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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 13, 2014 04:00 PM Internet at sunrise only...
Roosters are calling early in the paradise :) That's good - as it was yesterday I have to get up at sunrise to have internet connection and to upload something for you! Internet on Fernando de Noronha is very weak! During the day I had no chance to get through... The island is only 10 kms long. Yesterday in the afternoon I was walking to the northern tip of Noronha where tiny Port Santo Antonio is located. From the hill you can see there "secondary islands" - much smaller , uninhabited islands of the archipelago. Great colors of the water and lush green on the islands! I wanted to come back from this place by the path going along the southern coast. But at the beginning of the path it was written: path closed, you will be punished if you broke the law... Friendly Brazilian gave me a lift home on his boogie - open, noisy jeep on a big weels - very popular here.
Today we plan to walk as far as the beautiful Bay of the Pigs :)
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Apr 12, 2014 04:00 PM Noronha - the paradise island
My first minutes on the paradise island were not so pleasant. When we went off the plane it was cloudy. In the little terminal building nobody was greeting us, no music, no flowers. Instead there is a row of cashier desk where you have to pay hefty environmental fee for every day of your stay in the paradise. For 5 days they took 236 reales!
OK. But this not the end. If you want to go to the areas of the National Park you pay on the next day extra 150 reales. No senior discounts for the foreigners - I consider that as discrimination!
Morning was lovely - blue sky, hibiscus flowers and coconut palms around our Lua Bela (Beautiful Moon) pension. Breakfast with tropical fruits and strong Brazilian coffee is included. On our paradise island they did not built yet the hotels - small pensions only...
Then we took a walk to the "center" of Villa Remedios. There are historic buildings from Portugeese period: palacio Miguel, little church. From the terrace nearby I saw the first great beaches... Wow!! What a great landscape!. Then I climbed to Forte dos Remedios overlooking the settlement but first of all - offering the full, panoramic view of the are with the rocky pinnacle of Morro do Pico in the background. And then I was convinced: yes, regarding this scenery it is the paradise. There are very few places in the world with such a views!
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Apr 11, 2014 04:00 PM Broken plane to paradise island...
Today my dream will come true - we fly from Brazilian Natal to the tiny island Fernando de Noronha!
To get to the Natal airport from beach quarter Ponta Negra you have to take two public buses, changing at Natal Shopping center.
Only two airlines fly to Noronha: Azul and Gol. We arrived to the airport well before depature. At check-in counter I got a window seat in the plane. Security allowed to bring your water. Turbo- prop ATR72 arrived on time. But they announced that the plane is... broken. We were waiting in the departure hall 3 hours. In the meantime Azul airline invited us for lunch and... A miracle! They decided that we can fly!
I had anice view of Natal just after take-off. An hour later I saw in the blue ocean rocky towers and white beaches surrounded by the lush, tropical green. It was Fernando de Noronha - a paradise island from my dreams...
From the tiny airport a minibus took us to the only settlement - we found our cheapest Lua Bela pension. One more travellers dream came true!
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Apr 10, 2014 04:00 PM Natal is more beautiful...
After spending a day in Natal I am convinced that Natal is more beautiful then Fortaleza. The Portuguese landed here in the Christmas Day (Natal) of 1597and that's why they named theplace after Christmas. Then on 6th January they started to built the little fortress called Forte dos Reis Magos (we say: Three Kings and celebrate 6th January). Natal has 800 000 inhabitants and is divided by the Dunes Park. Old part lies at the mouth of Rio Potengi where they built high, picturesque bridge and tourist beach quarter Ponta Negra lies some 10 kms south bordered by high coastal dune Morro do Careca.
Three King's Fort lies on the tip of the Old Town peninsula. We took city bus to Praia Areia Preta. Then tourist police want you to take a taxi to go through the dangerous area to the fort. Isn't it a big shame? Why they do not put there two police patrols?
Taxi cost us 12 reales. Fort (1,50 entry fee) is small but worth to see. It offers great view of the high bridge and downtown.
In the afternoon I have been to Ponta Negra beach to take for you the pictures of Careca dune. It is protected so you cannot climb it. Nice place. Only few Brazilian tourists on this great beach. Maybe it is too hot?
So now you know: if you are forced to make a choice - go to Natal!
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Apr 09, 2014 04:00 PM 70 minutes in the traffic jam
Today we travel by bus from Brazilian Fortaleza to Natal - some 550 kms away. But first we have to get to the bus station (rodoviaria). Public bus 73 goes from Praia Iracema to rodoviaria. We boarded the bus at 7.30 paying 2,20 for the ride to the conductor (no tickets!). After a quarter the bus stuck in the heavy traffic jam in the main Fortaleza' street. 10 minutes, 20, 30, 45... You are stressed but you can do nothing... Taxis stay also in the jam... We had a hard time - our long distance bus was departing at 9 am!
Thanks God we left the hotel early, we reached rodoviaria at 8.55. Uff!
Allow a lot of time going to Brazilian bus station! Next 9,5 hours we enjoyed the views of Brazilian province: bush, rivers, little houses made of brick. It was already dark when we arrived to Natal. I knew that bus 66 goes from Natal's rodoviaria to the town. But the bus stop opposite station is dark and completly empty. In front of the terminal you can't see any single policeman. Instead, I see a group of few local men coming from the dark and shouting something to us. Aha! This is not a good place to wait for erratic bus... Hurry, turn back and take a taxi at the entrance! This was the best choice. Half an hour later we reached our hotel in Ponta Negra quarter...
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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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