Saturday 22nd February 2014
Natal (Rio Grande do Norte) was the last stop on our Brazilian vacation before returning to Rio. It was probably the most we felt on holiday for the whole trip. We stayed in a lovely hotel overlooking Ponta Negra beach, with two lounging pools and a bar (complete with underwater bar stools) at one of them (which we made extensive use of!) We ate the best shrimp I’ve ever had at Camarões more than once (recommend the shrimp salad in a big way.)
We did two excursions while we were here. On one of the days we headed along the Litoral Norte to see the dunes at Parque Dunas de Genipabu and on another day headed along the Litoral Sul along the Rota do Sol to see the beaches. Nowhere was the Brazilian passion for high rises more clear than it was looking towards Natal from the dunes at Genipabu. It looked like Manhattan with a desert in front of it. The difference was that in Manhattan those high rises were mostly offices in Natal they were apartments. High rise living in Brazil is very popular as it is considered safer and I can see why. Armed robbery of a house is not an uncommon crime in Brazil especially in São Paulo.
On one of the days we visited the local shopping centre to do some laundry and we spotted signs saying that sex tourism was not tolerated and the area was being watched. We had read about problems with sex tourism in Brazil and seen some pretty disturbing sights around Pelourinho in Salvador including a young pregnant prostitute. In the late 90s police estimates put the total number of prostitutes in Brazil at around one million. Like in the UK, prostitution in Brazil is legal, however it is illegal to employ prostitutes or run a brothel. Brazil not only has a problem with sex tourism but also child prostitution and trafficking of women. After failing to find the laundrette we ended up watching 12 years a slave (the only movie on at that time). All in all it ended up being a pretty sobering day.
Ramblers Rumblings 