Quick stop in Cabo Frio

Happy Sunday morning from Cabo Frio, Brazil! Technically, we’re not in port – we’re offshore and tendering in today. In some cities we can dock in port and others we have to stay further out and go ashore by tender. I really don’t know if it has to do with the depth of the water, different regulations in different cities or what the reason is.

Cabo Frio, sometimes referred to as Cold Cape, is a tourist destination. It was founded by the Portuguese in 1615. At its last census (3 years ago) it had a population of 230,378 so it’s not small. It’s popular because of its pleasant weather and beautiful white sand beaches. I’m told it’s also famous for its shrimp pasta, a local specialty that is served in many restaurants.

I walked on the deck this morning and worked up a good sweat, then came back to our room, showered and washed my hair and tendered in to shore. I walked around the dock area for maybe 20-30 minutes and realized that I would have to take a cab to really see that much so I decided to return to the ship. By the time I got back, I needed another shower! Ronnie stayed on board and worked on his research in the ship library while I was out. He’s not feeling 100%. I think the forest and woods and riding in the open-air jeep got his allergies stirred up. He’s taking some allergy meds so hopefully he’ll be better tomorrow.

Yesterday was the first day of a new segment on the Insignia. When we booked this cruise, we assumed that everyone on the ship was on for 180 days. We’ve since learned that when all cabins aren’t filled with 180 day passengers, they opens sales for individual segments. So every “so many” days (21 days I think) some passengers get off and a set of new passengers get on. So there are lots of new faces on the ship this weekend. Among them are quite a few younger folks, so the median guest age came down some.

We sailed around 4 p.m. and tomorrow is another day at sea. Believe it or not, I think we have perhaps 5 or 6 more stops in Brazil! We should definitely get a good feel for this country before we move on. I'll post a few snaps from my short time on shore today.