Quest Grand Voyage around South America, 2023

[frantic36]

Day One Rio continued...

 

@Mr Luxury I am going to the gym now though I avoided it for awhile prior to Antarctica as I didn't want to risk getting sick and there seemed to be quite a few people coughing and blowing their noses with flu issues. I avoided Seabourn Square at that time for the same reason.

 

As I mentioned in the previous post the modern architecture was interesting and the views from the top of "The Ruins House" as our guide called it was very interesting. Here is the church with the stained glass windows from the outside and though the pyramid shape is interesting the concrete blocks are quite simplistic. Note also the glass building where the church and bell tower are reflected in the glass.

 

When we were on the other side of town we saw how clever the architects were as the tall glass buildings formed a cross in the centre.

 

 

In the foreground of the photo was Ipanema beach if I remember correctly. Being a Sunday and the day after Carnival beaches like Impenama and Cococabana were packed with little sand to be seen.

 

 

Our guide took us to a great place to try fried empanadas and a chicken filled pastry while we relaxed like the locals on a wall shaded with trees. We were lucky and got there just before the long queues started as the place was popular.

 

We did go later to have a small sit down meal but I enjoyed this little break watching the world go by.

 

We then went to a large local Sunday market where you could all sorts of Art, clothing jewellery etc of good quality. We then went to watch the paraglides and hang gliders jump of a mountain and come in for a landing near us on the beach. My husband and I opted to watch and not join in the "fun".

 

 

So Day One was busy and interesting in Rio.

 

Just arrived in Santarem and we are heading out on a private boat with friends to do piranha fishing. More later.

[frantic36]

Day 2 Rio

Again our guide Ana was waiting promptly at 8.30am and we headed off to explore Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer. We purchased both tickets prior. Sugar Loaf we got the fast pass VIP and this was wonderful as we didn't have to queue and got through quickly. The Cable car was excellent and Ana made sure I was positioned near the window so I could get photos. This enabled me to capture a phot of two climbers who were going up Sugar Loaf the hard way.

 

The views from the top were wonderful and gave an impression of how far the city sprawled.

 

It also gave us an opportunity to more easily watch the landing of planes at the domestic airport. The runways were very short though Ana reassured us only once in recent history did a plane end up teetering on the edge and there was no serious injuries or loss of life.

 

We also got to see how those climbers had progressed on our cable car ride back down the mountain.

 

Then we took the train to Christ the Redeemer. Unfortunately no VIP entry here and the wait was long, probably a good half hour, at least we could read about some of the history and check out countries flags while we waited. The train ride itself was interesting as you travel through the national forest that was replanted with indigenous plants after the land was bought from the sugar cane owners.

 

[frantic36]

At the top the area was very crowded especially around the statue. This was surprising to me being a Monday. I guess it is always crowded. We were lucky as the sky was quite clear when we arrived but after awhile the clouds rolled in. We were leaving so it wasn't an issue for us. Thankfully for others the clouds only lasted a couple of hours.

Our guide pointed out the statue is covered in multiple small triangular shaped marble tiles in order to facilitate curves.

 

The wait to get the return train was only about 10 minutes. We then went for lunch where we got to try a typical Feijoada lunch which was delicious. In the stew was slow cooked beef and pork pieces and a local sausage. The grain was Faro, and the green was like a Savoy Spinach. The orange slices helped cut through the richness of the sauce.

 

 

Our final stop was a walk along Copacabana Beach which was much quieter than the day before but still interesting to people watch. There was a group of young people doing tightrope walking on some stretchy rope.

 

We also saw young men diving at the rocks area and hauling themselves up to the top by a rope.

 

It was a wonderful two days in Rio and our guide and driver were excellent.

[frantic36]

Buzios, Brazil 28 February 

This was another place it was easy to walk around and even have a swim. Buzios was made famous by Bridget Bardot holidaying there in the 60s and since then other celebrities have also stayed there.To honour BB the residents put up a statue of her alongside the beach boardwalk.

 

While tracking down her statue I came across this wonderful sand art that someone had made...

 

The only issue was it was a very hot day so after wandering around and doing some shopping I found a lovely restaurant for lunch that had air conditioning inside.

There we enjoyed a shared starter of a calamari salad and then a local fish with mango sauce that was delicious.

 

After relaxing and enjoying our meal we farewelled the lovely man who served us and returned to the ship.

[markham]

I have got to pipe up following our delicious dinner last night which included foie gras and then stuffed quail. 
 

it was embarkation day in Manaus for roughly 30 passengers, and there was some kind of casual dinner in the Colonnade plus a later Oscars viewing party with the “comfort food” some like. So everyone had choices to go where it suited them.

 

So what do we see in the beautiful MDR? Many schlubs (my term) in jeans, tee shirts (!) and sneakers. The code, if any of them cared, has long been “elegant casual” on this type of night, with at least collared shirts. But oh no….

 

Seabourn has been busy degrading the brand, maybe making it an overpriced HAL, and that matters too much to us to sustain our business. BTW, the quality and authenticity of Chef Christophe’s MDR dinners has been terrific. Shame about the head office in Seattle.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, markham said:

 

 

So what do we see in the beautiful MDR? Many schlubs (my term) in jeans, tee shirts (!) and sneakers. The code, if any of them cared, has long been “elegant casual” on this type of night, with at least collared shirts. But oh no….

Mr. SLSD is now saying that he isn't even going to take a pair of jeans (for daytime) on our next cruise.  I think the issue is that I've told him that his existing jeans are not up to snuff even for daytime wear.  

 

And, I had a nightmare last night--dreamed that somehow I left all of my clothing for evening dinners at home accidentally--along with my makeup.  What a nightmare!  I should have known it was just a dream as the ship was departing from Dallas.  

 

At any rate, we Texans plan to hold up our end of the bargain and dress as we always have in the MDR--jacket and bow tie for Mr. SLSD and I will be presentable--no jeans.  

[Cornet]

Frantic, I’m really enjoying reading your posts .
You have a very nice and easy way of writing about your daily excursions and the accompanying photographs are sensational.

Thank you.
So looking forward to your next adventure on The Grand Voyage around South America.

 

 

 

 

[Cornet]

Should say next post on your adventure!

[frantic36]

Recife, Brazil

This was a gritty but interesting port stop for us. We had read about some sculptures by Fransisco Brennand that had been placed on a spit of land in celebration of the 500th year anniversary of Discovery Day in Recife. The first trick was organising a boat to take us over o the spit and making sure he waited for us. For 20 Brazil Real this was achieved though we did help out a local to get back to the mainland with his bike on return.

 

The sculptures were interesting though not all the ones we had read in a blog were still there.

 

We then walked into the old town area. It was a very hot day again so it was difficult to think and plan though we had a vague notion of finding the large puppet's museum, These puppets are used in the Carnival Parade.

While we were looking for this we spotted a building that many South American tourists were taking photos in front of. It was a Gallery dedicated to Fevre the local dance that incorporates energy, freedom and a small umbrella. The exhibits were in Portuguese and English and since we love dance, very interesting.

 

 

As well as photos on the wall there was a perspex floor in which were displayed various Carnival teams awards and banner flags.

 

This exhibit was up on the third level which also gave us an opportunity to get some views across the river to the new part of town.

 

After our visit we continued our search for the Puppet Museum, which was thankfully close by. In the museum were various models of famous people and characters from Brazil as well as the rest of the world. And yes the Queen usually wore a three strand pearl necklace not two but that's a minor detail.

 

 

After a quick bite to eat we headed back to the ship and cool air-conditioning. 

 

[frantic36]

Recife continued.

 

That afternoon they brought onboard some local dancers and singers who were costumed in Carnival costume. I have to say the main singers were pretty tough as their costumes were very heavy looking and the performance was on Deck 8 pool area at around 3.30pm when it was still very hot.

 

We got to enjoy watching various forms of local dance and costume...

 

And then came some Fevre dancers

 

Who was joined by a puppet replica they named Captain Sybe in honour of our Quest captain.

 

[Mr Luxury]

22 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

Recife, Brazil

This was a gritty but interesting port stop for us. We had read about some sculptures by Fransisco Brennand that had been placed on a spit of land in celebration of the 500th year anniversary of Discovery Day in Recife. The first trick was organising a boat to take us over o the spit and making sure he waited for us. For 20 Brazil Real this was achieved though we did help out a local to get back to the mainland with his bike on return.

 

The sculptures were interesting though not all the ones we had read in a blog were still there.

 

We then walked into the old town area. It was a very hot day again so it was difficult to think and plan though we had a vague notion of finding the large puppet's museum, These puppets are used in the Carnival Parade.

While we were looking for this we spotted a building that many South American tourists were taking photos in front of. It was a Gallery dedicated to Fevre the local dance that incorporates energy, freedom and a small umbrella. The exhibits were in Portuguese and English and since we love dance, very interesting.

 

 

As well as photos on the wall there was a perspex floor in which were displayed various Carnival teams awards and banner flags.

 

This exhibit was up on the third level which also gave us an opportunity to get some views across the river to the new part of town.

 

After our visit we continued our search for the Puppet Museum, which was thankfully close by. In the museum were various models of famous people and characters from Brazil as well as the rest of the world. And yes the Queen usually wore a three strand pearl necklace not two but that's a minor detail.

 

 

After a quick bite to eat we headed back to the ship and cool air-conditioning. 

 

Looks more like Dame Edna than the Queen Julie.

[Mr Luxury]

12 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

Looks more like Dame Edna than the Queen Julie.

Looking at what you have been up to on your cruise Julie I bet you can't wait to get home for a rest.

I'm tired just reading the posts 😁

[frantic36]

Natal, Brazil

We did a Seabourn tour to visit a school in the poorer district for Capoeira dancers. This was a community project and allowed people from all ages but mainly young people to learn an active dance style. They also got to compete in various places in Brazil. From the joy of the participants it was obviously something they loved doing.

 

There was also a more traditional costumed dancers 

 

That ended with a fire expert. I must admit my first thought was this was an extreme way to get rid of unwanted hair...

 

 

Natal itself was a surprisingly large city and with beaches and history like the large fort at the entrance to the port it would have a lot in it to explored if I ever returned.