Rio de Janeiro - Silvester

December 31, 2023 Rio de Janeiro

This morning I was on deck early enough to watch the entry into the harbor and the docking between two other cruise ships, all under the watchful eye of Christ the Redeemer on the Corcovado.

At 9:30 a.m. I had to report to the “Tropical Theater” to be assigned to a vehicle for the lab excursion I had booked. No bus this time, but a kind of jeep, because we were going into the Tijuca rainforest. First stop was a pretty waterfall. Then the strenuous part began: We hiked through the rainforest, heard its sounds, saw a family of monkeys high in the trees, I helped a beetle lying on its back to its feet, we discovered a dog and a turtle. The fact that we didn't see more animals was probably due to the dull and pleasantly cool weather.

At the end we drove to a stop from which we had a beautiful view of Rio.

The return journey took us past the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.

Then it was time to party on the ship. During dinner there were dances by the waiters, after which the decks were swarming with people. The ship had now left and taken a position from which we had a perfect view of the bay and the fireworks.