Guajiru
We’re now making our way further along the coast to catch up with some Whistler friends who have come to Brazil for a kiting holiday. They were kind enough to bring down a few goodies for us — including a new iPhone for me. We’d hoped my old one would last the trip, but the battery barely holds a charge anymore, and the last fall cracked the camera lens housing. Phones here are considerably more expensive than back home, so this was likely our only chance to have one brought down.
Therese, Scott, and Therese’s uncle Ken — who at 80 years young is fit, strong, and still loves kiting — arrived after a 30-hour, multi-stop journey from Vancouver. They’re seasoned kiters who’ve made this trip a dozen times, though it’s a first for Ken. They’re staying at Rede (pronounced “Hedge”) Beach Resort in the tiny town of Guajiru — another former fishing village transformed by the seasonal influx of kiters.
Their resort is one of many set up for the kiting community, a large grassy area for setting up kites and wings, staff to help launch and land, outdoor showers to rinse off the salt and sand, plus a bar and swimming pool — all just above the tide line. The steady trade winds keep temperatures pleasant, though the sun still scorches, so we’re all slathered in sunscreen, hats, and long sleeves on the water.
We kited with them, hung out, and showered before heading back up the beach to where we were camped — a hard sand flat at the edge of town, fully exposed to the wind.
Bruce is covered in salt once again.
After two nights in Guajiru, we loaded up the truck and began tracing the coastline west.
Coffee with New Friends
On our first morning, one of the homeowners wandered over and invited us for coffee. They turned out to be a Polish couple our age, with a 27-year-old son visiting for a few weeks. They bought their house ten years ago and spend every European winter here, avidly kite- and wing-foiling. I joined Maggie for her daily downwinder — her husband dropped us 10 km upwind, and we rode the waves back home. She’s a graceful kiter, I don’t think she even got her hair wet. I, on the other hand, spent more time chasing my board than riding waves. I must’ve fallen a dozen times, though ironically, my best wave rides were right in front of the truck.
Downwinders are a big thing here. With over 1,000 km of kiteable coastline, people often do multi-day adventures — following the wind and waves, guided by support vehicles with beach pousadas pre-booked along the way. I’d love to do that someday — another trip for sure. No photos here either.
lone tree lake & a lost water cap
After saying ciao to Therese, Scott, and Ken, we made our way toward Donkey Lagoon. It’s only 11 km upwind by beach, but somehow it took us two days to get there. Not wanting to risk getting stuck in the sand, we took the road, stopping first for groceries, then detouring to a freshwater lake for a swim.
It was the prettiest lake — a lone tree growing from white sand in crystal-clear water. We stayed a couple of hours & had lunch. Before leaving, Tim emptied a 20L jug of drinking water into the tank, but got distracted and forgot to replace the cap. We noticed it missing in the next town when refilling at a place where the locals come for their water.
We had a spare but decided to retrace our tracks to try finding it. The road was quiet sand, so Jaxon sat on the winch scanning ahead while we crawled along. No luck — someone must’ve picked it up. Pooh. We weren’t happy — can’t afford to make that mistake again. Last time, we got lucky when Mario found both missing caps in the middle of the road. From now on, we’ll say out loud, “Caps on!” just like we do “Latch 1 and 2” before driving off.
We spent the night at the lake. A man who lived five minutes away came by and returned with a 2L bottle of freshly cut coconut water for us. Through Google Translate, he proudly told us that at 60 years old, he’s learning to read and write. Illiteracy among rural Brazilians is still high. He assured us it was safe to camp there — and it was.
Donkey Lagoon
Our next stop was a shallow freshwater kite lagoon, home to a herd of donkeys who graze — and probably ahem — in the shallows. Despite that, it’s a very popular kite spot. A local family has built a small kite club with a school, restaurant, and cute showers and toilets.
The wind was strong and steady. Charley and Jaxon clocked a dozen hours on the water, with Jaxon the last one out. His skills are improving fast — smooth kite handling, controlled speed. Charley’s jumping higher, styling, and grabbing rails.
We spent two nights there, completely exhausting the kids — sore abs from all the jumping — before packing up and heading down the coast to catch up with Kris and Colin, more friends from home who are here for a month of wing-foiling.
Charley & the Baby boa constrictor
At the launch site one morning, Charley spotted a small snake approaching her on the grass — a baby boa constrictor! They seemed equally curious about each other. Charley sat down, calm and still, letting the little serpent decide whether to approach. Before she got too close, we did what any responsible adventurer does — a quick Google search to make sure it wasn’t venomous or about to make her its lunch. Once reassured, she sat cross-legged as the boa slowly slithered over, flicking its tongue to taste the air. It climbed onto her arm, its smooth, cool scales surprisingly soft and dry, moving like liquid muscle beneath satin. They stayed happily together, Charley grinning as it wrapped itself around her wrist, a delicate spiral of wildness trusting her just enough to explore.
No we can’t keep it!
Paracuru
The town of Paracuru is one of the larger beach towns on the coast. We spent two nights camped right on the waterfront. We knew it might be noisy but safe. Friday night was lively until around 11 p.m., but Saturday was louder than loud — music blasting until dawn. I should’ve taken a video of the speakers — the volume was absurd for just two people who had to shout to be heard. Needless to say, we didn’t sleep well.
It was great catching up with Kris and Colin, who also brought us some more treats from home — Amazon and Apple goodies, NZ’s Whittaker’s chocolate, a mini iPad for Tim (with a dash mount for navigation), and a cool new shirt for Jaxon. One night we went out to an Italian restaurant for dinner, the next we made a yummy bbq on the beach.
Paracuru kite club
We spent a couple of days kiting with them at Paracuru Kite & Wing Club, just outside town. They have a membership & beach buggy for the month, while we paid a day-use fee to enjoy the facilities. It’s a great kite location — flat water at low tide, waves on the reef, and at high tide, long smooth rollers with a surfable shore break for the skilled and the wanna-be’s like me.
The wind was still strong, so we all played on smaller kites. Between sessions, we lounged on beanbags under sunshades, sipping chilled coconut water. The place was busy with seasoned seasoners, everyone was 50+, it’s a playground for retirees who like to play hard. Again, most people are French, German or Polish.
Saying our good-byes, we are making our way tomorrow to Taiba Lagoon while. They will spend the next month or more wing foiling along the coast.
Mario & Wenke arrive
Our third night, we camped just up from the kite club in a beach pullout, that had a little shelter from the wind. Around 8 p.m., Mario and Wenke rolled in after hammering out an impressive 650 km day to catch up with us. We haven’t seen them since the Galapogos Islands.
Taiba Lagoon
The next morning, over coffee, we caught up on the past few months adventures while the kids put in some schoolwork hours. Then we all moved down to Taíba Lagoon, where we camped two nights in the sandy car park of a kite beach restaurant.
Taíba Lagoon seems man-made, with a dyke capturing freshwater flowing toward the sea. That same steady trade wind ruffled the surface — perfect for Jaxon, who spent hours ripping along, now jumping higher and further and trying tricks. The learning curve for the kids is a hundred times faster than ours, oh to be a kid again!
We met a kiting family from Switzerland with two kids — a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy. The kids hung out together for the afternoon, it was fun for them to be out on the water together. Charley was thrilled to finally chat with a girl her age who spoke perfect English and shared her interests: kiting, skiing, mountain biking, and martial arts. Jaxon hit it off with their son, who was quiet but cool.
The next day Jaxon squeezed in one more morning session after cramming some schoolwork, and by 1 p.m, we were packed and ready to roll on toward Fortaleza.
So that’s it for our kiting adventures. What a great experience and great fun we had. We’ve loved every gust, every grain of sand, every salt-crusted evening. This coast has us hooked. But time is ticking. The barge from Porto Jofre won’t wait, and 3,500 km of Brazil lie ahead with just three weeks to cover.
But first we have to make one more stop before we head inland, the city of Fortaleza to get some oil and a much needed new clothes for Tim.
1 Comment
Tim, how are you dealing with not building something?…:)
Charley, nice interaction with the wee Boa. Did you want to keep him/her?
Jaxon, you’re a star on the board.
Sarah, love you all.