Day #17…Monday, February 16, 2015

Santos, Brazil

Santos was founded in 1546 by a Portuguese explorer, Brás Cubas.  The city stretches over the island of São Vicente and Brazil’s mainland along the South Atlantic Ocean.  The population is 420,000 and the official currency is the Brazilian Real (BRL).  The language spoken in Santos is Portuguese. 

Lying in the southern hemisphere, the seasonal cycle of Santos is the opposite of the North American continent.  The weather tends to be humid and tropical with average winter temperature of approximately 72° F.  The summer months (from December through March) are the hottest with temperatures in the 80’s.

Santos is Latin America’s largest shipping port.  The city grew as a result of the coffee and sugar cane industries that began to prosper in the 1700’s.  The city also boasts about 14 miles of sun-drenched beaches, preserved rainforest and an array of water sports.

It is also known as the gateway to São Paulo, South America’s largest city, just one hour away.  The city is home to a number of museums and galleries.  Vibrant exotic flowers of the hothouse variety love the tropical climate of Santos.

We joined our friends from Dayton, Frank and Judy, and walked to the port terminal.  There we opted to take a port tour with a private bus company and joined forty (40) other passengers ready to tour the colonial city.

We traveled along the coastline of Gonzaga Beach and stopped at the beach area to take pictures along the seashore.  High-rise condominiums were abundant on our drive along the coastal area.  Our next stop was the Orchidarium, located in five (5) acres of land and home to six thousand species of orchids and 100 different species of reptiles, birds and mammals.

Coffee is a way of life in Brazil and our next stop was the Coffee Museum, located in the building of the former Official Coffee Exchange.  The building attempts to exhibit and preserve information about the history of coffee in Brazil and around the world. 

Formerly the city hall, the 4000 square-meter Pelé Museum was our next tour stop.  It houses more than 2300 items related to the career of native son, Pelé, the “King of Football.”  The museum collection includes trophies, jerseys, personal memorabilia and interactive displays of the famous player. 

We then headed to Santos Cathedral, located in the old city section of Santos.  It was constructed in the early 1900’s and was built on the square where the original Mother Church was established in 1545. 

Our stop at the train station gave us a glimpse of the city’s antique streetcar system.  The station is a replica of Victoria Station and provided a picturesque area for some excellent photo shots.  Unfortunately, we later learned that one of our fellow passengers was robbed by Taser and at knifepoint at the train station area and security officers came aboard our ship to investigate the incident.  We chose not to ride on the streetcar due to time constraints.  While we were in the area where the passenger was robbed, we saw no disturbances and found the area very beautiful.

Our tour was well worth the $30.00 per person fee and lasted for 5.5 hours.  The tour company was Express Luxo Bus Company and we would recommend it.  The tour bus was a newer model with excellent air conditioning, a bathroom on board and even offered free Wi-Fi. 

We returned to the ship and had a light lunch at the Trident Grill with Frank and Judy and then headed to our cabin to get some pictures as we were leaving the port. 

Since we had such a late lunch, we opted to refrain from eating at our assigned dining room tonight.  We had a light dinner in the Horizon Court and then were entertained by Gaucho Del Plata,  a very funny South American dancer, comedian, and bolero twirler.

Rio will be our destination for the next two days and we are very excited about visiting the city during Carnival time.  We have an 8.5 hour tour excursion sponsored by Princess Cruise Line booked and will be spending the day with our friends from Canada, Bill and Stella.