Recife is very colonial and colorful and nearby Olinda is very historical with its narrow and winding streets. We visited the old Dutch Fort and lots of churches today. Also visited one of the popular beaches.
"The city of Recife is the capital of Pernambuco and one of Brazil's largest metropolitan districts. The modern cruise terminal does not offer Internet... The ship offers a free shuttle bus to a very large handicraft market which is in a old prison. Each cell is turned into a store.
This place is very walkable. Hot and very humid make sure you take a lot of water with you.
According to Jeff Goldberg that wrote the book "Take the High Road" A Primer For The Independent Traveller. which I would recommend to anyone who looks to travel. So much good information on it. You can still find it at Amazon.com.
There is a long shorefront about 500 meters to the left of the cruise terminal forming the eastern border of Recife Antigo (Old Recife) its called Centro de Artesanto de Pernambuco. It is full of high quality handicrafts made from wood, leather, paper, texiles and so on. Jeff's also says that there is a nice restaurant closest to the ship called Bistro & Boteco. Great salads and Wifi (WLAN) which is so important these days.
Recife is also famous for its beautiful beaches. The white sand at Boa Viagem beach is among the world's best city beaches. The name Recife means "Reef" and the area has numerous shipwrecks. Some have also claimed that Recife is the Venice of South America and while there certainly are canals, it is not as romantic as one might think. There is a really bad stench that is unbearable at times. We walked past masses of people waiting for busses and many homeless who were drying clothes on the cement. One man dropped his pants and urinated right in front of me on a lamp post.
So you just never know what's around that corner
Next 5 days are Sea days as we cross the Atlantic Ocean. Don't know how the internet will be once we get to Africa but will try and post something. For now stay safe and warm.
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