Fortaleza, Brasil...Kite Surfing Mecca

It was tough leaving Natal, seriously. But the saga continues. There's more land to be discovered. Our most northern stop in Brasil was Fortaleza. I really wish I knew the state each city was in but I don't. Brasil has 26 states i think. don't quote me. Anyways, we were really fortunate to meet with Josh's co-worker's friend Carol, who graciously gave us a tour of the city. Honestly, it was a bit weird riding around in a car. So nice and convenient. The layout of Fortaleza was sooooo interesting. The city sorta had a right angle look to it, surrounded by much different types of waters. I say this because on one side, kite surfing is God there. World's championship kite surfing and there was def alotta people practicing for it. But kicker is, all the tall buildings that were built on that side have all, i mean ALL been deteriorated and crumbled down because of the wind that carries the salt. Empty lots everywhere with old building parts. So the other side is the normal side. Hotels, buildings, blah blah. The worst part is that they have this bridge half built (because the new mayor or wherever stopped it) that was suppose to connect everyone to their fatty tourist attraction, the BEACH PARK. They have this like 12 story water slide. Its called SUPER WEDGIE. naw, i don't know what its called but it should be. or RAPE ME.

Fortaleza was actually a cool city. The square of the city was sorta a cool embarcadero amphitheater with bars and restaurants feel. i guess. a perfect spot for the young people to hang out. But back to kite surfing, I actually thought about trying kite surfing before I had visited Brasil. It was just something I've always felt like doing. But Fortaleza was no place for a beginner. Trust me, I saw some guy getting dragged through the water from the wind and there wasn't a way to let go of the kite. If Chicago is the Windy City(even though it aint), Fortaleza is Chicago's drunk uncle. Long story short, I chickened out. ha!

HIGHLIGHT - All trip we've been talking about seeing a soccer game in Rio. But we found out there was a game happening here. THAT NIGHT. WHA! CEARA was playing ABC NATAL. Carol's brother's friend Ruggero is a die hard fan and agreed to take us. From what they described, it was kinda like the Panthers against the Lions. An average team vs a weakass one that would never sell out the stadium. But it was guaranteed to have scores. So GOOOOLLLLL for us! Home team CEARA won, 3-1. It was sick! Why? Because even though it was a normal game, these die hard fans treat it like its the World Series. Pitch for pitch, in this case, pass for pass, they were into it 100%. old guys were cussing like crazy over a simple bad pass. People would start ripping out hair when a player misses an opening. i loved it and at the same time i feared for my life. if i were to cheer for the wrong team only because i might have witnessed a great shot, will people give me the crazy eye? naw, they'll just say konnichiwai! honest! (squint eye look and all, its nuts,but thats another topic for next time) it was a very successful and rememorable game for me and i'm glad we saw it.


Here's some clips of the game.

Fortaleza, Brasil - Soccer Match: CEARA vs ABC NATAL from Anson Ho on Vimeo.