Twice in 10 years, when I visited the famous Redeemer statue, it was shrouded in fog. Every few minutes the fog broke and the statue reappeared. At least it was a little cooler up here this morning.
What a coincidence…maybe that is part of its mysterious mission and statement. The train ride to the top was a pleasant 22 minute ride through the deep foliage.
Off to the local market from here…
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Saw a great show of the historical talent and traditions of Brazil to unwind the evening (and a few caiprihainas as well).
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We arrived in Brazil a day before the world ends, but unlike the great book I read 20 years ago, we are truly on the beach with no major apocalypse in Rio de Janeiro. (I think they made a black and white movie in the 50s, but I am not sure any more, it has been a long time…)
We are literally 25 meters away from the famous Copacabana beach.
This is a great location, although we are not at the best hotel in the area (Othon Palace). Three star at best, but we are truly balanced between the tourist area and being part of the local scene. We are eating side by side with the local population in their favorite cafes and eating spots and shopping for fruit, water, Gatorade, wine and snacks at the same supermarket down the street.
Yesterday morning we went for a great early morning run around the “lagoon” which is a 15 minute walk west from the beach and ocean. This is where he local running clubs, bikers, walkers, boaters, kayakers, etc. all gather and work out early in the morning.
It is a gorgeous park with approximately a 5 mile loop for running. It was hot – at 7 AM, it was already 80 degrees and Gatorade was mandatory. Very friendly and fun way to start the day on the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The evening kicked off with a nice long walk along the boardwalk to join in the festive atmosphere of Brazil.
Later, after some dinner, we went back to the Lagoon where they have the “world’s largest Christmas tree”. It is a floating island that floats around the lagoon at random. We took a few shots were not easy without walking a few miles to the other side…
Running around the world is always fun. Some of my other favorite spots:
Not goal #1, but a personal goal overall :-)
A number of enrichment lectures were held throughout the Antarctic cruise from the expeditionary staff and also some of the guests. We were fortunate to get to know and become friends with Paul Anastas who was a professor at Yale and a science advisor to both President Clinton and Bush (http://www.chem.yale.edu/faculty/anastas.html). He had an interesting talk on how to “Design for Tomorrow” to ensure a sustainable future. The future is scary unless we look at the big picture outside of organizational, political and virtual boundaries. There are many examples in nature that prove we can use different chemical and industrial techniques to avoid creating toxic waste to produce products.
In addition, which I may have forgotten to share earlier, Jim McClintock joined us on the shore landings and also educated us on his work on the warming trend in the Antarctic. (http://www.wolfmanproductions.com/james_mcclintock.html). He shared and signed copies of his book with the entire passenger list which was provided an insightful and educational perspective on the risks of the marine environment with a warming Antarctic Peninsula.
Located on the Copacabana beach. Sand and sun awaits…
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A short review of Le Boreal which we cruised with A&K to the Antarctic region starting with this blog post.
We also took a cruise to the Arctic region as well in this blog post.
The overall ship ran well with 200 passengers. There were never any lines, never any waiting, never any shortage of staff to help you. They were very attentive and responsive whenever a need exists or a request made. The food was quite good, but it was limited in choice. Tons of fish was served every day and every type was offered. One different every day. And of course, there was always fresh French bread and pastries. The big downside is the menu is fixed every day. There is not an open menu, it is one specific entrée ever day – the same choice is offered in the dining room on level 2 as well as in the open buffet on level 6. The one main shortage mostly noticed is the limited number of vegetables for salads and side dishes. The complimentary drinks, wine and champagne offered during the A&K cruise were great and appreciated. The house wines were quite good and there was no desire to purchase higher cost choices.
The rooms are quite spacious and there is very few differences between the lower floors and the larger suites on the 6th floor. I think the 4th floor is the sweet spot. The showers have great flow and generous soap and shampoo is provided to everyone. The beds are a good size and are a comfortable cushion – not a hard stone like many other cruise lines. Yes, there is a pool, but not a hot tub. Some people do dip into it every day as the temperature is maintained at a bath water level. The ship has laundry service, but watch out – it is very expensive. Over 15 euros minimum for 1 pair of pants and 1 shirt to be cleaned and pressed.
There is a very small gym with 3 treadmills, 2 recumbent bikes and 1 regular bike. That is it. No elliptical trainers, no loose weights, no nautilus machine. Very limited. On a positive side, any passenger can go up to the bridge and watch the captain and crew. No invite, no special time. Just go on up and let yourself in.
The theater is also nice as there is room for all guests. There is never any lecture or show that does not have seats for all guests.
Boarding…
The Bridge. You can easily get access and tours to watch the crew almost every day.
The rooms are very very comfortable and quite modern.
A tour of the galley with the sous chef. The chefs are very willing to take special requests to meet your needs and desires.
You do spend a lot of time in the Zodiacs as adventure out twice a day.
The pool which is warm water, but it is always so cold out, nobody ever goes in it!
Pulling back into Ushuaia, Argentina.
No more snow or French food for a while.
Time for sunny days and the beach for phase II !
In Tierra del Fuego before we head north and back to Santiago. Very quiet and scenic.
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The cruise to Antarctica was amazing. But like all cruises, you must return to land. The most amazing stop was at Palmer Station and of course, running a 5K in Antarctica was a once in a life experience (if you missed those postings).
Back from the snow and ice to the port of Ushuaia…on to the sun and beaches of eastern South America…
I am not sure if the sun ever shines here though!
It is actually a fun place to visit with some amazing lamb BBQ.
Walking around town has a lot of history which is very different than Norway. If interested in seeing where you leave for the Arctic Circle, follow this blog posting a few years later.
It was a great experience travelling on Le Boreal, for a more detailed review of the ship, check out this posting.
This was our last day of onshore adventures before headed back across the Drake Passage. Today we traversed through the LeMaire Channel – 7 miles long and 1 one mile wide. It was a little dicey as there was a huge iceberg in the middle of the channel. But we did make it through and made an early morning stop at Petermann Island which was full of nesting birds and penguins and an old abandoned Argentinian expedition shack. It was an exceptionally gorgeous day with white fluffy snowflakes dusting the ship, our balconies and jackets. It does cause some challenges for the penguins who are keeping their eggs warm and need clear ground for their nests formed with small rocks. It was fun watching some of the penguin couples fighting over the limited number of rocks back and forth. On a side note, interestingly but not surprising, the Argentinian government does not maintain these outposts and structures, but they refuse to remove them to indicate they are not dominant as pseudo owners of Antarctica.
In the afternoon we went into Niko Harbor which is on the actual continent where we were able to do some more snow hiking and perform a little snow sliding. It was a nice .5 mile hike to the top where you get great views of the glaciers and bay. And to end the day and shore expeditions, we slid down the side of the mountain a few times to enjoy the great weather.
Antarctica is 10% of the land mass on Earth. When an iceberg melts, it creates fresh water around the iceberg which stuns some of the sea life around the iceberg. This is why birds flock around the icebergs to take advantage of and eat the stunned prey. Algae goes into a resting state in the winter months. The Krill live off the algae under the sea ice. The whales live off the krill. If there is global warming and no sea ice…many species and animals will die off.
Did you know that there are 850 species of mollusks in Antarctica? In actuality, there are more unique species of life in Antarctica than the Galagopos.
From here, we head north back across the Drake Passage to Argentina to conclude this first phase of our journey.
David Cross Travel Blog 