More on Brazil

h2olm · Since 07 Jun 2006 124 Posts Stoked

Hello All,
After seeing the great video from MasViento, I thought I'd share a bit of my own Brazil adventures. We were lucky enough to travel around the north coast of Brazil. I took my 8m and 10m kites with me, but I only used the 8m. Some days I wished I had my 6m!
Our first stop was in Icaraizinho. This is one beautiful fishing village with miles of sandybeaches. We had a place right on the beach, and the kiting was literally steps from our door. We spent close to a week in Icaraizinho.
We then headed west and spent the rest of our time in Jericoacoara. Jeri has so much to offer. There is fantastic night life, great food, and lots to entertain you. The people there are warm and friendly. The wind, water, and waves of course was what we came for, and it was off the charts. From Jeri, you can access Prea for great downwinders, or you can go to many of the near by lagoons. Of course there are miles and miles of endless beaches to kite in and around Jeri as well.
I can't wait to go back!

specialk · Guest

Beautiful picks! I need a traveling buddy. Anyone want to go to Brazil?!

toesinthesand · Since 08 Sep 2009 167 Posts Hood River Stoked

I am in Jericoacoara until the first of the year. The wind has been a bit lighter than usual and I'm wishing I brought my 9m kite. Any chance someone is willing to bring it for me?This is my 7th time in Jeri, i know the town/area very well. If anyone is coming to Ceara I could help you get the scoop on all things here, lodging, food, transports, kite spots, etc. It is truly heaven on earth for windseekers.

kitenow · Since 23 Jul 2008 2 Posts New Member

We also helped to disseminate local flavour!

Chooch · Sat Oct 30, 10 9:08 pm

specialk · Guest

mystrygrl · Since 07 Sep 2006 95 Posts PDX/HR - What day is it?

great pics!!!! Must do this someday!

Bettyboarder · Tue Nov 02, 10 1:53 pm

Sick!!!

How long is the flight there?

h2olm · Since 07 Jun 2006 124 Posts Stoked

The flights from Portland to Fortaleza do take some time! We flew from PDX to MIA, and then from MIA to FOR. We went through Manaus, which is on the west side of Brazil. From there, we flew to Fortaleza. Some flights take you to Sao Paulo, which is in southern Brazil, and then up to FOR. Those flights are over 24 hours long. Getting to Brazil is certainly time consuming, but it was so worth the travel.

K2 · Since 30 Apr 2009 274 Posts Hood River, OR Obsessed

Super sick! I want to go to Brazil! How long did you stay there? Is it expensive? Do you need to speak Portuguese to get by? It was 8 meter or better every day you were there?! Brazil seems too far for a poor guy like me to go but damn, all these pics people are posting makes me want to sell everything and just go kite forever!

mojo1time · Since 28 Jul 2005 184 Posts Stoked

Best, and most consistent kiting place on the planet that I have hit so far. Fortelzza to Jeri is amazing and exciting the entire way. You can kite perfect flat water or waves everyday. Food is great, healthy and Jeri is super fun at night (if you can keep your eyes open). Planning to hit Preah and Jeri again next fall, stoked.

Sasquatch · Since 09 Mar 2005 2058 Posts PNW Bigfoot

h2olm · Since 07 Jun 2006 124 Posts Stoked

We flew from PDX to MIA, and then from Miami to Manaus, Manaus to Belem, and finally from Belem to Fortaleza. There are flights from Atlanta to Manaus as well. Manaus is a huge city in the middle of the Amazon, and Fortaleza is directly east. On our way back, we flew from MIA to Seattle. Flights from the west coast run about $1100! A month of kiting everyday on some of the most gorgeous beaches ever, PRICELESS!

aolive · Since 18 Jan 2009 34 Posts

Here's a post from our trip last summer. This trip is one of a lifetime. Definitely deserves the Warren Miller quote..."if you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do..."

[size=150]I've been getting many questions about our trip and a lot of interest from the kiting community on Brasil. So I decided to get to work and put something together for everyone on our travels. Enjoy!
[/size]

A little over a year and a half from graduating college Amy and I decided to take off for two and a half months to experience a new culture. Our addiction to Kiteboarding and interest in South America led us to one place, Brasil. By the time September came to an end we had saved up enough money and decided to take the plunge and go for it.
When we got off the plane in Fortaleza we had no idea how amazing the next two and a half months were going to be.

We arrived October 2nd in the height of the windy season of Brasil, which lasts an average of 5 months. Amy and I had heard many stories about Brasil through our research on the area and through friends who had been there. Some focused on how awful the crime was, others contradicted by saying how Brasilians were the most outgoing people in the world. We had the opportunity to stay for the first week at Lances Dad’s house in Fortaleza. This helped settle any edginess Amy and I both had regarding the horror stories. The first word of advice… Just as you should not watch Shark Week on Discovery Channel before a trip to Hawaii, do not watch City of God before heading to Brasil. It's a great movie, but nothing like the NE of Brasil.

(Lances Dad's house in Fortaleza)

(Brasilian flat water...not much better than this)

(Lunch on the Lagoon)

(Fried Red Snapper caught earlier that day)

(In case you are wondering why I am spelling Brasil with an “s”, it is the Brasilian way.)
By the end of our trip we had no reservations of meeting someone at night in the town square and going with them to dinner at their house.
In Brasil they do not have a noise ordinance against playing music loud. The popular music in the state of Ceara is called “Forro” (pronounced foho). Whether you like it or hate it you will hear it. This is a photo of a small system in a car. It is not uncommon to see trailers with walls of speakers blasting forro music as they drive 5mph up and down the city streets.

(Very modest Brasilian car stereo)

We organized our trips from Fortaleza they tended to be anywhere from one week to 3 weeks.
Lance’s Dad knew a car rental guy in Fortaleza named Carlos. We ended up renting from him for all our trips. The cars down there are primarily run on alcohol from sugar cane. Only in one remote location did we have to fill up on gasoline, which tended to be at least 20 cents higher per gallon everywhere.

For our first trip north we decided to meet up with our friends Dan and Brianna from Vancouver, BC. A couple hours there and we were ready to leave. It is a great town if you want to meet a lot of English speaking people who party every night, but we were looking for something totally different. We wanted to experience Brasil for it’s culture and pair that with the awesome sport of Kiteboarding. In the tiny town of Lagoainha we found just that!

moonlight view from our Pousada window.

The kiting in Lagoainha was awesome. The lagoon was a tidal lagoon this year due to the heavy rainy season causing most lagoons to spill out into the ocean. For us this was not a problem. Not only did Lagoainha have awesome Kiting and Beautiful beaches. The town was also filled with some of the most amazing people we have ever meant. This town is where we meant Juciara. Her family owned the market on the corner next the center of town. Everytime we came back to Lagoainha we looked forward to seeing her. We always stopped by the market on our way in to say hello. Than we would take the car down to the beach and ride in the ocean until high tide came around. Once high tide was there we could ride to Lagoa de Donkey around 3 miles downwind and cruise the flat water until it was empty again.

The beach in Lagoainha turned out to be the best for driving on. Amy learned how to drive a clutch on the beach here and by the end she was doing really well. Although learning to drive in a clutch in Brasil doesn’t mean much considering how they pass…

After a week in Lagoainha we took back the car to Fortaleza and met back up with Lance’s Dad. Lance had a couple of friends that were coming from Bellingham that we met up with a few days later. They were non-kiters but just fine with hanging out on a windy beach while we went out on the water.
The Lagoon closest to the house in Fortaleza was probably one of the best lagoons of the trip. The only thing it lacked was really strong wind. Being further south the conditions can change pretty drastically. We found ourselves riding more 10-12m kites in this area.

The soreness from kiting everyday, along with having friends in the area that were not kiters gave us a good excuse to go to Canoa Quebrada. “Canoa” called by the locals is 164km south of Fortaleza. It is most well known as a very cool beach down with walls of compacted red sand that rise up from the beach.

We did see a few kiters out in Canoa . The wind tended to be onshore and 12-14m. However, for an authentic Brasilian vacation spot you won’t find a better city in Ceara.
By far one of the most fun things we did in Canoa was a buggy ride in the sand dunes. It was a great way to see the outskirts of town and they even took us to a really fun zip line!

The more touristy town of Jericoacoara was one that everyone needs to visit on there trip to Ceara. The streets are all sand and at sunset everyone in the town migrates to the dune to watch the sun fall beneath the ocean.

On our walk to the famous Pedra Furada we saw some really colorful rocks and shells.

Amy was trying to show off her skills from high school diving and ended up landing on her ear. We later found out that she had broken her ear drum and were instructed to stay out of the water for 10 days. This gave us time to head into the mountains and see something besides the beach.

Our ride down to the caves. Reminded me of an old James Bond movie...

once inside the caves we saw some amazing formations and even some bats!

Amy even managed to find a local starbucks in the jungle (coffee tree)

After 10 days we were itching to get back on the water. We had no shortage of wind either.

How Brazilians prepare fish...

The perfect kiteboarding closet.

my story telling friend in Guajiru.

an amazing sunset session.

Lance going big in the Lagoon.

Our favorite hotel in Brasil for less than a week night in motel 6!

Amy doing a drive by.

It was an amazing 3 months and it came to an end faster than we thought it would. However, looking back at all the photos and recounting the memories it was a lot that we were able to do in such a short period of time. If anyone is thinking of going to Brazil, or is on the fence about going, please pm or email us about it. We can't wait to go back and would love to share our expertise.

Thanks for reading about our pm if you have questions!

-Andrew and Amy

blancoh2o · Since 15 Mar 2005 1153 Posts Oregon Phishy

Do they really eat Tarpon in Brazil? I didn't know they were edible.

kitenow · Since 23 Jul 2008 2 Posts New Member

I'm pretty sure this is a camurupim (tarpon) - we never saw it specifically on the menu, unless they put it in the regional stew, which was very good. The large scales from it, do make cool chandeliers and jewellery - I found a fun pair of earrings...

Bettyboarder · Fri Nov 05, 10 6:30 pm

Fantastic write up. Your trip looked amazing just moved up on my places to go next. The kiting pictures are awesome