Nov 22

We docked at Recife, Brazil at noon and there was only one excursion available.  Recife is one of the original Portuguese settlements but is now a thriving commercial city and one of the largest in Brazil.  There were 20 buses doing the 4 1/2 hour tour but the stops were mixed between them so we didn't overwhelm any one stop.  It was obvious that there is a major class distinction with junky houses across the river from modern high rise apartments.  We first stopped at the "Golden Church" which had a few meager artifacts but an interesting main section with several paintings from the 16th century.  Next we went up the hills to the neighboring city Olinda where we toured another church, had a nice view of Recife and had free time to peruse some uninteresting craft stalls.  Not only was the tour a bore, but our guide was described by one of our group as "more effective than sleeping pills."  We'll return here next month on our way north and I think we'll just visit the main market in Recife for something to do for a couple of hours.