December 04, 2008 - Rio de Janerio, Brazil

The previous day’s rain washed away all the usual air pollution the sun was shining brightly and it was a glorious day with the temperature hovering in the low 80’s all day. This was the day that one segment ended and another began so many guests were leaving the ship to go home and a new batch came on in the afternoon. We joined 2 other couples to again tour around with Saban and we began by visiting the Christ the Redeemer statue on top of Corcovado Mountain at an altitude of 2,300 feet. The statue is 30 meters tall, made of soapstone, faces the Christ statue in Lisbon and can be reached either by road or by cog wheel train. We opted for the train and caught the first one of the day to avoid the heavy crowds that would be inevitable on such a clear day. The statue is often surrounded by clouds blocking the view but today there were no clouds or pollution so the 360 degree view of Rio and her beaches was magnificent. We then went back to the Saban store for us to pick up a bracelet purchased yesterday that had to be shortened and for the others to decide on additional purchases. We went to a nearby restaurant with covered outdoor seating for a light lunch and then the others headed off to visit sugar Loaf Mountain. We had visited Sugar Loaf last year so we opted to explore on foot. We left Pat’s purse and camera at Saban’s for safe keeping and walked several of the street around the area, buying a few trinkets for grandchildren. Saban is on Copacabana Beach (actually the street runs between the store and the beach) so we walked on the beach for a few blocks. A lot of people were enjoying the sun and there were several women in bikinis that seem to be nothing more than dental floss. The temperature was really pleasant so we enjoyed our walking around for a couple of hours. We returned to Saban where we enjoyed a drink and conversation with the owners before returning to the ship.

The new Segmenters were on board and after they had their mandatory safety drill we joined about a dozen others whom Captain John had invited to the bridge for the sail away from Rio. The bridge is an ideal viewing point because you can easily go to either side for a view and not fight the crowds on the upper deck. Since we were docked in the old town part of Rio we sailed past that, around Sugar Loaf Mountain with Corcovado in the background, past Copacabana, Ipanema & Leblon beaches and finally out into the South Atlantic Ocean, making our way north to Salvador in Bahia state. Captain John had Pat push the button to give three blasts of the horn as we left the city. We got back to our suite in time for the Block Party where we met the new guests on our floor and then went to dinner. We made it an early night.