Rio de Janiero

4 December 2007- Tuesday
Rio de Janiero (river of January)

No land in sight at 0600- breakfast followed by return of library book, purchase of a dvd and pickup my passport. Then a lecture on how to pick stocks, very sensible lecture as usual.
At 11am Rio on the horizon and weather great except for clouds on top of mountains, but I think I got a shot of Christ the Redeemer statue in the clouds. Front deck crowded and a little shoving to get pictures- I locked in on the port side because I knew the ship would turn right to get into the harbour and these would be the best photos.- was not disappointed. Everybody is scattering- a lot are going on tours, but I've done all that was interested in before and we are going to have a local samba group for entertainment after dinner. So will spend the afternoon packing instead. Report from Salvador that there were 4 robberies (2 included muggings) so I've not planning to be adventuresome. Bags have to be out of the room by midnite to night and I do need to do some organizing as my Delta flight to Atlanta doesn't leave until 1055pm tomorrow night and we have to vacate the cabin at 0800. We leave the ship at 0930 am and Rosemary says they are taking us to a nice hotel for the day. If it is the same one we did last year it'll be great because it has a private beach and good steaks.- Funny thing about Rio is that the poor have the best real estate for views. The high rises are on the beach, but extending up above them on the mountains are the slums or fahvalos. So this may be the last blog from a far off place- at least for this trip. Will add the last page and try to upload pictures after I get settled in Dayton. Stay tuned.

At Sea- en route to Rio

3 December 2007- Monday
At Sea en route to Rio

Up at 6 and look at the GPS to note that the captain has the pedal to the metal- we're doing 18 knots (1 knot =1.15 land miles) and our ship's top speed is 19knots. we are supposed to be in Rio about noon tomorrow- great because Rio harbor spectacular in daylight (not bad at night either since I've done both before). Heard the Marco Polo will not get a name change from the new company and they will do Baltic, Scandinavian tours in summer and Antarctic in winter- That is northern hemisphere summer and winter. Decide to join the deck chair game so put my towel on a chair right outside my room before breakfast. After breakfast sat in the chair and fell asleep for an hour when I tried to do some reading. gave my chair up after that Saw Liz on deck and she informed me this was our last full sailing day and that she had started packing- Back to cabin to find the tags for my bags and the suggesting tipping schedule for the crew. 3.50 a day for the room steward and the table waiter- 1.50 for the busboy and .50 for the maitre de'. Adds up pretty quickly. One time they just told the passengers that it was being added to their ship's bill and almost started a riot- that's because some cheapskates probably don't tip at all. Went to a digital tour of the bridge and engine room- they used to have tours of the bridge and engine room, but new security rules puts these off limits to passengers- so one of the gals on the entertainment staff put together a slide show which was very well done. She got some slides from the captain which were taken when the ship was in dry dock so got to see the ships propellers and the stabilizers. The stabilizers look like wings sticking out of the side of the ship way below water line- they are 14 feet long and dampen the side to side motion of the ship. Several of the crew have commented on how smooth a crossing we have had. The engines are 3 stories tall and each develops 15,000 hp. Even though they use GPS, the crew still has to keep charts and keep up their old navigation skills with sextant, etc. and everything on the bridge is logged. The pilot that comes on board when we enter harbor is used because he know local conditions, but the captain is still responsible for the ship. She was followed by 2 of the dancers who talked about life on a liner. They don't only dance but have crew duties. Most of them have bunks in their cabins, but the also have room stewards for cleanup. The company that hires these entertainers is located in Vancouver and both singers and dancers have to audition- some let them so that by email and video clips. The usually contract for 7-8 months and the agency rotates them onto various ships. We had a violinist come on board for a one night stand in the Mediterranean and he left the next day. The performers have to be a certain height and weight so they only require minimal changes to the costumes. Once on board they have to submit a weekly report- including a weigh in as they are only allowed to fluctuate 5 pounds either way. If they are loosing weight the company contacts the cruise director about their schedule. Even though they only perform once or twice a week, they still have to work out everyday and so a 2 hour rehearsal they day of performance. The reason for the quick changes are that they use ,not buttons and elastic shoe laces.Only after costume change are they allowed to wipe off the sweat or sip some water- if they have time. It was all very enlightening and sounds like a tough life- unless you love what you're doing. Checked email but didn't upload a blog. Dinner formal tonight so put on a tie for the 3rd time in 3 weeks. They had roast beef or a seafood plate with a little lobster tail, and the usual baked Alaska parade (ice cream covered with meringue). Bill and Marge and I brought our complimentary wine bottles so we all had wine. Ellen appointed herself responsible for collecting email addresses and plans to disseminate them. Then we went up to the captain's farewell party- free drinks. Followed by the operatic vocalist- good, and Paul Adams with the same old jokes- not very funny anymore. Then a stroll to the front of the ship for some star shine- but an oil rig lit up like a Christmas tree ruined most of the sky- price of progress I guess.

Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

2 December 2007- Sunday
Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

Good night's sleep and at breakfast at 7am- disappointed to find there was still only one non-stick frying pan for over easy eggs but I was early and wait not long. In the meantime we had docked and I went to the Ambassador lounge to pick up my bottle of water (used to be on the honor system, but one day they gave out 3 more cases of water then people went on tour-so now you show your ticket). Tamara is the SA girl who runs this part of the shore excursions and does a great job. She's pretty ,in great shape and a killer smile with interesting accent. She is the only child in a single parent family who took off at an early age and landed a job in Turks and Caicos islands. Eventually got a job on cruise liner and finally to the Marco Polo. She's good at he job because she tells jokes- most pretty corny- but it keeps the level of noise down so you can hear the announcements of departures. Again bus one on driver's side, It's Sunday and traffic is meager. Salvador is a town of 2 levels, lower at beach level, upper is 100 feet higher and is where the original colonists lived in a fortress. They tried to enslave the natives, but since they were in their own country they easily escaped and they kept fighting the Portuguese. So they imported slaves from Africa and that's why there's such a racial mix. The Portuguese thought they had converted the slaves to Catholicism, but they just renamed the saints to their voodoo gods and they still practice a religion that I didn't get the name of. There were four religious orders came over with the Portuguese- Benedictines, Carmelites, Jesuits and Franciscans. They all built their own churches- the Franciscan being the most ornate and has 900 pounds of gold in it's decorations- much as gold leaf covering the saints. There is also gold leaf on the plasterwork and the wood carving. Before they built the gold church, they built a smaller one with a Spanish Plateresque facade (very ornate). When the king of Portugal left the Iberian peninsular which was under threat by Napoleon's army, and established his capital in Salvador, the king disliked the extravagance and had the front of it plastered over. When they were installing electricity in the the early 1900s, they discovered the real facade which was covered 200 years before. of course- no photos in the gold embellished church! Then up and down narrow streets- where poor kids are being taught to be drummers and to do folkart painting. To a church built by the slaves over 100 years time. It was the slave's church and since they didn't get time off they had to build it at night- and since they couldn't light fires (the colonials were afraid the slaves would burn down their houses) they could only work by moonlight. This was on a steep, narrow street and our guide chewed out Rosemary and Bill, who weren;t even on our tour- saying it's really dangerous to leave the main drag. They had a large bandstand set up the a map of Africa as a backdrop- so I suppose they still have their problems. Of course in a city of 4 million that has an unemployment rate of 60%, I suppose there would be thievery. It being Sunday, the streets were pretty empty and when we drove down to the beach found out where they were. Although it was an overcast day the beaches were full. Saw an historic light house and a pond decorated with the voodoo equivalent of the saints. Back to the ship to break the news that our churrascaria party is off- the restaurants are 20KM away, are expensive and the ship leaves at 430pm and it is now after one. So we eat on deck. Salvador is one city I would come back to- it's got a medical school and a medical museum (closed on Sundays). Leave port on time and it is light enough to get some photos. It's a big harbor loaded with container ships, natural gas ships-etc. Was close enough to get a lighthouse picture from sea which is better than through the bus window. Dinner unremarkable and decide to skip the Laurence Robinson show- vocalist who does opera, Broadway and show tunes. Glad I did, because tonight we set our clocks one hour ahead.

Day at Sea- enr oute to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

1 December 2007- Saturday
En route to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

Today was just the perfect day to zone out. Lazy breakfast - no eggs, just oatmeal and fruit. Stumbled across the movie "The Titans" about the integration of a football team in the 60's and then on deck to enjoy a bright sunny day with great breezes. The water is a cobalt blue color and the sky clear except for a con trail from a jet that extends from horizon to horizon. If these are ice crystals (and some wag suggested that they reflect sunlight and may lead to global cooling) then why is the northern third turning dark gray? We are only steaming at 10 knots along the coast of Brazil- saw an oil refinery cracking tower burning off gas and swore I could smell it although it was only on the horizon and if I hadn't seen the flame wouldn't have noticed it at all. Speaking of fuel, Fox news talking about how ethanol from corn just won't do it. They ought to send a crew down here, because in Brazil your car can be modified to burn natural gas, ethanol (from sugar cane), gasoline or diesel. Anyway lunch with Bill and Rosemary discussing how to get good cruise deals (their son runs an internet travel agency - Suite Cruising?). Too balmy to read and before dinner I uploaded my blog. Dinner with the gang and loose plans for tomorrows meat feast- they said the pier is right in the heart of town. I had already signed up for a tour of "the historic highlights of Salvador de Bahia"- we'll probably just do drive bys as we've done before although part of this is a walking tour. Barb and Al suggested we meet back on board after the tour for our restaurant visit. About half of the people at our table have a cold of some sort and I'm waiting for my turn. Showtime was the Marco Polo Production Company- the kids with all the energy- did a superb job as usual. Marge says she sees them practicing in the exercise room every day. They'd have to be in shape to do 2 of those shows a night. Anyway , we've seen 3 of their routines this trip and all exceptional. The full moon is gone of course and it doesn't rise til about midnight. In the meantime, you can see one or 2 lights on the horizon, and the glow from the lights of Salvador de Baia ahead of us. Above is a canopy of stars that fades at the horizon. Had no trouble picking out Orion (my favorite) and could see the Pleiades (seven sisters or Subaru as the Japanese would say- look at their emblem). I don't recall stars that bright except as a kid during WWII during the time they painted lamppost lights and the top half of automobile headlights so the Germans couldn't see us. Otherwise today was sort of Blah- skipped the ships talent contest and the newly-wed game for deck time. Tomorrow may be more of an adventure/discovery day.

Recife, Permanbucco, Brazil

30 November 2007- Friday
Recife, Brazil

Another Brazilian city I've underestimated. Again a high rise skyline as we pull into the harbor about 8am. WE had spent the night cruising at 10 knots and now that we are in the southern hemisphere the seas and wind are running against us. Buses waiting at the pier and I'm on bus one - driver's side for this tour (shopping type). We start off by visiting a town atop a hill called Olinda which has kept its Portuguese architectural style and is a UNESCO world heritage site. We leave the big bus and get into minivans because of the narrow streets, stop at a Cathedral where they ar having a graduation ceremony for the latest class of tourist police. There are some nice vistas of the harbor and then we get a brief dance demonstration - sidewalk style- run the gauntlet of tablecloth and bead sellers to another small church and then back to the minibus. Drive to a beach area on the south side of town a mini Rio, and park next to a 5 star hotel which also the local headquarters for Stern's- the gemstone dealer. Then drive around town past the old Dutch fort that is now a museum, and go to the former prison which is now a handicraft market and the cells have been converted to shops. The temp is 93 and humidity the same so I'm too whipped to return to town after lunch which I didn't finish until 2. We are docked at the commercial harbor and are surrounded by ships loading sugar. There are many sugar cane plantations in the area, although we didn't see one. The city center is on an island between 2 rivers and therefore there are a lot of bridges and naturally they call it the Venice of Brazil. I was impressed that they have preserved huge mangrove swamps that would have become land fills in Florida. Of course the city had plenty of slums next to rich areas. The guide said they are poor people but
not starving. Two 30 story buildings they are building near the waterfront which reminded me of the trade towers have a lot of hollow tile in their construction which I thought had been replaced by cinder blocks. It's the beginning of the reclamation of the old warehouse area for other high rise apartments. Ship sails at 445pm as sun is setting. Time for a quick shower and head for dinner- good meal as usual. Tonight we get a performance by Paul Adams "Funny Man" That I've seen on all cruises on this ship. Last time he said he was engaged to one of the clerks in the ships boutique- this time he's married. The Brits loved him, the Scandinavians didn't understand him, and the Americans were somewhere in the middle because he's really fast and uses a lot of limey expressions. Stayed and chatted with the folks from Canada and Wales since it was them that provided me with all the gin and
tonic. Eventually did an early fade out.

At Sea- en route to Recife, Brazil

29 November 2007- Thursday
At Sea- en route to Recife, Brazil

Interesting day so far. At breakfast the guy who wrote the book on violence against females came over and said he'd been asked to give the lecture again and would like for me to be there as he would be interested in my opinion of it. I have no earthly reason why and didn't say I'd be there. I just think he's looking for an audience. Then when I went to the Charleston lounge to upload my blog, a distinguished sounding Brit came over and asked if he might use my laptop to type a poem he wanted the boat staff to publish for him. Said it was a Christian poem and hoped it was not be offensive to me (I'm going to ask Matt for a free nose job- third time this trip mistaken for Jewish). Gave me multiple assurances he wouldn't steal it since he was a barrister (lawyer) in good standing. He was so earnest- I turned the computer over to him and went for a stroll around the deck. When I got back he wanted me to italicize a part of it and enbolden another part, then he took the laptop up to the cyber center to print it- came back and asked me to email to the center as the attendant wasn't up there- which I did. He kept saying he'd buy me drink, but I told him I could not accept from someone as passionate as he is about poetry ( I should read it, it might be good). Then our economics lecture on NAFTA- Keesal's viewpoint is that if there are no tariffs to protect your manufacturing, cost go down. Says it has worked and the Canadians gained a lot from the first agreement, then Mexico was added and most recently Chile soon to be followed by Peru. The history of these movements to eliminate tariffs started with the 1989 FTA (fair trade agreement between US/Canada); 1994- to include Mexico NAFTA (North American Fair Trade Agreement) and 2004 when Chile was added because of stable government and wine production. A woman in the audience says Dominican Republic joined and their economy is hurting. Keesal's answer- they now have a world market and they should work harder to compete. His next talk is on how to pick stocks- which I don't have to worry about since now I am for most part in index funds. In the afternoon they had a towel folding demonstration that referred to the fact that the cabin stewards make these animals out of towels. Right now my cabin has a monkey, a guinea pig, a cat and an elephant made of towels- I did not attend. At dinner Al and Barbara (from Mexico) suggested we all eat at a Churrascaria restaurant in Salvador. That's an Argentinian type restaurant that has a salad bar buffet, then the waiters keep bringing by skewers of roasted meat- beef, pork, chicken,etc. and when you have had enough you turn a disc on your table from green to red. Location still pending and
they plan for the afternoon after all the tours return. Entertainment tonight -Carla Capps from Idaho who did a great job with rock, Broadway, country and western including yodeling,etc. Finished all the episodes of the second season of Rome- so watching more TV- Fox News is the only news available and I never realized how bad the newscasts are.

Fortaleza, Brazil

28 November 2007- Wednesday
Fortaleza, Brazil

Was I ever surprised to see the skyline of Fortaleza as we approached from the sea- high rise buildings almost from horizon to horizon. Must not have read that it is the 4th largest city in Brazil after Sao Paulo, Rio and Brasilia? As usual I've signed up for a tour where I was hoping to visit all the historical sites I did read about, but it was not to happen. I was on bus number one with the handicapped seats up front so it took a little while to load and unload. First we drove down a coastline of beaches and the further we got from the port the more upscale they became. There are no private beaches in Brazil and some of them looked like they were family oriented with a Disney Land flavor. Of course, I was on the wrong side of the bus to take pictures. ( I have to remember to sit on the driver's side). We then turned uphill to some nice villas which all had one thing in common- walls topped with sharp spikes and electrified wire fencing. All of that is explained when you look downhill at the favalhos where the poor live in cardboard boxes or better. The downtown apartments have high walls and guard towers over the massive grilled gates- don't think I'd want to live in a compound like that. Anyway it was really a shopping tour not a sightseeing tour. We stopped for 15 minutes at the Cathedral which is made of concrete, finished about 1978 and is now being completely renovated- but the stained glass from Lausserne, Switzerland was nice- but we got 50 minutes at the handicraft market, 15 minutes at the cultural center and 50 minutes at a clothing complex. Should have done it on my own, but after seeing some of the unsavory street people that may not have been a good idea- and I don't know any Portuguese. All in all, I flushed $60. This part of Brazil was discovered by the Portuguese in 1500, but was later held by the Dutch in the 1600'a. The Dutch fort still stands and I'll bet there is a museum in it. The big draw was lumber (after they found there was no gold) and the hard wood tree they were after was the pau brasil tree which has a red core used for dying things for the natives. The country is named for the tree. I think the guide said Brazil has over 1800 km of beaches and certainly a large seacoast. Fortaleza sits 3 degrees below the equator and the water temperature is in the 80s. The population is really mixed with a lot of mulattoes after the African slaves arrived ( I meant to bring along a copy of "The Missionaries" which is about the colonial period of Brazil and has Jeremy Irons as a Jesuit who is against the exploitation of the indigenous population). Our guide is one of 9 children, her father has black blood, but she prides herself in looking somewhat oriental like the aborigines. Back to the boat for late lunch and then wrote some postcards that I bought and used the stamps I bought and had the purser mail them with the agent when the boat left. I wonder if that really happened. Uneventful sail away but the first time we used a tug. After dinner with our usual congenial group (someone pointed out that in spite of our varied backgrounds we
get along well. There's the Welshman accountant who wife is a nurse, a Canadian Professor who's wife has been to Afghanistan a couple of times to advise the new government on women's issues, The couple from Mexico where these ex pats have lived for 18 years and who celebrated their 26th anniversary 2 nights ago, an elderly couple who spent several years sailing after he retired from IBM a doctor and a lawyer- what a collection) our delinquent entertainer had arrived. He is a vocalist not a comedian or a magician both of whom I would have enjoyed more. He sang some Pavarotti and Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennett etc.- did Tolerably well. Stimulated me to listen to some real Pavarotti on the ipod Matt gave me for Christmas.