2.- Jan 24, BRAZIL

January 23, 2007
Our captain Dag (from Norway), every morning on the loudspeakers informs us about weather conditions, position, etc. He ends his message by reading a poem in his guttural Scandinavian voice. One morning, he tells us we are skipping our visit to Belem, Brazil due to strong winds.
Jan 18, FORTALEZA: We spend 4 days on the high seas and by the time we disembark, we are experiencing "Sea legs". The night of arrival we visited the Arts and Crafts market by the sea, mingling with hundreds of locals doing their shopping.
The next morning we drive through town, leaving behind us modern high rises in all kind of forms and colors, covering the front of the beach and going inland for many blocks. (Our guide tells us "That is where the rich live, coming from the South and other countries. The people from Fortaleza can’t afford the prices with a salary of $100 US a month").
After 20 minutes drive, we slowly come into the old town. Both sides of the streets are filled with stores with all kind of merchandise, reminiscent of the days before the Wal Marts took over.
We arrive at a Theater for a dance show performed by children and teenagers from the "Favelas" (The slums). Produced by an organization created to improve the life of Favelas’ young people. It was terrific and certainly could be used in other places.

January 20, SALVADOR DE BAHIA: Visited the historic upper City with the best preserved colonial architecture. Pelourinho Square, one of the city oldest squares, formerly the site of the slaves market.

January 22 RIO DE JANEIRO: Coming into Rio at 8.00 am through fog gave it a magical feeling. One of the most beautiful places in the world, with it’s signature Sugar Loaf Mountain and steadfast Corcovado. We visited the Samba city. A spectacular new, one million square ft. building for the 14 Schools participating in the Carnival. Each has it’s own warehouse with all the facilities to build their floats, costumes, etc. At night, we went to a spectacular show: "Glitter and Samba" The intoxicating rhythm kept us going..

January 23: And now, we started our Atlantic crossing on our way to South Africa.
Shalom!
A & B