RIO DE JANEIRO: WE'RE HERE!

Can you imagine the excitement I felt when I first saw the statue of Christ the Redeemer from the ship as we sailed into Rio de Janeiro harbor? Although it was shrouded  in clouds, I could still see it peeking through! And then Sugar Loaf Mt. appeared - it was surreal!

We started our day with a private guide, a young university student and driver courtesy of H.Stern Jewelry Co. We visited the Botanical Gardens and drove by Copacabana and Ipamena beaches.

We continued on to Corcovado (Hunchback) Mt. taking an old cog train ride with 5 stops to reach the top at 2330 feet where the giant statue of Jesus, known as Christ the Redeemer stands. What an awesome sight! The panoramic views of Rio below us were breathless!

We continued on to Sugar Loaf Mt. (Pao de Acucar) in the Urca district. A cable car transported us in 2 stages to the rounded summit at 1300 feet. It is a spectacular mountain and the views are incredible. We were able to look across the city below us and see Christ the Redeemer standing tall on Corcovado.

The next day we explored Rio on our own. We walked along Copacabana Beach admiring the sleek bodies in skimpy designer bikinis and "moda" sunglasses, pulsating to the beach-side samba beat. Ipanema fashions are typically Brazilian - show off the body! We had lunch at Gorota de Ipanema restaurant, where Vinicius de Moraes penned the bossa nova song "Girl from Ipanema".

That evening on board ship, we were treated to a spectacular samba show performed by a Brazilian samba troup - oh those costumes...what costumes?? And the head-dresses and feathers, feathers everywhere!

We bid a sad adieu to Rio as we sailed out of the harbor at 11 p.m., taking one last look at the Christ statue shining brightly atop Corcovado Mt. Our next stop on the Brazilian coast:  Parati.

 

 

 

 

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ILHEUS, BRAZIL

Our stop here was a first for Holland America Line. Ilheus is a charming town of 250,000 with a mixture of African and European descendants but there are no African colonies like there are in Salvador.

Ilheus was established in 1534 by the Portuguese. Jesuits began cultivating cacao plants in the 1700's and by the next century cacao was Brazil's second most important export.

In the mid 1980's the cacao plantations were devastated by a fungus called "vassoura da bruxa" or "witches' broom" because the fungus left defoliated branches resembling a broom. Exports dropped from 400,000 kilos annually to 90,000. Farmers abandoned or burned their fields, the wealthy cacao barons lost their fortunes. Since 2003 the government has been supporting cacao production by the introduction of cloning or grafting healthy trees to old ones. The economy is improving and Ilheus has also become an important tourist center due to its beautiful beaches.

We saw the home of George Amado, the most popular writer in Brazil. We visited a working cacao plantation. Farmers plant banana trees around the cacao trees to provide shade since vast amounts of rainforests in Brazil have disappeared and therefore natural rain and shade are not available.

Workers pick the pods by hand and place them into baskets carried by mules. What tedious work! Pods are then split open and the seeds are allowed to ferment, then are dried in the sun. Cocoa is extracted from the beans and processed into cocoa butter, cocoa and chocolate.

We indulged our sweet tooth at a German chocolate store. What a wonderful day in Ilheus in the state of Bahia!

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SALVADOR DA BAHIA

Is also known as the "Capital of Happiness". It was the first colonial capital of Brazil before Rio de Janeiro and is s city of huge contrasts.

 

Salvador is the most African of Brazilian cities because it is the closest to the African Continent. As part of the "trade triangle", England sent ships down the west coast of Africa to Senegal where natives from the Indian tribes were sold to the English. The English put them on their ships and took them to Salvador da Bahia in South America where they were sold as slaves in Pillory Square. Six black women equaled one black male. Today, 87% of the population in Salvador have black ancestry.

 

The African influence intertwined with Brazilian culture is evident in Bahia. A popular African ritual is "candomble" sometimes called voodoo by foreigners.

 

Our first stop was a visit to the Farol da Barra, one of the most famous lighthouses in Brazil. From there we continued on to the Pelourinho District (Old Town). There we visited the Church of Sao Francisco, built in the 17th Century. It was built by slave labor and took 28 years to complete. Its opulent baroque interior features cedar wood carvings covered in 600 kilos of gold leaf. It was so over-the-top and dazzling, a sight for sore eyes!

 

We photographed ourselves with the African ladies dressed in colorful native costumes and head-dresses. A truly memorable visit.

 

 

A HUMAN INTEREST STORY ON BOARD THE ms PRINSENDAM

I was surprised to see a fellow passenger pulling a cart with a small dog along the deck. I didn't think you could bring pets with you on a cruise!

 

I introduced myself and was amazed to find out that this cute little dog, an 8 year old bichon-frise, was a hearing service dog! Her name is Gotita (meaning "a drop of love") and is owned by Steve, an Iraqi war vet who has 90% hearing loss.Although Steve wears hearing aids, I knew he was also reading my lips. He told me that Gotita has had special therapy training; she comes to him when the telephone or doorbell rings and pulls him to the source of the ring or noise. Since Steve suffers from severe PTSD and has flashbacks and tremors, Gotita sleeps on his chest to keep him calm and able to sleep at night.

 

The crew has provided a special square of real sod grass on the upper deck so that Gotita can feel right at home!

 

A wonderful heart-warming story!

 

 

MACEIO BEACHES

Another day at the beach...but not just any beach. Women on Brazil beaches don't leave much to the imagination! Eye candy abounds!

Maceio has become a very popular destination for Brazilian as well as international visitors. The sandy beaches are beautiful and the warm ocean is very enticing.

The city began as an old sugar mill and plantation complex in the 19th Century. Today the coastal state of Alagoas exports sugar, tobacco, coconut, leather and spices around the world. We enjoyed our visit to the local market in the center of town and relaxed with a cool drink of fresh coconut milk straight from the coconut. Mmmm very healthy.

FORTALEZA, BRAZIL

We are now 5087 nautical miles from Fort Lauderdale, day 19 of my cruise. We have left the Amazon’s last stop, Belem, and are now sailing into the harbor of Fortaleza on Brazil’s east coast on the Atlantic Ocean. It has beautiful sandy beaches and tropical climate making it a favorite place for tourists from all over the world. There are many high-rise hotels along the white beaches and excellent seafood restaurants. We stopped at the huge market in the center of town, it is Brazil’s third largest market, 3 floors of goods from wood carvings, paintings, clothing and shoes. Unfortunately our time here was marred by a huge rainstorm, flooded streets everywhere, we really got wet and were so happy to get back “home” to our ship.

BLACK AND WHITE BALL

On Sunday evening we were treated to a very special event. It was the Black and White Ball hosted by Captain Halle Gundersen and the crew of the ms Prinsendam. Everyone was dressed in black and white, we had a very special dinner and dancing to the Prinsendam orchestra. A truly memorable evening!