Greetings from the beautiful northeastern coast of Brazil! We've spent much of the past couple of weeks traveling from beach to beach along the coast and they've been stunning! We started the week in Fortaleza and were hoping to head to Jericoacoara Monday afternoon but later realized that the trip was a lot longer than we originally thought. Instead we decided to head out early the next morning and check out Praia do Futuro in Fortaleza with our new Brazilian friend, Warlem (pronounced War-lee). Praia do Futuro is a beautiful stretch of beach with great surf along one of the cities coasts. It had a beach club close by where we had some fresh mango juice and hung out by the pools. Michelle, Warlem and I then decided to give beach tennis a try. I'd never seen/played the sport, but the other people playing seemed to be having a good time. It was a lot harder than it seemed but we got the hang of it and had a fun couple of games. If you haven't tried it before I highly recommend it! On our way back from Praia do Futuro we stopped by the main beaches in downtown Fortaleza and walked around the waterfront and admiring the massive Super Moon and the beautiful street art. We shared a few cold coconuts during our relaxing walk to wrap up our day. The following morning we took the trip to sand dunes of the national park in Jericoacoara. The trip was five hours to Jijoca and then about an hour in the back of a pickup truck through the sand dunes to town. The town of Jeri, as it's referred to by the locals, is a quaint town made up of boutique hotels and backpacker hostels.The roads are sand and everything is in walking distance. We arrived around 3pm, with enough time to relax for a bit before heading to Pedra Furada, a stone arch along the rocky coast of the park. We walked the 2km up and down the windy sand dunes. The coastline was absolutely stunning! It reminded me a bit of Big Sur in California. We stayed until the sun set and even spotted a mermaid before heading back for the night. The next day we spent the morning at Lagoa do Paraíso, a picturesque blue lagoon complete with hammocks in the water and straw cabanas lining the beach. It was a very relaxing place to spend the morning and work on our tans. For lunch, we decided to cook back at our hostel and I made us some chicken parm sandwiches, which didn't come out half bad all things considered. That afternoon we went down to the main beach in town and stumbled upon the massive Duna Pôr do Sol. The Sunset Sand Dune is over 500 years old and almost 200ft tall. We saw the crowds making their way up the dune to secure a spot to watch the sunset over the horizon and we followed suit. We watched for almost two hours as tons of kitesurfers gracefully flew through the sky with the sun slowly setting behind them. We sat and meditated for a bit before the sun finally went below the horizon. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets we've ever seen, and that's saying a lot, especially after this trip. As the last bit of the sun disappeared and the sky filled with an array of colors, applause broke out amongst the onlookers. We were all very grateful to mother earth for gracing us with that beautiful view. We spent most of the next day traveling back to Fortaleza and relaxed when we got back from Jeri. We were going to head out early the following day on a day trip to Morro Branco, Praia das Fontes and Canoa Quebrada, three beautiful beaches a couple hours east of Fortaleza. Morro Branco was probably my favorite of the three. It looked like a sand canyon with a beautiful array of colors. The labyrinth of sand mazes is made up of 12 different colored sands leading up to the beach. All three beaches were very beautiful. It was also very cool to see hundreds of massive wind turbines harnessing energy along the coast. The winds off the shore are very strong and it's great to see Brazil using them to harvest clean energy. That night was our last night in Fortaleza and it was a Friday night, so we had to go out and do some dancing! My good friend Mo recommended we head to the Pirate Bar by the beach to dance Forró, music encompasses various dance styles as well as a number of different musical beats. It seemed to us to be a mix of salsa, merengue, and cumbia. There was a live band and few prominent Forró singers on stage that night. We had a blast dancing the night away. Michelle even swooned Mr. Brazil for a few dances and a couple kisses! The representatives of each state in the Mr. Brazil competition were apart of an event at Pirate Bar that night. The caipirinhas fueled a night long dance party. We stayed out until we had to catch our uber to the bus station to catch our 5am bus to Natal. We slept the whole 8hr bus ride to Natal and decided to hop on a bus straight to Praia da Pipa, since we'd heard such great things about it. We made it to Pipa around 7pm after travelling all day. We took a nap, and then headed into town for some dinner. The Rua Principal is lined with tons of cute restaurants and bars. We settled on Guaca, a delicious Mexican restaurant! Michelle and I split a chips and dips appetizer and a roast pork dish with an incredible pineapple sauce. After dinner we grabbed a couple caipis and met up with some people we'd met at the hostel. We made friends with Barbara, a Swiss chick traveling around South America for a few months, and Max, a Dutch guy doing a similar month long trip through Brazil as Michelle and I were doing. The dance party poured from the bars and clubs into the small packed streets of the beach town. We stayed out for a bit and decided to head to the beach since I hadn't seen it yet. We watched the stars and moon for bit before the sun began creeping up over the horizon at about 4:30am. The second time being up for sunrise in as many days, but watching the sunrise over Praia do Amor, was something like I've never experienced before. It was incredible! The four of us and another friend from the States, Shannon, spent the following three days hopping from beach to beach in Pipa. There are about five different beaches along the coast of Pipa differing in crowdedness, size of surf, and distance. They are all very beautiful and walkable when the tide is low. We spent most of our time at Praia do Madeira and Baia do Golfinhos, trying to spot some dolphins that supposedly swim right up to you, but we had no luck with the dolphins. These last two beaches are at the base of giant sea cliffs and are a bit more secluded. We got plenty of color our four days in Pipa and made some great friends during our time there. We even took a few capoeira classes on the beach and cooked up some fresh fish. Good times all around! I will definitely be returning to Pipa sometime soon! We sadly parted ways with our new friends, and made the drive to Recife/Olinda with Shannon. One of the guys that was working at the hostel we were staying offered to give us a ride which would save us time as we wouldn't have to go all the way back to Natal before turning around and heading back south. Although it came out a bit more than we initially agreed upon, we had a fun ride to Recife. In Recife we stayed with the first friend I made at UNC-Chapel Hill. James, an Atlanta native with Brazilian heritage, was my host when I visited UNC my senior year of high school. I was lucky enough to partake in minority student recruitment weekend in April of my senior year. I don't think I could ever thank James enough hosting me and providing me with my first insight into what it would be like to be a Tar Heel. It was a beautiful spring weekend just a couple weeks removed from the 2005 National Champion and the campus was still glowing. I made some great friends that weekend, and knew Carolina had to be the place where I spent the next four years. The Minority Student Recruitment Weekend was so impactful for me that I decided to be a host the following year. The three guys I hosted all ended up coming to Carolina the following year. There's something about experiencing the beauty of UNC first hand and knowing that university appreciates and actively works to create a diverse community of hard-working individuals. Again, I thank James and UNC for that incredible opportunity. James and his beautiful wife, Gisele, let us stay in their guest bedroom for a couple nights while we were in Recife. We had some of the best food we've had in Brazil going out to eat with James & Gisele, delicious savory crepes and Italian food. Gisele also offered to take us to Olinda and show us her mother's waterfront beautiful house and treated us to some delicious homemade lime pie.. On Thanksgiving, Michelle & I made a little Thanksgiving dinner for James and Gisele as a way thank them for their friendship and for being such gracious hosts. We also had the opportunity to celebrate the news that the bundle of joy they'll be receiving in just a few months is 90% likely to be a boy! Parabens, James & Gisele! I've got a week left with Michelle in Brazil and we are really looking forward to our last two stops, Salvador & Foz do Iguaçu. It's been an wonderful last few weeks with her and is one of the things I'm most thankful for. This Thanksgiving was my first not shared with my parents, my first outside of the United States. Although I was sad to not be able to share it with them, I was extremely fortunate to have my sister by my side as well as be surrounded by friends, new and old. This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for many things: my family, friends, health, and the ability to fulfill a lifelong dreams. I am grateful for all of the experiences, good and bad, that continue to shape who I am. I am grateful to have the trip of a lifetime with my beautiful sister. I am grateful to have an incredible network of supportive individuals. I hope everyone's holiday was just as lovely as mine.
Sending y'all muito amor do Brasil!
1 Comment
Art
12/3/2016 08:21:28 am
I was humbled to have met you two 😎. Be well. ⛱
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AuthorColombian-born, Brooklyn educator traveling the world Archives
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