Embarkation Day

Today I left Rio. I started out with a walk on the beach then returned to pack. I checked out at noon [boy it’s nice to have prepaid everything]. The ride to Pier Maua was about 30 minutes and cost 35 Reals. My bags were whisked away to be loaded without me and I went through the passenger terminal. Cattle call anyone? It took about an hour before I got to board. We had to have lunch, as the staterooms were not ready. After about an hour we were allowed below and I got my first glimpse of my spacious “PRIVATE” quarters [see pictures]. We had a life boat drill and I was immediately reminded how some folks simply know so much better than the experts. We were told to leave the life jackets on until we returned to our staterooms; the reason being the tie cords are very long and pose a tripping hazard. The twit walking in front of me decided he had to have it off and had his wife untie him. I looked at his feet and sure enough his cord was dragging between his shoes. He stepped on it and went right into the wall. I stifled both a laugh and a crude remark satisfied that he was at least a little embarrassed. I am leading a charmed life. I did not need my pants! They now have no-pants dining. There is a new system that is apparently spreading throughout the industry where you can simply waltz in between the hours of 5 and 9 and you will be seated. No jacket necessary but cargo trousers were acceptable. I sat at a table with an unusal woman from San Francisco who said very little, a Portuguese couple from Vancouver [I will definitely cultivate that acquaintance as they know Lisbon inside and out] and a retired cop from North Carolina and his wife of two years. I could understand the Portuguese couple much better than the NC folks. Now I am in the “Explorations Café” writing my blog. I will stop now and upload today’s photo crop.

Point of Clarification

The time at the end of each post reflects the time in Healdsburg. I did not change the clock on my computer. So for accuracy add 4 hours to the time of the post. I'll try to remember to inform of time zone changes when I post in the future.

Ipanema

I tried the continental breakfast this morning. Rich dark coffee with a selection of breads, pastries and cake followed by scrambled eggs and sausage [more like hotdog] and a buffet of fresh sliced fruits and ham and cheeses. Not bad at all. I then went on a long walk the length of Copacabana and back [ about 3 miles]. The entire city comes out to jog, walk, bike, stroll, mosey and be seen. There are yoga groups on the beach next to capoeira dancers, and military men running through drills [there are barracks at both ends of Copacabana]. Every size, weight, height, age, color, etc. were there. I think it's the first time I haven't felt selfconscious about my physique in years. Of course you must be tan. The rest of the day I have given myself over to Flavio, Renata and Caue.
Renata cooked lunch while Flavio and I walked Caue to his school. We then sat down for a feast of sauteed beef with onions, brown rice, farofa and a white root that is pureed with a little milk. It has the consistency of creamy mashed potatoes but it is being embraced throughout Brazil as the new, must-eat-regularly, miracle food. I drank fresh coconut water as a beverage. It is full of potassium and essential minerals and is very safe and refreshing to drink as it comes served in it's natural insulated container. You can buy it on the street most anywhere in Brazil.
We then went out for a walking tour of Ipanema. There are beautiful exotic trees along the streets with orchids and other tropical flowers growing in them. The shops are very fashionable and would stand up against anything in San Francisco or New York. Renata then informed me that the really good shops are in Centro. We stopped at one of the hundreds of fruit juice purveyors for my first taste of asai. It is served very cold in a tall glass with a spoon. I did say glass. This is a street side vender that serves their drinks in glasses. The asai was deep purple, almost black and I proceeded to get it all over me and everything near me. It is delicious. I then had a tangerine sorbet. There were fancy bakeries everywhere tempting us with deadly looking eclairs and cream puffs, ice cream cakes, pies and more pies. No wonder everyone was out exercising this morning. Tomorrow we board ship.

What I Forgot

What I forgot astounds me. Considering how thorough I was in establishing my foolproof packing procedures I really put one over on me. I forgot my dress slacks; I guess they won’t let me eat on the ship. You know what they say, “no pants no food.” I forgot my Rio guidebooks and my Brazil/Portugal Menu Guide which accounts for my less than stellar performance as a food critic. I forgot my Fruit/nut snacks; sorry, Martha, you did your best. All this on top of losing my luggage [it did arrive about 8 hours later] had me fretting a bit. But all has been worked out… I have a wonderful and generous guide/friend in Flavio [and his beautiful family] as well as an attentive and helpful hotel staff. I am having the time of my life thanks to all of my friends back home as well.

Academia do Cachaca

Flavio, his family and I had dinner at the Academy of Cachaca [Academia da Cachaca]. Not far from their home on the edge of a small shopping center on a tree-lined road by the lagoon sits a gem of a bar/bistro. It is dedicated to cachaca and offers dozens of brands. We tried a few caipirinhas [the passion fruit version won hands down] which are served with or with out "sugar." We chose the sugar-less. Then we went on to the shots of "good" cachaca. It was very much like the old tequila craze or sampling "good" grappa. It is very much like grappa, Dinner was shredded beef on garbanzos with tiny Habanera-like peppers that pack quite a whollop! I called it an early night and crashed for a good 8 hours. My first real sleep in two days. If you are interested in cachaca and caipirinhas check out www.caipirinha.us.

Corcovado

Flavio picked me up out in front of the hotel at noon. We headed out to Santa Teresa, a district of old stately homes, shops, boutiques and restaurants. The circuitous and climbing road passed several favelas along the way. They seem to be regarded as just another part of the city, but another part of the city you want nothing to do with. They are still extremely dangerous and incredibly well armed. Would that our military had their resources. Apparently all the weaponry comes from Paraguay. The police are also so deeply entrenched in the weapons dealing there that they end up trading the favelas weapons that are ultimately used to fight them. Along the wonderful and exciting tram system are very good restaurants and shops. We stopped at Bar do Mineiro to sample their feijoada, a thick stew of black beans and pork with spices. We shared a single order, which we could not finish. It is served with rice, dried manioc powder [farofa], and a strange vegetable/salad green like nothing I have seen, It appears as shredded leaves but that may be its natural state and it has small pod-like growths about the size of a pea. They seem to have been sliced very thin which suggests the shredding. Hot sauce is a must and you wash it all down with ice cold Atlantica Beer which resembles Heineken. We then headed for Corcovado and the Christo Redentor, in the Floresta da Tijuca, the largest urban jungle in the world. It makes Golden Gate Park look like a tiny corner in my unkempt back yard. Some of the most breath-taking panoramas are afforded from this massive platform crowned by Brazil’s equivalent of the Statue of Liberty. In 1931 this 100 foot tall icon was hauled up to the top fo Corcovado [it means "hunchback"]some 2275 feet on and old rack railway built in 1884 [it is still running and the most popular way to get to the top]. The statue is reinforced concrete clad in soapstone and it sits on a 27 foot pedestal. It was designed by Heitor da Silva Costa and Carlos Oswaldo and was created in France overseen by Paul landowski who also scupted the face and hands.

Rio

The flight from SFO to MIA was cramped and uncomfortable. I had an aisle seat but could not put my feet out for all the flight attendants. American Airlines has not cut corners on attendants. MIA to GIG [Rio] was the same, This time I had a bulk head. I remember when that meant more leg room. It was as tight as the early flight but the wall was hard compared to the soft back of the seat in front of me. Advice to all… don’t get tall, don’t get fat, and do get rich [enough to afford business class]. We were fed [twice!] on the MIA>GIG flight which was a surprise for me. It took 8.5 hours and most of that was spent over the Brazilian jungle. This country is huge! Watching the flight path gives you a real sense of it’s size. We landed a little late and waited in a very long line to go through passport control. They let the crew and the infirm jump the line which is understandable but they also permitted families with small children to jump to the front which was kind of charming. When we got to baggage our bags were already out. All out except one. My new hard-body Samsonite with the wine and gifts and toiletries is missing. They were confident that I would get it before the ship leaves and “if not, we will send it to meet you in Bahia.” An airport employee whisked me through customs without a glance at my bags. He acted like he was mortified that they had lost my bag.
I paid up-front for a “radio” taxi to take me to the hotel [80 reals = about $40.] during rush hour. It looked a lot like Havana. Incredibly beautiful 19th century buildings were crumbling from lack of respect. Then we finally made it to Copacabana Beach and my hotel. The Lancaster Othon is from [my guess] the 40s and 50s. It’ a bit shabby but clean and well functioning. I sat out on the beach across the street for an hour or so. Copacabana is only one of several world-class beaches in Rio. It is situated on the south coast of the city. Roberto Burle Marx designed the "wave" mosaic sidewalk that runs the length of the beach. The calcadao [black and white paving stones] are Portuguese in origin. The sidewalks closer to the hotels and other buildings are in more geometric patterns varying from block to block.