Day 13
Recife, Brazil
The sound of a nearby motorboat caught my attention early this morning as I was enjoying my coffee. I stepped out on the verandah to spot the Recife pilot boat maneuvering close aboard on the starboard side. It only took a few seconds for the pilot to grab the ships ladder and disappear inside. We were close now.
As is typical in many ports around the world, where the ship doesn’t moor at a dedicated passenger terminal, a shuttle bus is required to get to the port gate or passenger terminal. These buses usually run almost continuously, but you need to factor in this time if you are going to meet a tour at the port gate at a specific time. The ship was offering a free shuttle to the Casa Da Cultura (more HERE), a former prison converted into a craft market, which is about 2 miles away.
Immediately inside the terminal there was a money exchange where $50 USD bought you 195 $R, about a 9% discount from the bank rate, but not bad for the convenience. If you were planning a large local currency purchase, you are always better off using an ATM associated with a local bank.
There were enthusiastic local greeters meeting us in the terminal, as well as a band with dancers.
We booked an all day tour with a local company called “Do Brazil Right”. We found our mini-bus at the end of the long row of Holland America Tour buses. There were about 25 people on our 30 passenger bus.
Off we go!
The city is modern with the streets filled with cars, motorcycles and buses. Our first stop was a beautiful beach at Bao Viagem. We spent a few minutes walking down the sand. Our group stood out as we weren’t dressed for the beach. There were a few vendors selling beverages and snacks.
Back on the bus, we headed off to Olinda to visit the old city with a nice view of Recife. We had about 20 minutes to visit the cathedral, take in the view and browse a few of the local vendors. When we asked the price of a keychain, the vendor told us “two” – we assumed she meant USD, when in fact she meant $R. She checked with other vendors and confirmed the exchange rate of about 4 $R to the Dollar – so we bought 2 keychains for 1 USD.
We spotted several other guests from the Amsterdam who had ventured up here on their own. We found out later that they used UBER to get here directly from the cruise terminal. The UBER fare was about 14 $R. We find UBER very useful overseas. If you haven’t used UBER before your trip – take the time to download the app and use it at home for a few trips to gain some confidence in how the whole UBER thing works.
Our next stop was back in Recife near some of the museums we would visit later. It was near noon, and we had some time to grab a quick bite to eat. We found a local bar, Bar Teatro Mamulengo, (more HERE) near where we were dropped off. After studying the menu, our guide stopped by and translated some of the specials. We invited him to join us and order some of the local favorites. He picked out a rice/pasta with sausage dish and a plate full of liver and tomatoes. Not what we would have picked, but we dove right in and it was very good. Not sure I am now a liver fan, but it was fun to try some local food.
The bill for the 3 of us, including beverages, was 44 $R or about $11 USD. I didn’t have any $R and my credit card wasn’t being accepted, so another tourist sold me 44 $R to speed things up. If the other guest didn’t appear, I suspect the vendor would have eventually accepted USD or I would have had to find an ATM and get some local currency. After this, I decided to get some local currency at my next opportunity.
After lunch we walked back to the Embaixada de Pernambuco or Embassy of Pernambuco which is a museum with exhibits of local culture and folklore. Admission was included as part of our tour, but if you are on your own, there would be a small charge. The museum is one large room containing a variety of large sculptures which are used is some of the local Carnival Festivals. You can see it all in 15-30 minutes.
A short walk from the Embaixada de Pernambuco is the Giant Puppets Embassy (Embaixada de Pernambuco – Bonecos Gigantes de Olinda) which has numerous large puppets used in local Carnival Parades; from the Beatles to the Pope and everyone in between. Fifteen minutes is all you need here.
The Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue (considered the first synagogue of Americas) is next door and worth a quick visit. We spent 30 minutes here, but you could spend a lot longer if you are particularly interested in this exhibit.
NOTE – These 3 museums are only ½ mile from the cruise terminal over well marked streets with sidewalks. While the port briefs paint Recife as something akin to a “Mad Max” movie, I would feel comfortable walking here from the cruise terminal with a small group. However, we did hear of one passenger who lost a gold necklace to a “snatch and grab” attack when a small group of young men ran by, ripped his necklace off and kept going. Another passenger was knocked down in the melee, but fortunately was uninjured. Avoid wearing any jewelry/watches or carrying easy to grab purses or bags in this port.
Our final stop was Ground Zero Square which marks the spot where the city was born. There is a large RECIFE sign suitable for selfies!
The money exchange was open when we returned to the terminal so I picked up $50 worth of $R to use in Rio de Janerio, our next stop.
A few minutes later we were back on the ship in time for the sail-away at 4:30PM.
This was our first time in Recife and we enjoyed our visit. If you want something to do on your own, here is a suggested itinerary:
- Take the Ship’s Shuttle bus to Casa Da Cultura – spend some time browsing
- Take UBER or Taxi to Olinda – visit shops and museums
- Take UBER or Taxi back to the Placa do Arsenal da Marinha and visit the museums in this area. (Embaixada de Pernambuco and others above).
- From here you can walk the quarter mile to Ground Zero (Pier do Marco Zero) and then walk the ½ mile back to the cruise terminal.
Sailaway was well attended and the sunset was very nice with great weather – not too much heat or humidity.
The Holland America Line singers and dancers performed “That’s Life”, a high energy show featuring such hits as “Mack the Knife”, “Fever” and “Stuff Like That There”.
