Cumbuco Beach

The most attractive beaches in Ceará lie just a little outside of Fortaleza. I´m quite a fan of venturing out on public transport - it seems to make a trip that little more unpredicatable and exciting. I still manage to get lost in London even when I have TFL website at my fingertips, but somehow when abroad I have a remarkable knack for getting around. You can catch a minibus to Cumbuco from outside North Shopping and in 45 minutes you´ll be a in a quaint little beach town awash with market stalls and beachside restaurants.

There are several reasons why I like Cumbuco - for a start it's not as busy as the city beaches, so it's an ideal place to relax and disconnect from the troubles of the week. You won´t be bombarded by someone selling something every minute like you are at Praia de Futuro... infact you be left in so much peace you often have to go and find a waiter to bring you your beer! You can relax at a shady table, or position yourself on a sun lounger to soak up the rays - the latter is ofcouse my favourite.

Cumbuco beach offers several activities that very in price and commitment levels. Kite Surfers fill the sea and sky... but we have not been brave enough to give that a go just yet. Donkeys plod up and down the sands, but we havea been content with just taking our photos with them (we named one Shakira). But when we were offered a ride on a Jangada for 5 reis each... we couldn´t resist. We donned a life jacket each and headed out for a 45 minute ride.

When in a car or boat, you are often asked if you would like a journey 'com emoção' (with excitment). We ofcourse answered yes and plunged into the water, bobbing and swaying and being periodically soaked by the salty waves. It was so invigourating being out in the open water! The men who steered the boat were the quintessential fishermen, with hardened skin and missing teeth - their jolly dispositions contradicting their impoverished lives. One treated us to a song, and we repaid him with our own repetoire of Lady Gaga, Sidney Magal and Bonde do Tigrão.

When you can no longer see land, you are allowed to jump off and have a swim in the sea. As I can't swim I didn´t fancy this option, I stayed safely on board and took the photos. However everyone insists I can´t drown with a life jacket on, so maybe next time I´ll venture in.

After lunching on delicious fresh fish, chips and baião de dois, we set off for another adventure, SkiBunda. Literally meaning Bum Skiing, you rent a wooden board and go careering down a sand dune on your bum. We could have paid 150 reis for a buggy to take us along the coast and up the dunes, but being the savvy travellers we are, we asked a local if there was a cheaper option. There was a mini bus for one real, so off we went.

The trek up the dune was hard work, but the view was incredible.

We were relieved to finally reach the friendly barraca at the top...

After a refreshing coconut water it was time to hit the slopes! Lázaro was brave enough to go first.

It really was hilariously good fun! Unfortunately I did fall the first time, but got the hang of it after that. The trick is to keep your ankles together and your knees apart. Duda on the other hand tumbled everytime - she blamed her sand board.

The trek back up the dune with your sand board in hand was pretty exahausting, but even so we went down several times. At the bottom of the slopes there was a little lake where you could cool off, full of children splashing around. When I arrived Jamil was giving a Spanish lesson in there - you can take the teacher out of the classroom....

It was truly a perfect day. Cumbuco is just the right distance for a day trip out of town. It has become our favourite haunt on weekends and feriados. Speaking of which, when is our next visit hien?!