Tips and Hints

             # Cumbucos fantastic weather conditions, 28-30 degrees C every day of the year, and cooling down to a very pleasant 22-24 degrees C at night, make for a "tropical relaxed" style dress mode. Sandals, shorts/skirts and T shirt/polo type tops are ideal and all that are needed to venture out at night.

            

             # If you want to have more information on the current weather or the statistics of the weather history of Fortaleza than check the following page: http://www.weather.com/common/welcomepage/world.html?from=globalnav and type in Fortaleza.

            

             # As Cumbuco is about 3.5 degrees south of the equator, the sun is very hot and with the ever present cool sea breeze it is quite easy to get sun burnt, especially between 10 AM and 3 PM, so is advisable to use lots of cream,especially in the first few days.
            

             # Bargaining for prices, in Cumbuco, is acceptable in most shops/places selling souvenirs, and certainly on the beach with people selling CD`s, hammocks,etc. This is where the "international hand and feet" language is most used, and of course most fun.

            

             # Large denomination banknotes. In Cumbuco, and to some extent Fortaleza, it is sometimes difficult - and can cause delays trying to change larger bank notes of 10, 20 and 50 Reais, especially if making smaller purchases. So it is always handy to have smaller notes 1, 2, and 5 Reais with you when shopping. When changing money at Banks/Changing Houses, always ask them to break some of the bigger notes for some small denominations.

 

             # Money changing. This can only be done in Caucaia and Fortaleza, and the best rate of exchange is by taking money from credit card machines, normally the difference between exchanging cash/travelers cheques is about 10 percent lower than taking money from the wall, just check with your bank about the fees charged for deductions made. The three most popular and accessible banks in Fortaleza are: Banco do Brasil on the Beira Mar boulevard, near the McDonalds corner, another Banco do Brasil branch and the HSBC bank, both are on Monsenhor Tabosa, the famous "shopping street" . The air-conditioned bus from Cumbuco to Fortaleza passes in front, just ask the driver to stop for you. The best rate of exchange for Euros or Dollars cash or travelers cheques is at the American Express office, located on the Beira Mar, near Ceasars Park Hotel, Fortaleza. Much closer to Cumbuco is a Banco do Brasil 24 hour tellermachine on Avenida Colonel Correios in Caucaia, on a little square across the street from the Bradesco Bank. This is the street where the post office (correios) is located. The limit per card per day is Br$ 1000. Accepted at these banks are Cirrus, Maestro, Visa and sometimes Mastercard.

            

             # Daily Exchange Rate : See finance.yahoo.com

             # Credit Cards. The most widely accepted are Visa and Mastercard, American Express to a lesser degree.

            

             # Getting money on Arrival at the Airport of Fortaleza. After departing the main terminal, cross the street, take the escalator down where they have automatic tellers/bankmachines (Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus and Maestro). For security reasons passengers who have very late arrivals,after 22.00, may find that only BR$100.00 can be taken from the machines.

 

             # The law in Brazil states that identity cards must be carried at all times, this means for foreign visitors they must carry their passport or a certified, registered copy of their passport at all times, (so it is a good idea to get a complete copy of your passport made - including all pages used or blank, and get it stamped by the nearest Brazilian embassy or consulate).

             # Driving license. The international driving license is now accepted in Brazil, so when renting a car, this must be carried along with a passport. At some stage while driving you will be stopped and asked for documents, and this can cause some unnecessary problems not needed on holidays, along with a fine of Br$400.00 for not having necessary license or ID.

             # Shopping. The most popular area for shopping is in, or near, the centro ( the old center) of Fortaleza. The main areas are the Mercado Central (central market building), Emcetur (old maximum security prison of Fortaleza converted into a small shopping complex, selling locally handmade goods, each of the existing cells is now a separate shop, and worth a visit to see if in the area), and Monsenhor Tabosa "shopping street". Here they sell leather goods, like sandals, shoes, bags, etc. Jeans, T-shirts, shorts and linen goods are generally much cheaper in these areas, approximately 20-30 percent of prices paid for similar items in Europe or the US. Bargaining is definitely accepted in these areas, especially when paying in cash. Paying by credit cards makes bargaining more difficult. For the ladies there is a bikini shop on Monsenhor Tabosa (the name of the shop is All Day) which specializes in making bikinis very quickly. If you find the "Brazilian" bikini a little too small, bring your own model and then select the colour and material you want, agree on the price and they will make one for you in about 10 minutes. The best time to go shopping is late afternoon, when a lot of the heat has gone out of the sun. So take advantage of Cumbuco and the beach in the day, and take the bus in the afternoon.

            

             # Shopping for ``Designer Label`` goods best two large department stores are Iguatemi and North Shopping, the latter is much closer to Cumbuco, but Iguatemi has many more shops with a wider range of goods. A good shop for Beach/Surf/Street wear is Hot Lines, with two shops in Iguatemi (first and second levels) and one in North Shopping, on the first level.

 

             # Everybody loves children, and Cumbuco has lots of them, it is lots of fun mixing, playing and "talking" with them, but rather than educating them to always expect money from visitors, it is better to give them gifts. Items for school - pens, coloured pencils, pencil cases, etc., etc.. Clothing - shorts, "T" shirts, etc., etc., (if you are bringing clothing with you, remember the children here are smaller than the own age equivalent in USA or Europe ( i.e. a boy or girl here of 7 or 8 years will be approximately the height of a 4 or 5 year old in other countries). Of course footballs, sporting equipment and toys are a great favourite. For more information see our Donations page

More details:

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