2006 Cruise to South America









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Last Updated 04/26/2006

For my birthday, my mother graciously offered to take me with her on a cruise to South America. Who could pass that up and still call themselves sane?!? Below is a map showing the route. We started in Buenos Aires, Argentina and finished in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. If you're having trouble seeing the map, click it to make it larger.

Itinerary

Day 1 - February 27, 2006: Depart for trip from DTW, connecting in Houston, and ending in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Total travel time: 17 hours.

Day 2 - Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, we were transferred to the hotel and then everyone went on their own for the afternoon after an amazing lunch at a steak house. Mom and I decided to relax in the room since we were tired and we were scheduled to go out that night to see a Tango dinner show.

Day 3 - After a good night's rest, we did a city tour and then headed out to board the ship at about 6pm where we were greeted with champagne and appetizers before we headed to the Restaurant for our first dinner on board at 7:30pm.

Day 4 - Montevideo, Uruguay: A day spent touring the city, seeing some sights. This is Uruguay's capital city.

Day 5 - Punta Del Este, Uruguay: Here, we (me, mom, and Will) did our own walking tour of the city. I sent a few e-mails from an internet cafe here. This is a very nice resort town that had some very nice beaches.

Day 6 - Day at Sea: This was our only full day at sea. It was very relaxing, actually.

Day 7 - Itajai, Brazil: I decided to stay on board today, but mom and Will took a walk in the city and climbed up a small mountain. The day ended when the ship had to make a 180 degree turn in a very narrow port. It was really interesting to watch.

Day 8 - Santos/Sao Paolo, Brazil: Today, Kim was leaving to get on another cruise he was running, so we spent this day with him, his parents, and two others from the travel agency. We toured Santos and took a cable car trip to an amazing vantage point overlooking the city.

Day 9 - Paraty, Brazil: One of my favorite stops on the trip, this is a beautiful colonial city located 125 miles southeast of Rio de Janeiro and it is considered a National Historical Monument (Unesco). It preserves many of its natural and architectural charms, but I also like it because this is where I went on my horseback ride through the rainforest and spend the afternoon on a schooner, visiting several beaches along the coast.

Day 10 - Rio de Janeiro: This is a HUGE city and I didn't have time to see all of it as I needed to leave to go back home that night. I did, however, make time to go HANG GLIDING (!!!) and have one last lunch meal on the boat before collecting my things to head back to my "real" life.

In Appreciation