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Circumnavigating South America
  • Ali and Jeff Carithers
  • Ali and Jeff Carithers

Circumnavigating South America

An open-ended adventure by Ali and Jeff Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 4, 2018
    Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    South American Adventures

    January 4, 2018, Gulf of Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We have begun our South American circumnavigation!
    We departed Virginia on December 24th in search of warmer temperatures. That was not the case when we arrived in Beaufort, SC to spend some time on Jim and Nancy’s boat. I think it was the freezing rain one night that told us we hadn’t gone far enough south.
    We continued on to St. Augustine for New Years and had one beautiful day (that means I didn’t have to wear every shirt I’d packed all at once!). Then the wind started howling and the super moon flooded all the streets. Oh, and there was a wind chill warning!
    Surely it would be warmer in Fort Lauderdale! Nope.
    Even though this sounds like complaining, it really is just an observation-we are well aware that our weather is much better than what the rest of the country is suffering through.
    Today we are powering through some moderately rough seas on our way to Cozumel, Mexico tomorrow.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Cozumel

    January 5, 2018 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    We arrived in Cozumel today and took a trip to see Chichen Itza, the Mayan ruins that are one of the seven wonders of the world. It was especially interesting to see what it is today because I visited there when I was 15 with my high school
    Spanish class. The ruins are roped off and protected now, but it the early 70’s we climbed them!
    We also visited a cenote ( the 4th photo) which is a natural swimming hole that is formed by limestone breaking away into a large underground system of caves and rivers. It is a popular place to swim, but it was a little cool for us to partake.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Belize City, Belize

    January 6, 2018 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    A beautiful day in Belize for Jeff’s 63rd birthday!
    He is getting more attention on the ship than he likes, but hey, that’s the price you pay for having a birthday!
    We all took a fairly brief walk around Belize City and found it to be quite quiet and the locals very friendly.
    We had visited here 26 years ago and didn’t see too much change in our very brief encounter.
    The architecture is fascinating, although a bit tattered. There is definitely a British colonial influence from it’s former life as the British Honduras.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
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    Roatan, Honduras

    January 7, 2018 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    After an exciting birthday celebration for Jeff last night, we had a lovely morning snorkeling the second largest barrier reef in the world off Roatan. They are very aware that the coral is disappearing due to climate change and are trying to educate people about this which reflects the bleaching we saw while snorkeling.
    We then kayaked in the protected bay and we’re able to get close enough to the mangroves to see huge iguanas and hear parrots communicating with each other.
    Needless to say, we used some muscles today that had been dormant for awhile, so we were beat but stirred by the experience this afternoon upon our return to the ship.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
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    The Panama Canal

    January 10, 2018 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Today we are transiting the Panama Canal, and even though we have been through it before, it truly is an engineering marvel. We have a person making announcements about the various locks we are going through and citing some interesting facts.
    It takes a ship like ours all day to go from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean and costs around $75,000 cash.
    A couple of observations:
    The people working the locks are very friendly, wave at all of us and sometimes take pictures of us, taking pictures of them, taking pictures of us.....
    You think they would be a bit jaded after doing this day in and day out, but they all seem to have a smile.
    The tugboats that we see along the way seem to have such personalities! They are almost territorial in how they act, sometimes seeming to chase another tugboat away so they can do the job. Sort of the Jack Russells of the boat kingdom.
    The lock we just passed through dropped us 31 feet-and quite quickly I might add. The water went out at 3,000,000,000 gallons a minute.
    The rest of the cruise until we arrive back in the Caribbean in March is new territory for all of us so stay tuned.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
    11This is the mirror on our room that turns into a giant TV with liafs of movies.

    Ahhhh.... Sea Days

    January 11, 2018, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 100 °F

    I think it’s a little hard to explain why we all love sea days on the ship so much. This is our 4th sea day in a row and we generally feel like it isn’t enough. (You mean we have to get off the ship tomorrow?) It’s a departure from all the obligations, both actual and self-imposed, that allow for days of reading, walking, computering and general relaxing. Not to even mention the lectures and other activities available on the ship.
    Lunch for me consists of one giant salad bar. Five kinds of greens-really? Evidence seems to be mounting that I may have been a rabbit in a former life.
    It all leads up to happy hour with Nancy and Jim (and sometimes another passenger on the ship if they dare) and a wonderful Silversea dinner followed by entertainment if one chooses.
    We have maintained our reputation on the ship as “those people who laugh all the time”. The ship crew keeps the Prosecco flowing and the Silver Spirit martinis mixed. What is not to like about a sea day?    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
    Making the Panama hat.
    2Wearing the Panama hats!Tuna fishing.

    The Panama Hat

    January 14, 2018, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    Todays port was Manta, Ecuador which is a vibrant, smiling city that boasts the title of the tuna Capitol of the world. Some of the tuna fishing boats even have helicopters on their decks to go ahead of the boats to scout prime fishing areas.
    The “chivas” truck is a traditional way to get around here. It is a open-air jalopy with bench seating. The fun part is when a band, complete with saxophone, trumpet and drum, climb up to the roof of this truck and begin playing some incredibly lively tunes! Everyone on the side of the road waves, dances and smiles as you go by. What a great place!
    We also learned about the Panama hat, which I always assumed was made in Panama 🤔. Indeed, it was not made in Panama, but in Ecuador. When the Panama Canal was being built, the workers needed a lightweight, breathable hat to protect them from the sun. The people of Ecuador began weaving and providing hats for the workers. When Roosevelt visited during the construction of the Canal, he wore one of the hats, the picture was transmitted world-wide and the design was referred to as the Panama hat. A typical, medium-quality Panama hat takes about 1 month for someone to make and up to 8 months for a master weaver to make. See the photo below to see the unusual position the locals have adopted for the making of the hat.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Lima, Peru

    January 15, 2018 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    The ship sat outside the harbor for several hours this morning trying to get into a very fogged-in Lima. Once we arrive at a port, we often have a complimentary shuttle that takes us from the ship to the city center and it is typically some great sightseeing.
    Our impression of Lima was a very bright and vibrant community feeling. There are 11 million people here, but it certainly didn’t feel that way. One of our favorite things to do is to just walk around our destination and we especially like to find a residential area to get a feel for the flavor of the life.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Paracas, Peru

    January 16, 2018 in Peru ⋅ 🌬 79 °F

    A huge change from yesterday’s visit to Lima! Paracas is a small fishing village that has capitalized on the nearby islands that have a great deal of bird life.
    It is basically a desert with some small populated areas within it. We are just a short distance away from Pisco (Pisco sours are one of our favorite drinks!), which is best remembered for the magnitude 8 earthquake that struck here in 2007 and damaged 80% of the buildings there. The tectonic plates here move 3.1” a year. In fact, there was a magnitude 7.1 earthquake just south of here 2 days ago that was centered 22 miles off shore. There was a brief tsunami alert that was quickly cancelled. There was also an earthquake in the Honduras the day after we were there. Hhmmmm...... We are definitely in the ring of fire!
    It is an interesting juxtaposition of a body of water within a desert setting here. This is our last stop in Peru before we head to Chile tomorrow!    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
    1Ancient geoglyphs
    1Taapaca volcanoes

    Chilean highlands

    January 18, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    It took a little convincing from Jeff, but we took an excursion into the Chilean Highlands yesterday. My hesitation came from the fact that it was a 3 hour ride each way to an elevation of 12,000 feet. Now come on, we’ve all seen those pictures of buses dropping off roads in South America, but I must admit that it was a pretty decent road. That certainly did not take away from the drama of the incredible landscape.
    This area of Chile is just south of the border from Peru and the Bolivian border is just to the east - Chile is skinny like a chili pepper! This region has a population density of 1 person per 30 square kilometers and that includes the city of Arica which is 160,000. In other words, it is pretty desolate. By the way, the second largest town is population 1,000. It is also the second driest populated place on earth at 1/2 millimeter of rain per year-that isn’t even what we would call a trace!
    In 1868, a magnitude 9 earthquake struck the area killing 70,000 people. Between the earthquake and the ensuing 2 tsunami waves (the second one was 90’ high), the city was literally reduced to rubble, the waves then washing everything away, including any remaining foundations.
    We saw some fabulous geoglyths that are about 170’ tall and we’re done between 100BC and 1500AD. There is very little know about why they were done, but they have found around 17,000 of them throughout this region.
    As we were driving into the Andes mountains on a 2 lane road, passing other vehicles in our bus, our guide mentioned that they experience earthquakes here about once per week! It took everything I had not to ask if the last one was yesterday or a week ago.
    We drove through an incredibly dry valley that was followed by a more lush area that looked up at 2 snow-capped dormant Taapaca volcanoes. The town of Putre, founded in 1580, lies in a shallow valley at about here at 12,000’ of elevation. There’s not too much air to breathe here!
    We had a wonderful lunch at the Canta Verde which served Pebre which is the Chilean version of what we would call Pico de Gallo. Jeff enjoyed it more than everyone else and they brought him an additional plate of it! They use it as a condiment for soups, meat and bread. Also, I was searching for a bathroom and was excited to recall my high school Spanish class to say “Donde esta el bano?” What a thrill - I was speaking fluent Spanish!
    We have 2 sea days before arriving in Valparaiso, Chile for some Chilean wine-tasting. Our captain has informed us that the waves are building and there will be some “pitching and groaning” tomorrow. Never a dull moment!    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
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    Valparaiso, Chile

    January 22, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Wow. This was a handful. Valparaiso was a plethora of color, mouth-watering food smells, graffiti, noise, litter (no, garbage), the most beautiful fruits and vegetables I’ve ever seen, cold mornings, hot afternoons, dogs (everywhere) and a feeling of a place that has multiple layers of life.
    It has been the home of many artists, poets and writers. It is clearly a place that promotes free expression. There is graffiti everywhere that intermittently transitions to beautiful, colorful murals. There are mosaics imbedded in the thousands of stairs that climb from the waterfront up into the neighborhoods that are filled with candy-colored houses. Walking along, you find many artistic expressions that are totally made of recycled or found objects.
    It is a city that has had it’s share of problems. It is in the earthquake zone, which is evident in some of the older, very elegant buildings that now sport crumbling facades. They also suffered some difficult economic times when the Panama Canal opened and they no longer enjoyed the commerce that being a major port for ships coming around Cape Horn brought.
    Valparaiso is also quite near the Casablanca Valley which is one of Chile’s main wine-producing regions.
    We had the opportunity to visit a couple of wineries and do some wine-tasting. One of the wineries said they produced 1,000,000 bottles a year, yet they are considered a boutique winery. The climate here is somewhere between that of California and France which makes it an ideal place for growing grapes.
    Jeff and I also sampled some very typical Chilean foods. Empanadas with shrimp and cheese, a pie that had beef, chicken, black olives, raisins and a cornbread topping, and something called a “completo”. A completo is a hot dog (?) on a bun that has fresh tomatoes, sauerkraut, mayonnaise and avocado. McDonalds came to Valparaiso, but only lasted a year before moving out. Turns out the people liked both the taste and the price of their completo better.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Castro, Chile

    January 24, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    After a rockin’ and rollin’ passage yesterday, we arrived in Chile’s Lake District and the town of Castro. It is a pleasant town with lots new and old architecture. There are quite a few fish farms in this area. All in all, it was a beautiful day to walk around the city, eat fresh seafood and get ready to head for the Chilean fjords. Hope the water is a little calmer-it’s hard to hold onto my glass of Prosecco!Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

    January 25, 2018 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    We are visiting a port that lies within the Chilean fjords. It is an almost dream-like area that surrounds us-snow-capped mountains, gorgeous lush green hillsides, the bluest skies and cerulean waters. It is a knock-out 360 degree view. One can’t help but think that maybe this would be a place to spend the winter-a cozy little cabin where you could drop a kayak into the glassy waters every day and commune with this particular kind of nature. This little dream was dancing in our heads for a couple of days, after all, it’s s perfect climate.
    After we walked into this sleepy little village that had the friendliest dogs, a local man, who spoke perfect English, was waiting to help us onto the tender back to the ship. He said, “wow, you are really lucky to be here on such a nice day, you know, it rains 300 days a year here”. And poof, that nice little daydream went right out of our heads.
    We are thoroughly enjoying this part of the trip. The beauty of the surroundings here are simply incredible and it made it easy for us to exercise on the outdoor track this morning. The cool, crisp air should be with us for several more days as we prepare to round the tip of the continent through the Straights of Magellan.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
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    Chilean Fjords

    January 29, 2018, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    It is a chilly day (get it? Chilly/Chile) in the fjords. It is spectacular in an austere, pristine way. There is no sign of human habitation anywhere.
    We had a bit of a rough ride here last night ( I believe I levitated off the bed a couple of times) but no complaints. One of the staff told us that on this same passage 2 years ago, they had 26’ waves for 12 days. Hhmmmm..... As I said, no complaints.
    We are flying to the Torres de Paines National Park tomorrow for a big day of sightseeing. Stay tuned.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Punta Arenas, Chile

    January 29, 2018 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 57 °F

    There has been a gap in our blog postings because Ali, the chief blog writer, had a bit of an upper respiratory infection and GI problem. This is a serious issue aboard this ship as they quarantine the afflicted individual to the room, wipe down every surface, change all linens daily, and the butler showers you with food, treats, beverages, crudite' and lots of sympathetic attention.



    Meanwhile, Nancy and I (Jim was sick too) went on an excursion from the port city of Punta Arenas, Chile in the Strait of Magellan to the Torres del Paine National Park and saw the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen in our lives, feeling guilty the whole time that our partners were not with us. The stunning views included towering mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, glacial rivers, blue AND green lakes, and gorgeous topography with several hundred guanacos (a wild, larger version of the llama) scattered about. Nancy and I discussed downplaying our experience, but I ended up telling Ali that I will take her back there for a separate trip in the future.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
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    Falkland Islands

    February 1, 2018 in Falkland Islands ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    After passing through the Strait of Magellan we sailed northeast to the Falkland Islands, just missing a storm with 8-12 meter seas. The winds in this part of the world are impressive and this storm exacerbated that tendancy resulting in winds over 110 mph. Locals told us about a couple who was camping during the storm and sought refuge in a shipping container. The strong winds blew the shipping container down a hillside, severely injuring the couple inside. They were evacuated to Santiago, Chile and survived.



    The nearly 800 islands of the archipelago (almost 5000 square miles) have a population of only 3000 people and over a half million sheep. The local economy also relies on fisheries and tourism. The windblown, rolling, semiarid, treeless landscape has a peculiar beauty as you can see on the photo. We toured Stanley, the capital, which has a rustic British feel and the Stanley museum was particularly interesting, with the Falklcands War of 1982 figuring prominently in local history.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
    Beach view
    1Modern gauchoWool from one sheep!Sea lion colonyTraditional gaucho

    Puerto Madryn, Argentina

    February 3, 2018 in Argentina ⋅ 🌙 27 °F

    Well, I’m feeling a lot better and ready to participate more fully in our off-the-ship activities! It’s funny, though, the medicinal alcohol consumption was so helpful. And, as Jeff mentioned, having a butler supplying anything you might need certainly softens the fact that you’re not feeling 100%. In addition to whatever I asked for, he always managed to bring “just one more thing” that he was sure would make me feel better. He really is like a mother!
    We had our first stop in Argentina after being told not to wear anything that has “Falkland Islands” on it. 35 years has not wiped away the bad feelings of the conflicts that occurred during the early 80’s. We are still in the Patagonia region of South America.
    Puerto Madryn is a resort town that primarily serves people from Buenos Aires with 3 flights per week. They are quite eco-conscious and have a nice center that explains about how they are protecting their marine life. There are penguins, sea lions and right whales here. In certain areas, you might also see Orca whales. As I mentioned, this is a beach resort, and on this particular Saturday, the beach was packed with people! And so many people swimming in the ocean-I have to say that these are hearty souls because the ocean temperature is 60 degrees!
    The terrain is quite a bit like the desert Southwest in the US. Dry, scrubby plants are indicative of the hot, dry climate here and dust is everywhere. All daily use water is brought in. The descriptions of the snakes and tarantulas caused me some trepidation when stepping out of the bus.
    We visited a sheep farm and, since we are in the land of the “gaucho”, got to see gauchos in both their traditional dress and modern dress. We saw a sheep get sheared, which is a fascinating process that I had never experienced before. With practiced shearing, the wool comes off in one intact piece that was huge and hard to believe it all came off one sheep!
    Tomorrow we are flying inland to see Iguazu Falls on an overnight trip.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil

    February 6, 2018 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Iguazu means “big water” and, oh my, it was BIG water!
    We left the ship the morning of the 6th to take the 90 minute flight out of Buenos Aires to Iguazu, Argentina to see the largest complex of waterfalls in the world. We quickly arrived at the Argentinian side of the Falls. There were winding, metal pathways that afforded intimate and close-up interactions with the Falls, including the incredible rumbling under your feet and light mist that rose up from the most powerful Falls. An added bonus to the day were all the beautifully colored butterflies that seemed to be everywhere posing for our cameras.
    The weather was perfect for viewing, even though it was a bit hot and humid. After this very fulfilling experience, we successfully crossed over the border to the Brazilian side of the Falls. I’m making that sound easier than it was since obtaining a Brazilian visa is more than a little difficult. In fact, 2 people in our party had to overnight in Argentina because of those difficulties. So, after a long day, we headed to our hotel, which was located in the Brazilian National Park. Just when I thought I didn’t have another gasp left in me, we arrived to see the last of the setting sun over a panoramic view of the Falls.
    The next morning we took a mile-long hike along paths that led to one jaw-dropping view after another. Since we were staying in the Park, we were able to use the paths before the park officially opened to visitors, so we had almost a private tour.
    We ended our walk by walking out on a bridge that was just above one of the biggest waterfalls and getting spectacularly wet. We were happy that the hotel had some powerful hairdryers so we could dry off a bit before getting back on the plane to return to the ship.
    I could post 100 pictures and still never fully convey the majesty of this sight-I see it every time I close my eyes.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Punta del Este

    February 8, 2018 in Uruguay ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Today was an easy day at the resort town of Punta del Este in Uruguay. We had a private guide for the 4 of us and Santiago gave us a good overview of the area. There is a wide range of housing (mostly high end) and lots of beach activities. There is a local person who built a very nice museum in a residential neighborhood that has an extensive group of work by Salvador Dali.Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Montevideo, Uruguay/Addendum

    February 9, 2018 in Uruguay ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    Okay, it stopped raining so we went out again.
    There is a big pedestrian mall that we walked down and saw many beautiful buildings that are definitely tattered. We are in the part of the world where meat is a mainstay and barbecue restaurants are extremely popular. Our guide yesterday told us that there are very few vegetarians here.
    Headed to Brazil tomorrow and will be there for the next 3 weeks in various ports including the Amazon!    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
    Locals taking photos of our ship.
    Hhmmmmmm.....Jeff puzzling over why there is a statue of liberty here.1

    Itajai, Brazil

    February 12, 2018 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Well, it’s our first stop in Brazil. It’s sort of drizzly and warm and humid enough that our glasses keep steaming up! Whenever we get off the ship in port, we are always thinking about what to see and do here. We often look around to see what other people are doing and where they’re headed. So we see a large gathering of people taking photos and chattering excitedly. We didn’t realize that the excitement was all about our ship being there! Oh well, I guess we have to make our own good time.
    This is a nice port because it’s what we call a “real life” port. It is not based on tourism and we are a small enough ship that we blend in easily with the people who live here. We had a good long walk and
    got a chance to see some Brazilian everyday life.
    We also had the chance to go in a local grocery store, which is one of our favorite things to do. There was a full aisle on both sides of sausages! Meat-eaters reign!    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Paraty, Brazil (or not)

    February 13, 2018 in Brazil ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    I’m afraid that all we are going to see of Paraty, Brazil is out our windows. Captain Zanello just informed us that the weather is too dangerous to allow us into this port. Rough seas, 60 knot winds and an hour-long tender ride from our anchor spot all add up to a big “no”. So we are on our way to the next port (where it is also supposed to be raining).
    After that we are headed to Rio (where it is ALSO supposed to raining), and we are hoping this weather system will drop the temperature in Rio from the 109 degrees that it was yesterday.
    Soooo, the bar is open and it will be reading and watching movies today.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers

    Buzios, Brazil

    February 14, 2018 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    We are hot and loving the beautiful sunshine here in Buzios, Brazil. This is a get-away town for people who live in Rio and Sao Paola, so everyone is happy, drinking beer and eating ice cream. And, recovering from the carnival celebration last night. They were sweeping up piles of confetti on the streets.
    We appreciated our little ship today when it was time to ride the tender back from town. We looked in disbelief at the tender line for the other cruise ship in the harbor that had to be 300 people. Someone caught us and directed us to our line of about 10 people.
    We enjoyed all the colorful architecture, tiles and cobbled streets here and tried to enjoy a little quiet before spending the next 3 days in Rio!    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersCircumnavigating South AmericaAli and Jeff Carithers
    Our bodyguards.
    Art installation involving the shoe shine trade.11

    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (part one)

    February 15, 2018 in Brazil ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Wow! Three full days in Rio! We are always given little talks about always being aware onshore for pickpockets and petty crime, but the warnings for Rio were downright intense. Apparently, Rio has a reputation for robbery crimes-we have gone in with nothing-no jewelry, watches, bags, etc.
    We took a 5 hour walking tour our first morning and we had 2 bodyguards for 12 of us. Enough of that.
    We learned some fascinating history and heard about some of the problems that are prevalent present day, specifically, the cost of living being far too high for wages that can be earned. There are myriad issues that come from this, including the ever-growing “favelas” and drug and gang activity. Sounds like some bad politicians.
    We located a guide that took us out to a couple of clubs this evening. It was interesting in that getting there in his car, we saw no one walking around, yet the actual area where the clubs were, were teeming with people. There is zero tolerance for drinking and driving so people take a taxi to where they are partying, then take a taxi back out.
    We visited 2 clubs with live music, drank caipirinhas and yes, danced the samba. It was definitely an experience and we got a real taste of night life in Rio.    Read more

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