Fortaleza, Brazil – March 2000

By: Philip Blazdell

Come on! I think we need to bring this out in the open.

What is going on with the Brazilian currency? I can accept it is as about as stable as a house of cards in a typhoon, and that inflation is sky high, the cost of living is going up and my wages are going down, but the thing that really bugs me is the coins – they all look the same.

Of course, I am told they are being changed, but a glacial rate. For example, a random dig in my pocket reveals a handful of silver coins (obviously didn’t drink as much as I thought last night), without looking closely its impossible to tell the difference between 1 cent, 10 cents, 50 cents or even 1R$. How many times do I have to fight my way to the checkout in the local supermarket only to find that the 5R$ I have are actually 5cents and I have to embarrass myself by writing a cheque for a diet coke. Or even worse – I have to ask the bemused checkout girl to write my cheque as I can’t remember how to spell the numbers yet!

All this talk of Brazil going to the dogs and not having two pennies to rub together I am sure is not true – people just aren’t sure of what they actually have in their pockets. And, to make matters worse, I hear that the new plastic banknotes will be introduced soon. I can hardly wait.

This month I have been hanging out at Morro Branco, a small, but beautiful beach 85 Km from Fortaleza.

It’s kind of a low-key and beautiful beach which is justifiably famous for its coloured sands, or falesias, as they are known. If the light is right and if you are in a poetic mood, then its not hard to imagine the dunes, the coloured sand and the deep blue sky are something out of a movie set. If you ever get a chance to watch some Brazilian TV you, therefore, won’t be surprised to see it featured on the opening credits of the Sunday TV show Fantastico, or even in the soap opera Tropicaliente which is broadcast on Globo each week.

Besides the peculiar and enchanting shapes that the wind has carved the sand into, Morro Branco also has the added attraction that the sand is beautifully coloured, from pale white, through straw yellow, to pink, and finally beige.

Apart from being aesthetically pleasing, this has also created the local tourist industry to produce little landscapes crafted from sand and sealed in bottles. Now, normally I am the first person to walk past such cheap touristy gimmicks, but at it’s a little more difficult at Morro Branco for several reasons. Firstly, they are very beautiful, I can spend hours watching them being made with the craftsman using small wooden sticks to carefully add a flick of red or a dash of green. Secondly, they are very reasonably priced, and finally they make great presents for people and don’t take up much space in your backpack.

There are quite a lot of friendly pousadas dotted along the coast and unless you turn up in carnavale its not really necessary to book anywhere in advance. To get there from Fortaleza is a simple drive along highway BR-116 and CE 004, which are both good solid sealed roads. Sao Benedito runs a regular bus service from the bus station (tel 256-1999) for R$ 3.80. They leave at 7.30am, 10.30am, 3.00pm, 7.30pm daily and 1pm and 6.30pm in the evening. The 80 km journey takes about 2 hours.

Geography

Located just under the equator, in a clearly tropical position, is the Cearense coast. The greenish-blue water is warm all year around. The average temperature ranges from 25 to 28°Celsius.

Fortaleza is the capital of the North Eastern Brazilian state of Ceará. It is a large, modern city where bold, new architecture contrasts with beautiful beaches and tall coconut palms.

Brazil Map

Ceara State Map

Weather

Why ask? It’s going to be hot, between 27 – 33 degrees, blue skies and heaven is a local call.

Accommodation

Accommodation falls into three categories. Hotel, motel and pousada.

Hotels range from the reasonably priced such as the Hotel Passeio (tel/fax 085 252 2104) which has doubles for about R$30 a night, to the mid priced Olympio Praia Hotel (about US$100 a night) which includes a massive breakfast (tel 085 244 9122) to the massive Ibis Hotel (silly price).

Motels are a Brazilian institution and most rent by the hour. Mostly, or so I am told, they are clean and reasonably priced. If you are considering staying in one it might be a good move to check the room before handing over any cash.

Most people stay in a pousada. These small, often family fun hotels generally offer excellent value for money, clean rooms and friendly service. There are about 65 officially registered pousadas in central Fortaleza. Unless you are arriving in the height of summer, finding a nice room shouldn’t be a problem.

Health

Generally Fortaleza is a healthy place – the odd hangover permitting. However, there is some concern about a recent outbreak of dengue fever. As always, plan ahead and ask your local doctor before travelling. Malaria is not an issue in this area. Up to the minute updates can be found at:

www.cdc.gov

And more specifically on dengue.

Travel

Fortaleza is three hours flight, or two days by bus from São Paulo the main gateway to Brazil. The flights are not cheap, but sometimes Varig has special deals.

The best way to travel around Brazil is with an air pass, which must be bought outside the country.

The Author

The Author is a regular contributor to this and other travel magazines. He grew up (or at least spent his formative years) in London and left as soon as possible for the surreal shores of Japan.

18 months there was more than enough and after overdosing on raw fish one night, he jumped on a plane to Brazil, where he now lives in relative peace.

His travels have taken him across Africa, through much of Asia and through most of Europe.

He has never ever seen a Japanese nuclear submarine, especially not the on that was parked in Nagasaki bay last time he was there.

Honest!!