Three Bites of Brazil

Get a glimpse of three northeastern cities: Fortaleza, Natal
and Olinda. Beyond the celebrated beaches you'll find colonial
monuments, typical handicraft and food,
hot climate and lots of human warmth.

Janis Carter

Nordeste means northeast in Portuguese, the language of Brazil. Best known as a beach lover's paradise, the beauty of the shoreline cannot be overstated. The Nordeste, however, has lots more to offer: colonial architecture, tropical climate, folk art, local fishing craft and even a few Internet cafés. Plus, this sun-drenched haven is very affordable. This sampler of three cities, each in a different state, is just a glimpse of what awaits you in Brazil's Nordeste.

Fortaleza, Ceará

Much of life in Fortaleza centers along the beaches. Men with little carts sell whole coconuts with the tops sliced off so you can drink the juice. Jangadas (boats used for lobstering and fishing that date back to pre-colonial times) provide local scenery to beachcombers.

The Praia de Iracema is a popular beach. Iracema is a famous novel written by José de Alencar, a Cearanese, in 1865. It tells the story of the love between a native Indian girl, Iracema, and a Portuguese settler. A graceful sculpture of Iracema graces the beach that bears her name. She has a taut bow in her hands. All quite lyrical for a place that used to be called Fish Beach!

Every evening, a lively street market with handicrafts goes on along the boardwalk of the beira-mar (literally sea shore. but in this case refers to the main avenue running along the city's eastern beaches). Local crafts people display their wares selling sandals, hammocks, woodcarvings, embroidery and lace. You may even see a local fisherman walking along with a stick slung over his shoulder, the day's catch dangling from one, or both, ends.

A little north of Iracema Beach you encounter the Englishmen's Bridge, so called because it was built by an English company. The structure is, however, a pier and not a bridge at all! Fortaleza has no harbor, so ships have to anchor quite a distance offshore. Small boats set out from the Englishmen's bridge, carrying passengers and cargo bound for the ships. The pier provides a sweeping view up and down the beach in both directions. Surfers kick and splash in the waves and you can sometimes spot dolphins at play. A partially submerged shipwreck (where some people dive) is part of the view.

The Mercado Central is a good place to see and buy local handicrafts and products. The place is enormous with three or four levels of stalls hawking cashews, sandals, tee shirts, lace, embroidery, hammocks, cachaça (local sugar cane rum), etc., all at reasonable prices. Stall attendants are aggressive and ready to bargain.

Similar to the Mercado Central is the Tourist Center, housed in an old jail. The inmate cells have been converted into stalls where artisans sell their work and other tourist trinkets. The merchandise is the same, but the people tending stalls at the Tourist Center are a little less aggressive than those in the Mercado Central.

For a nominal fee you can visit The Tourist Center's museum featuring locally-carved and brightly painted animal figurines and statues, carvings of saints, puppets, bull carts, examples of local lace and how it is produced. One section is devoted to ex-votos (ex-vows). These are woodcarvings of body parts: hands, feet, torsos, breasts and so on. They are presented to the saints or the church as thanks for a miracle that has been granted.

A catholic priest who worked in this part of the country, Padre Cicero is quite a folk hero among northeasterners and his story is presented here. He is closely tied to the belief that the saints can perform miracles. The museum also has a large section dedicated to Brazilian semi-precious stones, some carved, some polished and some in the rough.

Ceará Museum is also worth a look. Displays include: a full-size jangada (fishing boat), sand pictures in bottles, portraits of various Cearense historical figures, ex-votos and some Indian artifacts. Padre Cicero also has a place of honor here. Another unique exhibit is a stuffed goat. It seems this goat was a city mascot adopted by Fortaleza in bygone times. The goat roamed the town, visiting one of the town's busiest squares every day. When it died, someone decided to have it stuffed and donated it to the museum.

Dragão do Mar (Sea Dragon) is a cultural focal point with its theater, movies, planetarium and exhibition halls. There's even a bookstore. A beautiful mosaic wall of Cearense art gleams in the sunshine. Travelers' palms grace the courtyard that is surrounded by buildings brightly painted in colonial style. Changing exhibits are displayed in its galleries.

The Teatro José de Alencar has been declared a national monument. It is named for José de Alencar, a statesman an the author of the novel Iracema as mentioned above. Quite ornate with a mixture of architectural styles, the theater was restored in the 1990's and has air conditioning now. Think about watching a play in the tropical climate in colonial days!

In Blacksmith's Square close to the Ceará Museum, is the São Luiz movie theater, billed as the most beautiful in Brazil. The building mixes Art Deco and neo-classical elements. The lobby has three grand chandeliers and a marble stairway to the second level. The first movie ever shown here was Ingrid Bergman's Anastasia.

Natal, Rio Grande do Norte

Natal is Portuguese for Christmas. The three wise men are a symbol of the city: the city fort bears their name, a three wise men light sculpture greets travelers arriving by bus, figures of the wise men stand in front of one of the nicest hotels. Many places, like pharmacies and luncheonettes, are named after them.

Some people argue that Brazil's most beautiful beaches are in Natal. Who wants to argue? They are breathtaking. The water is varying shades of green, the sky a vibrant blue. The waves are high and plenty of people, brown as berries, play in the surf and on the shore. Children splash in tidal pools. A cooling breeze blows constantly. Many gorgeous beaches are so secluded you can only reach them by dune buggy. Fortunately these vehicles, with driver included, are easily available for rent. You'll be asked if you want an "emotional" or "un-emotional" ride.

The Americans had a military base here during WWII. Natal, being the closest point in Brazil to Africa, was considered a strategic position. How those American soldiers must have loved the place despite the heat. In fact, a type of music, popular to this day in Brazil, takes its name from the corruption of the English expression "for all." The music known in Portuguese as forró was played at dances held by the military which were open to all.

Natal, like Fortaleza, has a Tourist Center. As in Fortaleza, the place occupies an old jail; each old cell a stall for selling local crafts. Much of the same stuff they peddle at the Mercado Central in Fortaleza is also for sale here: cashews, leather goods, lace, hammocks, T-shirts, sand art, etc. A few things here are different. You can buy brightly colored fish to hang on your wall. Also available: carvings of Brazilian historical buildings and blue clay sculptures and vases. You can even pick up a map of Natal.

The second level has a lot of paintings and carvings for sale. The painting is childlike and colorful. One artist paints local scenes of people working in the sugar cane fields, picking coffee beans or harvesting cashew fruit. Tropical birds inhabit the surrounding trees. Scattered amongst the artwork are carvings of saints and books about the area: history, geography, literature written by Northeasterners and even place name histories.

Olinda, Pernambuco

Olinda means "Oh! How pretty!" in Portuguese. The 16^th century founder of Olinda made that exclamation when he declared it a good spot for a town.

UNESCO has declared the town, with its 20 Baroque churches, convents and numerous small passos (chapels) a cultural heritage site. Olinda is on a hill. Wandering the steep streets, known as ladeiras, you are surrounded by colonial period architecture.

Many of the houses are joined together and painted bright colors. When the climbing gets tiring, turn around and get inspiration from the sweeping views down to the water. The colonial architecture nestles in the lush tropical vegetation rolling down to the sea. The air is clear; the clouds bleach white.

At the top of the hill, many vendors have stalls full of the same tourist stuff you see everywhere but also: little carvings of houses climbing up a hill; some with local churches represented, flat carvings to hang on the wall and sculptured figures. Some men might be doing the carvings along the sidewalk or in the square.

Many of the colonial structures are open to the public but only during specific hours. Check open hours to avoid disappointment. One example of the many places to tour is the Convento de São Francisco, its outer façade encrusted with decorative molding. Inside, blue and white tiles cover the walls of a small central courtyard. Some of the rooms inside also have murals of blue tile decorating the walls. The convent has three lovely chapels, massive carved-wood furniture, the ever-present tri-chrome saints and painted ceilings.

Old town Olinda also has four museums: Olinda Contemporary Art Museum, Sacred Art Museum of Pernambuco, Olinda Regional Museum and a Puppet Museum. The Regional Museum was originally a bishop's house. It has its own chapel, quite a large one. The place is full of antique furniture, imported china and painted saints. It's not well marked, so ask someone to point it out to you.

More souvenir shopping is available at Mercado da Ribeira. This place was an antique market for slave food, never a slave market as some guides claim. In colonial times, Brazil imported a large number of slaves to work on its sugar cane plantations.

In sharp contrast to the Mercado is Shopping Tacaruna. It is a modern shopping mall with all the conveniences including bank machines, movie theaters, and a food court. This mall, like all other major shopping centers in the Nordeste, has Internet computers available to rent by the hour.

Ranging a bit further, visit Porto de Galinhas (Chickens Port), known far and wide as the most beautiful beach in the area. In olden days, when slaves were brought in to Brazil illegally, "chicken" was a codeword for illegal slave cargo. Despite its dark history the beach is spectacular. Protected by reefs many natural bathing pools form. It is about 100 kilometers south of Olinda and well worth the trip.

THE FACTS

GETTING THERE: Most flights from the USA enter Brazil through either São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, greatly overshooting the Nordeste. You then pick up a domestic Brazilian flight back up to the Nordeste. Frequent flier programs, if the providing airline has a Brazilian partner, may allow you to fly all the way to the Nordeste on a single award with stopovers in any of the connecting cities. There are rumors of new direct flight service from Miami to Fortaleza.

WHEN TO GO: Tropical temperatures prevail year round varying from 85 to 90 degrees. Being in the southern hemisphere the Nordeste is experiencing its domestic off-season during the USA's winter months. Just remember the Northeast, particularly Olinda, is a popular Carnaval (Brazil's version of Mardi-Gras, celebrated the week before Lent) destination.

WHERE TO STAY: A good number of the local hotels are listed with the Internet reservation services. These sites provide a good deal of information about the hotel, including photographs. Start out with www.hotelsbrazil.com, www.clickinternational.com, www.bestlodging.com and www.placestostay.com

Janis Carter began her love affair with Brazil as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Presidente Prudente, state of São Paulo, in 1976. After returning to the USA, she studied Portuguese at the Ohio State University. A telecommunications professional, she worked in Brazil during the privatization of that industry. She now lives in Columbus, Ohio, but visits Brazil as often as she can to matar saudades (satisfy a longing for the place). You can reach her via e-mail at bridgetobrasil@netscape.net  

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