Tuesday, April 17, 2007
11 April, 07
The bus journey wasn’t great and it stopped several times along the way. We didn’t sleep much and when we arrived in Salvador we were quite tired. We got to the main bus station (Rodoviario) at about 06h30 and the shopping mall across the road was closed. We waited for the airport bus and it took about an hour until we got there. I think we saw every nook and cranny in Salvador and we eventually got to the airport. We had a quick bite and a coffee and checked in for our flight to Fortaleza. The flight was fairly empty and so we had three seats each and we slept a bit, even though it was quite a short flight. Fortaleza, in Ceara State, is the Northeast’s most important fishing port and commercial centre. Fortaleza’s main attractions are the beaches and serves as a jumping–off point for many other destinations. We arrived here, in another great city, and got the local bus into Meireles – a recommended beach area lined with high-rise hotels and restaurants. It was easy but we did have to take two buses and it was very warm outside (30 degrees).
We found a hotel very quickly and this was such a relief because it was so hot and we really needed to shower- BADLY. The hotel is very well-located and right across the road from the beach and the craft market. When we arrived, the market was not there and in a matter of one or two hours they had set up an entire market and this would be open until 11h00/12h00 at night and then they pack up completely and start again tomorrow. We walked around and took a walk along the busy promenade very slowly watching all the locals doing there ‘thing’ after a days work. Everyone was running and cycling or walking and it felt a little like Rio de Janeiro. We had a plate of shrimp (camarao) at a beach bar and we couldn’t keep our eyes open anymore. We got to our room and all I remember were the most incredible pillows ever.
The bus journey wasn’t great and it stopped several times along the way. We didn’t sleep much and when we arrived in Salvador we were quite tired. We got to the main bus station (Rodoviario) at about 06h30 and the shopping mall across the road was closed. We waited for the airport bus and it took about an hour until we got there. I think we saw every nook and cranny in Salvador and we eventually got to the airport. We had a quick bite and a coffee and checked in for our flight to Fortaleza. The flight was fairly empty and so we had three seats each and we slept a bit, even though it was quite a short flight. Fortaleza, in Ceara State, is the Northeast’s most important fishing port and commercial centre. Fortaleza’s main attractions are the beaches and serves as a jumping–off point for many other destinations. We arrived here, in another great city, and got the local bus into Meireles – a recommended beach area lined with high-rise hotels and restaurants. It was easy but we did have to take two buses and it was very warm outside (30 degrees).
We found a hotel very quickly and this was such a relief because it was so hot and we really needed to shower- BADLY. The hotel is very well-located and right across the road from the beach and the craft market. When we arrived, the market was not there and in a matter of one or two hours they had set up an entire market and this would be open until 11h00/12h00 at night and then they pack up completely and start again tomorrow. We walked around and took a walk along the busy promenade very slowly watching all the locals doing there ‘thing’ after a days work. Everyone was running and cycling or walking and it felt a little like Rio de Janeiro. We had a plate of shrimp (camarao) at a beach bar and we couldn’t keep our eyes open anymore. We got to our room and all I remember were the most incredible pillows ever.
# posted by Heidi & Richard's travels @ 3:37 PM 
