout this city and a beautiful church on every corner of Brazils third largest city. We took a taxi past Dique do Tororo to the Farol da Barra (lighthouse) and Barra beach. Because it is summer here, the beach was packed with locals trying to stay cool in what was a warm sunny day. The streets were decorated and lined with temporary structures getting ready for Carnaval next week. You can feel the excitement in the air.

RECIFE & OLINDA
Today we visited Recife, known as the Brazilian Venice and the capital of Pernambulo state. It can best be described as a colorful city. They are busy preparing for Carnival. The streets, building and vendors are all decorated with the colors and sights of this celebration. We again took a free shuttle to town where we walked to the Golden Chapel, the Govenor’s Palace, thru the market streets and to the Casa de Cultura (once a prison, now filled with handicrafts).

We then caught a taxi to Olinda, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This was a town not to be missed! Full of art, crafts, and quaint shops and restaurants. Gary bought me a couple of beautiful lace table cloths from a local vendor and we enjoyed some liquid refreshment from a local cantina that had a balcony with an amazing view of both towns and our ship.

FORTALEZA, BRAZIL
Brazil’s 4th largest city (2.5 million people) and located just below the equator we found Fortaleza to be an inviting city. Had no trouble finding English speaking, US $ accepting locals. They were even glad to give change in US dollars. The local currency is the Real (US $1 = R$2.30)

From the ship, we caught a free shuttle offered by H Stern (diamond dealers). This took us to downtown where we walked the boardwalk past several beaches including Mucuripe, Meireles and Iracema. Because it was Sunday, there were many locals enjoying the day doing everything from volleyball, and soccer to massages and siestas. Coconuts are definitely the drink of choice. There were countless vendors like the one shown in my pics as well as coconut in all the restaurants. When we stopped to try the local beer and drink (Cachaqa), I even observed them grilling the chicken and beef in coconut juice.

After viewing the English Bridge (which is actually a pier) we headed in to the cultural center, the Centro Mercado and ending at the Metropolitan Cathedral (all shown on my pics). By then, we had walked about 6 km and the sun was very intense, so we negotiated a taxi to return us to the ship.

During our walking tour we saw and smelled some less than desirable areas, but I did learn that they had just had a Carnival celebration the night before we arrived and that some of the trash was likely from that festival.

CROSSING THE EQUATOR
Viewing my photo’s you will see what looks like a mob at the center pool. This was the “Crossing the equator party where Poseidon, Neptune and countless other characters help count down to 0 degrees latitude on the large screen, followed by a long standing maritime tradition of “initiating the pollywogs”. This included such silliness as kissing a fish and throwing the officers in the pool. Much like New Years, it was a fun excuse to kiss and celebrate.

SEA DAYS
First let me share that if paying the extra for an ocean view cabin is not a burden on your finances, I highly recommend it. We have countless hours in an inside cabin and have enjoyed every one of them, but an ocean view cabin is like power windows and locks on your car, once you have enjoyed them it’s hard to go back. We love the extra square footage and view!

A typical sea day for us consists of a restaurant style breakfast. Its fun sitting at large tables meeting other passengers and learning from them. With a large population of international cultures on this ship there have been some fascinating conversations.

We then go for a walk on the athletic track followed by a couple hours of sunning, swimming and enjoying one of the many hot tubs. The sun is very strong, so close to the equator, so we freshen up and shift to inside activities like dance classes, educational seminars, games (family feud, bingo, bean bag toss, gin, etc) a workout at the gym and maybe even indulge in an afternoon nap.

We sometimes get some dancing in before heading off to a five course, five star dinner. Our table seats 10, now some of our closest friends on the ship.

Following dinner it’s more dancing. There is a great selection of music venues available from a Latin band to big band to rock n roll. Every night we also attend the headline show and end the evening with a couple more hours of dancing.

Day 3 – 5 VISA MIAMI!
Things are going much smoother! We were camped out at the Brazilian Consulate by 5:30 am Monday morning. The consulate was extremely kind and helped all 120 of us who showed up to get visa’s quickly. We picked them up by noon on Tuesday and had plenty of time to catch a 6 pm flight to Barbados. We stayed at the Casa Grande in St. Philip (see pics). We didn’t get to enjoy the island much because Carnival arrived at 7:15 am to transfer us to the ship. We will all have to wait until November to learn more about Dominica and Barbados when we return on a cruise out of San Juan.

After a great night of five star dining, some dancing and being gently rocked to sleep by the waves, we are now officially LOVING the cruise. The next three days are sea days and crossing the Equator on our way to Fortaleza, Brazil.

OOPS!

Day 1 - went great! Shuttle pick-up at 6:45 am Flights at 10:30 & 12:30. Bags arrived in great shape (Yippee!). We then proceeded to Dollar rent a car (The BEST) We can pick-up a car at the airport and return it to the pier (no extra charges). We drove out to John and Pats and were wined and dined like royalty. It was a wonderful start to our vacation.

Day 2 - Just recently I was advising my kids about how life doesn't always go the way we like. Yesterday was one of those days for us. It started out as a cold, dark day and would only go down hill from there. We headed down the interstate to Port Everglades. Because of a bad accident, it was a parking lot about 15 miles from our exit for more than an hour. We were just grateful that we were not in the accident. Upon arriving at the terminal, the line to check-in was longer than the ship (and the Splendor is a large ship), but how can anyone complain about standing in line to go on a 49 day cruise. Two hours later we finally made it in the terminal and to the first check point. They asked us for our Passport (no problem) and Visa. (What Visa????) We had never been advised of the need for one. After another long wait, we were being escorted upstairs to resolve the problem, when there was a bomb threat!!!! We all had to evacuate from that terminal to another one to wait while they investigated. For the next six hours we were trapped in an empty building with 2000 people, no food, water or even toilet paper in the restrooms. When the threat was finally over it was time to wait in line all over again only to be told we were not allowd to board the ship. There were hundreds of us refused entry despite our willingness to not disembark in Brazil where the visa is required. Now we are waiting until the Brazilian Consulate opens in hope that we can get what we need quickly, and hopefully fly to Barbados to meet the ship before it crosses the Equator. (The good news is that our luggage is enjoying the cruise :) Will keep you posted!