Day 18 – Monday, February 8th 2010 – Arriving Santos, Brazil

We steamed into Santos this morning amid a beautiful sunrise. The port is very busy and the largest in South America. The ‘usual suspects’, Maersk, MSC, Hamburg Sud and others were in attendance as well as the Grimaldi (erstwhile ACL), Conro vessel m.v. Repubblica del Brasile. We nearly bought her at the end of 2009 but the deal never took place. I remember visiting her in Tilbury and I thought she was not in bad shape for her age. She is now 21 years old.

Santos is a very large city and the beachfront is under heavy development with high-rise condos. Where we are berthed is probably NOT vintage real estate but we are hoping to take taxi to the nicer part of town, take a walk along the beach and perhaps have lunch at a recommended fish restaurant on the sea front. The temperature, even at this time, is 86 deg F , 30 deg C, so this will be a warm day.

Yesterday we received our disembarkation instructions for Rio so things are drawing to a close here on Insignia. I am going to take a tour of Rio which will include some of the sights I did not see on the last two visits I have made here in the past. The tour then drops me at the airport for the plane home which leaves at 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday, calls at Sao Paulo and then flies direct to (a snowy) JFK, arriving at 6 a.m. on Thursday morning. I am now ready to get home and cold, snow or whatever it will be good to be back. I am sure that our two cats will welcome me with their usual indifference. If I am really lucky they may even raise their heads from sleep for a few seconds before resuming the slumber position. I doubt that they will even relish the fact that I bought cat food in Argentina for them and carried it all the way home. Such are the rich rewards of cat-owning.

Although I did not witness it, I understand that New Orleans unexpectedly won the SuperBowl and although I am a fan of neither team nor the sport itself, that seems like a good result for a blighted city and from the news reports they are celebrating in good old “Nawleans” style. Well done to them. I always prefer the underdogs to win.

After being taken in the morning by a shuttle bus to the so-called ‘passenger terminal’ we took two cabs to the beach area of Santos. There we walked alongside the beach alternating in sun and shade. The temperature reached close to 100 deg F., (38 deg C). the beach is wide clean and very attractive. It is bordered by high rise condos and is very redolent of Copacabana in Rio although the shops and restaurants along the roadway are not quite so high-end. It is said to be the longest stretch of beach in the world. All in all a very pleasant beach-front.

There are showers at regular intervals and a lot of staff cleaning, sweeping and hosing down the paved areas. The beach was not too crowded and there was a gentle surf. I am not sure how people can go on the beach in swimwear with the sun so strong.

Despite the not very flattering descriptions of Santos in the ship’s literature, we were all quite impressed by this part of the city although I am sure that there are also large areas which are not so nice

We then strolled back to the restaurant Vista Ao Mar which had been recommended. It is a fish restaurant and they served up a great meal of fish and octopus, preceded by some interesting appetizers and accompanied by cold beer. All very welcome in the cool of the air-conditioned interior.

The fish….

…. and the octopus.

My companions, Joan and Bill, Harvey and Barbara and Bernie and Michele very kindly picked up the tab for my share which was very nice of them indeed and I am most grateful both for their kindness and friendship during the whole cruise, it has really made it for me.

I think we were all quite full and retired back to the ship for some afternoon siesta and to look forward to our last night at sea on board Insignia. Tomorrow, Harvey and Barbara will leave the ship and go to a hotel before setting off for Iguazu Falls. Joan and Bill remain on board and also set off for Iguazu later in the week before returning to attend the Carnival Ball, the highlight of the Mardi Gras/Carnival celebration. Bernie and Michele will stay a day or so in Rio and come home on Friday.