Brazil or Cambodia?

In the hammock trying to get some sleep
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Here are some pictures I decided to put up because I thought they were funny. When we went to Aracati to visit my wifes brother he had said he had a duplex house. That it was a 2 story house and that it was a great house to live in.

This is a prime example why you should always be prepared, the house looked like something out of a horror flick. The house was more like a bunker used in world war 2 and the bathroom was so horrible I was even afraid to do number 1 in there.

Here still trying to get some sleep
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Sleeping was a task in itself, with mosquitos buzzing about and hungry for your blood. The air is hot all around you and having to put a sheet over you so the bugs don't bite make it that much hotter. But remember we where told this was a great place. Yeah right!

Needless to say we got a hotel room at about 3am to get a decent night sleep.

Aracati Canoa Quebrada

On the beach of Canoa Quebrada
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Here are some photos of out latest trip to a town called Aracati in Brazil which is about 2 hours drive from Fortaleza. The area we went to is called Canoa Quebrada. Its a nice beach with an interesting red rocks as you can see from the photos below.

Entrance into Canoa Quebrada Beach
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On the beach of Canoa Quebrada
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They have lots of Dune Buggy tours and rentals for you to choose from and very nice area to visit. Of course this area of the beach you will have the slight problem of people trying to sell you something every 5 seconds which makes it quite annoying on this part of the beach which is the entrance to the beach.

Of course the beach is not the only thing to see in Aracati, they also have a nice little plaza to shop and sightsee in as you can see in the photo below.

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Shopping Plaza in Canoa Quebrada
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Forte Nossa Senhora Assuncao

This is the Fort that started the city of Fortaleza within the state of Ceara in Brazil. The fort is called Nossa Senhora Assuncao which basically translated is the Virgin Mary that watches over the fort itself.

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Martim Soares Moreno which is the founder of Ceara was born in Santiago do Cacem, Portugal in 1585 and arrived in Brazil in 1603. Later he went to Ceara in 1605 and on January 20, of 1612 took over Ceara and had control of it with the help of the indians that inhabited it at the time. He had joined forces with the indians in helping them fight their own enemies.

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In a location called River Siara which is now called Barra Do Ceara he had built a fortress that he named Sao Sebastiao. While he fought along side the indians as they where his new found family he had fallen in love with an indian woman whom had later gave birth to his son. Iracema the tabajara lady was the one whom gave birth to his son.



The fortress now is called "Nossa Senhora Assuncao" and was taken over by the Brazilian Army in 1993. The fort has a museum inside but is only open from Monday through Friday 8am to Noon and Monday through Thursday if you choose to go later from 2pm to 6pm.

Beira Mar Fortaleza Brazil

My wife and I in Beira Mar Fortaleza Brasil Beach

I recently came back to Brazil after being gone for the last couple of years. However the difference this time is that I have come to get married and live here in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The part of Fortaleza I am in is called Beira Mar and is a popular tourist destination for both Brazilians, Europeans and Americans alike that come here year round. At night you can walk on the beach and feel the warm water hit your feet. This part of the city is popular and has been used in countless music songs both Brazilian and foreign.

Statue de Iracema

I highly suggest if you plan on visiting any part of Brazil is to rent a flat if you are planning to stay a while. A flat will usually run in the Beira Mar area in the neighborhood of $R1200 to $1500 Reis which is about US$687- US$860 per month from the time I write this post with the dollar being at $1.74 to the Brazilian Real. Plus a deposit of usually between US$200-$400 which is of course refundable at the end of your stay. Something you should know is that this includes what is called condominio which covers your water bill, security and building maintenance fees that are included in your monthly rent.

My wifes shot of Fortaleza Beach

Hotels are expensive in the tourist spots so you will find a flat a better option for your stay. Flats offer a fully furnished unit, sort of like an apartment only a flat offers more services such as laundry and a maid to make up your room. Flats are also typically smaller then an apartment too.

At a local Restaurant on Beira Mar

The picture above is a restaurant my wife and I came across on the beach. The prices are pretty reasonable being that its in a tourist district the prices are not that bad. In US dollars we spent about $30 for the both of us to eat there including drinks and tip.

Below is a video of my 9th floor view of the beach on Beira Mar. A very beautiful view of the beach and sometimes you will find lots of surfers riding the waves on a clear day with high waves.

Driving to Beira Mar

Atlantis hotel

A magnificent hotel located in Nassau called Atlantis has everything to offer you and your family. This great 3,382 room resort has almost everything you can think of to entertain you and keep you busy your entire stay.
The resort offers twenty eight restaurants to choose from ranging from Gourmet, Casual,Buffet,and express dining with express of course being the cheapest restaurants. Express dining offers to go so you can take it back to your hotel room. Theres no need to use actual cash within most of the restaurants, you can use your hotel room key to charge on.
Atlantis also offers a casino for all you whom love to gamble. They offer tables, slots, and live race and sports book gambling. As far as their tables they have Roulette, Let it Ride, Caribbean Style Poker, Craps, Blackjack, and Baccarat with special events on these games. Then of course you have your slot machines that offer nine different games to choose from.



Not to worry theres a whole lot more they offer if gambling is not your style. There is also water slide parks, a golf course, shopping, a spa treatment, fitness center, a movie theatre so you don't miss any upcoming movies and much much more.
Perhaps you would like to do some sailing, well they offer this just as well along with scuba diving and snorkling so you can get a fish eye view of over 50,000 marine animals with over 200 different types of species.
Flights with hotel room for four nights are currently ranging between $1100-$2000 as of writting this post. Prices of course can change. However it is worth your while to visit such a place of this magnitude.
If you are looking for some quiet time to catch up on your reading, not to worry they even have a library just for you.
If you have been to Atlantis leave your comment below, there are others that would like to read about your experiences with the resort.

Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer which is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil makes it one of the 7 wonders of the world that is a must on any travelers plans. Brazil is a country that is known for having a strong religion in both Christianity and Catholicism. The statue stands 38 meters and is on the Corcovado Mountain in Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro at 710 meters in the sky.
Christ the Redeemer was designed by a French sculptor by the name of Paul Landowski and was supervised by a local engineer named Heitor da Silva Costa to oversee the construction process. The structure was made of reinforced concrete with an outside layer of soapstone in dealing with the outside elements of weather.



The Portuguese translation for Christ the Redeemer is Cristo Redentor. Christ the Redeemer was built between 1926 and 1931 and also has a chapel built at the base of the mountain to house up to 150 visitors. The monument was inaugurated on October 12, 1931.
Christ the Redeemer can be accessed by the Corcovado Rack railway that has the capacity to hold 360 passengers every hour. There are a couple of other ways to reach the statue. Another way would be is to simple take the 222 steps all the way up, if your up for the climb. Of course there are also escalators and elevators to also take you on up.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has very outgoing people in it and very friendly. Its well worth the flight even if just to see this grand monument of Christ the Redeemer. Some of the better known airlines that fly to Brazil are American Airlines, TAM, Varig, and GOL that is based out of the UK, with the others of course from the states. It is highly suggested to take TAM airlines for a smoother flight in our experience.

Halo Jumping

Have you ever wanted to do something outrageous? Something you would never forget in your life? Something that all thrill seekers are wanting?
Well look no further. You have seen these guys jump out of C130's in the movies. Specially trained Navy Seals or Marines jumping out at 30,000 feet. So what are you waiting for?
No, you don't have to be in the military or any special forces anymore to try it yourself. There is such a place that you can do it for real. You can jump anywhere from 25,000-30,000 feet night or day its all up to you and what you can take.
Located in West Tennessee the school is called ironically West Tennessee Skydiving. Of course there are some requirements before jumping from such altitudes such as having experience for one before you do and having so many number of jumps under your belt. After all one must learn how to crawl before they can walk or in this case Halo Jump.
Halo stands for High Altitude Low Oxygen jumping, because the air is so thin the higher we go oxygen tanks are needed in order to breath and that we don't happen to pass out on the way down.
There are local hotels in the area that you can check into, visit their website by clicking here.
The cost is anywhere between $200-$450 a jump depending on if you ever have jumped before. Of course the $200 fee is for first timers going to tandem jump. These prices could change in the future so check with their website.
Those of you wanting to HALO jump you will need to be a certified jumper with a number of jumps currently under your belt, but that goes without saying for good reason.
If you are planning to fly in yourself the site also has the coordinates on how to reach it for those of you pilots out there.
Be sure to make your reservations to one of the area hotels before coming in since this is a very popular sport lots of people go all the time. Weather permitting of course.

Castle on the Hudson

You always here about castles all over Europe, but what about here in the states? Well there is one we found built back in 1897 by a General Carroll whom was the son of a civil war General.
The castle has 45 rooms with its tower standing 75 feet.
This great castle is located off the Hudson River in New York and is an attraction you do not want to miss out on. Its not everyday you get to see a castle up and close.
Following General Carroll's death in 1916, his widow and children, Caramai, Arthur and Lauren, occupied the Castle until 1940, when it was rented for a brief period to a local school. In 1981, the town of Tarrytown designated the Castle a historic landmark, protecting the outside structure from ever being changed.
So instead of staying at any hotel if you decide to come and visit, why not spend the night in the castle ?
Unlike the passed where there where no telephones or modern equipment like we have today, this castle has been updated and moved up to present day furnishings. So theres no need to worry if you will have to rough it as they did in that time period. As a matter of fact you will find it a great family vacation to explore a medieval time period or perhaps a great place to get married in if your thinking about a place to do it. They have a full wine cellar for you to choose your favorite wine to all the accommodations you will need to make your trip a memorable one. Make sure to make your reservations early.

Underwater Hotel

The only hotel in the world as of yet that you have to go underwater to experience. Thats right an underwater hotel that you have to swim down 7 meters to get to.
Located in sunny Key Largo, Florida is Jules' Undersea Lodge at the bottom of Emerald Lagoon. Its about and hour and one half drive from the Miami International airport.
It started out as La Chalupa research laboratory. Prior to becoming a hotel, the structure was known as La Chalupa under water habitat. The habitat was sponsored by the Marine Resources Development Foundation and the Government of Puerto Rico. It operated as La Chalupa from 1972 to1975.
La Chalupa operations ended in 1974. The habitat was neglected until 1980 when it was purchased and refurbishments were begun for its use in a salvage operation. That operation never got started and the habitat was again neglected until 1985 when Ian Koblick and Neil Monney purchased it for use as an underwater hotel. Now known as Jules Undersea Hotel and much more comfortable then it use to be.
The Underwater Hotel offers a 3 hour course on diving so you will not need to be a certified diver. If you happen to be one then bringing your certification is advised. All the necessary equipment will be furnished for you.
The entire structure is pressurized in which water will not enter the chamber. The entrance to your room will be through a "moon pool" entrance which is from underneath the structure. The entire hotel sits 5 feet from the bottom of the lagoon on 4 legs giving you easy access into your hotel room. It is air conditioned as well so not to worry about sweating in Key Largo.
Its not a very big hotel so early reservations are strongly advised.

Grand Canyon Skywalk

The Grand Canyon Skywalk is an excellent way of overlooking over the steep canyon that sits 4000 feet from the ground below.
Those of you afraid of heights of course may not want to walk out on it but be rest assured if you want to that it is strong enough to hold 71 fully loaded 747 Boeing's. So if you think that it might crack, think again.
The Skywalk is in operation with plans of having a building that will have shops and restaurants within that should look like the picture to the left. At the current moment the skywalk is only in existence. There is lodging at the Hualapai Ranch which is owned and operated by the Hualapai Indians.
A few features on the Skywalk are below.

Features:

• Nothing but a glass bottom and sides.
• Glass is supported by steel beams
• Accommodates up to 120 people at a time
• Can hold up to 72 million pounds
• Can withstand 100 mph winds coming from 8 different directions
• Can survive earthquakes up to 8.0 in magnitude
• Admission is $29.95

Prices may change without notice. We entered the admission price we seen when we last checked there website. To book a flight and reservations consult a travel agent or you can visit Grand Canyon West. Information is below.

Reservations

Reservation Line: 1-877-716-WEST(9378)
Grand Canyon West

Ice Hotel

When traveling to other parts of the world or even our own backyard, most of us will stay in a hotel for the length of our stay. Well one entity took the hotel stay one step further to offer an actual hotel made of ice!
Simply called ICEHOTEL located in northern Sweden, on the banks of the Torne River 200km north of the Artic Circle in a village called Jukkasjärvi. This is where ICEHOTEL was born.
The hotel is unique in that everything from the furniture to the walls and columns within are all made of ice. You had probably seen something like this on Travelocity's commercial with a roaming gnome mascot they use. Well now you know that it does actually exist. The hotel begins construction sometime in November and is completed in five phases, all of which is completed by January 5th depending of course on the weather since everything is constructed and carved by ice. Even the bed you sleep in is made of ice, however not to worry there is a deerskin on top that you would sleep in to keep you warm during the night. The temperature inside is not as cold as it would be outside but still cold in order for the ice not to melt. As far as using the restroom there are special restrooms installed that are warm for you to use.
The hotel last until about April in which it begins to melt back into the Torne River, it is highly recommended to book early. The ICEHOTEL has approximately 80 rooms so its a pretty big hotel made of ice.
When booking your flight to Sweden, the nearest airport is in Kiruna airport and is 17 km from Kiruna train station. They accept reservations all year round.
For more information visit their website at www.ICEHOTEL.com, or by calling their reservations at +46 (0) 980 66800 or e-mail info@icehotel.com.