We arrived early in Recife, Brazil. We had booked an early tour, so we were up early and downstairs by 7:30. Recife is actually three islands with six rivers and numerous canals. It's called the Venice of Brazil. The municipal public transportation system includes boats as well as many buses.
Our tour guide named Baruque was a wiry little native with
ears like Obama. He sang for us and even
danced after we got off the bus. He had
a bird whistle he used to summon us together.
Our tour was to the historic town of Olinda,
about four miles from Recife.It was the original capital of the region and is
now a UNESCO world heritage site. The
bus dropped us off in the town and then we boarded smaller vans to take us up
the hill on narrow cobblestone streets to the historic area. There are a number of Catholic churches, each
one vying for patronage from the locals.
We also visited the Cultural
Center, which is an old prison
converted to shops. Next Saturday is the
height of Carnaval here, so there are lots of colorful decorations, and there
is music around every corner. Our shuttle
buses were held up by an impromptu parade through town.
We were back on the ship for lunch, and we sailed at 5:30.
In the evening we were informed that the norovirus is still with us.
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