Natal was christened on Christmas day 1599.
If you are following me on a map, I am no longer on the top of the shoulder of Brazil, but on the side. It was quite a long trip getting here. First there was the trip back to Fortaleza in reverse. This time I got off at the rodoviaria (bus station) at about 2200, where I had 1 hour to buy a follow-on overnight bus to Natal of 8 hours. I was a bit worried the bus might be full (there were no online sales) and I would have to spend another night in Fortaleza, but no problems. By the time I got to Natal around 0730 the sun had already been up a couple of hours, so far east of the nominal timezone meridian is Natal. Correspondingly the sun goes down about 1730. I kicked myself mentally for not taking my jacket out of my backpack before it went into the luggage hold. I had forgotten how cold the air-conditioning in overnight buses are.
I first had a coffee and an "eggsburger" in the Natal rodoviaria before looking for the right bus stand for the bus to Ponta Negra (Black Point), the beachside suburb where travellers normally go. I had to ask the locals a couple of times; they were very helpful.
When I reach Ponta Negra I made a couple of mistakes by not referring to the guide book. Firstly I was under the impression that the landmark shopping centre was on the other side of the road. Secondly I thought the other landmarks on the map were before, not after my stop. As a result I took the bus to the end stop and go off when I realised it would go no further. That'll teach me. How far back to walk? Looks like 300m on the guide map. No problem. Actually it was more like 1km. Still there's only 15 minutes normal walking pace but what with the backpack and uneven pavement, it's more like 30 minutes. What doesn't kill me only makes me more tired, Nietzsche never said. So I appreciated the shower I took on reaching my dorm, all the more because the previous night had been spent in a bus.
I'm out of clean laundry and the hostel will also wash and dry my clothes, for a fee. No problems. No point travelling in uncomfortable dirty clothes; you will just feel grumpy.
Natal is cleaner than Fortaleza and there seems to be more work for the citizens. I felt ok even on the street. Everybody seemed to be busy doing their own thing and not that interested, with malice or otherwise, in a foreigner. Over the next couple of days I observed the following: Lots of western style shopping centres. More cosmopolitan; I saw Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and even Turkish restaurants. I also saw more Asian residents (they spoke Portuguese and behaved like locals). More evidence of non-Catholic faiths; I saw Assembly of God and Jehovah Witnesses halls. More evidence of foreigners living here; I saw a te koop (for sale in Dutch) sign and various condo projects aimed at upper class Brazilians and foreigners. Skyscrapers and condos abound. I suspect the middle class is larger in Natal.
Jeri is built alongside dunes, but Natal is built on them. You can see the sand showing in this photo of a part of the coast. That long slope of sand looks irresistible to slide down, but I read that there are plans to close it, as it's getting too much damage.
The beach and promenade of Ponta Negra are ok but not irresistible. It's also about 100m downhill from the main street. So the more expensive accommodations are much closer to the water. On the other hand, you get a good view to sea higher up. And there are constant cool breezes from the ocean which make the heat of day more bearable and are absolutely delectable at night.
I feel that I'm spending more here in Ponta Negra compared to the other beachside suburbs I have visited, due to the higher prices due to the more affluent people.
If you are following me on a map, I am no longer on the top of the shoulder of Brazil, but on the side. It was quite a long trip getting here. First there was the trip back to Fortaleza in reverse. This time I got off at the rodoviaria (bus station) at about 2200, where I had 1 hour to buy a follow-on overnight bus to Natal of 8 hours. I was a bit worried the bus might be full (there were no online sales) and I would have to spend another night in Fortaleza, but no problems. By the time I got to Natal around 0730 the sun had already been up a couple of hours, so far east of the nominal timezone meridian is Natal. Correspondingly the sun goes down about 1730. I kicked myself mentally for not taking my jacket out of my backpack before it went into the luggage hold. I had forgotten how cold the air-conditioning in overnight buses are.
I first had a coffee and an "eggsburger" in the Natal rodoviaria before looking for the right bus stand for the bus to Ponta Negra (Black Point), the beachside suburb where travellers normally go. I had to ask the locals a couple of times; they were very helpful.
When I reach Ponta Negra I made a couple of mistakes by not referring to the guide book. Firstly I was under the impression that the landmark shopping centre was on the other side of the road. Secondly I thought the other landmarks on the map were before, not after my stop. As a result I took the bus to the end stop and go off when I realised it would go no further. That'll teach me. How far back to walk? Looks like 300m on the guide map. No problem. Actually it was more like 1km. Still there's only 15 minutes normal walking pace but what with the backpack and uneven pavement, it's more like 30 minutes. What doesn't kill me only makes me more tired, Nietzsche never said. So I appreciated the shower I took on reaching my dorm, all the more because the previous night had been spent in a bus.
I'm out of clean laundry and the hostel will also wash and dry my clothes, for a fee. No problems. No point travelling in uncomfortable dirty clothes; you will just feel grumpy.
Jeri is built alongside dunes, but Natal is built on them. You can see the sand showing in this photo of a part of the coast. That long slope of sand looks irresistible to slide down, but I read that there are plans to close it, as it's getting too much damage.
I feel that I'm spending more here in Ponta Negra compared to the other beachside suburbs I have visited, due to the higher prices due to the more affluent people.
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