Sailing North, Armacao Dos Buzios, Recife and Natal

 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 channels. Tried to get to the gym but so far only happened on 2 occasions so starting to feel the waistline expanding.

Julie put in an order for caviar to the cabin each evening before dinner. Interesting way to start the evening.



Day 5 of the cruise and we woke up in the port of Recife. Recife is a major Brazilian port and is it's 4th largest city. 

We chose to go on a catamaran tour in the morning but things didn't quite go as planned. The fine weather deserted us just as we boarded the boat and the heavens opened. The cat wasn't prepared for the weather and within a minute of sailing we were drenched. Needless to say we all agreed to abandon the tour and the boat headed back to the jetty. Straight back on the bus and then onboard. Dripping wet we headed to the cabin to dry off.


Unfortunately we didn't get to see too much of the city as we set sail once again heading for Natal.

We went up to The Club for pre-dinner sushi and cocktails. Julie got stuck into more caviar!




                                                           Now you see it


                                                             And now you don't

After dinner we headed for the Constellation Lounge for more music and cocktails. A fun night (but somebody over indulged in the booze and suffered accordingly - it was not me 😁)

Next morning we woke up to the port of Natal. It is known as the 'City of Dunes' due to the number of high dunes and sandy beaches. Very popular for visitors to go off and have dune buggy rides. And many of our passengers did.

We, on the other hand, elected for a more sedate outing and went to see a group of locals do a dance called the Capoeira. This is an African/Brazilian form of martial art that combines dance, acrobatics and music.



 After this was a mandatory stop at an arts market. Julie did like one of the rugs but common sense won out after I pointed out the fact that we would need a lot more baggage allowance. 😱.

I think I should have picked the dune buggy ride.

Back on board in time for lunch and more wine.

This evening we continue to sail north towards the Amazon. 3 sea days to relax, soak up the sun, do a little reading (maybe gym) and continue to deplete their alcohol stock.

It is quiet onboard for the majority of the time, unlike previous Seabourn cruises. Having only 55% capacity is a major factor. It is good in some ways but it makes it harder to meet up with fellow travellers.

We have formed a trivia team (6 Aussies and 2 Brits - not a wise balance noting the number of American questions). After 2 rounds we are sitting 2nd last. Things will pick up 😔

Tonight we are invited to a small reception followed by dinner to mark our 100th sailing day with Seabourn (nowhere near Barry and Trixie's but still an occasion).

Stay tunes for more.




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