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Fortaleza Journey

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I traveled down to Fortaleza, Cear?on the northeast coast of Brazil by way of Alabama USA. It was a very educational experience, and one I will never forget.

I would like to describe some of my experiences as seen from the eyes of an American, but first, it might be interesting to understand a little about the American perspective on Brazil.

The United States is a vast land with many different peoples. Most of them have one thing in common. They know very little of Brazil and her people beyond what they have learned in school about the Amazon river. Generally, Americans don\'t know what happens in the next town. Never mind another country. It is not that they are not curious, but mostly, like everyone else, they depend on the newspapers and television to learn about the rest of the world, and there simply isn\'t much being printed about Brazil right now. If you ask the average American what the capital of Brazil is, if he ventures an opinion, most likely he will tell you that it is Rio de something or the other. As bad as this is, even in your own country Fortaleza is not as well known as you might think. This is very unfortunate, because several years ago a great deal of money started flowing into the region to improve the infrastructure to accommodate what was hoped would be a flood of tourists. At this stage, the coast of Cear?is much like a large room filled with great food and drink, the band ready to play, just waiting for the party guests to arrive. What is needed is for someone to announce the party, in a loud, and clear voice.

Beach Cear?is on the tip of something great. It is pregnant with promise, and anyone who has been there can see it. Even before I came, through my researches, I recognized that I was on to something real good. I am the manager of OceanView America, and my job is to promote Fortaleza and Cear?to Americans for OceanView Tours and Travel in Fortaleza.

As for myself, I have not traveled widely, but I have corresponded all around the world using computers since 1986. I am well read, and of greater than average curiosity, yet, I had never considered Brazil. It wasn\'t until I met a young lady, Flavia Almeida, on the Internet and after we made a friendship that I began to study more on this beautiful country. She discovered that I had an interest in advertising and promotion, and I found that she had long considered establishing a travel agency, and in this union of common interest, the seeds of our travel agency, and our wider informational purpose called the BrazilAmerica Project took root. Now, our two families are joined in the effort and we are having great fun.

Jeri Since I had already done a great deal of research on Cear?and had written the bulk of our Internet web site on the towns and resorts from Canoa Quebrada to Jericoacorara, my trip was one of education and confirmation. Indeed, when I returned, I found that I had to correct relatively little of the information I had already written. Mainly, I found plenty of things to add, as my appreciation of the immensity and promise of Cear?was so much greater.

It may be of interest to you to know that the primary way someone outside the country learns of Brazil is on the Internet. The bulk of the literature that has been produced on the subject over the years is mostly dated, and or hard to find. This is bad, but it can also be good. It is bad because we all want people to know more about Brazil. It is good because it is like starting with a clean sheet. There are plenty of Americans that will love hearing all about Cear? and everything we tell them is new information. The key to the success of the region is promotion, promotion, promotion. Also, understanding how things work in other countries such as the United States can save Brazil, and Cear?a great deal of money. As in all things, there is more than one way to achieve a goal.

My journey to Cear?was a tremendous thrill. It was all that I expected and more, with a few surprises thrown in. The party started when I entered the Varig plane in Miami. Unlike my connecting flights, all at once the atmosphere changed from a formal coat and tie occasion to a gathering of friends. The smiles and laughter put me at ease immediately and the service was really nice.

My flight arrived in Brazil with the first rays of the sun. From 39,000 feet, I caught my first glimpse of the famous dunes. Later, the flat terrain, white near the ocean to brown further inland gave way to large round mountains here and there. It was a rugged, yet beautiful landscape.

We touched down in Fortaleza around 9AM after a brief stop in Recife, and the first thing I noticed when I walked into the bright Cear?sun was the humidity. I am from the southern United States, and we are no strangers to high humidity, but your air is the wettest I have ever felt. The second thing I noticed was the baseball cap I was wearing flew off my head. Perhaps Fortaleza should be renamed the windy city.

FISHING BOAT Our first stop on my tour was Jericoacoara. On the way, we passed through the dry inlands, the carnuaba and cashew plantations serving to cheer up the rugged, brushy landscape, occasionally passing by sharp peaked rocky mountains. On the way, we stopped the lovely little town of Itapipoka for lunch. It was here that I had my first chance to celebrate the wonderful hospitality that is so ingrained in the Cearán people. Even though our lunch was simple, our meal was presented in a way you don\'t usually see except in the most expensive restaurants in the United States. The tableware was arranged just so, and our meal ended with a small cup of complimentary rich dark coffee. I was to learn over the course of my ten day visit that even the simplest jobs were carried out with an air of pride and professionalism that is seldom seen elsewhere.

We stayed at a simple but extremely well kept pousada in Gijoca. It is owned by a Frenchman I called Chris, since I was having some difficulty pronouncing his proper name. Like many a European before him, he came for a visit and forgot to go home. Cashew trees provided shade, banana trees fruit, and lovingly cared for flowers beauty. My cameraman, who accompanied me to shoot video for our Cear?travel guide that we will be sending to travel agencies in the U.S. and beyond, loved it so much that he proclaimed that he would have his honeymoon there. We reminded him that he did not yet have a fiancee. He said this posed a problem, but as soon as he got one, he would stay there on his wedding night.

Dunes The next day, we traveled to see the dunes and beaches of Jericoacoara. We rolled down a long dirt road, here and there animals roaming freely. Finally, in the distance we glimpsed he white of the high dunes. Before long, our driver stopped and let half the air out his tires, and we rolled on along on the track of sand that serves as the entrance to this famous little town. We stopped about half way in and walked up a high dune to take our first pictures. Far below, a truck carrying laughing teenagers bounced by, it\'s rear end sliding in the soft sand. The wind, which had been in the low twenties on the ground whistled by at 40 on top of the dune, and a fine mist of sand

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