Our cruise ended this morning. Like all other cruises we have been on, disembarkation is so terrible it makes you wonder if the trip was worth it. That's why we like the longer cruises best- there is more time for the fun with only one painful day. We got up this morning at 6:30, showered and finished the last minute packing (big packing was done last night when the suitcases went out into the hallway), had breakfast and sat around until 10:00 when we were finally called for departure. The departure hall where you crawl through masses of people to find your suitcases was positvely the worst ever. First of all, it was raining, which just barely improved the heat and humidity of Rio. The room was stifling. Second, the hall was too small for the crowds of people so we were crammed in and it was hot, both in temperature and tempers. Third, there was no rhyme or reason to how the bags were laid out and the process you had to go through to get out the door. We did not leave the hall until almost noon.
When we got outside we were surrounded by taxi drivers all offering to drive us to our hotel. When I retrieved our hotel name and address from our bag, they all assured us that we made a mistake- the hotel is 200 km away from the port. I guess it is now clear why I got such a good room rate during Carnival. I booked a room in an entirely different city! The most persistent of the taxi drivers who had followed us around as we dragged our bags through the crowded, rainy streets assured us that he could find us a good room for a reasonable rate if we paid him $40 for a taxi ride to the hotel. Knowing it was a rip off but being hot and frustrated, we jumped in the taxi and plowed through the rainy streets to Cocacobana Beach where he drove us to a suitable mid priced hotel where we were able to book a room for about $175 a night. Not as good a rate as my previous place, and probably not as nice as a Sheraton Four Point, it nevertheless fits the bill of being in the right town. And, for 20 reals a night (about $11) we have unlimited wifi access. Yahoo.
Mike took a nap when we got back and I worked on e-mail, then we went for a walk around the neighborhood. The rain seems to have kept many people indoors, so the beach, located about three blocks from our hotel, was deserted. An open air market had vendors all talking to each other with no customers. After circling the block we settled on a place for lunch. Imagine having lunch at 3:30! The place was crowded though. As we sat down at one of the semi-outdoor tables (covered but no walls) the waiter handed us English menus. No matter how we try to blend, we are obviously not Brazilian!
We feasted on beef. I wonder how long the life span of a typical South American is. They eat a heck of a lot of beef.
As we were finishing our meal an older woman and her adult son came in and spoke to a number of the waiters. She was clearly highly regarded among the staff, possibly a waiter's widow. As she made her way to visit with some regulars or staff sitting in the corner behind us, she walked by our table and we initiated a terribly executed, but very warm conversation. She used sign language and hugs, and we spoke English and hugged, so it was quite warm. Our waiter liked us much better after that, and when the bill was settled and tip left he came over to shake our hand and say goodbye. Lunch was fun and filling.
We tried to find tonight's Superbowl on tv in our hotel but to no avail. Mike will be forced to check the internet every ten minutes or so to see how it is going.
Do you like the new photos I just uploaded? Two weeks worth of photos. I will write later and explain them a bit. Until then, it is off to listen to the Superbowl. We are skipping dinner for the night and living off the big lunch, so with a start time of 9:15PM our time, it will be midnight or later before the game is over.
oh, please forgive the errors. Spellcheck doesn't work when you are out of country.
Goodnight and happy Superbowl,
Deanne
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment