Brazil, Santos - day 1

Day one began landing in São Paulo at night, the largest city proper in the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere. From there, on to Santos, founded in 1546 by Portuguese nobleman Brás Cubas and now home to the largest port complex in Latin America.

It rained all day. For one hour it stopped, so I went out.

Santos is known for its leaning buildings, over 300 of them tilt slightly, built on sandy soil without deep foundations. I passed the Santos Cathedral (Our Lady of the Rosário), its Gothic spires rising behind a fountain, then reached the beachfront garden: 5,335 meters long, officially the largest beachfront garden in the world per Guinness World Records. The beach itself had a few surfers in the water trying to catch the wave.

At night, the port lit up from above, cranes and container stacks glowing along the coast. Santos also has a stranger history: in the 1550s, German gunner Hans Staden was captured by the Tupinambá while serving at a nearby Portuguese fort and held captive for nine months before escaping and writing one of the earliest survival accounts of the New World.

#brazil #santos