tajana_diary_4

14th June 2007 Ponta Negra Today is the last day in Amazonas so we decided to go to the beach to relax after 10 days of constant walking. We chose to go to the capital of Amazonas, Manaus which is a hometown to the most famous beach in North Brazil. Ponta Negra beach is about 4 km long. In the south end is Morro do Careca, the most famous landmark of Natal. Morro do Careca is a combination of sea, mountain, dunes and green. While walking northwards, I first saw about 2km of Erivan Franca, crowded with bars, restaurants, hotels, party houses, small shopping galleries, etc; then, the avenue ends, and the next 2km have just a walk way, lined with hotels and some kioskes. We stayed at the beach for a couple of hours mingling with the locals and the tourists as well. As we were chatting I noticed that locals are use to have tourists around and make them feel welcome. While there, I was offered so many cuisines to try but of course I was expected to pay. To my surprise they weren’t as expensive as meals you would buy in places similar to this. As expected the main meals were seafood dishes. They tasted alright however if you are not use to the spices they use, it is hard to eat it without a few glasses of water to wash it all down. With few other visitors to Brazil that I met at the beginning of the trip, we stayed in Blue Marlin Flat Hotel situated on Avenida Roberto Freire, distant about 200 meters (about 320 ft) from the shoreline. Our hotel has a beautiful sea view, we can see everything which is how we decided what we are going to visit next- a club 5 minutes away called Chaplin. Chaplin is a four-in-one night-club. In the basement is a regular disco. In the ground floor you'll find two bars, leading in to the first-floor live-music bar. At the second-floor it's samba! It is a great club however you are bound to end up with a hangover the next morning because there are tequila competitions every minute. I just couldn't resist free drinks!!!!! Tequila anyone????