Day 52
Today I'm in: Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil
I landed in Fortaleza last night at about 1:45am. We left Natal about twenty minutes late, and it's testimony to Brazil's efficiency (not something you hear often) that I was in bed at my hotel by 2:20am. I woke up late this morning in a much better frame of mind and hit the streets of Fortaleza to get acquainted with the city.
There are more than three million people in metro Fortaleza, and it definitely cuts the profile of a large Brazilian city - a forest of high-rise apartments and office towers as far as the eye can see. Downtown Fortaleza has two urban beaches, Iracema and Meireles, and both were pleasant, although the waves were pretty tame owing to the harbor breakwater. The view - of large tanker ships and the city's port in the distance - wasn't fantastic either, but both beaches are nicely landscaped, have plenty of kiosks and a broad promenade running along their length. The city skyline makes for an impressive backdrop, especially today with a cloudless sky and temperatures pushing mercilessly north of 34C.
I also discovered Cincuenta Sabores (50 Flavors) an ice-cream store here recommended by my guidebook that carries just about every flavor you can think of and a bunch you probably wouldn't ever come up with (beer, crispy cheese, caipirinha). I chose guava and melon for my two-scoop creation, but it would take a lot more visits to work through a menu that large.
So why are the city's beaches so empty-looking? It turns out most people in Fortaleza head for the Praia do Futuro (Future Beach), a four-mile-long swath of sand east of town. Praia do Futuro faces the open ocean, so the surf is much higher, and the beach has room for everyone. It's only a few kilometers from town, but I took a bus - the vast and not-very-safe favela of Serviluz sits squarely between the downtown area and the beach. My bus bounced through the streets (including right through Serviluz), swerving wildly and stopping suddenly, the driver singing along the jaunty forro music playing on the radio. It made for a very memorable but jerky ride.
Praia do Futuro is dotted with barracas, which are large beach clubs that have restaurants, swimming pools, volleyball courts, shops, stages with singers and live bands, you name it. Each barraca also has hundreds of palm-thatched palapas with tables and lounge chairs, giving you a shady place to rest while still keeping an eye on the surf and the action on the beach. It's a setup that makes sense, but it's also for security reasons - the beach's proximity to Serviluz and other unsavory areas means there's safety in numbers. Unlike downtown, Praia do Futuro hasn't been overdeveloped - there's the odd high-rise here and there, but much of the area is suburban and even dotted with empty lots.
I grabbed a table at CrocoBeach, one of the larger barracas, and spent a few hours in and out of the sun. I had a nice lunch of arrumadinho, which is salted beef served over white beans and topped with the ubiquitous farofa (fried cassava flour). I also had a large Antarctica beer, which is served in Brazilian fashion in an oversized 600 mL bottle with a little plastic coozie to keep it cold. Brazilian brewers, through a partnership with institutional customers, reuse these bottles to cut down on packaging costs. During my internship at AB-InBev last summer (owned by Brazilians, remember) there was a project underway to figure out how and if this system could be implemented in the US.
Upon returning to Fortaleza I met up with Kacy, a friend of a friend who connected us when she found out I was visiting the city. Kacy's been living in Fortaleza for about two years, working for an NGO and helping a rural school implement a cooperative-learning curriculum. We ran into two of her friends on the Dragao do Mar, one of the old city's main squares, and passed a few hours drinking chopp vinho (wine mixed with beer; it sounds terrible but it's pretty great) and trying out some northeastern Brazilian specialties like tapioca carne do sol (dried beef and cheese served in a tapioca-flour pita) and baio de dois, which is rice, beans and sausage stewed together in a pot.
All in all today was a nice break - a well-deserved easy day that helped relieve some of the stress of traveling and not always knowing what's happening around me. I'm sorry I don't have another day in Fortaleza; this stop wraps up my time in Brazil's northeast. Tomorrow at lunchtime I fly back down to Rio de Janeiro, where I'll be spending five days on my way out of the country.
Today I'm in: Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil
I landed in Fortaleza last night at about 1:45am. We left Natal about twenty minutes late, and it's testimony to Brazil's efficiency (not something you hear often) that I was in bed at my hotel by 2:20am. I woke up late this morning in a much better frame of mind and hit the streets of Fortaleza to get acquainted with the city. 
There are more than three million people in metro Fortaleza, and it definitely cuts the profile of a large Brazilian city - a forest of high-rise apartments and office towers as far as the eye can see. Downtown Fortaleza has two urban beaches, Iracema and Meireles, and both were pleasant, although the waves were pretty tame owing to the harbor breakwater. The view - of large tanker ships and the city's port in the distance - wasn't fantastic either, but both beaches are nicely landscaped, have plenty of kiosks and a broad promenade running along their length. The city skyline makes for an impressive backdrop, especially today with a cloudless sky and temperatures pushing mercilessly north of 34C. 
I also discovered Cincuenta Sabores (50 Flavors) an ice-cream store here recommended by my guidebook that carries just about every flavor you can think of and a bunch you probably wouldn't ever come up with (beer, crispy cheese, caipirinha). I chose guava and melon for my two-scoop creation, but it would take a lot more visits to work through a menu that large. 
So why are the city's beaches so empty-looking? It turns out most people in Fortaleza head for the Praia do Futuro (Future Beach), a four-mile-long swath of sand east of town. Praia do Futuro faces the open ocean, so the surf is much higher, and the beach has room for everyone. It's only a few kilometers from town, but I took a bus - the vast and not-very-safe favela of Serviluz sits squarely between the downtown area and the beach. My bus bounced through the streets (including right through Serviluz), swerving wildly and stopping suddenly, the driver singing along the jaunty forro music playing on the radio. It made for a very memorable but jerky ride. 
Praia do Futuro is dotted with barracas, which are large beach clubs that have restaurants, swimming pools, volleyball courts, shops, stages with singers and live bands, you name it. Each barraca also has hundreds of palm-thatched palapas with tables and lounge chairs, giving you a shady place to rest while still keeping an eye on the surf and the action on the beach. It's a setup that makes sense, but it's also for security reasons - the beach's proximity to Serviluz and other unsavory areas means there's safety in numbers. Unlike downtown, Praia do Futuro hasn't been overdeveloped - there's the odd high-rise here and there, but much of the area is suburban and even dotted with empty lots. 
I grabbed a table at CrocoBeach, one of the larger barracas, and spent a few hours in and out of the sun. I had a nice lunch of arrumadinho, which is salted beef served over white beans and topped with the ubiquitous farofa (fried cassava flour). I also had a large Antarctica beer, which is served in Brazilian fashion in an oversized 600 mL bottle with a little plastic coozie to keep it cold. Brazilian brewers, through a partnership with institutional customers, reuse these bottles to cut down on packaging costs. During my internship at AB-InBev last summer (owned by Brazilians, remember) there was a project underway to figure out how and if this system could be implemented in the US. 
Upon returning to Fortaleza I met up with Kacy, a friend of a friend who connected us when she found out I was visiting the city. Kacy's been living in Fortaleza for about two years, working for an NGO and helping a rural school implement a cooperative-learning curriculum. We ran into two of her friends on the Dragao do Mar, one of the old city's main squares, and passed a few hours drinking chopp vinho (wine mixed with beer; it sounds terrible but it's pretty great) and trying out some northeastern Brazilian specialties like tapioca carne do sol (dried beef and cheese served in a tapioca-flour pita) and baio de dois, which is rice, beans and sausage stewed together in a pot. 
All in all today was a nice break - a well-deserved easy day that helped relieve some of the stress of traveling and not always knowing what's happening around me. I'm sorry I don't have another day in Fortaleza; this stop wraps up my time in Brazil's northeast. Tomorrow at lunchtime I fly back down to Rio de Janeiro, where I'll be spending five days on my way out of the country.
yay! so glad you were able to meet up with kacy; hope you had a lovely time! come visit me (and her, maybe?) in atlanta soon! you know, after you're done cavorting around the world :)
ReplyDeleteIt was great to meet you!! Enjoy the rest of your trip :)
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