News from the Cruise...

Safety drill! Head to lifeboat # 1.

New friends from Michigan, Traudell and Klaus (Germans).

Adios Rio!

Sailing out of Rio at 6 p.m. gave us many beautiful sights to behold.

Bob plays shuffleboard with a crew member. He has a busy active schedule every day: golf putting, shuffleboard, "old man's golf toss" and Team Trivia, all for points. At the end of the cruise, he'll cash his points in for prizes. So far he's done very well.

Cruise Line:  Oceania
Ship's name: Insignia

Day 1
Boarded ship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Overnight to San Paulo

We are spoiled rotten for the next 22 days! We have.... fantastic food with 4 super-duper restaurants to choose from and a small outdoor cafe with fresh grilled fish sandwiches or hamburgers and fresh salads for lunch, a nice cabin with porthole, comfortable queen-sized bed, down pillows and comforters,  super-sweet maid from Hungary, great pool, 2 hot tubs,  fun games to try (Bob joined in on the putting contest today and came in second), total relaxation, 750 DVDs to watch on our TV,  English speaking crew from all over the world, a daily crossword and/or Soduku puzzle to try, AND top-notch service. Plus, it's a small ship so we don't feel as though we are on an aircraft carrier with 5000 other folks or in a city with the push-shove crowd. Yup, we are in the lap of luxury. Aren't we lucky duckies? The crew are from 50 different counties. We never tire of asking them where they are from. It's so interesting to learn about them and they appreciate being asked. Oxana from Russia has taken a liking to Bob and gives him personal service in the Tapas Restaurant.

Day 2
Arrived Santos, Brazil (not too far from San Paulo, the largest city in Sud America.).
After being in Rio for 4 days, we decided that we didn't need to see another big Brazilian city and contend with the heat and humidity. We got the laundry done, met some nice folks from Canada, Germany, and the USA and got to know the "lay of the land" so to speak. Since it's a small ship, it didn't take too long to get adjusted to our home for the next 22 days. We signed up for a few shore excursions.  In Buenos Aires (we're going out of the city to the Pampas area to be with the gauchos for the day) and in Usshias at the bottom of the world, Argentina , I'm going hiking and Bob's going horseback riding. In Uruguay, we'll do our own thing since we've been to both Montevideo and Punta del Estes before. We're not sure what to do in the Falklands or Chile.... too many choices! We just might wait and find our own guide at the dock area since we figure that many of the locals will be looking for folks who want to be away from the tour bus scene... like us! Plus, we know that the locals need the work and the $$$. The tours offered by the ship are very expensive so we are picking and choosing very very carefully. We will probably do our own thing as much as possible. And, why not? We've pretty much been doing that since Dec. 1st.
While Bob went to the Trivia Contest activity, I went to the Fitness Room and joined a fitness ball class for 30 min. Then, I lifted weights for 30 min.

Day 3 and 4
At sea.
 Eat, drink and be merry! Luckily, they have a great library onboard so we don't have to fight over the Kindle. Relaxing and reading by the outdoor pool sounds like a plan. Also, they have  a great  outdoor fitness walking track on the upper level for us to try. Eat, drink and try to stay in shape will be our motto for the next 22 days. All the food is very good and it's tempting to overeat or indulge in goodies that you normally don't eat at home... like the apple strudel that Bob got with dinner last night and the ice cream we had after lunch yesterday!

Day 5
Arrived Montevideo, Uruguay this a.m after being at sea for 2 days. We had smooth sailing and enjoyed the whole of the ship. It's a beautiful ship. We have made friends on the ship and enjoy talking with people who are like us...travel lovers! Some people have been sailing with Oceania cruises for years. The repeat customers tell the story of this cruise line... top-notch service and overall excellence in all areas. We are impressed and happy to have gotten a two-for-one cruise!

We're off to see the sights of Montevideo today.
I'm writing the blog at a restaurant with locked wifi in Old Town Montevideo. Wow! Montevideo is "on a roll" with lots and lots of rebuilding. We were surprised to see the sprucing up that is going on. Three years ago, we visited here and didn't have a good first impression. Old town is looking good. Bob got a haircut for $5.00.


Tonight we sail for Buenos Aires. We have signed up for the Gaucho tour out of the city. More later.