Saturday January 19th 2013

Latitude: 22,51,13S
Longitude: 43,13,44W
Course: 0
Speed: 0
Status: Day 15 – docked, Rio de Janeiro
Notes: I was up at just before 7.00am local time, 9.00am UK time, to watch as the ship sailed in to Rio de Janeiro. I saw an amazing sunrise and I will post a few photos when I can. It was still quite cloudy then, so from the ship there was no clear view of either Sugarloaf mountain or the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer. I took a stroll along the upper deck around 10.30am and I could feel the sun burning my neck! I had been warned to make sure I put sun-screen on and wear my hat in the afternoon, I also had two bottles of water to take with me. We were not allowed to go ashore with food items such as sandwiches, fruit etc, but bottled water and a sealed packet of biscuits were fine. I had my lunch beforehand anyway! I was booked on a tour in the afternoon that comprised a visit to the local Cathedral and then to Sugarloaf, which was brilliant. Unfortunately the clouds were still heavy over the Redeemer, but we saw it for a brief instant whilst travelling back to the ship. I learned later that fellow travellers went specifically to see the Redeemer but it was shrouded in mist all the time they were there! It was dark by the time we were leaving Rio and there was a thunderstorm in the distance. I could not see the Christ The Redeemer statue, but I could make out the floodlit shape of a cross. It was an amazing sight.