the boomer live

I (Mick) got up early to watch our entry into the harbor of Rio, a very impressive sight. From harbor entrance to dock takes about an hour. (Tip:Port side cabins just have to open their curtains )

We had breakfast delivered to our cabin, my omelet was delicious and hot (a first for room service on any ship!) Vicki had a fruit plate (see photo). We went ashore to meet our private tour guide for Rio, Marcio, he had emailed a photo where to meet outside the terminal. There was a man holding a sign with our names, he turned out to be Marcelo, he apologized that Marcio could not make it as his car had broken down. We headed off to Corvocado. Marcio called on a cell phone and apologized for not being there to meet us but that he had given Marcelo a full list for our tour. We took the cog railway up to Corvocado (Tip: Sit on the right side of the tram facing up hill, two seats together, for the best views. You will actually be facing down hill.).

Note to Megan & Joe: Look at the Santa  & Sleigh we saw at the cable car station!

It was slightly cloudy when we got to the top, but the views were well worth it. The Christ the Redeemer Statue is very impressive. After we got back to the car we drove around Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, passed by the Jockey Club and onto the beach where the hang gliders land, unfortunately the take off site on the mountain was covered in clouds so there was no flying. Onto Ipanema Beach, Marcelo dropped us off on the main shopping street in Ipanema so that he could park the car (this part of the tour was obligatory for Vicki). Lots of nice shops, Vicki decided to buy a Bikini and T-Shirt at Bum Bum, a well know store. The beach is two blocks away, we walked along the beach, watching the Cariocas playing football (soccer), volley ball, enjoying the sun having a party! Next was Fort de Copacabana, a military base at the end of Copacabana Beach. It has great views of Copacabana from the point (massive defensive guns as well). Next was a drive along Copacabana Beach, we did not stop, as we are planning to visit tomorrow. At the end of Copacabana you come to Sugar Loaf, although the weather looked a bit threatening we decided to take the cable car to the top. You take the cable car half way up then change to a different car to go to the top, while we were waiting for the second car there was  a massive lightening strike, sparks flew, and all the power shut down! It took about half an hour for the weather to calm down and to get the power going again. With a bit of trepidation we decided to take the cable car all the way up. You only live once, right. (I guess you only die once as well!). As promised in the tourist guides the views from the top of Sugar Loaf are outstanding, well worth the heart stopping moments! Marcelo dropped us off at the ship and arranged to meet us in the morning.

After a short rest and shower we went up to the Looking Glass lounge and had a drink before dinner. The ship seems a bit quiet tonight, probably a lot of people took the Plataforma Samba show tour. We had dinner in Discoveries again, highlight of the dinner were Oysters Rockefeller (Vicki) and Prime Rib (Mick), although the Yorkshire Pudding was a little dry. Service was friendly and efficient.

On a service note, before we went to dinner we mentioned to our Butler that a face plate on a wall outlet was hanging loose and that a light bulb was out. Both were fixed by the time we got back to the cabin after dinner. Two very tired people then went to sleep !!

To see more photos, click on the flickr logo in the left hand column (where it says theboomers live photoset)