Location: Fortaleza, Brazil
Today, we finally made it ashore around noon and began to explore Fortaleza. Upon reaching land, we realized it was our first time setting foot on a continent in over a month. We were greeted by the glorious pool at the Marina Park Hotel. Some people never made it past this point and spent the afternoon lounging in hammocks in the shade, floating in the pool, and catching up on emails while sipping refreshing cold sodas. The others that did venture past the hotel hailed taxis and went to Mercado Central, a huge four-story indoor market. Here, it was easy to get one’s fill of ice cream, which was at the top of almost everyone’s list of most desired foods. Once full, people began to explore the market and emerged with bags full of goods that ranged from simple bracelets to cute dresses to an awesome hammock. Some people decided to eat lunch in a more exotic place and ended up at a very large buffet that served an endless supply of meats, cheeses, and cooked veggies. We all met up again at the Marina Park Hotel, where many people took advantage of their first real freshwater showers since Cape Town. After dinner, we watched a Planet Earth movie about marine reptiles and birds. Now, we’re beginning to roll into our anchor watches as the rest of the crew settles into another night being rocked to sleep, ready to continue our explorations of Fortaleza tomorrow.