We touched down around 2100. The contents of that Airbus 330 overwhelmed the handful of immigration booths and it takes them about 40 minutes to clear the queue. I'm one of the last and my backpack has been on the conveyor belt for some time. I ask about ATMs and am directed to the departure level where there are a cluster of ATMs. Unfortunately only one works and will only dispense R100 (about A60) so I decline. Although this account has no per transaction fees, I'd rather not bother with such a piddling sum.
My hotel will cover the taxi cost one way since I'm staying 3 nights, so I get a taxi from co-op rank outside. (Later I discover that the owner's parents, or perhaps the owners, leaving their son in charge while away in France, were on the same flight and I could have been picked up along with them, but I missed that email which arrived after TAP picked us up.) Being driven through the darkened city at night the first thing that strikes me is how dim the lights are in the homes and shops of the poor, like one bulb for an entire hall. It takes me back to my childhood when people used dim sources of light like kerosene lamps. Adequate lighting seems a given for us in the first world. They must be poor to have to worry about the cost of electricity.
Next morning after breakfast (which is included in overnight accommodation everywhere that I know of in Brazil), I set out to get some cash. I am directed to a nearby supermarket with an ATM where I get R600 and buy a couple of bottles of water.
Another thing that I notice are the holes in the tarmac, and the rubbish on the pavements and in the gutters. This is Brazil, third world in many parts, after all. But then too I can think of so-called first world countries with equally bad public sanitation.
A bit later, while I am walking down the beachfront avenue in search of lunch, I bump into one of the Dutch guys I was sitting next to on the plane, sitting in a restaurant. He had the same problem with ATMs and took out R1200 at the supermarket using two cards. He's waiting for the apartment agent to turn up with the keys (he's rented an apartment for a week). Because we arrived too late, they did not wait for him at the airport so he stayed a night in a hotel. I order spag bol. As I expected, it's too salty. Also overpriced due to the beachfront location. I'll write more about Brazilian food in other posts.
Actually it's more like hobbling somewhat than walking because I must have parked my left foot in an awkward position during the flight when I dozed off from exhaustion and triggered an old foot injury. This is a worry as I cannot see how I could sightsee limping around. But I think it will recover given time so I just have to plan accordingly.
The weather is warm and humid, normal for this part of the world, but the sea breezes keep the weather from being too uncomfortable. A bit reminiscent of the north coast of Cuba. I take some pictures and retreat to my room for the rest of the day.
In the evening a daily handicrafts and hawkers' market starts up on the esplanade. The usual stuff, souvenirs, T-shirts, etc, and including caju (cashew) nuts, a produce of this region. Here's a picture of those markets.
And what does Fortaleza mean, you probably didn't forget to ask. Well, the eponymous fortress that the Dutch constructed and then the Portuguese conquered centuries ago doesn't exist any more.
My hotel will cover the taxi cost one way since I'm staying 3 nights, so I get a taxi from co-op rank outside. (Later I discover that the owner's parents, or perhaps the owners, leaving their son in charge while away in France, were on the same flight and I could have been picked up along with them, but I missed that email which arrived after TAP picked us up.) Being driven through the darkened city at night the first thing that strikes me is how dim the lights are in the homes and shops of the poor, like one bulb for an entire hall. It takes me back to my childhood when people used dim sources of light like kerosene lamps. Adequate lighting seems a given for us in the first world. They must be poor to have to worry about the cost of electricity.
Next morning after breakfast (which is included in overnight accommodation everywhere that I know of in Brazil), I set out to get some cash. I am directed to a nearby supermarket with an ATM where I get R600 and buy a couple of bottles of water.
Another thing that I notice are the holes in the tarmac, and the rubbish on the pavements and in the gutters. This is Brazil, third world in many parts, after all. But then too I can think of so-called first world countries with equally bad public sanitation.
Actually it's more like hobbling somewhat than walking because I must have parked my left foot in an awkward position during the flight when I dozed off from exhaustion and triggered an old foot injury. This is a worry as I cannot see how I could sightsee limping around. But I think it will recover given time so I just have to plan accordingly.
The weather is warm and humid, normal for this part of the world, but the sea breezes keep the weather from being too uncomfortable. A bit reminiscent of the north coast of Cuba. I take some pictures and retreat to my room for the rest of the day.
And what does Fortaleza mean, you probably didn't forget to ask. Well, the eponymous fortress that the Dutch constructed and then the Portuguese conquered centuries ago doesn't exist any more.
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