1 Experimenting the local cuisine is a must in Fortaleza. The one shown here features my mom's lunch menu.
2 The view from my parents' condo.
3 The Central Market (Mercado Central) is the place to go shopping for local handicraft -- anything from clothes and food to jewelry. It's like a 6-story mall.
4 Church at the Governor's Palace.
5 Now let's go for a spin along the seashore. Those are condo and hotel buildings.
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9 A modern rendition of Iracema, the virgin with golden lips. She represents the birth of the people of Ceará.
10 Jangada - the raft symbol of Fortaleza and the state of Ceará.
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12 In case you haven't noticed, that's a Holiday Inn in the center of the photo.
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14 At night this area is filled with people walking and shopping from local vendor stands.
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16 Another more traditional statue of Iracema and the Portuguese Soares Moreno who helped settle the area.
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18 More hotels and condos.
19 The Brazil-Japan Garden.
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21 Jangadas at the end of the day.
22 Christmas lights at hotels and condo buildings.
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24 Now we are the Cultural Center Dragão do Mar (Sea Dragon).
25 At the end there's a wall painting creating this illusion of a longer bridge.
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29 Restaurants and bars outside the cultural center.
30 Mural at the cultural center.
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32 Daily activities must include spending time at the beach. In town, Futuro Beach is the best with plenty of bars and restaurant choices. This one has a theme based on Atlantis.
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34 You can sunbathe, eat and drink or just get a massage on the beach.
35 Some of the local cuisine...
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39 The nut outside the plate is a cashew (before it's roasted and peeled). Cashews grow in large trees, and you can actually eat the yellowish/reddish part of the fruit.
40 Even in town you can find very quiet beaches.
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42 When you drive east or west of Fortaleza, more pristine beaches await you.
43 This is Cumbuco, just about 30 minutes from downtown.
44 One of the many attractions in the area is to tour these sand dunes in a dune buggie.
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49 Right by the beach, there's also a lagoon where kite surfing is extremely popular.
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53 Back to another lagoon, you can slide down on a sand board and end up in the water.
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55 This is the Lagoa do Banana, near the beach.
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57 View from one of my brother's lake house at Lagoa do Banana.
