"A Three Hour Tour...A Three Hour Tour"

Typically, we have very good luck with the weather when we travel.  Of course, occasionally we run into some unfavorable conditions.  On our stop in Buzios on the Brazilian coast our good weather luck ran out.

Buzios is a small resort town on the coast that is popular with Brazilian tourists from Rio de Janeiro.  It is located about 106 miles north of Rio and is known for its many beaches, restaurants and shops and was made famous during the 1960's by the actress, Brigitte Bardot, who stayed there to escape the paparazzi of Rio.  Buzios is often called the "Saint-Tropez of Brazil".  For our much anticipated visit there, we planned a day enjoying the water and beaches in the morning, then walking around the shops and entertainment area in the afternoon.  We booked a tour on a schooner to cruise around a number of  bays to see the many beaches and to take a swim in the inviting waters of the South Atlantic Ocean.

Our ship was anchored so we tendered in to the pier to board a vintage schooner with about 80 other cruise passengers.  The schooner crew of 4 spoke a little English and welcomed us aboard.  Under overcast skies we cruised around the bays sailing past the various beaches while snacking on fresh fruit and sipping caipirinhas.  After about 30 minutes, the schooner captain dropped the anchor and invited us to jump into the water for a swim.  The clear blue water of the South Atlantic was refreshing at about 77 degrees.  We were all having a great time.

Shortly after our swim, the schooner captain pulled up the anchor to continue our tour when suddenly the skies opened up and a downpour began.  An unpredicted storm came in from the surrounding hills so fast, we had no time to cover up or secure our belongings.  The water got rough, the winds picked up and a torrential rain came down.  There was zero visibility.  We were positioned on the front of the open deck of the schooner and we were being pelted with horizontal rain and hail.  The crew was frantically speaking Portuguese among themselves trying to maneuver the schooner back towards the pier which was nowhere to be seen.  At that point the schooner captain's radio shorted out and there was no radio communication.  Some of the passengers went below deck to get out of the cold.  We elected to stay out in the miserable conditions just in case the boat capsized.  We both had the Gilligan's Island theme song playing in our heads as we bounced around in the storm.  To make matters worse, I (Linda) just finished reading the book In the Heart of  the Sea about a shipwreck and lost at sea story so my imagination was in overdrive.

Fortunately, the schooner captain finally got his bearings and steered the schooner back to the pier where other vessels were jockeying for position in the rough waters to safely off load passengers in the howling storm.  We're used to torrential rainstorms in Florida, but they usually pass through quickly.  This storm was unrelenting!  We were soaked through and through and freezing cold.  Finally, after about an hour, we got off the schooner on to the pier and awaited our tender to take us back to the ship.  The tenders were also struggling with the weather conditions to shuttle passengers back to the ship safely, thus there was a long wait in the storm at the pier.

Once aboard our ship, a hot shower and a stiff drink rebounded us.  Our ship's captain announced later that afternoon that the gale force winds gusted up to 60 mph that morning.  Unbeknownst to us, during the storm the gale force winds caused our cruise ship's anchor to drag, so the captain actually had to reposition the ship to secure the anchor.  We are really happy we did not see that happen during the blinding storm because we would probably have thought our ship was leaving us!!!!!

It was a memorable day for us.  There was plenty to talk about at dinner that night.


Schooner in the foreground; our ship at anchor

Cruising past a beautiful bay

One of many beaches in Buzios

Great cruising at this point

Relaxing on the schooner

Jumping in for a swim in the South Atlantic Ocean

Enjoying the good life aboard the schooner

Brian dons hat and jacket as weather turns fowl
 (picture courtesy of fellow passenger lying down on deck to stay warm)

 

 

Next stops, Ilhabela and Abraao (and hopefully, better weather).

 

Recife, Brazil

On Wednesday, November 18th, we docked at the port city of Recife which is on the very eastern coast of Brazil.  There are a number of natural reefs along the coastline, thus the Portuguese name Recife which means "reef".

Recife skyline

To tour the area, we shared a taxi with a couple from Australia for the morning.  Our taxi driver spoke a little broken English so between the Aussies and ourselves and some guidebooks we were all able to communicate enough to enjoy and understand the sights that we visited. 

First we visited the historic town of Olinda ("Oh Beautiful") located about 4 miles north of Recife.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Located up on a hillside overlooking the ocean, this is the area where the colonial elite once lived.  They made their fortunes from sugar plantations back in the 16th and 17th centuries.  Despite Brazil's limited economic resources for preservation, this area is remarkably well preserved.  The cobblestone streets, colonial buildings and magnificent churches were very charming.  We toured several churches that were adorned with ornate wooden carvings, colorful tiles and gold trim.  The churches were clearly the center of the community during colonial times.

A beautiful day for this panoramic view from the hillside

Olinda's "Cathedral Heights" area

Convento Sao Francisco (built in 1585)

Beautiful gold trimmed altar

Intricate ceiling fresco and
signature Portuguese blue tiles on the walls

Igreja da Se Cathedral on the hillside of Olinda

Igreja do Born Jesus Church

Olinda entertainment district in old colonial homes

After Olinda the driver took us through Recife pointing out places of interest to us.  He dropped us off at a busy market at the Casa da Cultura which was very cool.  The market is located in a historic former prison.  Each little shop was located in a prison cell.

Historic prison re-purposed for shopping in Recife

Imprisoned shoppers

Prison cell

Governor's Palace in Recife

At the end of the tour, the driver dropped us off at the waterfront a few blocks from our ship in a tourist area developed around "Point Zero" which marks the place where the colonials first landed in Recife (sort of the Plymouth Rock of Recife).  It is a very picturesque area and a was a great way to end our morning spent touring with the Aussies.

In the late afternoon, we enjoyed a colorful musical and dance performance on the deck of our ship performed by a local folkloric dance group.

Brazilian cowboys singing and dancing on deck

Brazilian folkoric group

Dancers on deck

 We sailed out of Recife and headed south to the resort town of Armacao Dos Buzios.

The Coast of Brazil

We continued our trip in the South Atlantic Ocean along the northeast coast of Brazil.  We spent three days at sea, one of which we crossed the Equator and celebrated with a pool party.  So far, the weather has been perfect and the beautiful blue water of the South Atlantic has been calm.

After traveling over 1,000 miles, we arrived at the city of Fortaleza located in the northeast corner of Brazil.  During this time, our internet service was down most of the time, but that's okay because it gave us more time to enjoy our life aboard this beautiful ship and hang out with the crew and fellow passengers. 

Fortaleza is the largest fishing port in Brazil with a population of 2,600,000. The name means "fort" in Portuguese.  As the ship approached the city, we saw a wall of skyscrapers lining the oceanfront somewhat like Miami Beach.

Unfortunately for us this was not a great cruise stop as our time in port was only just over a half day.  We decided not to do a tour and just explore on our own after taking the shuttle bus into the town.  We walked around a market that was set up in an historic former jail and visited some city parks.  We were frustrated that we could not walk to one of the beaches, but there were parts of the city that are dangerous to walk alone so we played it safe and stayed in the central city area.

Fortaleza skyline

City park in Fortaleza

Enjoying art in the park

Market inside a former historic city jail built in 1866

Brazilian public phone booths

Chillin' out at the ship's Sky Bar as we leave Fortaleza

Our next stop was in Natal where we took a highlights tour.  We really liked this area.  Frankly, I (Linda) had never heard of Natal, but was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. Natal means "Christmas" in Portuguese, thus it is appropriate to say "Merry Christmas" everyday here.

We started our Natal day with a sail-in party at 9:00 a.m. on the front deck and enjoyed mimosas and champagne with fellow passengers and crew as we took in the impressive views of the surrounding landscape and blue waters under clear blue skies.  We sailed under a bridge that looked much like the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay passing by a formidable fort that was built by the Portuguese in 1598 and still stands at the entrance to the harbor.

Natal Bridge at entry to harbor

Mimosas on deck at sail-in party

Brian partying with the chef and hotel
manager as mimosas kick in

Our great day continued with a tour of Natal and the surrounding beaches on a modern comfortable (and air conditioned) tour bus. We toured the city, then went to a tourist area and walked through a park built around the world's largest cashew tree that covers over 8,000 square meters and produces 80,000 cashew nuts per year (yummy!).  We continued on to a beautiful beach area called Ponta  Negra.  We stopped at a beachside restaurant and enjoyed a fresh coconut water as we sat overlooking the beach.  It felt like an exotic Brazilian version of Frenchy's at Clearwater Beach back home.  We continued along the coastal highway passing impressive high sand dunes on one side and the beautiful beaches and ocean on the other side.  We ended the visit by touring the Fort of Three Wise Men that we saw when we sailed into the harbor. 

Sand dunes along Natal coastline

Natal skyline

World's largest cashew tree

Cashew tree park

Cooling down with coconut water at the beach

Impressive fortress built by the Portuguese

Fort built in 1598 guards the harbor

We had a great day here in Natal.  We will continue down the coast with our next stop in Recife.

The Amazon

The Amazon Basin covers 40% of South America and contains the World's largest rainforest covering eight South American countries.  The area is as large as the continental United States.  Our trip along the Amazon River stopped in Manaus and Santarem, Brazil.  Much of the scenery along our 1,000 mile cruise on the river was remote thick jungle on both sides of the river. 

The people who live along the river rely on boats for transportation since there are very few roads.  The one highway through the region is not completely paved so it becomes a muddy mess during the rainy season.  In the populated areas of Manaus and Santarem we saw plenty of ferry boats and small fishing boats as well as large tankers and container ships.  The ferries are interesting vessels.  Passengers take multi-day trips on the ferries to travel between populated areas.  They bring their own hammocks to suspend from the ceilings of the decks for sleeping.  Of course, the weather is steamy hot and the open air ferries offer few facilities for the passengers that are packed in together.  Our tour guide described the experience as follows:

• On the first night, the passengers are happy.
• On the second night, the passengers are ready to kill each other.
• On the third night, the passengers are ready to kill themselves!

Seeing these travel conditions, we were happy to return to our air conditioned, luxury cruise ship at the end of a long, hot tour to continue our journey on the river.

Jungle view from our balcony

  

The wide Amazon River

 

Thick jungle

 

Ferry loading in Santarem

 

Passengers hang their hammocks for the river journey

The Amazon rainforest has been described as the "Lungs of the Earth" because growing trees take carbon dioxide out of the air and replaces it with oxygen. Sadly, the rainforest is threatened by population and exploitation.  In many places we could smell the strong odor of smoke in the air where the trees have been cut down and the land is being burned and cleared for agricultural and cattle farming.  Environmental awareness and preservation efforts continue.  We were told that Greenpeace sends it Rainbow ship to Santarem each year to protest industry there.  Supposedly, deforestation rates have declined in recent years.

Big industry and smokey air along the river
 bring Greenpeace protests

There is amazing wildlife along in the Amazon, but we did not get to experience much of it because it is the dry season so the birds and insects live high in the tallest trees.  We did see river dolphins and a sloth.  We saw the famous piranha fish in a market.  Some passengers did catch piranha on a fishing expedition.  They are big, creepy fish and have a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.  Fortunately, we did not see an anaconda or giant tarantula.

A number of isolated native tribes still dwell in the Amazon Basin.  The Brazilian government is making efforts to protect their lifestyles by not allowing contact that would subject them to outside diseases and other perils of modernization.

We have left the silty waters of the Amazon River and headed out to the South Atlantic Ocean.  We will continue south along the coast of Brazil leaving the remote areas behind as we  travel to the more developed areas.  Our next stop will be the city of Fortaleza.

The Ladells roughing it on the Amazon River

 

Hello Southern Hemisphere!!!!

 

 

 

 

Ola from Brazil

We arrived in Manaus, Brazil around midnight on Sunday.  Our flights were smooth and on-time, thankfully.  Our hotel in Manaus was full of Seabourn passengers arriving from different places all over the world to join the cruise.  Many of the passengers are cruising from Manaus to Buenos Aires to experience the Amazon and ports along the northern coast of South America.  Other passengers, like ourselves, are continuing on to Antarctica, Patagonia and around the coast of Chile.  As always, the passengers are well traveled and so interesting to talk to. 

We were thrilled to be back on a Seabourn ship again and to re-unite with a few passengers and crew members that we met when we did our world cruise last year.  As we boarded the ship on Monday, we were greeted by our Cruise Director, Jan Stearman, who we sailed with last year.  Later in the evening we saw Elise, the lead singer in the house band, and Dimitri, the musical director, and we were delighted to re-unite with them.  They entertained us all over the globe on our last cruise.  It's great to be around these talented entertainers again.

Settling in to the good life!

On Tuesday, we took a river tour out of Manaus to see where the Rio Negro River and the Solimoes River converge and continue as the mighty Amazon River.  The confluence of the dark water of the Rio Negro flowing down from the north meeting the muddy water of the Solimoes flowing from Peru is a is a very distinct natural phenomenon.  Because of the difference in the temperature, speed of the current and density of these two rivers, they run side by side for many miles. The difference in the temperature between the two sides can be felt by placing one hand in the dark water and the other hand in the muddy water.

Approaching the confluence

Rio Negro River on left and Solimoes River on right

Another amazing phenomenon of the Amazon is the change in the level of the river between the dry season (June to November) and the wet season (December to May).  Because so many rivers and tributaries feed into the Amazon, the level fluctuates an average of 30 feet, thus the houses and buildings are up on stilts and all the docks are floating docks along the riverside.  On our tour, we hiked into the jungle for about a mile along a trail.  That same trail is a canoe trail during the rainy season.  It is hard believe that the river level fluctuates that much.

Giant lily pads in jungle lake

Hiking trail in dry season/canoe trail in rainy season



Pier on stilts and floating dock during dry season

Of course, the weather is very hot here.  Fortunately, we were acclimatized somewhat because it has been so hot back home in Florida.  Lucky for us the bugs are not too bad here during the dry season so we have not had to contend with that issue so far.

From Manaus, we will continue east towards the mouth of the Amazon (about 1,000 miles) stopping at Santarem, a small port city, then on to Fortaleza.

We are enjoying our Brazilian cultural immersion, including the national drink of Brazil -- caipirinhas.