Tom and Noel's South America Cruise: Fortaleza, Brazil, 3/1

We were docked overnight in Fortaleza but left about 2:30 in the afternoon. We will be entering the estuary of the Amazon during the night and have to time our sailing to the high tide as there are sandbars to avoid.

Today we took the shuttle bus into the center of the city and looked around the central market for a couple of hours. The market was immense, having five levels connected with ramps and stairways and it even spills out onto the surrounding streets. This area of Brazil specializes in cotton lace and other cotton products, leather and cashews.

Fortaleza is the fifth largest city in Brazil and seems to have tremendous growth with new high rise condos and apartments everywhere. You still see plenty of poverty but it is evident the economy here is growing. The area was settled by the Dutch, but the Portuguese later took control and the African influence is gone.

Tom is very sad to leave the Brazilian coastal areas, home to the string bikini, or as they call them here "dental floss" bikinis.