"Spirited" Away In South America

February 19 2017 Buenos Aires

From our 12th floor river view room in the Park Tower hotel, we watched Captain Gennaro Arma bring Silver Spirit alongside just before 8.00 am. The ship will overnight in port and turn round day tomorrow will see us embark on the final leg of an epic five week tour of South America.

The hotel has a good number of fellow passengers who had either taken the Silversea land tour to Iguazu Falls, or the two day pre-cruise option.

Today is a beautiful calm day in the city with a similar forecast for embarkation tomorrow and we look forward to renewing acquaintances with Gennaro, Flávio the HD, and Vicky the CD.

February 19 2017 Buenos Aires

 

From our 12th floor river view room in the Park Tower hotel, we watched Captain Gennaro Arma bring Silver Spirit alongside just before 8.00 am. The ship will overnight in port and turn round day tomorrow will see us embark on the final leg of an epic five week tour of South America.

 

The hotel has a good number of fellow passengers who had either taken the Silversea land tour to Iguazu Falls, or the two day pre-cruise option.

 

Today is a beautiful calm day in the city with a similar forecast for embarkation tomorrow and we look forward to renewing acquaintances with Gennaro, Flávio the HD, and Vicky the CD.

Have a great trip ME. Hope Vicky is in top form.

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February 19 2017 Buenos Aires. From our 12th floor river view room in the Park Tower hotel, we watched Captain Gennaro Arma bring Silver Spirit alongside just before 8.00 am. The ship will overnight in port and turn round day tomorrow will see us embark on the final leg of an epic five week tour of South America. The hotel has a good number of fellow passengers who had either taken the Silversea land tour to Iguazu Falls, or the two day pre-cruise option. Today is a beautiful calm day in the city with a similar forecast for embarkation tomorrow and we look forward to renewing acquaintances with Gennaro, Flávio the HD, and Vicky the CD.

Appreciate your excellent opening report. We look forward to reading so much more on "our" Silver Spirit. We are excited to be having our first experience on the Silver Spirit in mid June going from Lisbon to Rouen after having four previous sailings on the Silver Cloud.

Keep it coming!! Also love to hear more details on Buenos Aires. Visited there in 1987. Great city with such wonderful character, history, architecture, food, wine, dancing, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 48,028 views for these postings.

Bon voyage. Hope you have a great trip. We debark in two days. The trip has been great. See you in September.

Dear Emtsbam

Thank youfor your posts and we wish you Bon voyage from Bali, and looking forward to September on the Muse

February 19th 2017

Being a Sunday one of the streets in the San Telmo district is shut to traffic so that a large flea market could be set up. Goods were varied and encompassed antique items ranging from silver cutlery, a 100 year old bar of French soap, still in its wrapper and still with a strong perfume, to objet d'art of various kinds. A large quantity of heavy cut glass, which one would assume, only locals would buy, due to the weight for shipping. Several stalls sold hats, bags, and one unusual item which we bought - a Buenos Aires street scene on wood, complete with two tango dancers, all made using coffee! I was also attracted by a girl making a scarf, in various different colours, and which didn't break the bank.

Part way down in a little square, under an awning, a guitarist played, and a man and woman, quite elderly, periodically danced a very sedate tango.

Walking into the original wrought iron indoor market, which contained both fruit and veg and meat sellers, and various cafes. Fancying an ice cream, we asked a shopkeeper in Spanish - amazing how useful our limited Portuguese has been in South America, where more of the language than we realised is so similar, and sometimes the same, and he gave us directions from where we were standing. Following his easy instructions, we actually walked past the shop which he called by a different name. However eventually we found it and it is a small establishment , really for "take away", but they did have four little seats inside and a bench outside. The variety was incredible, amounting to more than forty different sorts.

Returning to the hotel, the swimming pool area was packed, so we caught up on our Easter Island log.

We dined in the hotel's restaurant - St Regis for the first time. They offer a tasting menu, complete with wine pairings, but there were some dishes I did not like, and as they would not offer this for just one, we chose the a la carte, as is often the case, we both chose the same starter and main course.

Our starter was canneloni with stuffed spider crab. This was served on a slate plate, was extremely well presented and was delicious. For the mains we chose lamb roll cooked sous vide. This came with three sautéed potatoes, a sole spring onion, mushroom together with a mild curry sauce. Despite the fact that this is supposed to be cooked very slowly, there were several gristly pieces, it was not that tender, and at the outset, we asked for it to be heated, as the dish was lukewarm.

February 20th 2017

We rose early, did our check out and had our luggage stored with the Concierge. This was done in the knowledge that quite a number of guests had been booked in here by Silversea and were being transferred to the ship at 1.00 pm.

The Concierge arranged a cab and agreed a price in US dollars, as we had cleared our Argentinian pesos in paying the hotel bill. By 11.50 am with formalities complete, we were at the new large cruise terminal and ten minutes later onboard Silver Spirit.

Following our usual routine, we headed for pool deck and our traditional opening drink of a Pimms, catching the shade to avoid the blistering heat, likely to be a high of 36C.

We have already seen a number of familiar faces amongst the crew and were greeted on entering the ship, by Vicki, the CD.

All for now - as the chore of unpacking, lifeboat drill and all the attendant necessities are looming.!!

Kindest regards

Master Echo

February 20th 2017. Following our usual routine, we headed for pool deck and our traditional opening drink of a Pimms, catching the shade to avoid the blistering heat, likely to be a high of 36C. We have already seen a number of familiar faces amongst the crew and were greeted on entering the ship, by Vicki, the CD. Master Echo

Great to know that your are safely on the Silver Spirit. Love the details with your traditional "routine" of the pool deck and a Pimms. Enjoy a great journey and have an excellent "adventure". Appreciate the continued reports and fun updates.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 209,625 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Thanks for posting regarding your experience. We are boarding in Barbados on the 10th for 2 segments. Interested to hear your take on food, entertainment and service.

One question for you. Is Rex still on board? (bartender)

Thanks and Enjoy your cruise :)

Thank you so much for posting your daily experiences. John and I will be "newbies" on the Spirit at the end of April, doing some of the Med. We can get a little idea of what it will be like, what we shouldn't miss, etc. from your posts. Keep 'em coming!

Thanks for posting regarding your experience. We are boarding in Barbados on the 10th for 2 segments. Interested to hear your take on food, entertainment and service.

Mudhen: Thank you so much for posting your daily experiences. John and I will be "newbies" on the Spirit at the end of April' date='[/b'] doing some of the Med. We can get a little idea of what it will be like, what we shouldn't miss, etc. from your posts. Keep 'em coming!

Look forward to hearing lots of details, suggestions, secrets and tips from BOTH KaraokeQueen and Mudhen as to your experiences on the Silver Spirit. We will be doing our first Silver Spirit sailing during June 14-25. Want to be properly "educated" on this ship, its best features, differences compared to the Silver Cloud, etc. Get ready to be a "star reporter" for us and other future travelers on this ship.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from my latest live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 30,039 views for this reporting and visual sharing that includes Cape Town, all along the South Africa coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

February 20 continued

With packing underway, there was a ship wide power cut, but fortunately the emergency electric kicked in and all the corridors were lit. Captain Arma broadcast that there was a technical problem and a solution was being sought. About half an hour later, power was restored, but by this time we were at the M&M party, hosted by Barrie, the Venetian Society host. This was poorly attended, one suspects many lurkers may have been jetlagged - as only four passengers turned up. Apparently there are 377 passengers only, well short of the 540 capacity. So we have a nice lot of room in which to roam!!

We dined outside in La Terrazza, and enjoyed a beautiful sail away as the lights of Buenos Aires slowly disappeared.

February 21 2017 Montevideo - Uruguay

We had company with ships from Costa and NCL as we docked in this large container port, amounting to some 6,200 passengers not counting us! We judged that we could discern who was off the Spirit and who was off the other two ships, as we walked round the town.

It is a baking hot day with temperatures in the low 30's and we decided to reacquaint ourselves with some of the places that we had visited in 1999.

After a couple of hours we returned to the ship on Silversea' ship shuttle and had an interesting dialogue with the guide on the bus, whilst waiting to leave Independence Square. The guide said that Uruguay was the most liberal in South America with legalised abortion and marijuana and was the first to institute gay marriage. The latter was not really an issue, because very few Uruguayans go through a formal wedding ceremony, as church attendance is very low at 23 per cent.

Our overall impression was of a clean safe city, certainly within the city centre.

More to follow - bye for now

Kindest regards

Master Echo

Apparently there are 377 passengers only, well short of the 540 capacity. So we have a nice lot of room in which to roam!! We dined outside in La Terrazza, and enjoyed a beautiful sail away as the lights of Buenos Aires slowly disappeared. The guide said that Uruguay was the most liberal in South America with legalised abortion and marijuana and was the first to institute gay marriage. The latter was not really an issue, because very few Uruguayans go through a formal wedding ceremony, as church attendance is very low at 23 per cent. Our overall impression was of a clean safe city, certainly within the city centre. Master Echo

Appreciate this continued great reporting by Master Echo. Love it that you are almost having a "private ship" experience with such a less-crowded sailing on the Silver Spirit. Interesting background on Uruguay, etc. Super that you dined outside in La Terrazza during this sail-away.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from my latest live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 30,039 views for this reporting and visual sharing that includes Cape Town, all along the South Africa coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

February 21 2017 - continued

The tug Punte del Este is currently alongside us as we glide out of Montevideo harbour at 22.35 pm on a balmy evening.

Trivia was reasonably well attended with six teams, but we came joint last, although still within points.

The ambiance in the cavernous MDR tonight makes us more than willing to give the revised set-up on the Muse a try. Perhaps because the room was less than half full and with the A/C quite chilly, we were quite pleased to find some warmth on the cabin balcony.

It was most pleasing that six of the dining room staff broke off from their duties to renew acquaintances. This friendliness reflects the feeling of welcome and homecoming.

Our meal this evening continued the high standard set last night in La Terrazza.

We have already noticed further "salami slicing" in the Silversea product. First was the empty orchid vase by the side of the settee, and our Butler said these had now been discontinued. Then we noticed that there were no binoculars in the cabin, neither does there appear to be an umbrella in the wardrobe. In all fairness we have not asked the Butler about the latter two, so maybe this is an oversight from our cabin. Service standards however appear to be as high as ever, nothing being too much trouble.

The ship's exterior and pool deck area are immaculate as we have come to expect when Captain Gennaro Arma is in charge.

On the subject of the latter, we saw him for the first time today, and he is sporting a little beard. He said this was to reflect his new status as a grandfather!!

Tomorrow is a sea day with the first formal evening and an invitation to join Flávio H.D for dinner.

Time for bed -

PS - Pilot has just disembarked - 23.10 pm and we are now on our own at sea for the next two days!

PPS - we are now the proud owners of a large white orchid!!

Kindest regards

Master Echo

Thanks for your reports Master Echo and hope things carry on well for you.

Last December we were told that the binoculars had been removed but our butler could offer no explanationas to why. He did however find a pair when I asked about them and they were to usual type so still onboard somewhere.

Thank you for the fluid and memorable communiques about your time aboard.

I enjoy your style of writing!

Thank you Eastwoodboy,haven't managed to ask the butler about the binoculars, but as you say, I am sure he will manage to find me a pair somewhere, and Spinnaker 2 for your kind comments and hope you will continue to enjoy the following posts.

February 22nd - At Sea

Breakfast was a lazy affair in the Dining Room, although service more prompt than in the past. The menu is as previously with no apparent cut backs. The blueberries, apparently none onboard, as we were told yesterday morning, miraculously appeared this morning along with some lovely raspberries and a kiwi. The eggs benedict were also very good.

Our butler and his assistant, both Filipinos are brilliant, and as usual - nothing is too much trouble. After a hiccup on the first night, when our request to Special Services for the bed to be "doctored" with two duvets on top of the mattress, as we find SS beds to be so hard, was not actioned, we enjoyed a good night's sleep on the second night.

The swimming pool water was considerably colder than the previous day, and positively icy from that of the first afternoon in Buenos Aires. This therefore meant swift swimming until your body became acclimatised to the temperature. It also thwarted a "wedge of wallowers"- in the middle of the pool, which can only be a good thing!

The lunch time buffet was incredible. A Mongolian barbecue with a variety of vegetables, garlic, jalapeño peppers and chicken and beef strips was delicious, a little larger amount than we we would normally eat for lunch, but washed down with a lovely ice cold Chardonnay. To offset the portion size, we then spent most of the next couple of hours swimming, with half an hour out to play pool volleyball. Despite a number of strapping men, only six of us played, and one of those was Joshua from the Voices of Silversea!

Having left home several weeks previously, the need for a hair trim became imperative, as my ears seemed to have grown in the interim! The spa was buzzing, and the hair stylist Adite was quick and I was very satisfied. Seemingly, whilst in Brazilian waters, which will be a good part of the cruise, the Spa has to add 30% tax to all bills, making for a large increase in all treatments costs. One wonders whether this was why there were so many people. This also applies to goods in the shops.

Unfortunately our Trivia effort was rather abysmal, and today I am ashamed to say we got nul point! We were joined by another nice couple from Chicago, but two who had been with us the previous day, did not turn up. However, as so many avid Trivia players say - this is a blood sport- and it transpired that two of our answers were deemed incorrect, which was not the case. We will be asking Vicki for a rerun!!!

Tonight was of course the Captain 's welcome cocktail party. On the Spirit this is held in the Bar, which is not "user friendly". In our opinion this has no ambiance and is merely a walk through, with none of the atmosphere to that on the other ships. Due to the nature of this location, one is not "presented" to the Captain, but maybe this is less formal and is therefore preferred.

Even arriving about 7.05 pm, it was standing room only - thankfully it was a calm sea. Fortunately Gennaro Arma did see us where we were standing, as did Flavio, Vicki and Nicolas so we managed to have a few words before the Captain introduced his senior officers.

Dinner with Flavio was in the MDR and we were three couples. Incredibly one couple live thirty miles away and the other couple, four miles away, but of course this was not known when the dinner invitations were sent. Small world!! The main "attraction" was of course the lobster tails, but most opted for the steak. A nice touch, courtesy of Flavio, was an amuse bouche which was raw tuna and was lovely. Although I had the fish, Flavio insisted I try a piece of his steak. This was an illustration of the fact that he had eaten in a "Parilla" in both Buenos Aires and Montevideo, but felt nothing compared to SS beef. I must admit to agreeing with him. It was delicious. At the end of the meal we were given a choice of several petit fours and the chocolate was top knotch. The executive chef, Franc, a delightful Frenchman, came to our table and we congratulated him on his offerings. Whilst on the subject, we think that the pastries generally are superior to those we have experienced recently, maybe due to the French influence!

As always Flavio was a delightful host and the table gelled. Four of us repaired to the outside of the Panorama for a post prandial and were joined by several large moths and dragonflies who were fluttering round the lights. Luckily none of them fell into the drinks!

And so ended another day amongst "the family" spent at sea, and we have another one to look forward to tomorrow.

Bye for now,

Kindest regards

Master Echo

Very enjoyable trip report, Master Echo. Makes me wish that we were there with you!

Whilst on the subject, we think that the pastries generally are superior to those we have experienced recently, maybe due to the French influence!

Happy to read this! If SS has a weak link, it's the desserts IMHO. Which, with my weight, is actually a good thing.

 

Thanks for sharing your voyage with us.

 

 

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Really loving your posts. Feels like we're right there with you! Thank you for taking the time to bring us all along!

Thanks for your reports Master Echo and hope things carry on well for you.

 

Last December we were told that the binoculars had been removed but our butler could offer no explanationas to why. He did however find a pair when I asked about them and they were to usual type so still onboard somewhere.

That's interesting, last November on the Wind there were no binoculars, however we have them on the Whisper. Maybe they have been collected across the fleet and are just available here for the World Cruise.

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Yes the binoculars...well apparently quite a few pax thot they were some type of gift from Silversea and simply packed them away. Pilfered. And they don't even have a Silversea logo.

And they weren't replaced. Some ships have them, we had them on our last cruise, but not on the prior cruise. Did have them on our expedition cruises.

Not sure how the remaining inventory was parsed out.

Gone the way of the eyeglass cleaners and caviar I guess.

Gone the way of the eyeglass cleaners and caviar I guess.

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February 23 - At Sea

Second sea day a bit overcast and a bit of rain in the morning. Like yesterday, we are making gentle progress across a flat Atlantic Ocean with the deck under the keel a mere 140 feet. Temperatures in the upper 80's F.

Our butler borrowed a small pair of binoculars, from an undisclosed source, which has proved a great asset. The umbrella was hiding Ian the depths of the wardrobe, unusual amongst Silversea personnel and effects, appeared to be workshy. Another absentee is the alternative toiletries option, Salavatore Ferragamo's products are no longer available. Our butler informed us that the glasses cleaning cloths and fluid failed to make "the container" on board; please note the explanation offered!!

On arrival on the first afternoon in Buenos Aires, we were very pleased to see the return of the ultra soft, tissue like, wide toilet roll. Unfortunately this was short lived, as this has now been replaced by a coarser variety, whose sole advantage appears to be, to serve as an exfoliant.

Captain Arma invited us to dine as a threesome that evening in La Terrazza. Having sailed with him many times, it was opportune to exchange news about his family. We were slightly perplexed that the table was set for four, because he had decided to bring the ship's deck cadet as well. The cadet is very fortunate because Captain Arma has identified both ability and enthusiasm in this 23 year old Neapolitan, and is giving him every opportunity to develop both his deck and social skills on board.

Internet onboard is now free of charge twenty four seven, and the speed has proved satisfactory for our purposes.

Sadly our lazy two days at sea, which we love, has now come to an end, and tomorrow we dock in Itajai at 9.00 am.

February 24 - Itajai - Brazil

As always with Captain Arma, we arrived in Itajai before 9.00 am and were tied alongside awaiting ship's clearance for about fifteen minutes. Itajai - is pronounced Ita-jy-ee.

With no ship's shorex booked, we ambled ashore mid morning, walking about three blocks to the Cathedral square. This was only built in 1940 but is an imposing white structure typical of a Catholic Church. The interior is fairly plain, but there are many beautiful stained glass windows running the full length.

The straight street we traversed to reach the Cathedral was filled by a variety of different retail outlets. Some had closed already, whilst many of them were advertising "liquidation sale". Most of the others were offering "promotions" or "sales". Similar to mainland Portugal, there was the usual plethora of shoe shops, ranging from flat sandals to "ten foot" wedges. On close inspection, many of these were no different to those at home, and despite the reductions, not really a bargain.

We then walked to the local market, which turned out to be more of a "food court", although there were about fifteen fish retailers. In all honesty, we probably didn't arrive early enough to see the full array. There was also a small vegetable market, and a little shop which sold fresh bacalhau (salt cod, a Portuguese speciality) and a myriad range of dried herbs and spices. Unfortunately we were slightly underwhelmed, having been spoilt by the fantastic markets in Manaus, which must outdo most other places.

We gained the impression that this may not have been the best that Itajai had to offer. There were lovely beaches, whilst a two minute ferry ride across the river to Navagantes, appeared to be the more upscale area. These ferries were ro-ro and were backwards and forwards like busy bees. They also appeared to be full each time and carried many cars.

Sailing promptly at five, accompanied by two tugs, one from Rio De Janeiro, and the other from Santos, the same two that had brought us in, we made our way at an average of seventeen knots in calm seas to our next port - -Paraty - pronounced Para-chee. Arrival is not until 14.00 pm tomorrow, and it will be by quite a long tender, around thirty minutes. Really looking forward to this, the first time this trip.

All for now, more news from Paraty, we are doing a 4x4 in the forest, which should be dynamic - hopefully.

Kindest regards

Master Echo

Our butler informed us that the glasses cleaning cloths and fluid failed to make "the container" on board; please note the explanation offered!!

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February 25 2017- Paraty - (Para-chee)

The morning started with a fast 17 knot sail until 13.00 pm when we embarked the local pilot. We entered the mouth of Paraty river, shortly before 14.00, and we were fortunate to have flat calm waters for the tendering operation.

The problem here though, was the tender journey was a timed 28 minutes, to the small town of Paraty - which means River of Fish in the Tupi language, the original Indian Guarani tribe who lived here. The fish in question is the Brazilian mullet which still comes up the river to spawn.

Mustering in the show lounge for our 4x4 trip, ten minutes before the appointed time, we were not. Allied to the tender until 2.45 pm. We think there had been a problem with the lateness of the pilot arriving, after which of course, they had to get the two tenders down, one of which was despatched to the quayside to set up the shore station.

In consequence it was approaching 3.30pm before our 4x4s - six of us, left in convoy. We were surprised that these vehicles were supplied with lap belts - albeit completely rusty, and we were obliged to use them. There are various speed humps at small intervals along the roads, quite unnecessary, as the road surface even in town was deplorable, making for only one usuable strip, as the other was bare earth and stones! By the time we reached the national park, the road surface had further deteriorated. Unfortunately, due to the rusty seat belt, one of them steadfastly refused to undo, and so we were always last off the vehicle!!

Our shorex was for four hours, and we were aware that it would be dark if they kept to the tirmetable. They did start with the visit to the bromeliad gardens, more like a garden center, where various plants and herbs were for sale. For someone who knows the famous Kew Gardens in London well, this was underwhelming, but they did have a few good bonsai examples.

Moving on, we climbed up into the mountains and stopped to visit the Pedra Branca Waterfall. This is situated at the end of a very hazardous path, wet from a rain shower earlier in the day, with large cobble stones, rocks and earth to negotiate. The second elevation, where passengers had to walk up a steep path, using large boulders as stepping stones, with only a moveable hand rail for support on one side, defeated a few people who decided not to venture further.

Leaving here we then went to the Pedra Branca distillery to be shown the process of making cachaca from raw sugar cane. This is the spirit from which the famous cocktail - Caiparinha is made. Situated in a picturesque location, on the side of a hill, with towering green covered mountains in the distance, this appeared to be quite a low key operation, and was described as organic. After a short tour, we were finally taken to the little building for the tasting. There were several different varieties to taste, ranging from the plain cachaca, to flavoured, and a favourite to many seemed to be the chocolate and banana. On sale too, were the liquors, one of which was flavoured with lemongrass. At the counter were little jars with cachaca flavoured sweets for visitors to try. Apart from the drink, they also sold bottles of honey flavoured with ginger. Unfortunately we thought these were only in glass bottles, but we found out later, they did have plastic as an alternative.

Next stop was a little monument beside the road depicting the Old gold trail. This rusty dilapidated marker shows the route of the Estrada Real.

After the discovery of the world's richest gold mines in 1696 in the mountains of Minas Gerais, Paraty became an export port for gold to Rio de Janeiro and from there on to Portugal. The ensuing gold rush led to the construction of the "Caminho do Ouro" or "Gold Trail", a 1200 kilometer road, paved in steep areas with large stones. This route was used to transport not only gold, but also supplies and African slaves.

With dusk falling quite quickly, the hardy then did a short walk to yet another waterfall, the Pedra Pena, where a swim was on offer. The only taker was one of the Paraty guides. Clambering back once again into the vehicles, it was a return to the ship.

Most of the six in our vehicle had wanted to get off the trip and explore the town before returning to the ship. By now darkness was complete, and the walk back down the long pier, poorly lit, and not completely "planked"; then the wait for one of the only two tenders, they would not use any of the lifeboats, and finally the prospect of the thirty minutes tender ride back to the ship - decided us all to return tout suite.

In the event we didn't alight from the 4x4s until -19.10. After walking back along the pier, we then had a fifteen minute wait for the tender. We got back on the ship at 20.10 pm.

The town itself with a population of 36,000, is something of an enigma. By virtue of its history, as a port for gold export, the old buildings that survive are reminiscent of many villages in rural Portugal. There is however a modern side which is reputed popular with visitors from Rio de Janeiro and San Paulo, but why they should drive five or seven hours respectively, to come here is a mystery. Whilst the town appeared relatively sleepy on our first arrival but nightfall it was really buzzing with many roads closed off for the local carnavale. This of course is not all the local population, having been swelled by the visitors from up country.

Tomorrow Rio for two days - unfortunately Google suggest there will be 85% chance of showers - so we will all get wet!!

Bye for now

Kindest regards

Master Echo