Fortaleza
Marina Park Hotel
30/01/08 05:19
Last
night we ate ashore at Centro Dragao do Mar de Arte e Cultural.
This is a large complex including a
library cinema, planetarium, theatre with numerous shops and
restaurants. It is very popular and in complete contrast to it's
run down surroundings.
Today Tomas left to countinue his travels in the interior of Brazil and Venezuela. Bon voyage Tomas!
I decided to visit friends in Toronto for a few days between 7-13 February. There is free WiFi in the marina so I was able to book flights without leaving the boat. I will be flying GOL to Sao Paulo and then Air Canada to Toronto. GOL's website would not accept foreign cards and asked me to call. It was arranged that I could pay in person at Fortaleza airport.
Today Tomas left to countinue his travels in the interior of Brazil and Venezuela. Bon voyage Tomas!
I decided to visit friends in Toronto for a few days between 7-13 February. There is free WiFi in the marina so I was able to book flights without leaving the boat. I will be flying GOL to Sao Paulo and then Air Canada to Toronto. GOL's website would not accept foreign cards and asked me to call. It was arranged that I could pay in person at Fortaleza airport.
Marina Park Hotel
28/01/08 21:15
Today we
had to attend to Brazilian entry formalities.
Our pilot book suggests that local buses be used to visit the offices required but the Hotel reception strongly advised against using buses. The bus stop across the road from the hotel is adjacent to a Favela.
Before setting out I checked the latest government advice on travel within Brazil. The Foreign Office, the U.S. State Department and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs are quite unanimous on the dangers of travel within Brazil. There are even warnings about piracy off the Brazilian coast.
We decided to get a taxi. First stop was the Policia Federal who deal with immigration. The office was closed but after about 20 minutes they arrived. Our details were taken and entry stamps put in our passports. They seemed to be well funded with modern computers and office equipment. Both our passports were scanned and all details including photos were recorded on their national database.
The Port of Fortaleza is bordered by a Favela so we retained the taxi who then took us a mile or so further to visit Port Health and Customs.
At health they wanted to see evidence of vaccination against yellow fever. At customs we queued with truck drivers waiting to exit the port. Due to a photo copy machine failure we were on the verge of being asked to return later but one of the drivers had previously worked with photo copiers and stepped in to very quickly fix it.
Customs were particularly interested in the value of Kiriwina. I made a declaration and was issued a temporary import permit with notification that an officer would visit Kiriwina the following day.
Our final stop was the Capitania dos Portos. This was in fact the Brazilian Navy who are responsible for all matters maritime including recreational boating. The office was located between the port and the city centre behind a high security fence with a Favela across the road. We were told to wait in the taxi while the driver sought entry. When a sentry opened the gate we were told to run quickly from the taxi to the gate. All the naval personnel carried sidearms and I wondered what the fuss was about.
We were required to state our next port in Brazil and cannot deviate without risking heavy fines.
Throughout the formalities all the staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful. The whole process took about three hours and will more or less be repeated when we leave.
On the way back we stopped at a branch of Banco do Brasil to get some cash. There were long queues and we could only one machine accepted foreign cards. There were at least two armed security guards wearing bullet proof vests. After 22:00 withdrawals are limited to small amounts to stop card thieves from double dipping around midnight. There are around 3.5 Brazilian Reals to the pound.
With all the dire warnings about crime I was initially hesitant about leaving the hotel complex. Tomas was less worried and walked around town by himself at night. The Marina Park Hotel has an off menu restaurant, a buffet restaurant and two snack bars. I noticed that many Brazilian guests did not leave the hotel except on organised excursions.
Our pilot book suggests that local buses be used to visit the offices required but the Hotel reception strongly advised against using buses. The bus stop across the road from the hotel is adjacent to a Favela.
Before setting out I checked the latest government advice on travel within Brazil. The Foreign Office, the U.S. State Department and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs are quite unanimous on the dangers of travel within Brazil. There are even warnings about piracy off the Brazilian coast.
We decided to get a taxi. First stop was the Policia Federal who deal with immigration. The office was closed but after about 20 minutes they arrived. Our details were taken and entry stamps put in our passports. They seemed to be well funded with modern computers and office equipment. Both our passports were scanned and all details including photos were recorded on their national database.
The Port of Fortaleza is bordered by a Favela so we retained the taxi who then took us a mile or so further to visit Port Health and Customs.
At health they wanted to see evidence of vaccination against yellow fever. At customs we queued with truck drivers waiting to exit the port. Due to a photo copy machine failure we were on the verge of being asked to return later but one of the drivers had previously worked with photo copiers and stepped in to very quickly fix it.
Customs were particularly interested in the value of Kiriwina. I made a declaration and was issued a temporary import permit with notification that an officer would visit Kiriwina the following day.
Our final stop was the Capitania dos Portos. This was in fact the Brazilian Navy who are responsible for all matters maritime including recreational boating. The office was located between the port and the city centre behind a high security fence with a Favela across the road. We were told to wait in the taxi while the driver sought entry. When a sentry opened the gate we were told to run quickly from the taxi to the gate. All the naval personnel carried sidearms and I wondered what the fuss was about.
We were required to state our next port in Brazil and cannot deviate without risking heavy fines.
Throughout the formalities all the staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful. The whole process took about three hours and will more or less be repeated when we leave.
On the way back we stopped at a branch of Banco do Brasil to get some cash. There were long queues and we could only one machine accepted foreign cards. There were at least two armed security guards wearing bullet proof vests. After 22:00 withdrawals are limited to small amounts to stop card thieves from double dipping around midnight. There are around 3.5 Brazilian Reals to the pound.
With all the dire warnings about crime I was initially hesitant about leaving the hotel complex. Tomas was less worried and walked around town by himself at night. The Marina Park Hotel has an off menu restaurant, a buffet restaurant and two snack bars. I noticed that many Brazilian guests did not leave the hotel except on organised excursions.