Circle South America Cruise Updates: February 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

As you could tell by my previous blog, Vicki and I loved Argentina and the vibrant city of Buenos Aires; however, we had not seen nothin’ yet until we got to the January River city. But I get ahead of myself.

We left Buenos Aires a week ago and sailed up to Punta del Este, Uruguay for a day at this beach resort city, prized for its luxury hotels and fabulous beaches by tourists from Argentina and Brazil as well as Americans and Europeans. It is reminiscent of a mini-Miami beach where the hotels stretch as far as the eye can see from the harbor along continuous pristine white sand beaches. The town, however, does not offer much and we were surprised at the lack of shopping and even small boutiques and restaurants were relatively scarce. So a photo or two and then we sailed for the real feast…..Rio de Janeiro!

Brazil is the largest country in South America with over 192 million people and great diversity. From the bustling urban mosaic of Sao Paulo to the infinite cultural energy of Rio to the untouched wilderness of the Amazon rainforest and world-class landmarks such as Iguaçu (pronounced E-GWA-zoo) Falls and Corcovado Mountain with the famous Cristo Redentor, Brazil has something for everyone.

Discovered and developed by the Portuguese instead of the Spanish, like most other South American countries, the heritage and culture seems somewhat different in Brazil and it is not just the language. Four hundred years ago the Portuguese brought sugar cane to Brazil and it was the main agricultural industry and export and remains so to this day although now gold, coffee and beef are close rivals. In many South American countries the Spanish enslaved the indigenous “Indian” populations to do the heavy lifting but the indigenous people in Brazil were not only few and far between but also not physically able to do the hard work in the sugar cane fields. Consequently, the Portuguese brought slaves from Africa to do the work just like on the plantations in the south of North North America. At one point 60 % of the population was African slaves. Slavery was late to be abolished but was, finally, in 1888. Over time, the people and the cultures mixed so that now, a recent study showed, 72 % of the population has at least some African blood in their family line and that along with the mixing of the Portuguese, African and indigenous cultures have made Brazilians a rich, colorful and vibrant people.

Brazil is thriving economically. Employment is relatively high and people are moving rapidly up into a burgeoning middle class. The minimum wage is still relatively low compared to western standards at about $ 300.00 US per month but prices are stable and as education levels rise, so are their wages. Education is compulsory only through the 8th grade, but more and more students go on to high school after passing some very rigid exams. Public university is free. All Brazilian citizens have free healthcare, however, like many other government run systems the emergency heart surgery is easy to get while routine illnesses and health maintenance is practically non-existent.

Brazil still leads the world in the production of sugar cane and is second to only Africa in the production of gold and precious and semi-precious gems. Brazil has the only mine in the world still producing Imperial Topaz now that the Russian mines have played out and it is rising in value about two to three times every couple of years. It is a gorgeous burnt orange color….one of our favorites….and the darker the stone the more precious.

If this was not enough, now Brazil has discovered OIL! The oil reserves off the Brazilian coast are as big as the Prudhoe Bay Alaska find and then some and they are not afraid to drill, baby, drill. In addition, Rio has won the competition to be the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the first city in South America to be awarded the Olympic Games in the history of this international event. The national government is investing $ 30 million in infrastructure to accommodate the games and construction, and multiple cranes and jobs, are already hard at work to make it happen. Check out the official logo of the Rio games. It is not only a symbol of several hearts within a heart, but is symbolic of Mt. Corcovado, Sugarloaf and Mt. Urea in the background, the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema in the foreground and the Atlantic Ocean. Quite creative, actually.

Friendship and hospitality are highly praised traits and family and social connections are strongly valued in Brazil. We found the Brazilians we met to be very open and friendly and from the beginning tend to treat people they meet as warmly as they would a best friend. They tend to treat foreigners with respect and often with true admiration. We had a private car tour with a guide, Roberto, and a driver, Bruno, who both hugged me after just being with us for half a day and offered their home addresses and emails wishing to stay in touch with us!

So our fascination and love of Rio de Janeiro starts with the people but it certainly does not end there. We only spent two days in this city but we saw it from end to end and then some and you just want to say, WOW! I can honestly tell you, from a geologic standpoint, Rio is one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited. Nestled amongst a grouping of ancient mountains and hills, Rio and its 8 million people in the city (12 million in the city and suburbs), its modern skyscrapers, its hundreds of brilliant beaches, its subtropical climate (23° 04’ 45” latitude) and its choro, samba and bosa nova musical rhythms make this city throb like an open wound. It is MAGICAL to say the least.

We arrived in Rio five days after “Carnival”, which is a four-day celebration to usher in the Lenten season that is purported to be the biggest party on earth. It is like Super Bowl, Madre Gras and the Rose Parade combined but on steroids. One million tourists flood the city every year to witness this explosion of color, pomp and circumstance and the remnants of revelry were everywhere to be seen.

The first day we took a tour which included visits to two of the most famous beaches in the world, Copacabana and Ipanema (E-pa-NE-ma). The bosa nova song from 1965, “The Girl from Ipanema” was written here. These are actually two different neighborhoods even though the beaches are connected in the middle and there are people on the beaches, both locals and tourists, both day and night, 24/7 during the spring, summer and autumn and even on good days during the winter. Brazilians love their football (soccer), their BBQ, their rum with lime and sugar cane drinks, their sun and sand. We expected to see tiny bikinis and perfect, bronzed bodies and we were not disappointed, although the word bikini does not quite describe the brevity of material which covers nearly nothing…..it was just awful.

Next it was up to Mount Corcovado. This 2,300 foot mountain seems to rise up out of the center of the city and all of Rio de Janeiro is symbolically embraced by the outstretched arms of Christ the Redeemer, a stunning 120 foot tall statue erected in 1931. The design was executed by a Jewish national in this predominantly Catholic country and allows for individual interpretation. You take a cog rail train up to the summit and the views from the top are nothing short of spectacular, but when you look up and see the Christ statue for the first time it takes your breath away.

We had lunch at a traditional Brazilian Churrascaria restaurant where the “salad bar” was enough to satisfy but the onslaught of succulent beef, ribs, chicken, steaks, sausages, pork, and lamb, all sliced off of loaded skewers directly to your plate is endless. These are “all-you-can-eat” BBQ places and they just keep bringing it until you fall off your chair in a protein induced coma. It is meat heaven and not for the timid.

After circling the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, with its calm clear waters and lovely beaches, we ascended Sugarloaf Mountain via two separate cable cars to the summit at 1,300 feet. The views were breathtaking and I hope you like the pictures.

The first evening we went to what was billed as a Samba Show, but if samba was danced there I missed it. The show was a re-creation of the sights and sounds of Carnival with all of the elaborate costumes, dances, and music, including LOUD drums and skimpy coverings for the very tall, dusky female dancers. Vicki renamed the exhibition the “Hinny Review”. Enjoy the pics.

We took a private car tour the next day and spent six hours shopping at all of the exclusive jewelry stores in the Ipanema and Copacabana districts. We also enjoyed another lunch at yet another Churrascaria with the normal three pounds of meat. It was fun shopping and we did get some good bargains but what I liked most was visiting with our guide and learning more about the history, culture and people of Brazil. Rio was the capital of Brazil for some 60 years until it was moved to Brasília, a more central location in this country which is larger in total land mass than the contiguous United States. Bet you didn’t know that.

When we sailed that evening, neither Vicki nor I wanted to leave. We could have spent two more weeks in this lively and beautiful city and I can promise you we will return someday. We are on our way to Salvador de Bahia, the original capital of Brazil. Until then, God Bless you all.

Jud and Vicki