Monday, September 21, 2009
Attention!
Hi there!
Because this blog involves my life in Fortaleza including Thieny's band, Musa do Forro and other odds and ends, I have begun a new...new...blog that will be just for Fortaleza Adventure.
Here is the link to that blog: Fortaleza Adventure.
It's at a site called Wordpress.com and it's just started today. You can visit the site and add any comments or questions, but only about Fortaleza. If you have other comments about me, the band or anything else pertaining to my life here, please attach them to this blog.
I'm looking forward to much more communication in the future.
Tchau for now!
P.S. You can also interact...in fact I WANT you to, at my Fortaleza Adventure twitter site
Because this blog involves my life in Fortaleza including Thieny's band, Musa do Forro and other odds and ends, I have begun a new...new...blog that will be just for Fortaleza Adventure.
Here is the link to that blog: Fortaleza Adventure.
It's at a site called Wordpress.com and it's just started today. You can visit the site and add any comments or questions, but only about Fortaleza. If you have other comments about me, the band or anything else pertaining to my life here, please attach them to this blog.
I'm looking forward to much more communication in the future.
Tchau for now!
P.S. You can also interact...in fact I WANT you to, at my Fortaleza Adventure twitter site
Saturday, September 19, 2009
What? Another Update? Absolutely!
Thieny & her dancers as she sings on a local TV showHi there!
Back again so soon, you say?
Well, yes! I'm trying to turn over a new stone!
A couple of things are interesting.
First of all, the hits to Fortaleza Adventure just keep coming. They mostly seem to be from North America, mainly the US, but also from the Scandanavian countries.
I can pass along one tip for anyone reading this who has a thought for coming to visit Fortaleza and that is that accomodation HAS to be booked as far in advance as possible.
Even though there are many building going up in the area, there are still way too few apartments and flats available in the best area, Meireles.
I tend to discount both Iracema and Mucuripe (either end of the city beach) as not desirable because of security issues.
For instance, I have people contacting me about coming here over the period of Natal and revillion, Christmas and New Year's.
It is already almost impossible to find a flat or apartment of reasonable price in Meireles or close to the beach.
It's still to be determined if the influx of new units that will take place when the current crop of condos has been constructed will change the vacancy rate.
The rate of real estate inflation continues as well so if you DO have intentions of having Fortaleza as part of your real estate investigation, I would advise speed.
One flat I know of in a good building went from the buying price of R$70,000 to the selling price of R$90,000 in 1 year! Nothing was changed in the unit so it is still available to be added to the hotel/condo building's "pool" if desired.
The other thing I have found important to mention is that the streets in the city have really gone downhill since the rainy season. The combination of the cool rain and the tropical heat before and after really played havoc with the surfaces.
This is not to mention the quality of contruction in the first place, which was not great.
If you notice, they don't use crushed rock for the roadbed but rock broken into pieces! This, in time, creates the horribly bumpy streets! Plus the fact the surface laid down is remarkably thin. Also the city takes absolutely no time to start ripping up the pavement to either fix or replace or install water or waste pipes.
Anyway, another election is always the time when the political machine running the city decides to appease the populace by re-surfacing.
Until next time, take care!
P.S. By the way, why not visit the forum on the BrazilAmerica.com site and check out the post on Fortaleza real estate I just added.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Hi there!
Time for another update!
I am getting many more hits to the Fortaleza Adventure web page than, for instance, last year.
I think the main reason is that many more people are doing searches on Google and other engines for real estate here in Fortaleza.
I was thinking today how the world's perception of this country has changed since I first came here in 2004.
Then, when I said I was moving to Fortaleza, Brazil, the first question was..."where?" They simply had never heard of it.
Now, many more people are aware of Fortaleza. Much as I hesitate to compliment "International Living" and their newsletters for this, I think their marketing efforts on their own behalf have made a big eifference in the number of people coming here, mainly looking for real estate bargains.
The word is still getting out in North America, but I have seen more Canadians and americans here in the past year or so. The current clients Fortaleza Adventure has here are a Canadian couple who have purchased a pousada in Cumbuco, along with other investors. It's called Club Santa fe, but that may change as the ownership progesses.
The economy in Brazil is doing better than most in the world right now, assisted by the fact that this country is self-sufficient in almost all the things a modern economy needs like oil and food!
Seems to me i read somewhere that the growth rate was in the area of 4%. That's good.
The prices of real estate are going up and particularly as the World Cup gets closer in 2014.
There is also the possibility that Rio de Janeiro might get the summer Olympics in 2012, and there might be some positive fallout from it in that people get so see some of Brazil and might want to explore the coast.
I see Brazil now as THE place to be if you want to consider becoming an ex-pat.
The foto below is Thieny, her cousin Annete and your truly, in Pedra Branca, the small city in Ceara where Thieny's family are from originally.
Time for another update!
I am getting many more hits to the Fortaleza Adventure web page than, for instance, last year.
I think the main reason is that many more people are doing searches on Google and other engines for real estate here in Fortaleza.
I was thinking today how the world's perception of this country has changed since I first came here in 2004.
Then, when I said I was moving to Fortaleza, Brazil, the first question was..."where?" They simply had never heard of it.
Now, many more people are aware of Fortaleza. Much as I hesitate to compliment "International Living" and their newsletters for this, I think their marketing efforts on their own behalf have made a big eifference in the number of people coming here, mainly looking for real estate bargains.
The word is still getting out in North America, but I have seen more Canadians and americans here in the past year or so. The current clients Fortaleza Adventure has here are a Canadian couple who have purchased a pousada in Cumbuco, along with other investors. It's called Club Santa fe, but that may change as the ownership progesses.
The economy in Brazil is doing better than most in the world right now, assisted by the fact that this country is self-sufficient in almost all the things a modern economy needs like oil and food!
Seems to me i read somewhere that the growth rate was in the area of 4%. That's good.
The prices of real estate are going up and particularly as the World Cup gets closer in 2014.
There is also the possibility that Rio de Janeiro might get the summer Olympics in 2012, and there might be some positive fallout from it in that people get so see some of Brazil and might want to explore the coast.
I see Brazil now as THE place to be if you want to consider becoming an ex-pat.
The foto below is Thieny, her cousin Annete and your truly, in Pedra Branca, the small city in Ceara where Thieny's family are from originally.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Hi there!
Here we are again. Just an update on Musa do forro (a link to her own blog, in Portuguese!), my wife Thieny's band (a link to MY Musa do Forro blog!). We played a barraca (pronounced ba-hack-a) on Praia do Futuro a couple of weeks ago and will be back there either the 1st or 2nd of May, depending on lining up another band to play with us.
Thieny is looking for a band that plays "swingereo", which to me sounds a lot like the music from Bahia called Axe (pronounced A-shay).
Anyway, there is also another club out on the beach strip here that is interested in having the band play there.
As usual, it was a "catch22"...in other words once we had gigs, the work started turning up.
A lot of people have been in touch from the form on the Fortaleza Adventure web page asking about various things including the possibility of work here in Brazil.
The short answer is that it will be impossible to work here unless you are fluent in Portuguese...not Spanish. It'a amazing but many people still think Brazil's language is Spanish as it is in the rest of South America.
If you can find a position in one of the specialized categories with a multinational company, then you have a chance, but most of those positions will be in Sao Paulo or maybe Rio. there won't be many in places like Fortaleza, where you can enjoy the beach in your time off!
Please note that as you peruse the blog, there is a restaurant I have listed for sale. This is owned by friends of ours who wish to relocate and I am not the seller. I will simply put you in touch with the owners and you may avoid going through an agent.
The flat I have listed here is a rental and not for sale.
Please leave any comments you wish but don't be too brutal...I've only just started blogging recently.
Tchau for now!
Andy Neill
Fortaleza, Brazil
Here we are again. Just an update on Musa do forro (a link to her own blog, in Portuguese!), my wife Thieny's band (a link to MY Musa do Forro blog!). We played a barraca (pronounced ba-hack-a) on Praia do Futuro a couple of weeks ago and will be back there either the 1st or 2nd of May, depending on lining up another band to play with us.
Thieny is looking for a band that plays "swingereo", which to me sounds a lot like the music from Bahia called Axe (pronounced A-shay).
Anyway, there is also another club out on the beach strip here that is interested in having the band play there.
As usual, it was a "catch22"...in other words once we had gigs, the work started turning up.
A lot of people have been in touch from the form on the Fortaleza Adventure web page asking about various things including the possibility of work here in Brazil.
The short answer is that it will be impossible to work here unless you are fluent in Portuguese...not Spanish. It'a amazing but many people still think Brazil's language is Spanish as it is in the rest of South America.
If you can find a position in one of the specialized categories with a multinational company, then you have a chance, but most of those positions will be in Sao Paulo or maybe Rio. there won't be many in places like Fortaleza, where you can enjoy the beach in your time off!
Please note that as you peruse the blog, there is a restaurant I have listed for sale. This is owned by friends of ours who wish to relocate and I am not the seller. I will simply put you in touch with the owners and you may avoid going through an agent.
The flat I have listed here is a rental and not for sale.
Please leave any comments you wish but don't be too brutal...I've only just started blogging recently.
Tchau for now!
Andy Neill
Fortaleza, Brazil
Friday, April 03, 2009
For Those Who Might Be Searching For Business Opportunities!
Hi there!
I have had a number of requests from clients and others about businesses here in Fortaleza.
I am posting several photos of a restaurant, a going concern in Aldeota, and it is for sale.
If you find the photos of interest and wish more information please contact me and I can put you in touch with the owner.
I have had a number of requests from clients and others about businesses here in Fortaleza.
I am posting several photos of a restaurant, a going concern in Aldeota, and it is for sale.
If you find the photos of interest and wish more information please contact me and I can put you in touch with the owner.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
The Band! Musa do Forro continues to Evolve!
Hi there!
Back again FAST!!!
Some things that might be interesting to read.
First of all, Thieny found an academia just up the street from the one she goes to now that charges only R$20 a MONTH! Her current place charges R$140!!! And the new one has a pool!
Also, the Vila Uniao Clube, which is a venue for bands has offered to let us rent the space..per night...for R$2000. Since Thieny has a "promoters" license, we could hire another couple of bands...either Forro or swingerao ( a faster style, mostly for dancing, not listening) and take home the difference.
We are not really interested because of the amount of work invbolved in guaranteeing that everything will fall into place and if it doesn't, then not making any money on the deal. There would be nothing in the deal that would guarantee we could find good bands willing to play for not much money. WE could play for that amount, but not all bands could.
Anyway, that's just one thing.
Our "Patrocina" (sponsor) Leide's mother passed away last Friday. We took Leide some flowers yesterday.
We were also in the studio for several hours yesterday and welcomed a new drummer who has previously played with another Forro band called Zanzibar, which has been around for a long time. He wants to stick with us and we are glad to have an experienced drummer, even though he's only 19! Almost everyone in the band is young, ranging from 19 to 25. We are replacing our keyboard player, the oldest member, because he has constantly tried to go against what we and the other members want. He nixed plans to play a couple of gigs that would have made money for us as owners and the band musicians.
We have another couple of weeks to finish polishing up our repertoire and train our dancers before another meeting with Leide about our future.
More later...
Back again FAST!!!
Some things that might be interesting to read.
First of all, Thieny found an academia just up the street from the one she goes to now that charges only R$20 a MONTH! Her current place charges R$140!!! And the new one has a pool!
Also, the Vila Uniao Clube, which is a venue for bands has offered to let us rent the space..per night...for R$2000. Since Thieny has a "promoters" license, we could hire another couple of bands...either Forro or swingerao ( a faster style, mostly for dancing, not listening) and take home the difference.
We are not really interested because of the amount of work invbolved in guaranteeing that everything will fall into place and if it doesn't, then not making any money on the deal. There would be nothing in the deal that would guarantee we could find good bands willing to play for not much money. WE could play for that amount, but not all bands could.
Anyway, that's just one thing.
Our "Patrocina" (sponsor) Leide's mother passed away last Friday. We took Leide some flowers yesterday.
We were also in the studio for several hours yesterday and welcomed a new drummer who has previously played with another Forro band called Zanzibar, which has been around for a long time. He wants to stick with us and we are glad to have an experienced drummer, even though he's only 19! Almost everyone in the band is young, ranging from 19 to 25. We are replacing our keyboard player, the oldest member, because he has constantly tried to go against what we and the other members want. He nixed plans to play a couple of gigs that would have made money for us as owners and the band musicians.
We have another couple of weeks to finish polishing up our repertoire and train our dancers before another meeting with Leide about our future.
More later...
Monday, March 02, 2009
Rain!
Carnaval was WET! It rained in Fortaleza, and up and down the whole coast, for two days straight! The first and last day were reasonably sunny but the rest...ugh! Not a pretty picture.
Needless to say we are in the midst of the rainy season, which generally begins in January and lasts until late May or June, although these parameters can vary.
Here I am sitting at the beach bar right in front of the condo development where we stayed with friends of Thieny's, Mike and Regine.
The rental situation here continues to be pretty tight as far as I can determine so anyone who wishes to find some space in the good areas had better think about making arrangements early. As you know, Fortaleza Adventure was set up to help with these arrangements, in particular for people making their first visit to our city.
One thing I noticed recently has actually happened over time but is still interesting for visitors. When I arrived five years ago, it was difficult, if not impossible to use an international credit card at, for instance, some of the bigger stores in Centro.
Over the Carnaval period, I used my international debit/credit card at a small supermarket in a beach community near Cumbuco called Tabuba, and it works in almost any location now. This makes it much easier to go places and not take a lot of cash.
Many places also have the wireless appliances which are used to swipe the card, particularly gas stations and restaurants.
I don't necessarily recommend using your credit or debit card just anywhere. I have had my card "cloned" more than once, so best to use an actual bank ATM (I use one of the two "international" terminals at the main Banco do Brasil branch in Aldeoda) in their lobby or if you do use a card at a gas station or restaurant, that you get to know the place first.
More later...
Needless to say we are in the midst of the rainy season, which generally begins in January and lasts until late May or June, although these parameters can vary.
Here I am sitting at the beach bar right in front of the condo development where we stayed with friends of Thieny's, Mike and Regine.
The rental situation here continues to be pretty tight as far as I can determine so anyone who wishes to find some space in the good areas had better think about making arrangements early. As you know, Fortaleza Adventure was set up to help with these arrangements, in particular for people making their first visit to our city.
One thing I noticed recently has actually happened over time but is still interesting for visitors. When I arrived five years ago, it was difficult, if not impossible to use an international credit card at, for instance, some of the bigger stores in Centro.
Over the Carnaval period, I used my international debit/credit card at a small supermarket in a beach community near Cumbuco called Tabuba, and it works in almost any location now. This makes it much easier to go places and not take a lot of cash.
Many places also have the wireless appliances which are used to swipe the card, particularly gas stations and restaurants.
I don't necessarily recommend using your credit or debit card just anywhere. I have had my card "cloned" more than once, so best to use an actual bank ATM (I use one of the two "international" terminals at the main Banco do Brasil branch in Aldeoda) in their lobby or if you do use a card at a gas station or restaurant, that you get to know the place first.
More later...
