DAY 55--RECIFE, BRAZIL

 We docked at commercial pier at Recife this morning at 9:00 am.  There were already two Costa cruise ships in port.  So today probably 9,000 tourists dumped in town.  Cruise terminal was a zoo.

      Temperature at 3:00 pm was 85F with 50% humidity.  Seems hotter than that!!

                          I had "two" orders of the above escargot.  Most excellent!!

                                       We had dinner with Eddie & Lyn and Susanne.

Yummy, osso buco with some mashed potatoes.  We went to the show after dinner but walked out half way through her first number.  The guitarist chose a poor way to start her show.  I hope it got better.

Historical/Background Info:
        This is a new port city for us.  If you look at an atlas, you will see that it is located on the eastern most part of Brazil’s bulge making it the closest point to Africa.  The city’s population is just over 1.5 million, but if you include the whole metropolitian population, it tops 3.7 million.  Recife is located where two rivers meet and flow into the Atlantic Ocean.  Because of the many little rivers and small islands near the city center, it is called the “Brazilian Venice”.
        Its history dates back to 1535 when it was just a bunch of fishing shacks, inns, and warehouses.  After all it was just a settlement for fishermen and way station for Portuguese sailors.  Its name comes from the long reef running parallel to the shoreline which encloses its harbor.
        The climate here is hot and humid due to being just south of the Equator.  It receives a lot of rain and has tropical rainforests surrounding the city.
        The city is a modern looking one now  with some high end stores. The metropolitan area population is over 3.7 million.  It is one of Brazil’s prime business centers largely due to its international airport and shipping ports.  Information technology, medical facilities, logistics due to ports, and convention centers, all add to its economy.
        There is an old colonial section of the city featuring narrow winding streets, restored homes, churches, and lovely plazas.  This makes it a year round tourist destination.

What We Did Today:
        I turned in my tour ticket for ride on catamaran this morning.  It did not have a roof and I was not going to sit in the hot sun for over an hour.  I tried to get on a "Highlights of Recife and Olinda" tour but it was full.  So I took the first Regent shuttle bus into the old part of Recife.  Arrived at the old prison, now a shopping mall-like building, just after 10:00 am.  I walked around the area of old town snapping some photos before catching the bus back at 11:00 to the ship.  My T-shirt was wet as it was soooooo hot and muggy.  Temperature 90F this afternoon but humidity is high also.  Not going to get any better as we will be near the Equator for a week while on the Amazon river.
        Rebecca got back from her workout shortly after I got back to the suite.  At noon we had lunch up in La Veranda.  I have been working on getting photo link ready and writing this since.
        This evening I have requested the chef prepare fried chicken again for 6 of us.  We also requested French onion soup and some fried calamari.  It's going to be interesting to see what shows up at the table.  Hopefully more than one chicken leg per person.
        We all plan to go to tonight's production show featuring JAR singers and dancers.  It will be the 4th time we have seen their shows this segment but they are so good.  Tomorrow we will be at sea.

Here is the link to today's 83 photos:

https://goo.gl/photos/u6YATA3fgakkv6tW6

DAY 54--AT SEA

 Our position as we pass by Salvador on our way to Recife.  We stopped in Salvador back in 2012.  Not this time however.  Recife will be a new port of call for us.  Now 2/3rds of the way there.  Still on schedule to dock there at 9:00 am tomorrow.

What We Did Last Night:

                                      Pre-dinner cocktails in the Horizon Lounge.

   Some friends stopped by to say hi.  Susanne Peters and Gudrun, the cruise consultant.

      WOW!  Two of the Jean Ann Ryan dancers stopped by to chat:  Lewis & Poppy.
What We Did Today:
        Up at 8:00 am.  At 9:00 Rebecca went down for Sunday breakfast in Compass Rose while I went to the interdenominational church service back in the Horizon Lounge.  Our cruise directors, Jamie & Dana led the half hour service as usual.  One of our fellow passengers played the piano for the hymns.  She had no music but was great.

        It is mostly sunny today and 82F.  Temperature pretty constant out here on ocean as the water temperature is also 82F.  Winds out of the east today at 12 knots so no white caps and smoother.
        We worked out while everyone else was at lunch.  Theme of today's lunch buffet is "Backyard BBQ".

 Pulled pork sandwiches, Memphis style with cole slaw on top of the pork.  Really very good and close to the real thing.

                                    Grilling steak, chicken, and chorizos (sausages).
 We had a late lunch and enjoyed the view from our suite while just relaxing in the afternoon.  At 6:00 pm there will be another "block party" where people will take a wine glass out into hall to meet their neighbors.  Our suite stewards will serve wine and canapes.  If your will recall, at the last one nobody showed up except the two of us.  Looking forward to dinner tonight as escargot and veal shank osso buco are on the menu.  Tonight's show is featuring Costanza Savarese, an concert guitar soloist.  Will check it out but did not stay long last night for the pianist's show.

Took this from dining area just outside of La Veranda.  I love looking at the ship's wake.  There are some aft facing suites but too expensive for us.  Maybe some day.  Tomorrow we will arrive in Recife, Brazil.

DAY 53-AT SEA

 Our position at noon today.  27 miles off the coast of Brazil.  800 miles left to our next port at Recife, Brazil.  Mostly sunny skies and 82F.  25 knot winds out of the north causing 7 foot waves but still getting a pretty good ride.  We passed by some offshore drilling ships and tankers earlier this morning.  Deep drilling as ocean depth is 5000 feet here.

        Our emergency life boat drill ended at sailing time, 6:00 pm yesterday (our scheduled sailing time).  At that time the Captain announced that we would be delayed until 9:00 pm "awaiting parts".  I discovered at noon we waited for nothing as Brazilian Customs would not let the parts come on the ship.  We could not enjoy the beautiful sail out from Rio as it was now dark.  Add that to list of things we have not been able to enjoy on our cruise.  So frustrating!

What We Did Last Night:

 This group of us dined in Sette Mari, the Italian restaurant during evenings but La Veranda for breakfast and lunch buffets.  I had ordered 6 veal parmesans as did not know there would be 8 of us.
Going from clockwise starting with Rebecca: Joe & Judy (from Wisconsin, Dan & Laurie (from Canada), and Eddie & Lyn (from Florida).  We were among first to arrive at 7pm and last to leave at 10pm.  Basically, non-stop laughter.  Great group!

Ricky is the new chef in La Veranda/Sette Mari.  He came out and said the Chef Michael would be coming up to show him just how I liked it prepared.  It was great!  A lot thicker piece of veal than is normal.  As you can see it was huge and could really easily feed two.

What We Did Today:

                Winds of 25 to 30 knows causing some white caps and 5 to 8 foot waves.

                               Our suite steward brought us a nice, fresh flower bouquet.

        They only fixed 2 of the 5 pieces of inoperative fitness machines yesterday.  No parts was the excuse but really was poor planning.  Once again we had to wait until around 11:30 to go do our workout.  We had a lovely lunch down in Compass Rose.  The lunch buffet up by pool just outside of La Veranda featured a "Greek BBQ".  One side of La Veranda buffet is closed now due to the emergency generator is located on deck 12 above it.  They had to mess that side of La Veranda up in order to secure it to the ship.  So now only half the space available for folks to have breakfast and lunch.
        This afternoon we are just relaxing in the suite.  After finishing this posting, I may watch a movie.  We have a great selection of movies available on our inter-active tv OR maybe a nap.  On a long cruise like this you lose track of what day of the week it is.  Good thing we have a calendar!
        This evening is a formal optional dress night.  We did not have any last segment as it has to be over 13 nights long before they will have them.  So I can wear my tux this evening.  At 6:00 pm is the Captain's Welcome Aboard Reception in the theater.  She will be introducing the senior officers at it while cocktails are served.  Probably will not attend as we already know the officers.  After dinner we plan on going to tonight's show featuring Dima Belinski, a Romanian entertainer. Tomorrow is another day at sea.
                                               HAVE A NICE WEEKEND

DAY 52-RIO DE JANEIRO

Partly sunny and looking as we could have some thunderstorms later this afternoon.  At 2:00 pm it is a muggy 91F.  Today we are starting the last 21 day segment of our 72 day cruise.

        This is day #2 here in Rio.  As I mentioned most of the passengers are disembarking here this morning as it is the end of our 3rd segment.  New passengers will be coming aboard around noon today.  It's going to be a HUGE mess in the cruise terminal as there is a big MSC cruise ship also disembarking passengers.  There is also another cruise ship (can't make out who it is) behind us but they are not using this terminal.
        We did our normal morning routine with room service breakfast followed by a workout.  I thought the fitness center would be closed this morning but went by and it is open.  I want to make a quick trip in town to a pharmacy to get Rebecca some more Nasonex.  I priced it yesterday and is good deal here.  Back on ship by 11 am with 4 inhalers for her.  Boy was it HOT already.  Rebecca worked out while I was off ship.  Did a load of laundry while I worked out.  So now it's time for lunch.
        This afternoon at 5:15 we will be having another emergency drill for all passengers, new and old.  The ship is sailing at 6:00 pm and will be at sea for the next two days prior to reaching the port in Recife, Brazil on Monday.  Will be having Italian dinner this evening up in Sette Mari with our friends, the Carlsons & Zitos.  Veal Parmesan!
What We Did Last Night:

 Susanne Peters joined us last night for the fried chicken dinner for three that I had requested the day prior.  We had looked forward to the chicken all day.

This is what was served us.  I was the lucky one as I got TWO chicken legs.  Susanne and Rebecca only got ONE leg.  I started laughing when it was served as I thought it was a joke.  I told the waiter we did not want an appetizer portion and that I usually fried a whole chicken for just the two of us at home.  He came up with one small thigh and then brought some sliced baked chicken breast which I promptly sent back.  Seems all my special orders are screwed up the first time.  We later ran into the Food & Beverage manager, Donald, (he is in charge of ALL food & beverages plus service on the ship).  He asked how our dinner was so I told him what had happened.  He was NOT happy but I told him not to worry because we were happy.  He did not believe me and said it WOULD be addressed with the chef.  OOPS!  BTW, the chicken tasted VERY good.

        We enjoyed Susanne's company at dinner.  Glad she will be on the World Cruise with us next year.  The wine sommelier came by to give me the update I requested about how much of the St Francis chardonnay we had left from our 10 case order.  We were pleased to hear we still have 45 bottles so that should last us until March 25th, end of the cruise.
Blast From the Past:
        Since we did not do any excursions this year here in Rio, I am adding some of my 2012 posting and the photos of our tour of Sugar Loaf & beaches, Samba show, and sail out back then.  I think you will really enjoy these.

 Our tour today was "Sugar Loaf & Copacabana" and there were also some of our friends on the bus with us.  We drove through old downtown which is now the commercial and banking area for Rio to our first stop, Sugar Loaf.  We took the cable car which was first built in 1912 and improved a couple of times since then to the top.  There were two stages.  We took a cable car to the 650 feet high Urca Hill, where we took some photos and changed cars for the second stage on up to the 1200 foot high Sugar Loaf.  From the top we had a commanding view over the beaches and city.  It was about a mile ride in the two cable cars to get to the top.  The cars operate every 20 minutes and hold about 70 people.  There were long lines so this took a couple of hours to get to the top and back down.  There were also a few people climbing and/or repelling down Sugar Loaf.  Next our bus drove along the famous Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches.  Both are 2.5 miles long and very deep beach areas.  The length and size is very impressive and by mid day there was lots of sun worshipers on the beach having a good time.  The art made from sand was also impressive.  We continued through some tunnels to the southern area of Rio where you can hang glide from the tops of the mountains down to the beach.  We passed the horse racing track and a private golf course also.  All courses are private and very expensive according to our guide.  We passed several of the slum areas that are clinging to the sides of the mountains overlooking the city so they actually have the best views.  They are trying to clean these areas up some, especially the crime,

Here is the link to our 2012 photos in Rio on our excursion.

https://goo.gl/photos/xqb7cpQKUqgabGbm8

Here is the link to our 2012 photos taken at Samba Show.

https://goo.gl/photos/HxESr2s7FBREXc8k7

Here is the link to our 2012 photos taken of the sail out of Rio.  It was a nice day then and not good today for photos.

https://goo.gl/photos/xSbt29ApxiKqSEg9A

DAY 51-RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

 Yea!!  We made it to Rio!  Went up to deck 12 for our sail-in at 6:00 am.  Unfortunately, overcast skies obscured top of Sugar Loaf.  Now docked at 7:30 am and is 76F.  Rain in forecast for today.
Temperature this afternoon was 90F when I was out walking around.

Historical/Background Info:
        Rio is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere due to its “Carnival” every February, its beaches, and the famous statue called “Christ the Redeemer”.  This photo was taken as we sailed into Rio.      

The statue was started in 1922 and took 9 years to complete.  It is 98 feet high not including the 26 foot pedestal and the arms stretch to 92 feet wide.  It is the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world.  The stones used to build it came from Sweden.  It became one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” in 2007.
        The city population of Rio is 6.5 million but the entire metro population is over 12 million.  This makes it the 2nd largest city in Brazil, 6th largest city in the America’s, and world’s 35th largest city.  If you include the metro population then it becomes the 18th largest city in the world.  It was founded in 1565 by the Portuguese.  It served as the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries until 1960, when the capital was transferred to Brazilia.
        Rio lies on the western shore of Guanabara Bay just 225 miles north of Sao Paulo.  Riio has over 1000 slums, called favelas.  Crime in Rio is a big problem even in tourist areas.  The city is hosting the 2016 Summer Olympic from August 5th to 21st, so it is busy making final preparations and trying to make it safer.  Odd thing is, it’s the summer Olympics but is technically winter in the Southern Hemisphere.  It will certainly seem like summer though as the average temperature in August is 80F/26C.
What We Did Today:
        We will actually be here for two days as this is the end of 3rd segment of this cruise.  Again some folks will be leaving and more new passengers arriving.  That all happens tomorrow however.
        I was up at 6:00 am to go up and watch us sail into Rio.  Not the best views as sky was overcast. We were tied up at pier by 7:30, a half hour early.  We had ordered our breakfast for 8:00 today.  Hit the fitness center earlier than normal since it was basically empty as people were going on tours today.
        After workout and getting cleaned up I went off ship to check out the cruise ship terminal.  There were a few shops, a sandwich place, and local people selling tours.  I returned to the ship and worked on our end of segment cruise critique until La Veranda opened at noon for lunch.
        After lunch I decided to walk around the area of Rio close by here.  Just wanted to check things out and get a few photos for the blog.  There were lots of people walking as it was their lunch time. Somehow I managed to get lost.  I did not have a good detailed map with me but did have a general map of Rio given to me in terminal by the jewelry company, Amsterdam Sauer.  Glad I had it at least. As you will see in last photo, I finally asked help from three police officers by their vehicle at a street corner.  They did not speak English so it was not easy for them to set me straight.  I was so grateful to them.
        It was after 3:30 by the time I made it back to the ship.  I was sweat wet and so my legs and feet were so tired.  After a shower I now feel better.  I'm finishing writing this while my photos are being synced to the web in Picasa.  I will put the link for them at bottom of this.
        We did not do any excursions today and have none planned for tomorrow either.  Tomorrow I will put the photos of the excursion we did back in 2012.  Tune in as they are good.  Tomorrow is the end of this 3rd segment so many passengers will be disembarking and new ones coming aboard.
        Tonight we will be dining with Susanne Peters again.  I requested Chef Michael prepare good ole fried chicken for us tonight in Compass Rose.  I also requested Rebecca's favorite salad, hearts of palm with green goddess dressing.  No entertainment tonight as many passengers are going to "Samba Sounds and Glitter Show" at 8:45 somewhere in Rio.  We have seen it previously so not going.
        Her is the link to my photos taken during sail-in and this afternoon.

https://goo.gl/photos/Lr6xRN2E3P4Xzx3G7

DAY 50-ESCAPING SANTOS

        It is another overcast day here in Santos.  We have not seen the sun during our 4 days stuck here.  At 2:00 pm it was 81F with 67% humidity.  The crane finally hoisted the temporary backup emergency generator up to deck 12 around 6:00 pm yesterday.  The technical staff of the ship and two guys sent here from Miami spent all night getting it fastened down and wired into the ship's electrical system.  At noon today they did tests to make sure everything worked as it was supposed to. Those tests were successful so now we will finally be able to sail out this evening.
        The Captain has not announced yet what time we will be departing.  We will be heading directly to Rio de Janeiro which is 250 nautical miles away.  We should now arrive there back on our schedule tomorrow morning.  We are to be there for two days.  The second day is the end of another segment of this SA cruise.  Therefore, many passengers will be disembarking on Friday morning and a new group boarding starting at noon.  It was very important for Regent to get this ship up to Rio on time because of this.
        More good news!!  We are now again free of the GI bug.  So all the restrictions associated with that have again been lifted.  Last time it only lasted two days.  Fingers crossed this time.
        We received a letter last night from Regent and signed by the Captain apologizing for all the problems we have experienced on this segment.  They are offering compensation in the form of a future cruise credit.  It is something I expected but thought the offer a little low.  I expressed that in a letter to our travel agent and to the ship's general manager.
     
What We Did Last Night:
        As I mentioned in yesterday's posting, the General Manager and Food & Beverage team put on a special, private dinner party for those who are doing the Grand Cruise (72 days) around South America.  It was held up in La Veranda as Sette Mari was closed for the night due to our party.  The theme of the dinner party was, "Brazilian Rodizio Grill".  Click on this link to view the photos I took last night.

                                                                 As we entered

                                             Crew dressed up as Brazilian gauchos

                                                  Donald, our Food & Beverage Director

                                                     Chief Purser and Executive Concierge

                                                   Eddie and Lyn at our table

                                                                  The menu

                                                       Serving from skewers of meats.

Link to above photos, but they are all above:
https://goo.gl/photos/Yv5SRmGKTLxpTnpi6

Today:
Again, we missed today's scheduled port of call in Buzios, Brazil.  Here is some info about that place anyway since I had written this prior to the cruise for you.
BUZIOS, BRAZIL
Historical/Background Info:
        Over night we did another puzzling cruise.  This time we sailed past Rio de Janiero, where we will be coming back to after our port call in Buzios.  Buzios, once a sleepy fishing village, is now a resort town 100 miles north of Rio.  It is considered one of the ten most beautiful spots in the world.  Bridgett Bardot made Buzios even more famous as back in the 1964 when her boyfriend brought her here to escape the paparazzi.  Mick Jagger and Madonna followed in her path.  Today Buzios is a popular getaway from Rio and a worldwide tourist site, especially for Brazilians and Argentinians.  With over 23 beautiful beaches and many great restaurants, it is no wonder the “sun & fun” crowd come here.
Photos of Buzios
        Once again you will get to see my photos taken back in 2012 when we stopped here.  I did a "Beaches of Buzios by Trolley" two hour tour then.

https://goo.gl/photos/xGFhoTcvzvu2GYkA8

Tonight's Plan

        Let out a big cheer when we push off the pier here.  Won't be doing this SA cruise ever again.  Since this is a short 12 day segment there were no formal optional dress nights.  There will be two next segment though.  Tonight is basically the Captain's farewell "Krew Kapers Show" (show put on by 20 members of the crew) followed by farewell dinner.  Dinner in Compass Rose is featuring our favorite dinner entree, beef Wellington.  Unfortunately, we had made dinner reservations in Prime 7 for 7:00 pm this evening.  Oh, well, we will have it on next segment.  The show is featuring Marshal Carolan, the male lead singer of the Jean Ann Ryan cast.  Will see his show as he is VERY talented.

        Well, hope to be writing you from Rio tomorrow.

         

DAY 49-STILL BROKE DOWN IN SANTOS

        Don't think I need to put another photo of our position as it has not changed.  We are still docked in Santos.  We were told the emergency generator would be arriving early this morning by truck from Rio but it did not arrive until after 12:30 pm.  They are moving so slow in getting it put up on deck 12 (top deck of our ship).   I stood out on deck 6 by lifeboats from 2 pm to 3 pm and all they did was take it off the truck.  I had an appointment to get my haircut at 3 pm so when I came back out at 3:20, nothing had changed and the crane operator was taking a nap.
        Now the internet is down again.  I'm bummed but can at least write this.  Who knows when I can post it however.  This morning I did manage to get an email off to Regent.  Just wanted to update our friend there about what was going on and that we were becoming disappointed with all that is going on with this cruise.
        We were suppose to be in Ilha Grande yesterday, Parati today, and Buzios tomorrow.  Obviously, we did not get to the first two and I am betting we will not be in Buzios tomorrow either.  The Captain finally made a PA at 2:30 this afternoon saying that the generator had arrived and it would take some time to put it on board.  She said she would be giving us another update at 6 pm.  I expect her to say no port again tomorrow and we will be sailing straight to Rio.  It is 250 nautical miles from here to Rio so will take minimum of 15 hours probably longer.  Now I am just hoping we make it there by Thursday or even at all.  I hate to be so pessimistic but it's just the way this cruise is going.
        Patience has run out for many of the passengers.  I feel bad for the ones on just the 12 day cruise from BA to Rio as 1/3 of the scheduled ports have been cancelled or about to be.  What I'm not happy about is that we paid 30% more for this cruise than we did in 2012 and getting SO much less.  Ok, I need to improve my attitude!  Sorry
        Even though we are not in Parati, Brazil, today, here is the information I had planned on sharing with you today anyway.  I will also include the link to the 2012 photos I took in Parati.  I am disappointed we are not going here this cruise as it was a very interesting place with lots of historical Colonial buildings.


Historical/Background Info:
        Over night our ship (was suppose to have) back-tracked about 30 miles to arrive at Paratay (or what the Regent itinerary calls Parati).  It was founded in 1597 but was not until 1667 that it was formally established as a town by Portuguese settlers.  In 1696 the world’s richest gold mines were discovered here.  In the early 1800’s the port here was revived due to coffee trade and later with the production of cachaca, which is a sugar cane derived liquor used in making Caipirinhas.  This is one of my favorite drinks!!  It is Brazil’s most famous drink.  If you ever go to one of the Brazilian restaurants in the US, I would highly recommend that you try one.  It will not be as good as the ones in Brazil however.  You have to use Brazilian limes, which are smaller than ours, to make it.  Believe me, I have tried!!
        Today Paritay is a historic town with beautifully preserved Portuguese colonial architecture, much has not changed for over 250 years, narrow cobblestone streets, two colonial forts, and four beautiful Baroque style churches.  Cars and trucks are not allowed on the cobblestone streets in the historic district but horses and carts are very common.  Today Paraty’s economy is dependent mainly on fishing, agriculture (bananas & sugar cane), and tourism.  Population here is 36,000.

Link to Parati photos from 2012:

https://goo.gl/photos/AzYa3tdeoG4UM268A

What We Did Today:
        Guess I covered this above.  This evening at 7:00 pm there is a special event (finally) for the Grand Cruisers (all those doing the full 72 day cruise.  I believe there are now around 90+ of us).  It is a "Brazilian Rodizio Grill" up in Sette Mari restaurant.  Meats will be carved table side just as in Brazilian restaurants.  It should be a nice time.
        Tonight's show is the return of Mark Newsome, a Welsh comedian/pianist.  Didn't go to his first show and probably skip this one too.
        Well, as I said, I went to the Canyon Ranch Spa on board and got my hair cut this afternoon.  Young lady from Serbia did a pretty good job, I think.  Won't know until I wash it later.  Men's hair cuts half the price of women's.
Here are some photos I took of crane and generator they will be putting on deck 12.

 The backup generator FINALLY arrived after noon time today.  Captain  finally made a PA at 2:30 pm saying it had arrived but would take time to load.  She said she would update us again at 6 pm.

           These are counter weights being taken from truck and put on back of crane.

             Putting counter weight on crane.  This will offset the weight of the generator.

                                               The generator in container

 Crane fully entended about to take generator off truck.  Crane will have to put it on top deck of our ship.

                               Grain elevator with conveyer belt to load grain on the ships.

                                  Here comes our Captain after she made the PA to help??

                                                  Lots of cell phone calls going on.

I left at 3pm to get my hair cut.  Came back at 3:20 and crane operator taking a little snooze.

It is now about 5 pm and no progress is being made.  Generator still sitting on dock hooked up to crane but no one around now, not even crane operator.  I'm guessing it's their quitting time now.  Stay tuned tomorrow for this fiasco.  Bet we will be here all day--Day 4.