19. Copacabana, Ipanema and home.

Determined to put the disappointment of the previous day behind us, we had a good breakfast which included some rather strange looking fruit and then set off to explore a little bit of Rio de Janeiro.

We headed south along the main shopping street which runs parallel to the beach to begin with. Because it was Sunday, most of the stores were closed but we did run in to a local market which seemed to be selling everything from roast chickens to bouquets of flowers to souvenir t-shirts. After an hour or so of browsing we turned the corner and shortly thereafter found ourselves on Ipanema beach. According to many, it is far better than its more glamorous sister, Copacabana, and obviously has The Girl to partly thank for for its fame. Certainly, it was packed with sun worshippers and the large, perfectly formed waves crashing against the soft white sand and blue sea looked very inviting indeed. 

Retracing our steps, we returned back to Copacabana and stopped for a light lunch and much needed  liquid refreshment. From our vantage point at the southern end of the beach it seemed that which ever half of the population of the city was not enjoying lunch at one of the many restaurants, was on the beach, sunbathing, swimming or playing football or volleyball. (Incidentally, the beaches start filling before 8am and do not start to empty until sunset).

With an apology now for rather mixing metaphors, but when in Rome and all that, we felt we had to at least step onto the famous sands of Copacabana, so walked down across the promenade and onto the beach. Avoiding the need to change into our most colourful thong and coolest pair of budgie-smugglers, we just kicked off our sandals and dipped big toes into the water, carefully avoiding the large waves which could easily knock an unsuspecting paddler flat. Walking back up the beach could have been a problem because the sand gets so incredibly hot, but thankfully there are pathways which are always kept damp with a trickle of water from a hose.

By now, unfortunately, time was getting on and we needed to make our way back to the hotel in time to change and catch our transportation to the airport, but not before stopping in another cafe for a cold beer. The local brew is named Chopp and very drinkable it is too.

It goes without saying tht the views of both Ipanema, and Copacabana with Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background were out of this world. The beaches were also spotlessly clean. We also had some crumb of comfort in noting that the top of Corcovado Mountain had remained covered with a blanket of cloud for almost all of the day.

Throughout our weekend there was a heavy police presence throughout the city. Whether or not this is commonplace we do not know, but we did not feel the slightest bit unsafe at any point.

The drive to the airport took place in light rain which in itself was unusual as the city is suffering a drought this summer. In addition, we were reliably informed that the weekend had been exceptionally hot, although with the thermometer reading 34C, we did not really need to be told!

Thus I am composing this final note at 38,000 feet somewhere over northern Brazil on our way to Madrid before connecting back to London and then back to Jersey. On the basis that the rest of the journey is uneventful I will sign off on this particular blog and as always hope that those who have been kind enough to read of our adventures in the footsteps of Magellan have enjoyed hearing about them.

18. The highs and lows of being a tourist.

I will let you, dear reader, decide which are the highs and which are the lows.

Our final evening on board Golden Princess turned out to be quite an exciting one. We met up for the last trivia quiz with Bonnie and Jeff, a couple from Los Angeles with whom we had teamed up on several occasions previously. Although we only equalled for first place in the quiz, a bottle of champers was given to the two teams who had tied, obviously a much better prize than the Princess torch or pen. So, after dinner we met up with them again and celebrated both our joint victory and the end of our voyage. They are a very sociable and fun couple and we got on very well with them.

Disembarkation in Rio was organised chaos as we had to wait in line for an hour to get through immigration. That being successfully achieved, we were delighted to hear that our actual disembarkation time was exactly as planned at 10am. Things were looking up...but not for long. As our coach set off for the hotel, we were advised that we would not be arriving there for another four hours! This caused uproar amongst the passengers as many, including ourselves, had private tours booked for the afternoon. Anyway, the driver relented and we eventually arrived at the hotel at 11.30...and in  plenty of time for our excursion ....or so we thought. I will return to this shortly.

The drive from ship to hotel was a bit of a sightseeing tour as we passed the Macarana stadium, home to the 2014 World Cup Final, a number of favelas perched precariously on the mountainsides, and the famous Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana beaches with Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background.

Our hotel was positioned at the far end of Copacabana and is the tallest building along the beachfront. However, what it gained in location, it lost in efficiency as some two and a half hours after walking in the lobby, we had still not been checked in. Many of our fellow travellers were getting extremely angry, and rightly so. We had our tour to catch, so we requested that our bags be kept safely and we would just have to check in later.

Thankfully, the tour operator arrived on schedule and we set off to ascend to the top of Corcovado Mountain and to see what many consider to be one of the wonders of the modern world, the statue of Christ the Redeemer. As we made our way there, we could see the statue drifting in and out of the clouds and after the days problems, we were beginning to think that this was not going to be our lucky day. 

The cog train took a half hour to reach the summit. On the ascent we saw fleeting glimpses of the fabulous views of the City through the clouds, just enough to tantalise, but not enough to be able to fully appreciate the spectacular scenery. At the top of the mountain, the clouds were thickening by the minute and the 30 metre statue was barely visible. It was all a huge disappointment, but one cannot plan for the weather when making bookings weeks in advance. Every now and again the clouds would thin a little and a bit more of the monument would come into view. In fact, the weak halo of the sun behind it gave it an almost spiritual look, so perhaps all was not lost.

Upon returning to the hotel, we managed to get checked in, but it was now well after sunset and we had not had anything to eat since breakfast. We were also very tired, but nevertheless headed out onto  the Copacabana sidewalk to look for a restaurant. There were hundreds to choose from and so we joined what felt like half the population of Rio out for a very lively meal on Saturday night.

At least we have a great view from our hotel bedroom!

17. Last days at sea.

We are now on the last leg of our voyage and due into Rio de Janeiro in the early hours of Saturday morning. However, we are doing our best to make the most of these last two days!

Although the weather on 1 January was not the best in terms of sunshine, it was warm and humid and so we just had to have a New Years Day swim. Yes, I know it's cheating a little bit plunging into the pool in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere's summer, but we don't have to mention that when we tell the story in the future.

We also found a quiet time in the casino and tried our luck (for the one and only occasion) on the roulette table. The net result?...we lost five dollars. Not the best outcome, but it could have been much worse.

As ever, the staff and crew have been superb, and friendly and efficient even under the occasional difficult circumstances. I know it's their job, but I would single out the cruise directors team for a special mention. They have been brilliant, hugely entertaining, and generated some wonderful humour out of the various language barriers.

It has also been very different for us on this cruise being in the minority group of native English speakers amongst the passengers. Perhaps I had not appreciated that this would be the case beforehand but this is a South American cruise after all! It has made the whole experience cosmopolitan and entertaining.

As I have mentioned previously, there are many extended families from a number of South American countries on the ship, all taking advantage of the Christmas break and the fact that schools are out for the summer holidays. Despite the number of 16-24 year olds travelling, they have always been well behaved and respectful whilst having fun, and I daresay the antithesis of a similar group of young Brits abroad.

We have met people from all over the world, ... New Zealand, Austria, Latvia, Canada, Hungary, Norway and Argentina to name just a few, and had much laughter and learned many things along the way.

Thus the port of Rio approaches and we still have the best part of two days to explore one of the world's greatest cities before our return home. However, our time at sea is coming to an end and we must shortly begin to pack our bags. Those bags will contain the tangible souvenirs and photographs from our Cape Horn adventure, but our horizons have been broadened and our memories will contain the sights and sounds and scents of the wonderful things that we have experienced.

We are indeed fortunate to have followed in the footsteps of Magellan in his ship Victoria, of Drake in the Golden Hind and of Darwin in the Beagle, and their names remain forevermore on the maps and charts of the region. They sailed these waters, exploring the coastline, mapping the bays and channels, whilst facing unknown dangers and all the forces of nature so that we could follow in safety centuries later. Those brave explorers have allowed us to appreciate the beauty of this stunning part of the world and we will always be in their debt.

16. Happy New Year!

When we stopped in Buenos Aires, we disembarked some 300 American passengers and embarked the same number of Brazilians, mostly extended families on board for a four day cruise back to Rio.

This has had a twofold effect. Firstly, there are now a lot of girls around the swimming pools wearing next to nothing bikinis (but hey, who's complaining!), and secondly, if any nation on earth know how to party, it's the Brazilians. Thus, the New Year's Eve celebrations were always going to be exuberant!

We dressed in best bib and tucker for dinner and first met a couple from California (who we had spoken with several times) for a Review of 2014 trivia quiz. Unfortunately we didn't win, but by the same token we didn't come last either. Moving onwards thereafter to the dining room, our allocated companions were all rather elderly and although the conversation was polite and occasionally interesting, it was hardly scintillating....but no matter. Dinner was also extremely slow, and we didn't finish our meal until nearly 11pm, but the waiting staff were far busier than we had ever seen them before. Again, we didn't mind at all.

Following dinner, the parties in the Piazza and in the Explorers lounge were in full swing, both with live bands. We opted for the latter, ordered some drinks and danced to some 60's classics. Before we knew it midnight was fast approaching so we made our way back to the Piazza and counted down the seconds to 2015. As the clock hands reached twelve, the balloons were dropped, the streamers flew, the horns sounded, the hats were tossed into the air and everyone joined in with a chorus or two of Auld Lang's Eyne. 

The dancing and drinking continued with both bands playing Spanish and Latin dance hits, so it was very much a New Year party in a foreign country. The Brazilians were certainly enjoying themselves, breaking out in spontaneous Congas and Salsas and everybody else was happy to join in or had had too many sherbets to care. We eventually retired at around 1am, exhausted after our busy and exciting day.

So all that remains now is for me to wish one and all a very happy new year!

15. New Year's Eve in Montevideo.

The last day of the year and so aptly the last port of call for us before we disembark our voyage. We have been in Montevideo, Uruguay (or for the Bart Simpson fans out there, U-are-gay), quite a day it has been!

Overnight, we crossed the estuary of the River Plate and were docked by 9am. We had no organised excursion, so as we got off the ship, we grabbed a city map from the tourist office which had a self guided walking tour and set about following the route.

Unlike Buenos Aries, Montevideo is a small, compact city with very few high rise buildings, and thus easily walkable. It is also somewhat poorer than its Argentinian neighbour and this is clearly in evidence when just walking through the streets.

Our route took as past a monument to the Graf Spee, a German battleship that was sunk by the British at the entrance to the River Plate during one of the first naval engagements of the Second World War, and then up through the city streets to Independence Square. We stopped off at the cathedral for a few moments of peace and quiet and listened to a small congregation singing at what must have been a private, new year service. After much wending and meandering, we completed the walking route and stepped in to the local market, but this was a market unlike any we have seen before. There were no fruits or flowers or vegetables on sale but instead the whole market was an indoor barbecue restaurant. All kinds of meats, but especially steaks were cooking on huge grills fired by red hot coals, the smell was mouth watering and every single seat was taken by the locals, all enjoying a hearty New Years Eve meal out. 

Being here on the last day of the year also meant that we were involved in (or should I say tried very hard not to be involved in) some of the local traditions. One of these appeared to be an ongoing water fight as buckets of water were being thrown out of balconies and on to unsuspecting passers by. Another was to tear up 2014 calendars and diaries and throw the pages out on to the street, so you can imagine that by midday, the main street resembled a very soggy ticker tape parade. (We assume that both of these traditions have something to do with throwing away the old year and making things clean for the new one). In addition, boys were letting off fireworks in the street exploding everything from penny bangers to things resembling sticks of dynamite.

It was also interesting seeing cannabis openly on sale, it having recently been made legal for residents only.

These local celebrations, the intimate feeling of the city and the smells and scents all combined to make the stay in Montevideo hugely enjoyable, despite the threat of an unexpected soaking!

We picked up a couple of souvenirs and made our way back to the ship for a late lunch. By the time we had boarded and sat down to eat on the terraced area at the back of the ship, the skies had turned an ominous shade of black. The waiters came over and advised everyone to move inside, which we did, and just in time too. The heavens opened, the wind blew up to what seemed like hurricane force and within a few minutes, the back of the ship resembled a disaster area as chairs, sun beds, tables and towels were tossed around by the wind. A few things ended up in the harbour, sun beds were wrecked and how nothing got smashed through the glass windows I will never know. The bridge called for the emergency mooring teams to get to their stations and closed the watertight doors on the lower decks and shortly thereafter a tug came on station to help keep us pushed against the pier and ease the strain on the mooring ropes. The gangways were unsafe and all passengers either had to remain on the ship, or on the shore until the tempest passed. 

Thankfully nobody was hurt and within an hour or so, the storm passed and the sun returned although there was a much fresher feel to the air. We went out on deck to watch the last stragglers running down the pier before departure deadline time and then it was time to get ready to party the night away.