Fabulous Fortaleza

A Congress minivan picked us up at the airport and hurried us to the Ponta Mar Hotel. In the lobby a nice woman wearing a Congress badge and high heels who spoke quite good English, named Bea, made it clear that she was the go-to person for any requests or needs. She stayed on duty the entire weekend (in those high heels) arranging buses and rides to and from the venue and the airport.

I could hardly wait to get a shot when I saw the ocean out the window. I've decided I like the ghostly camera in the sky, my reflection in the window.















The food bar was bountiful... I thought the Rio hotel had a good spread, but it paled by comparison to two huge groaning buffet tables as seen on the left, every morning and every evening, filled with platters of sliced treats, twelve kinds of tropical fruit, plenty of hot choices in giant servers, full coffee pots. I started to like hot rice pudding for breakfast, and salmon casserole. No coffee bar, but the regular cafe con laite was just fine.











I couldn't stand being so close to the ocean without getting into it or on it. The same precautions held - no watch, no money if you go to the beach. It was less anxious for both Palmiro, charged with my care and feeding, and I, who am sort of anxious anyway, to go together. We went for a little walk/wade and had a beer in a beach pub. Later we went on a little harbour cruise on a pirate boat.