cruise or lose

Two more weeks until I leave for Brazil! Well, two weeks and four days. But who's counting?

I planned this cruise almost a year ago. And I almost cancelled it in December because I thought I could use the money and time to continue my scouting trips to Mexico. I kept it on the calendar, though. After all, if I retire early next year, I most likely will not have the financial resources to head off on a two-week cruise to Brazil.

Originally, the cruise was heading to Brazil, Morocco, and Portugal. The Morocco stops were dropped for discrete reasons of security, We are now visiting four cities in Brazil (Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Recife), Tenerife, Madeira, Spain (Cadiz), and Portugal (Lisbon).

The only ports I have never visited are the Brazilian cities. I am really looking forward to grabbing a taxi in each port and just heading off to see what there is to explore.

We will also have several days of sea days. Those are my favorites. No responsibilities. No house to clean. No meals to cook. I will just read and enjoy the sea from my balcony.

I consider these cruises to be rehearsal for my next who-knows-how-many years of retirement.