Tourists flock to Braziul's famous Sugar Loaf mountain. -- Photo by Sergio Moraes

A few hours after we left our Florida port the shoreline vanished and there was only an endless, ever-changing sea. Some days not even a freighter broke the silent blue of the vast South Atlantic. We were on waters we'd never sailed, headed toward countries we'd never visited -- Brazil and Argentina. My wife and I were aboard a ship of the Crystal line -- The Symphony. Even when far at sea, life aboard The Symphony was as full as most people could want it to be. There was a sparkling gym with about 20 busy treadmills, daily classes to learn about vintage wines, a computing school, lessons in Spanish and after-dinner shows with top performers.

But there were also restful afternoons when I stretched out on a lounge chair on an aft deck with a book by Chekhov, borrowed from the the ship's well-stocked library.

My main activity was attending a lecture series which included recollections by a former pilot of the legendary Concorde, world analysis by a veteran U.S. diplomat and the views of an academic on the past of Brazil and Argentina.

As you'd expect, the cuisine was the best a cruise ship can offer. It was overseen by executive chef, Markus Nufur, with a pedigree in the world's best kitchens -- the Four Seasons and Bangkok's renowned Oriental Hotel. Given this, it was easy to understand the sentiments of a Canadian couple I met, Lily and Michael Chan, who after many Crystal Cruises, say almost in unison: "To us the ship itself is the destination."

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The Crystal Symphony, built in Finland for Japanese owners, has 12 decks, 480 staterooms, capacity for 940 guests and a crew of 545. Like its sister ships, the Harmony and Serenity, it's luxurious, with a waterfall and a crystal-like piano in an atrium under a stained-glass dome.

Still, in today's era of cautious travellers and keen competition, Crystal offers bargains. So last fall, our 17-day cruise -- from Florida to Argentina, with a call at Barbados, two in Brazil, and arrival in Buenos Aires peared on various Web sites at a discount of 59% off the list price of about $9,000 US.

The days spent far at sea really did bring on a sense of being "away-from-it-all." The world slipped behind in the white wake of the ship. Each morning after an early breakfast and a brisk stroll on the top deck (the 12th), I spent two hours in our stateroom working on a book. Then, at ten minutes to ten, I'd meet my wife outside The Starlite lounge, for the morning lecture. I heard Andy Mills, the former Concorde pilot explain his love for the great plane: "When it was discontinued, it was as if part of my life itself was discontinued." On another day I heard Gordon Brown, veteran Washington diplomat say that U.S. intervention in Iraq wasn't justified by CIA intelligence: "I'm not saying military action couldn't be justified, I'm saying that the reason given to justify it -- the existence of weapons of mass destruction -- was a misuse of intelligence." And I heard Georges Landau, an academic with special knowledge of Brazil and Argentina explore their individual, complex character.

At 8 a.m. on a Saturday in late November, the ship docked in Brazil, at Salvador, which was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th Century. A stroll through its climbing, zigzag streets is a walk through history. A local, Alberto Meerces, took us to the square with its numerous churches, one a Cathedral built by Jesuits, where he gave a talk beneath a striking ceiling of carved wood. I asked about the influence of today's church: "We are now a skeptical people. Centuries ago, people had to go to church. No longer."

Any experienced sailor knows that the entrance to Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, provides an unsurpassed vista. We got up early and for a half an hour watched the spectacular sweep of harbour as the majestic Symphony glided in. She remained in Rio a day, really only enough time for an introduction. We met Antonio Netto, of Portuguese descent, who took us by steep rail car through a rain forest to Rio's familiar site, the enormous statue of Christ. It's not only a trek of faith for the devout, but the setting from which all of Rio spreads far below. Every visitor allows time for Rio's renowned beaches, especially the 4-km-long Copacabana and the quieter Ipanema. On both, the young, oblivious to the sun, symbolize why Rio has troubling rates of skin cancer.

Our final port was the magnificent Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, a city many call the Paris of South America, with the widest boulevard in the entire world. We disembarked the ship that day, but stayed in Buenos Aires much of the week.

On our last day we stood in the Plaza de Mayo, as a now-aged group of mothers whose sons had been murdered during military dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s, did their weekly walk pleading that those who killed their children face justice. It was a poignant scene, one that won't leave us, anymore than the contrasting scenes aboard the Symphony on the warm southern sea.

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CRUISING COMPANIONS

Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is the site of a New Year's day floral offering for 'iemanja' the goddess of the Sea. The 4-km beach attracts visitors and locals. -- Photo by Bruno Domingos

ONE DAY Andy Mills picked up his phone at his home near Oxford, England. The caller, from a cruise line, faced an emergency. Could Captain Mills fly to a European port, board the cruise vessel and give his lectures on the Concorde? Mills is a highly popular cruise lecturer. A British Airways captain until retirement, he flew the Concorde to all its destinations, until it ceased operations. His lectures get good reviews and spark many questions. "I miss flying the Concorde," he says, "But the next best thing to flying it is talking about it."

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In 1993, Lily and Michael Chan, of Vancouver began cruising. In a sense, they've never stopped. Their recent cruise aboard The Symphony, was number 67. "In the past two years," says Michael, a retired lawyer, "we've done about six cruises a year." That means they've seen, more than once, virtually every port of call Crystal makes in the world from Lisbon to Hong Kong to Sydney to Singapore to Montreal, and more. I asked what was the main reason they cruise. It's social. "We like so much so many people we've met," says Lily, "the crew, the passengers. Some become friends for life." Often they meet these friends on subsequent cruises, sometimes visiting each others homes. And there's another reason: "For a cruise," Lily says, "you only pack and unpack once."

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BOTTOM LINE

The Bay of Dolphins is a protected cove in Brazil's Natinoal Marine Park of Fernando De Noronha. -- Photo by A. Falanghe, AP

For a booklet on Crystal's upcoming season consult your travel agent, visit crystalcruises.com or call 800-294-6655. In February, a 16-day cruise visiting Chile, Equador and Peru is on sale from $2,995 US. Other special offers can be found on Web sites such as cruisenet.ca or vacationstogo.com.

Onboard spas offer a relaxing respite. -- Photo courtesy of Crystal Lines

The famed Christ statue in Rio de Janiero. -- Photo by Ken Bagnell, Sun Media