A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
256: Biggest cashew tree
When we stayed in Joao Pessoa – capital of Paraíba state -, we made a trip to the neighboring state of Rio Grande do Norte. On the way to its capital -Natal -, the guide led us to Pirangi, where the largest cashew tree in the world is located. The tree was planted in 1888, and now measures more than 8500 square meters, with a circumference of 500 meters. The tree produces seventy to eighty cashew fruits. The exceptionally buoyant growth is due to genetic defects,;the tree still continues to grow and expand in size. The field is publicly accessible, but visitors should definitely not climb in the tree or even stand on a branch. It was an impressive sight, the tangle of meandering branches.
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
193. Paddleboarding
JANUARY 2008: Paddleboarding
Paddle surfing is a very young sports discipline, which is derived from surfing. It is only a few years ago that this sport gained much popularity. Yet I saw these two men paddle surfing near Pipa Beach, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Most likely, they are local fishermen: the man on the left paddled and navigated, while the man on the right seemed to have a kind of a net float in his hand. The fishing boat in the background is called a jangada, a lightweight boat with a flat bottom, which is suitable for shallow waters. In just a few decades time, Pipa has grown from a dormant fishing village into one of the most popular beach resorts in Brazil.
A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
176. Cat with yellow eyes
JANUARY 2008: Cat with yellow eyes
On our way from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza, by bus, we had visited three paradisaical beach resorts in Northeast Brazil: Porto de Galinhas in Pernambuco, Praia da Pipa in Rio Grande do Norte, and Canoa Quebrada in Ceará. Each of them is more than worth visiting: breathtaking views, a beautiful beach, a calm ocean, cozy bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. We spent the night on the bus, while the two bus drivers carried us to another destination. Early in the morning, we arrived at the beach resort, took some breakfast, and went to the beach. Many of our large group visited the nearest beach barrack with cheap beer and stayed there all day. I joined a smaller group that preferred to walk around, to enjoy more of the location: we made long beach walks, we wandered along the narrow streets in the nearby village, and discovered many shops and restaurants. At night, all of us went to a hostel to take a shower, and then made another walk in the village until midnight. Then it was about time to enter the bus for another night ride. When we were walking in the village, I discovered this cat in a stoic pose. The flash light reflected in the eyes, turning them yellow.
Bus Travel Belo Horizonte – FORTALEZA (06) Beach Resort Praia de Pipa (RN).
Destination Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará. The bus travel fromBelo Horizonte (MG) to Fortaleza (CE).
Episode 6: Beach resort Praia de Pipa, near Natal (RN).
Not long after the discovery of the Brazilian mainland in 1500, the region of Pipa was baptized with the Indian (Tupi) name Orotapiry (‘Settlement of the White Man’). Not much later, it was renamed into Itacoatiara, ‘the Big Yellow Stone’: referring to the giant falésias (sandstone cliffs) of the shoreline. Again, the location was renamed, into ‘Ponta do Cabo Verde‘ (Point of the Green Cape), referring to the green forest on top of the falésias. The actual name ‘Pipa‘ refers to the shape of the rock ‘Pedra de Moleque“, which resembles a barrel of brandy.
Clear, azure blue, warm ocean water….
Comfortable
For those who love seawater with a temperature of more than 25 degrees centigrade, the ocean water at Pipa Beach is perfect. Azure blue, clear water, perfect for swimming or for a refreshing bath. The clean beach consists of fine, white sand. The beach near the village of Pipa is flanked by a number of barracks that contain bars and small restaurants. The owners are eager to anchor a big umbrella for a small fee, and place some beach chairs and tables for you. It is not surprising that these bartenders and restaurant owners offer a variety of drinks and snacks, and even complete meals. Ice-cold beer, soda, caipirinha, and cachaça. Dishes with a broad variety of fish and shellfish. Those dishes are not very expensive. One of the most favorite items was the ‘caldo’: a soup that contains pieces of fresh fish, crab or shrimps. Such a caldo cost four reais (a little more than 1 euro).
Pipa Beach
Tourist village
The village has a broad range of facilities for tourists. Numerous souvenir shops, small galleries, and a large number of restaurants, bars and pousadas (hostels). You will not find tall tourist hotels there. The village is small, easy to walk through. There is a tourist wagon, pulled by a tractor, which transports tourists through the village. One may find cheap food of a good quality in various restaurants; the souvenirs are also quite cheap. At the other side of the village, there is a long street where many restaurants, bars and night clubs are located: night life for the tourists.
A tourist tractor transports tourists through
the village of Pipa
Tourists
Praia de Pipa is named together with the famous Brazilian beaches Porto de Galinhas (Pernambuco), Jericoacoara (Ceará), and Maragogi (Alagoas). They all are considered as paradisaical beach resorts with excellent tourist facilities. These four beaches are located in the northeast of Brazil. Not only Brazilian, but also foreign tourists have discovered these beaches. Local entrepreneurs and investors have constructed many accommodations, and facilities as bars, restaurants, and night clubs. There is also special attention for the safety. The entrances of these beaches are flanked by guard posts. Every car and bus is checked, the guards will ask for the reason of the visit, and register the license plate. As a result, tourists will stay on these beaches without being subject to criminal offenses. However, this does not mean that you should not take care of your belongings…
This little crab tried to escape, but I was faster…
Feira de Artesanato – the location to buy handicraft
Destination Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará.
Bus travel from Belo Horizonte (MG) to Fortaleza (CE), via Porto de Galinhas (PE), Praia de Pipa (RN), and Canoa Quebrada (CE).
Part 5: Looking for dolphins near Praia de Pipa.
It was a rainy day at Porto de Galinhas, yesterday. We eagerly hoped for at least a day without rain. On our way to Pipa Beach, we had some rain. Since then, we had no rain. There were some dark clouds, but we also could enjoy some sun. During those sunny moment, the beach appeared to be subject to a complete metamorphosis. The beach did not look grayish, but turned into an eyesoring (yellowish) white. The ocean water gained the bright azure blue color. Our group had settled themselves on the beach, where they would sit down and have their drinks. Some girls spread their cangas and lied down to gain a bronze tan. the guys preferred plastic chairs under a giant umbrella. The local barman arrived quickly, and placed a plastic table. Only minutes later, he appeared again, with bottles of ice-cold beer and small glasses.
The shuttle boat, at low tide Guaranteed
(Foreign) tourist at such popular beaches are willing targets to a large number of locals who want to make good profits. But in an easy-going way. Many ambulant vendors wander on the beach, all day long, with their merchandise. Fishermen and small entrepreneurs rent their boats for short trips on the water. Some of them offer boat trips to the lagoon, where dolphins may be observed. In order to convince skeptical tourists, they even offer a see-dolphin guarantee. When there are no dolphins to be observed, you will get back the fee of that boat trip, worth 20 reais (8 euros). Like a Dutch saying: First see, then believe…
Safety vests on the beach… Sun!
Guarantee or not, we wanted to do this boat trip. We were offered safety vests. The crew then watched carefully whether we had tied them on in the right way. A small, flat boat carried us to a larger boat, and we went on board. The center of the deck was covered with a piece of canvas, where sun lovers were allowed to lie down. I did not join them, I preferred to walk around and take some photographs. My friends asked me to take some pictures of them, too.
On the way to the dolphin’s lagoon
Dolphin fins
It took about twenty minutes before the boat arrived in the lagoon, where dolphins were supposed to swim around. We all were somewhat skeptical about that, but soon we lost that skepticism when the first dolphin fins were observed. I was lucky to observe them too. However, other friends were not able to observe them, and son complained about that. We waited patiently for more opportunities to see the fins. They came, but they were also very fast and unpredictable. Impossible to record them or photograph them! I did not manage to photograph a single dolphin fin! Within ten minutes, I had observed the dolphins about twenty times. One good friend of mine did not see them at all. She complained with the skipper. He waved away her protest with a faint smile. She was one of the few unfortunates who did not see the dolphins..
Safety buoy, and Pipa Beach behind.
Floating
There was opportunity to jump in the water and float around the anchored boat. The majority of our group did not resist to float in the refreshingly azure blue ocean water. The orange safety vests kept them floating. Again, I took pictures of them, floating around. I did not join them. When everyone was on board again, the boat made a big u-turn before heading for the beach. A small group left the boat, and were carried by a smaller, flat boat to the beach. Others, me included, continued the boat trip for another thirty minutes. The boat brought us in front of the other side of Pipa Beach and then returned to the beach. The entire trip lasted more than ninety minutes. We were satisfied, we had seen the dolphins! For me it was the second time to observe dolphins in Brazil: six months earlier, I had seen them during another boat trip, from São Luís to the peninsula of Alcântara…
Some of us left the boat early… We enjoyed some more time on the boat
We noticed the dolphin fins here… Blue the sky, azure blue the water…
Bus Travel Belo Horizonte – FORTALEZA (04) First Ocean Blue Impression of Praia de Pipa (RN).
(Click here for the complete coverage of ‘FORTALEZA’)
Destination Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará. A travel report of the bus travel from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza.
Part 4: Ocean blue impressions of Praia de Pipa.
The very first impression of the Atlantic Ocean
at Praia de Pipa…
Curious
We had spent the night in the bus, from Porto de Galinhas to Praia de Pipa. It was still early in the morning, when we left the bus. We were happy to be able to stretch our legs again, and to massage our painful and stiff backs and necks. We could not wait until we would arrive on the beach and sit there; therefore we all grouped together and walked down the main street, in search of the nearest beach. The road signs were clear enough, most of us were following these signs like hungry horses in search for their hay rack. I was not that hungry yet, I suffered more from a certain curiosity. And I was not the only one. I joined three friends, and we walked in all sideways and alleys. Our curiosity was awarded with beautiful views at steep sand cliffs and dune tops. And we witnessed a beautiful azure blue ocean. We intensely enjoyed these unforgettable views.
The serenity of blue….
Sand cliffs and dunes
Small fisherman’s boats, and small
boats for transport of tourists.
Floating along the shoreline.
By Dr. Adriano Antoine Robbesom Original text in Dutch, translation with help of Google Translator
Bus Travel Belo Horizonte – FORTALEZA (03) On the Way to Praia de Pipa, nearby Natal (RN).
(Click here for the complete coverage of ‘FORTALEZA’)
Destination Fortaleza, Capital of the state of Ceará. A report of the bus travel from Belo Horizonte to Fortaleza.
Part 3: On the way to Praia de Pipa, nearby Natal.
One of the first images of the state of Rio Grande
do Norte, we were on the right route. No sun
We had travel one day and a half, from Belo Horizonte, to reach the beaches of Porto de Galinhas. For many Brazilians, Porto de Galinhas is one of the beach paradises, such as Cabo Frio, Búzios, Porto Seguro, Praia de Pipa. Especially the beaches in the northeast of Brazil are very popular. They are admired because of the white beaches flanked by green coconut trees, and warm, turquoise blue water, warm water. We had spent a day at Porto de Galinhas. A somewhat disappointing day, due to the grey sky and the drizzling rain, during the day. Only in the late afternoon, when there were few moments of faint sunshine, we ran to the beach and took our pictures, for the home front. The rest of the cloudy day was spent in the small, touristic city center.
A middle class house: it is common that these
verandas are protected with wrought iron fences.
The antenna dish is very common in Brazil.
Night drive
AT night, we found a cheap possibility to take a warm shower. Above a local supermarket, a pousada was offering showers for two reais (75 eurocents). However, there were only two shower rooms available; therefore the queue was quite long. Nevertheless, we were ready to leave to our next beach paradise: Para de Pipa, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. This Brazilian state is the top of Northeast Brazil; the city of Natal is the capital At night, we had to cross the state of Paraíba, before we would reach Tibau do Sul, near our destination, in the morning. It was our third consecutive night in the bus, we already were considering the bus as our riding home.
A lower class house: made of tree branches and
mud. The roofs of these houses often are
composed of thatches or dried palm leaves.
Exotic
It was still early in the morning, when we arrived in Tibau do Sul. We were driving along small settlements, green sugar cane fields; the reeds, moved by the predominant wind, demonstrated a massive wave to us. Northeast Brazil is known for its poverty, but also here we noticed significant differences. Humble huts, made of tree branches and mud, next to colossal country houses, which were surrounded by lush green of well-kept gardens. The closer we approached Praia de Pipa, the more country houses we noticed.Giant billboards tried to lure interested tourists buying luxurious apartments at exotic dream locations. We left the highway, and entered a secondary road. Guardians stopped the bus, but the bus driver did not need to spend much time with them. It is common to notice such guardians at the entrance roads of popular beaches.
Giant billboards,giant promises.
Parking
The bus followed the secondary road. Small road signs indicated the route. Finally, the bus halted near the entrance to the beach village. There was a large parking lot, where the bus could be parked, for a fare of 80 reais (30 euros). Our bus driver paid the fare, since it already was included in the total bus fare. (For those who are interested: a return trip of more than 5000 for 300 reais, about 120 euros). We quickly left the bus, on our way to the white beaches and the warm, crystalline water.
Tourist fares….
A high class house: somewhat hidden by
lush green.
(Temporary) house for the tourist: a pousada
World famous: the dunes of Praia de Pipa
Wheel traces of buggy´s, foot traces of
fellow tourists.
By Dr. Adriano Antoine Robbesom Original text in Dutch, translation with help of Google Translator
The largest cashew tree in the world is located in Pirangi, 12 km south of Natal. The tree measures more than 8500 square meters and produces about eighty thousand cashew fruits and nuts.
Cashew tree
Even at a satellite image, this location is visible: the cajueiro de Pirangi, translated as the cashew tree of Pirangi. Nothing weird about a cashew tree, but this specimen is unique in the world: only one tree, that has the size superior to the area of a soccer field. The tree was planted in 1888, by the fisherman Luís Inácio de Oliveira (he died at the age of 93, under this tree), although other sources reveal that this tree must be a thousand years old already.
Cashew fruits and nuts
Anomalies
This tree suffers to different anomalies: instead of growing upwards, the tree grew sidewards; with time the branches became that heavy that they grew over the soil, thereby forming many curves. The other anomaly allows the branch to produce roots when touching the soil. Now it is not easy to discern the original stem, since there were five originating from that stem, and four of them have been developed as new stems. Only one branch has a normal development. Due to this tumor-like growth, the tree already has the size of 2000 square meters in 1955, when the tree gained its nickname: o Polvo, the Octopus. At present, the tree has the size of more than 8500 square meters and is still expanding. The perimeter of the entire tree is measures more than 500 meter.
Location
The park is located at Pirangi do Norte Beach, in the municipality of Parnamirim. This city, about 12 km south of Natal, is the third largest of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Because of the proximity of Natal, Pranamirim is considered as a satellite city of Natal. Within its city limits, there is also the rocket launch base ‘Barreira do Inferno’, and the international airport ‘Augusto Severo’. After completion of the construction of the new airport ‘Grande Natal’, this airport will become a military airport again, like it was during the Second World War. Therefore, it gained the nickname ‘Trampoline to Victory’.
The park in yellow outline (Google Maps)
Entrance
The entrance of this small park is flanked by tens of little stands where visitors may buy souvenirs. The entrance fee of this park is 4 reais. One is free to walk around and to collect the cashew fruits, but is not allowed to climb the branches. There is a small tower with an outlook over the entire field. The local guide will tell the visitors about the history of the tree.
Production
The size of the tree equals to about seventy normal cashew trees. Its production reaches about 80 thousand cashew fruits and nuts, equal to about 2.5 tons. Visitors are allowed to collect the fruits and nuts.
Expansion
The tree is still expanding. The park is surrounded by streets, and on one side by the highway ‘Rota do Sol’, linking Natal with the beaches in the south. The local community has no agreement about the future of the tree. Since the tree is one of the major touristic atrractions in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, all agree that the tree needs to be kept alive. Expansion of the tree implicates that the surrounding streets need to be reconstructed, to allow the tree expand naturally. Others are opposed to the reconstruction of the streets and propose to cut some of its branches. The danger exists that the tree might not survive these cuts.
Brazilian singer Elino Julião (1936-2006) wrote a song about this cashew tree:
Vige que terrinha boa É a terra de poti Haja sol não tem garoa É Natal em pirangi Eu quero passear de barco Vou ver o marco O meu Brasil começa aqui Do forte eu vou passar na ponte Na ponde do rio Potengi
Mamãe eu quero ir Mamãe eu quero ir Passar o dia inteiro No cajueiro de Pirangi Não tem outro cajueiro No mundo só tem esse aqui O maior cajueiro Do mundo é o de piranji
