On first glance our first stop in Fortaleza Brazil may not be much to look at since we dock in what is basically a commercial port and there is nothing to see within walking distance. We had to take a bus to the terminal. Just a short ride but no walking allowed around the commercial port. We found a taxi to take us to the Mercado Central. A shopping area/flea market of sorts. I’ll talk about this on down the page. We asked the price to be taken there and received a price of 50 Real (one way) in Brazilian dollars. It ended up being $22 usd round trip. We assumed at that cost it wouldn’t be very far. On the contrary it was several miles. By the way, they don’t speak English. Native language here is Portuguese. Let’s just say google translate was out a lot!
Fortaleza is located in the equatorial tropics, only three degrees below the equator so definitely expect warm weather in this capital of the northeastern state of Cear. One source I read said the city, one of Brazil’s largest, is also one of the most beautiful and underrated places in the country. Claimed by the Portuguese in 1500, settlement of northern Brazil began around 1603 but only in the coastal areas due to battles with the natives when they tried to go inland. It was actually the Dutch who built the first fortress here in 1649, a place they called Fort de Schoonenbrorch. Just five years later it was captured by the Portuguese who ousted the Dutch and renamed it Fortaleza Noosa Senhora de Assuncao, then shortened it to just Fortaleza as the city began to grow up around the fort. Later on during Brazil’s fight for independence Ceara was a rebel stronghold and eventually became the first state to abolish slavery. Today it’s known for its 34 km (21 mi) of sunny beaches, delicious food, and friendly people.
The Mercado Central is the main gigantic shopping mall that has four stories and can be fun to wander in. Fortaleza is an area known for its lace products so I was looking for a lace dress. After finally finding one that was what I would like to have, the price was $2 million real/$450 USD. I politely declined and the gentleman was telling me it was handmade and high quality lace. In portuguese of course. I did buy a dress but not made of lace. It cost me $10 USD. It’s cute. I’m happy with it! 🤗
Right next door to the market is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Fortaleza, a Neo-gothic style church that took 40 years to build. Completed in 1978 it is the 3rd largest church in the country and can fit 5000 people inside its beautiful interior.
Afterwards we really wanted to walk to the beach a few miles away but we hadn’t prepared. I had sandles on and no sun protection. The high today is 89 degrees/F. My skin is still red and peeling from our trip to Bonaire. So, we opted to take the taxi back to the ship.
Interesting truth here, this is the 1st largest cruise ship in this port. The locals really haven’t seen any cruise ships or knew what they were. The only tourism popular here is close countries to the north since the beaches here are amazing. So when I say there’s not much to do, there’s really not a lot to see or do.
So back to the taxi ride. He dropped us off at the commercial port entrance with all the guards. They were able to direct us to the other port. We walked along the road which was mostly dirt and we saw along our trip, graffiti on all the broken down buildings and trash dumped in the median of the road. We saw a man going through the trash, I’m assuming for bottles and cans to sell. Such a sad walk. We made it to the guard station and they put us in a taxi for the rest of the trip.
As our ship left the dock we watched the sun fall and the Brazilian night life start to open up. Apparently it’s so hot here the people stay indoors during the day. I do not blame them.
Our nighttime entertainment was a Brazilian singer. She did a fabulous job. Such beautiful music.
At sea tomorrow. Our next port is Recife Brazil where we are expected to see many cathedrals and churches. Exciting!
May God bless you always!
Chuck and Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 