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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Apr 08, 2014 04:00 PM Rainy Fortaleza
It was raining in the morning. But it is warm rain if the temperature is around 30 deg Celsius. I was waiting an hour or so and when the rain stopped for de moment I decided to take the walk to the center of Fortaleza. Then the rain came again. Well - first few hours I was walking in the warm rain (and get almost completly wet).
Fortaleza has huge cathedral (similar to that one in Cologne) and nice cultural center surrounded by the old houses. Free Museum of Ceará' Culture is worth to see - there is a nice story of vaqueiros - Brasilian cowboys. In the former jail the organized tourist center where you can buy local products and how they make famous laces from Fortaleza (introduced centuries ago by Portugeese).
In the aternoon the strong sun appeared and this was the best time to see the best of Fortaleza - the beaches. I stay in the Iracema Quarter - just two blocks from the beach. During last 20 years they built along the white beach a line of high hotels and apartament buildings. 4-kms long promenade tempts you to walk and enjoy the views.
It was nice walk, but I had to return to hotel to dry :)
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Apr 07, 2014 04:00 PM 28,5 hours in the bus...
In the morning our bus passed through the lush green jungle of Ubajara
National Park. It is very picturexsque place with rocky cliffs and the road descending gently in many swithbacks. Then we entered green mountains with some interesting formations like spires and columns...
Short break for the breakfast, and we were on our way again.
Fortaleza - a city where 2,5 mln people live appeared on the horizon at 11.45, but it took us almost an hour to get through the traffic jams to the rodoviaria. Heat! Getting out of the building I turned left, then right on the firtst traffic light. Bus stop. I need bus 73 to get to my hotel, is this the stop for 73? They do not understand. Some 20 people stay here. I desperately shout:-Anybody here speaks English, ou Francais? They smile, seems that nobody can understand me. I am drawing a bus with number 73 on the piece of paper. Aaaa! They show me another bus stop on the opposite side of the street. It took me more then 30 minutes and 2,20 reales to get to the booked hotel... Shower, 3 big cups of the tea... 28,5 hours on one bus - no, I do not want to beat any record, but it seems that it was so far my longest bus journey! In Tibet to Lhasa I travelled longer, but with overnight stops.
28,5
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Apr 06, 2014 04:00 PM Brazil by bus... day one
In Brazil the bus stations (rodoviarias) are located on the outskirts of the big cities. That's inconvenient because you have to use local transport to get there. In Belem it is not too bad - I walked to ave Presidente Vargas and jumped on one of many buses heading to rodoviaria - ticket cost 2,20 reales. They check your passport before boarding - only 2 companies make this long trip to Fortaleza, Ticket for Guanabara bus costs 250 reales.
They offer a/c in the bus - in the night it gets cold so keep your sweater handy, but do not expect any other service - at the end of the bus is distributor of drinking water - that's all.
Travelling whole day I enjoyed the views of pasture country. When we stopped for the lunch people were buying at the roadside restaurant meals per kilo paying 27 reales/kg.
This is not a mororway - just regular paved road with little houses with red tiles. Sometimes you can see also tatched mud housed, like century ago. In the evening we raached Santa Ines. Sorry - nobody in the full bus spoke other language then Portugeese...
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Apr 05, 2014 04:00 PM How to survive in Belem
-Do not enter empty, narrow streets, specially in the Comercio district! Keep the eyes open, if somebody is following you. Do not stop for a long time, know your way before you go. After dark stay at your locked guesthouse... That's what the locals say.
Belem has more historic buildings then Sao Paulo. In the colonial time many ornate churches and palaces was built here. City was growing fast also in the rubber boom time.
It was early morning when I was going to the old town. On the riverfront they converted old port warehouses into elegant exhibition hall and restaurant hub where you can buy chosen meals paying per kilo :)
Then I saw mercado-market Ver-o-Peso with huge fish from Amazon on sale and clock tower standing close to the vege market. Then cathedral where the bishop was just conducting the Sunday mass. Fort is just nearby - built in 1616 this was the first European settlement in the Amazon. Few more churches are under renovation.
Rubber baron Antonio Lemos had a big palace in the Old Town- Cidade Velha. Now it is open to the public and you can see for free exhibition and some of the ornate rooms. Can you believe that I was the only visitor in the building?
In the city center I saw many patrols of Policia Militar. It was very hot but interesting day - I overburned my neck...
Tomorow I start 28-hours bus journey to Fortaleza, and the strong sun will not bother me...
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Apr 04, 2014 04:00 PM Amazonia - no internet when it rains...
Residencia B&B - little pension protected by two sliding grilles, where I stay in Belem has very good location in relatively safe quarter. Shaddy Praca Republica is just 50 m away. On the opposite side of praca (square) you will find money changer and down the praca, after theatre - Yamada supermarket where I buy my daily bread (6 reales for half kilo loaf). I pay 65 reales for the single room with shared bath and breakfast. They do not speak English here and I have a feeling that they do not want to learn even yes and no :) Why? You should start with SIM and NAO and then BOM DIA and OBRIGADO- thank you. In the morning I took a long walk to the rodoviaria - the bus station. Once in the terminal I was desperately looking around for somebody with a basic knowledge of English or French - no way! I wrote desired destination and date on the paper showing it to the clerks. It works!
Teatro La Paz is nice. I visited also ornate Basilica Santuario Nazare. In the afternoon it rains here. I just returned to my pension, taking a shower (you are sticky and wet after such a 6-kms walk) and then wanted to send my letters. No internet! The staff told me: -Here is Amazonia, no internet when it rains. Be patient! I am.
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Apr 03, 2014 04:00 PM Riverboat to Belem
I do not know how they can navigate in the night without radar and any navigation lights on the islands. In the morning I recognized that we are sailing another channel, passing other boats from time to time. The knowledge of English is zero. I tried to ask another Brazilian passengers about expected time of arrival. Who knows...
30 deg Celsius and extreme high humidity... You are all the time sweaty, even without any effort!
In the midday we reached a huge riverarm with the port accommodating big sea vessels. Not, it is not Belem yet! ... and we jumped to the next narrow channel framed by the tropical green on both sides. At 1 pm I saw in the distance the skycrapers of Belem. Great contrast! The jungle in the channel and a huge 1,4 mln people city just nearby... We disembarked at the little dock in the old town. I as happy to find my Residencia BB pension. It is time for the rest, the solid shower and loundry!
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Apr 02, 2014 04:00 PM Through the Amazon' Delta
To get from Macapa to the nearest big city and transport hub -Belem you have to cross huge delta of Amazon River. There are expensive planes (340 reales daytime flight) and boats whare you pay 100 for the hammock space and 170 for the bunk in crampy cabin.
I decided to go by boat because I want to see more. The name of the boat is Almirante do Mar. They say that departure time will be 9 am.
But the boats do not start from Macapa, but from Santana - some 40 kms away. I took the city bus (2,35 reales) to get there. Stressing journy for me: I did not expect that it will take almost an hour and you still have about 1 km to walk to "porto". At 8.50 I saw my ship crossing the port gate: little, rusty and dirty. Similar to the one I once sailed on Upper Amazon Brazil to Peru.
We departed with the solid delay, but it should not be the rule...
For me it was great adventure: the route took us to the hunderesd of channels, rivers, bays and lakes. We sailed close enough to the coast to appreciate the lush rainforest and to see the houses on the poles and people living there. In the evening I enjoyed a moon and stars shining above me and reflecting in the water.
I should advise: bring you food and drink with you: the canteen on the upper deck is expensive!
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Apr 01, 2014 04:00 PM Macapa on the equator
How many times did I cross the equator by foot? Ecuador, Sao Tome, Uganda, Indonesia... Now I can add also Brazil. Equator cross here the town of Macapa, where I stay. They built a monument called Marco Zero - a kind of an obelisk. I went there today to take the pictures. The place was empty - it is very far from the beaten tracks!
But number one in Macapa is of course the Amazon River. City lies on the northern arm of Amazon' delta. It is so wide that it is hard to see the other side! The old fort built in the colonial time on the bank of the river is the main historic landmark of Amapa State of Brazil.
Close to the fort I found the Banco Central do Brazil branch who change currencies. I expected to get there the official rate of change. Just let you know: I spent
There 2 hours politely waiting and explaining. After 2 hours the finally issued the document of exchange:
392 reales for 150 euro. According to todays rate it
should be 465 reales. I said thank you and went to the ?5money changers - they give 450, so do not ever think to go to this buocratic institution - it is the waste of time and money...
Preamar Travel Agency opposite to the bank is the only one who sales tickets for the riveboats departing to Belem on the other side of Amazon Delta. I have the ticket and I hope to sail tomorrow!
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Mar 31, 2014 04:00 PM 600 kms to the equator...
At the moment there are two buses per day from Oiapoque on Guyana border to the world. Means to Macapa. No other road. At the rainy season sometimes there is no bus at all or you must share 4WD vehicle. I am lucky - bus goes today, ticket for 600 kms journey costs 92 reals! I made a choice of the bus departing in the middle of the day to see more at daylight (the other departs in the evening) they said it will be around 12 hours driving.
some 20 kms after Oiapoque pavement on the road ends and onward it is 5 hours drive on the red, muddy road through the lush jungle. It rains time to time. The mud is slippery and you go all the time hill to hill: up and down. Very emotional ride! Real outback - no settlements, only few fazendas with cattle. Before dusk we reached again paved road and continued to Macapa. It was after midnight when I disembarked bus in rodoviaria - bus station located on the outskirts of the town. Motocycle taxi was the only way to go to the center. I got a bed.
Is it true that I am again on the equator?
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Mar 30, 2014 04:00 PM Where Brazil begins...
Imagine red, sandy streets full of holes. Heat, dust, and high humidity. This is Oiapoque, for many years the northernmost township of Brazil. It looks like real frontier town. But the people smile here - not like in the French Guyana.
And I found in this exotic landscape a real jewel - it is small Floresta Hotel located on the riverfont. I stay there paying just 70 reales for a/c room with full breakfast. In the reception I found charming Melissa who speaks fluent English and is very helpful (I am not strong in Portugeese).
In the bank there is always long line but finally I recognized that this branch does not change money! And the mafia of money changers pays only 2,90 for 1 euro (official rate is 3,12). That´s the charm of the outback!
You can see many so called hotels here. Inside there are color ladies waiting for the one-night, paying partner from the other side of the border...
Who knows about river Oiapoque?? From the hotel terrace I have a great view of the river Qiapoque - It is biger and more powerful then Vistula - the biggest river of Poland. Long pirogues are sailing up and down. Some of them carry people who are mining gold in the streams - illegally. But in the town you can buy and easilily sell the gold - the price is around 67 reales per 1 g.
Tomorrow I plan to go south - to the equator by the only, muddy road. They say it is 600 kms and it will take 11-12 hours. New adventure awaits me! Keepyour fingers crossed please!
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