We anchored in the bay and took tenders
into Buzios, a seaside town that people from Rio de Janiero (called
Cariocas) love to visit. And the reason why is easy to
see....beautiful beaches and a laid-back pace that still manages to
incorporate all the big city niceties such as trendy restaurants and
lovely little boutiques. We wandered around the town for a bit, then
Steve headed back to the ship while I did some power shopping. I
picked up a little sundress and a pair of flip flop sandals that add
about 4 inches to my height! I headed back to the ship in plenty of
time to have a rest, as we were going out for a very special evening.
We had met a couple, Ed and Connie
Foster, when they first embarked in Buenos Aires. We had an enjoyable
chat for about 30 minutes, then they went their way and we went ours
and our paths never crossed again. To our great surprise, and
delight, they invited us to cocktails in the palatial penthouse suite
they are staying in, followed by dinner at The Vintage Room. There
were 14 of us, and a very eclectic group we were. Dinner was amazing,
and the wine was paired to ensure the best dining experience. All in
all, a very memorable evening.
The next day we pulled into Rio. We got
up early to watch as we pulled into what has to be one of the world's
most beautiful port cities (although Sydney and Vancouver are right
up there as well.) What a thrill to see the Cristos statue high on
his mountain blessing the ship as we sailed into the harbour. And to
recognize Sugar Loaf Mountain.....it sent shivers down my spine.
Once we were docked, we quickly left
the ship and decided we would wander around the downtown area for the
day, and leave our major sightseeing for the next day.
There is no getting away from the
beaches in Rio.....they are very much a part of the downtown and go
for miles and miles and miles. It is not unusual to see people
dodging traffic wearing a bathing suit cover up (or not) and flip
flops. Button down suits are non-existent. We walked along the
Copacabana beach and because it was Saturday, it was teeming with
people. We read that the Ipenema beach was considered the sexiest
beach in Rio, so it was on our list of places to check out on Sunday.
We walked around for a couple of hours,
which was plenty because of the high temperatures (34 C.) and the
high humidity. Of course, a beer stop helped save us.
We headed back to the ship for a rest
and then put on our most appropriate Rio clothes and headed out to
sample the nightlife. We ended up in a really neat part of the town
in a three-story bar and restaurant called Rio Scenario. It is on a
pedestrian street that has many cafes and bars. This one is
absolutely jam packed with artifacts, antiques, collectibles and
curious things. It is very popular with the locals and people line up
to get in. We got in with no problems and enjoyed a bottle of wine
and some dinner. We wandered from room to room, as there were several
music groups playing and lots of people dancing the samba. We never
tried dancing, but it was fun to watch. When we got back aboard the
ship we went for a nightcap and Steve jumped outside his box by
sitting on the piano bench and singing Love Potion Number 9 with
Joel, the pianist. Myself and one other passenger were there to enjoy
the peformance!
Sunday we took a tour to go to see two
iconic symbols of Rio.....Cristo the Redeemer, the largest art deco
statue in the world, and Sugar Loaf Mountain, which requires two
cable car rides to get to the top. We were in a van full of young
Buenos Aires people, so it is a good thing we had a little bit of
Spanish to get us by. We got back to the ship, had dinner and
collapsed in bed.
Today, Monday, we travelled with
another couple and visited several sites. A couple of highlights were
a set of stairs that an artist has spent years decorating with tiles
that people brought him from all over the world. Unfortunately, he
was killed on the steps in December and police have yet to solve the
case.
A couple of things I learned about Rio
that I did not know before:
- On Sundays, one half of the road around the beach is closed off to make it a pedestrian street.
- Rio has four soccer teams and rabid fans. The stadium, which is being renovated for the 2014 World Cup, has a dry moat that surrounds the field, separating the players from the fans. There used to be capacity for 20,000 fans, but they are installing individual seats (as opposed to benches) so the capacity is down to 80,000.
- There is a circus school here, as well as schools for the blind, the deaf, and for Samba. The Samba school consists of about one block of bleachers on either side of a paved road. People of any age can come to learn or practise their Samba.
- A popular sport here is a form of beach volleyball wherein people cannot use their hands. The ball must be kept in play by using the head, feet or chest. It looks extremely difficult!
- Traffic here is a nightmare, partly because of the preparations for the Summer Olympics in 2016 and partly because many of the streets are narrow.
- Grafitti is everywhere. Some of it is quite attractive, while much is not.
- Catholicism is the most popular religion here, but a fast-growing religion is a combination of catholicism and a religion that is practised in Africa.
- There are numerous fresh fruit juice stands in the city.
- The city is home to about 3 million people.
- I would like to visit it again.
We set sail in two hours, heading for
Bahia del Salvador. We have less than three weeks left on this
journey. It will be good to get home, but we will miss much about
onboard life.
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