Great Fortaleza!!!!!!

Hi everyone, my name is Marco; this year I finally managed to fulfil my dream of taking a trip to the north-east of Brazil, more precisely Fortaleza. I have to thank Fabrizio: through his account published on viaggiscoop and following his valuable advice I contacted Ivan Sala, who besides finding me good accommodation proved helpful whenever it was needed. So for those who need accommodation in Fortaleza, contact Ivan: here's his email sala69it@yahoo.it or by phone 0055-85-91032391. Well now let's get to the trip. Fortaleza is a city with almost three million inhabitants; the tourist areas Praia de Iracema and Beira Mar are well guarded and safe. Of course it's always better to avoid objects that might attract attention, also because they're not necessary, such as: watches, necklaces, bracelets............ in short, a bit of common sense and you can walk around in peace.

You just need to watch out for certain little beggars who try to slip their "little hands" into your pockets to steal money; apart from that there are no dangers worth worrying about. For those who don't know, Praia do Futuro, where the establishments the locals call "Baracche" — which are nothing other than beach clubs — are concentrated, is an area to visit exclusively by day to enjoy the beach, but it's strongly inadvisable to stay there overnight since it lacks any facilities and, from what I was told, at night it's a very dangerous area!!! Fortaleza offers various kinds of daytime entertainment with the city beaches Beira Mar and Praia do Futuro, or other very beautiful and characterful beaches that you can visit through guided excursions. In the early evening you can take a walk or sit on the pavement that runs along the Beira Mar beach and enjoy the evening breeze.

Perhaps while drinking a Caipirinha aperitif or an agua de coco. For lovers of nightlife there are venues of all kinds; unlike the info my acquaintances had given me, besides the venues in the red-light district, there are quite a few alternative options. In practice, in the circuit of normal venues frequented by locals, foreign tourists and Brazilian tourists, there's a different option for every day of the week. Even at the table I didn't do badly, since the meat is excellent in any restaurant, while the fish disappointed me a little — few good options and very expensive — whereas I was surprised by an Italian restaurant, in particular Bella Italia, run by two partners Andrea and Luca, young guys but they know their stuff.

During my stay I based myself in Fortaleza, where it's always better to leave the big luggage and take a backpack when you go on excursions during which you sleep away. I say this because it's safer to leave the big luggage in the city so as not to attract attention............ moreover, often because of space and bulk, transporting bulky luggage becomes impossible. I was in Jericoacoara for three days, an enchanting place, and then on two other occasions I first went to Combuco where we went by Buggy and had a thrilling ride over the dunes, little lakes, oases, and then another day we went to Lagoinha, this too was worth it given the quad-bike ride at Lagoinha, first on the beach and then over the dunes, a visit to the fishing village and finally back to the base where we had lunch and in the late afternoon we returned to Fortaleza.

A fantastic holiday; I must say I didn't expect to spend so much, people told me the exchange rate isn't as favourable as two years ago. I went over budget but who cares.............the important thing is that it was money well spent!!! Rather, now I'll write to Ivan to thank him and to ask him for a quote for December/January. I hope you find some ideas for your trip as I found with Fabrizio's travel account. One last tip: don't buy the packages, book just the flight and look for accommodation in an apartment. Packages, even if they seem advantageous, are very limiting for guests, the accommodation is often in deserted areas, or the accommodation options are very cramped and restrictive. I say this because I made friends with other guys and after seeing my accommodation they regretted having bought the travel package. Good luck!!!!!!!! Marco.