Well, today in Rio was a sharp contrast from what we experienced yesterday. Sunday was full of excitement with the Carnaval practicing and the Costa guests coming and going all day. Despite many venues being closed, the streets were alive with the excitement of music and dancing. Today, a Monday, the streets were about vacant, and it was back to work for the adults and back to school for the kids, we think.
At breakfast, we heard that there was competition with the music from the Costa ship and the Dinner Under the Stars, which took place at the Seaview Pool. Each one may have tried to outdo the other until the Costa ship left the dock at 9pm. Then all was quiet and the dinner outside was a success. Lucky for them, it did not rain.
There were a few tours offered today, one of which was a 3 day 2-night trip to Iguazu Falls for $4500 (double). Years ago (2003) while on a Radisson cruise, we did that tour in one day, flying from Buenos Aires in a corporate jet with a small group of guests. What a thrill that was and we did it all for $700 per person. The other excursions included a ride to the Tijuca Rainforest in a 4WD for 4 hours and $115. A street food, art, and beach tour was 6 hours and $180.
After working online for a few hours after breakfast, we left the ship by 10am. Even though it was overcast and cloudy, the temperature was 90 degrees. And very little breeze. We headed for the Museum of Tomorrow which we knew would be opened today. Along the way, we ran into folks we know who said they did walk around the outside today, but did not go in. Then we saw Jo who had just left there. She recommended we go inside mostly because seniors were free today. Well that works for us.
What we did not know was that we still had to get tickets. Locating the elevator, we went to the line to enter the museum on the second floor. That's when we learned we needed the "free" tickets to go inside. OK. Back down the elevator, we went to the line where only kiosks gave out tickets. Everything was written in Portuguese. Now what? At the very end line, we had help from a worker there who spoke English. He smiled and said every day was free for seniors. And he did not need proof. He worked the kiosk and came out with two complimentary tickets to use on the second level. At the ticket scan, the fellow handed us credit card sized cards to activate some of the displays. As spacious as this museum is, some of the venues were tight with space. And dark. The first place we entered had info on what the museum was about. Basically, it was about the direction they felt the world was going with population and dwindling resources. In many ways, it gave us something to think about, even if we did not agree 100% of what they suggested.
We saw how wind works, how the animal world evolved over the millennium, and the numerous various religions around the world. It would have been nice if there was more space in these individual displays, especially the ones that were in the dark. There were several little kids running around, so we did not last long in some of the venues. The best exhibit was one with several screens with very high videos showing different aspects of nature and various people of the earth. In the center of this room was a round couch where people with kids were laying down and looking up at the moving screens. It kind of had a mesmerizing feel to it, and we felt more comfortable standing against a wall. The underlying message to this display was a lesson in saving what we have left on this planet. That could not be duplicated anywhere else, so we exited down a ramp to the main level. Glad we took the time to see this museum, we took a walk all the way around the ponds.
We did make a sweep past the one restaurant there at the far end, but it was full of guests, and probably not our choice of cuisine. The views from these 30,000 square meters of gardens, water mirrors, bike paths, and a leisure area were wonderful. This museum was inaugurated in 2015 and has since been awarded with the title "Leading Culture Destinations Awards" in the category of best Museum of the year in South and Central America. A few more interesting facts are that the "ribs" of the outside are actually solar panels that move with the sun. And the entire museum is cooled by the waters of the bay filtered through the ponds surrounding the complex. Pretty cool.
We were very curious about the line of locals we saw today and yesterday waiting outside a building for the large strapped Styrofoam boxes we saw the vendors packing. Most all of these vendors come from the Favelas (like shanty communities) and are called Ambulantes. Currently, there are 15,000 of these independent vendors that sell beverages to the tourists and the Carnaval marchers. They buy the bottled water, sodas, and beer from a discounted company, then sell their products all throughout town. They pay rent to store their carts at one of the warehouses, then walk them to wherever they are selling. It might be as far as Ipanema or Copacabana Beaches. We watched a video of one such local vendor who took us through a day in his life as an Ambulante. He was able to support his wife and two young children with this job. At one point at the beginning of his day, he fills his water bottle at a local market. We hope the bottles he sells were sealed, but who knows? While in Mexico, we actually saw vendors filling water bottles from a hose behind a hotel and sealing the caps with a special heated tool. Yikes!
All aboard was 4:30pm, so we headed back checking out the stalls along the way outside the terminal as well as inside. There was absolutely nothing we needed, except for some ice cold soda we had waiting in our refrigerator onboard. Inside the terminal, we had to go through their xray before we were allowed back on the ship. That saved a lot of time for security on the ship.
We were back before 3pm, and working on photos and reports until sail away time. We were in our room no longer than 2 minutes, when the sky opened up and it rained pretty good. Perfect timing as we had not brought umbrellas with us today. Captain Rens came on with his talk at 4:45pm, and reported that we were waiting for the pilot to board. The ship pulled away from the dock by 5pm, and we were on our way towards Uruguay. We will have 975 nautical miles to reach Punta del Este in a couple of days. The Captain expected a six foot sea swell with some motion of the ocean with partly cloudy weather tomorrow.
Also, when we got back to our room, guess what was waiting for us? Yep, the dreaded fan was running full blast to dry out the wet carpet once again. Two plumbers were working in the hall closet where we could see leaking pipes and a wet rusted floor. Will this never end???
Dinner was interesting tonight with a visit from the Maitre'd, who we have not had the pleasure of meeting. His name is Azhar and has worked for HAL for several years. While talking to us, he created a puppy in the form of origami. That is a trick we have not seen waiters do for years now. Azhar did cheat a bit by using tape, but it's the thought that counts right? He asked if we wished for a host on tomorrow's formal evening, but we said thanks, but we are happy with our table for two. Sometimes a "put-together" table with unknown guests can be one long evening. Especially for those of us that do not drink the wine. That seems to extend the dining time by an extra hour. So many people were demanding a host or officer that he had to tell them his priority were the disembarking guests in San Antonio, Chile. He would get to the rest in due time. Bet he was glad we declined the offer.
Starters for us were one shrimp cocktail, a Caesar salad, and an arancini plate. One of us enjoys the room service chicken noodle soup, so that was another starter. One main course was breaded chicken with sauteed mushrooms, smashed garlic potatoes, and bearnaise sauce. The other meal was a vegetarian enchilada with salsa, beans and cheese. Spicy, but good. Dessert was one slice of chocolate cake and one plate of sliced pineapple.
The World Stage hosted a singer by the name of Marty Thomas with Give My Regards to Broadway tunes. The alternate movie was The Secret Life of Walter Mitty at 8:30pm.
After two busy days in Rio, most everyone was ready to turn in early. We sure were…..
Bill & Mary Ann
