Julie and Graham’s Fantastic Adventure

After Natal, we have 3 days at sea and then into the Amazon. The days are spent relaxing in the sunshine (we have been very lucky with the weather, calm seas and sunshine). There are a few activities to help pass the day - eating, drinking, lying around to name a few.😎 Our trivia team ended up holding up the rest of the competition - but we did have 1 win and scored a Seabourn cap for the victory.😏 There has been an outbreak of the 'flu' onboard. Mainly within the crew so they are back wearing masks. But it really has not had any significant impact on our daily activities. On our 3rd day at sea we crossed the Equator and of course was the mandatory Crossing of the Line ceremony. For the non-sailors amongst us it is a ceremony where King Neptune and his entourage comes onboard and initiates all those who have yet to cross the line. ross equator.  The pool was drained after the event and won't be filled for the remainder of the voyage. Apparently it attracts the bugs and ma...

 Day 2 of the journey and we anchored in the port of Buzios. Buzios is an upscale holiday resort which has a number of quaint beaches, small town with cobbled streets and lots of shops and foodie places. The ship was too big to come alongside so we transferred to shore via the zodiacs. Julie found one of her favourite places Beautiful sunny day with temp around 30 deg. We went on a schooner to sail around several of the beaches and have a swim along the way (well Julie did - I stayed onboard and took the photos). Finding new swimming buddies  A great time was had and then onboard for a late lunch and a few drinks just in case we were suffering from a touch of dehydration. The next 2 days were at sea. Again sailing in perfect weather. The food is very good and there are many decisions to be made in respect to the cocktail selections. So I am working my way through the list. The cabin onboard is very pleasant. Bed is comfortable, we have a good selection of movies and news chann...

 We left Sydney as scheduled headed for Rio via a short stop and Santiago. Or so we thought. We scored an upgrade to Business and settled in for a comfortable flight to Santiago.  Great except for 1 minor detail. The plane was delayed taking off by over an hour which resulted in us missing our connection in Santiago. So what was supposed to be a 90 min wait turned into 5 hrs. Qantas did get us on the next scheduled flight but not in the Business class. The flight was full. I was stuck near the rear of the plane, middle row, knees up around my ears and a very unhappy infant just behind me. Without a doubt the most uncomfortable 4 hr flight ever experienced. We got to Rio and slept.  Day 2 in Rio and took a trip to Copacabana and a mandatory stop at a shopping centre so that Julie could have her shopping fix.  Back to the hotel and crashed around the pool (with a margarita of course). The rest of the stay in Rio was very uneventful. Still recovering from the jetlag....