Brazil

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

Coming in after my last session.

Not very legit Laughing

Mark · Tue Nov 25, 08 2:17 pm

GQ Jim!

Nak · Tue Nov 25, 08 3:24 pm

You saw it here first... The next cover of "Men's Health". Very Happy

Looks like a great vacation Jim & Janet! I'm envious!

rabbitstew · Since 03 Sep 2008 6 Posts PDX Kook

It's been interesting to read this thread- thanks for all the info and spreading the stoke. My husband and I are leaving for Forteleza in about 3 weeks. We are spending about 2 weeks traveling along the NE coast, planning to spend about 1/2 of that time kiting & 1/2 just checking it out.

So, after reading about the price of a buggy ride and distances from the water you sometimes encountered, I'd love to here some specs about which places were best to kite and which places to avoid... hotels or beaches ...

Our basics - We don't know if we're renting or car or driving yet- which is best to access kite beaches (and if dragging gear around)? We'd like to find places to stay w/a launch on site (aka no buggy rides needed) any such places you recommend? Also, my husband is pretty good so he's up for whatever, but I'm still getting used to waves tossing me about so I'm hoping for a bit of flat water and some lagoons...

thanks again!

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

Well here is what I can tell you. If you want some general info about the area, this link might be helpful, although it is from one of the resorts.

http://www.ikiteboarding.com/kiteboarding/articles/kiteboarding-brazil-the-state-of-ceara.aspx

Our favorite place to stay was probably in Baleia. We stayed with a former gorge resident Les (the Gorge Animal). His website is http://dreamlandinbrazil.com/. I believe he is IKO certified and can teach you lessons while your husband kites. You can also contact him and if you decide to stay there he can probably set you up with some places that are not in baleia or people to talk to. There isn’t much around besides the kiting in Baleia, however he has a really nice set up. His place is all enclusive. It is basically like staying at home. If you want a drink or snack, just grab something from the fridge. Liquor was also included. He has a buggy, for a downwinder, he has a full workshop if something breaks. Overall a great place to stay.

The only issue I see is that you are coming at the end of the windy season. It seems like the closer you get to Jeri/Prea the windier it gets. We had wind every day while we were there. Also, you don't really need reservations at most places. There are pousadas(small hotels) everywhere along the coast and they are very rarely full. If you find one and it is full, just go a block over and stop at the next one.

I personally wouldn't reccomend villabelavista anymore. It was a very nice place to stay. The room was clean, comfortable bed, nice view, and wireless. The staff was very helpful and friendly. Also Marcio and Patricia seem to be very nice people, I just wouldn't do business with them again. Make sure you like kids if you stay there though. They have two young children that are pretty much always around. They are great kids, but they have a tendency to grab food out of peoples hands and always get into stuff which isn't a very relaxing experience sometimes.

There were a couple of things that left a sour taste in my mouth. We were trying to get out of the last couple days of our contract to leave Prea and go back to Baleia for a couple days, however since they have a 30 day cancellation policy they wouldn't let us out. This is why I mention the reservations, there are so many places to stay that you don't really need to make reservations that lock you in anywhere. We also did a downwinder with Marcio. We paid a significant amount of cash up front for his services and were told we only needed to pay for our hotels and food along the way. We checked other kitesafari places and they included the hotels for less money, however Patricia said they usually only do the safaris for friends. We decided to go with them anyway since we were staying there and it was a more private thing. After we started the trip though Marcio wasn't aware he was paying for his food or hotel. So we ended up covering for him on the downwinder then had to deal with that when we checked out of the hotel.
Finally we had some confusion on our checkout date. We ended up checking out a day early accidentally (you think they might have asked why we were leaving a day early) and when we found out about it we were unable to get our money back for that last day.

If you want to stay in Jeri there are plenty of locations to stay, however you will have to take a 10-20 minnute shuttle to the good kiting in Prea. The benefit is that Jeri has a pretty good night life and plenty of shops and restaurants. You can stay in Prea but there isn't much going on outside of the kiting.

If you want to chat some more just PM boarderchick and maybe you guys can talk on the phone. I am sure she would love to talk about the trip and help you out. If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

bri-uk · Since 13 Nov 2008 1 Posts New Member

just a quick note to add. I've been to all the places on this thread in 06 & 07 and quite enjoyed reading your experience.

The only thing I would book would be the first couple of nights after you arrive. Everything else can be done when your there.

For sure the coastline between Paracuru and Jeri is simply awesome.

rabbitstew · Since 03 Sep 2008 6 Posts PDX Kook

Thanks for the info. We'll look into some of your suggestions and maybe pm boarderchick with any additional questions. I've been riding for a few years, so I don't need any lessons, I've just never been in the ocean before, so I'm guessing that I should start with calmer surf or a lagoon rather than strong waves. I'm thinking that gorge chop and swell isn't enough to prepare me for the waves and currents. Still, Baleia sounds good because it sounds convenient. We are thinking that we'll need to keep moving towards Jeri to find the best wind in Jan. Anyways, thanks again for the details.

Kodiak · Since 01 Aug 2005 1114 Posts Slidey

The waves are pretty mellow in most places and worst case you can just bodydrag through the shore break stuff. Janet was a little nervous about the same thing and she had no problems.