G
Golfingworld
New Member
I've just come back from Brazil, I would have been here earlier but thanks to the State Police they delayed our flight by 3 hours in Salvador as they are "in dispute" with the central govt about funding, so they allocated 3 officers to process 650 outgoing passengers to Madrid/Lisbon/London. A fine message to visitors from a country gearing up for mass tourism, not!
I also drove 50km both north and south of Natal....Chris Rea's "road to hell" springs to mind. North of Brazil passing Genepabu and Pitingu I didn't see a man with a wheelbarrow, let alone any footings for new buildings. The bridge is complete but it goes nowhere..it runs down to a basic B road towards the dunes. The main BR101 from north natal coast back to natal which allegedly passes the new airport is not the best of highways and back into town it transgresses some pretty dodgy areas. The north of Natal is extremely underdeveloped and simply, the villages are very scruffy. There is no infrastructure, shops etc...the restaurants which cater for the "buggy tourists" seem to base their prices on Marbella, not on Brazil. A dish of mixed fish, prawns and langostas cost nearly £30 for 2! As I thought, the place to be is Ponta Negra where there are lots of cheap run down houses that with some re-fitting can indeed yield a good profit. Plus the area is compact, easy to get around good shops, communications and hiper markets. It seems relatively safe and secure and taxis are cheap no more than a fiver to get anywhere. I did the same run to Pipa, which is very nicely done but not much cheaper than the Costa Blanca..the road to get there is your worst nightmare, pot holes on the side roads and the main highway....terryfying! There were 80,000 road deaths in brazil last year, 120 last holiday weekend!
if you have bought north or south of Natal, or are thinking, set aside 10 years before there is a sniff of profit or growth. Pipa in the south is far better than Maracajau in the north as there is simply no infrastructure inthe north. Ponta Negra is the place to make money....or maybe Pipa, but brace yourself for a rough and difficult ride in the process. Salvador forget it, maybe up the coast to praia de forte but otherwise the city is snarled with traffic and needs a good coat of paint. Not to mention the 2 hours wait to get in!
I also drove 50km both north and south of Natal....Chris Rea's "road to hell" springs to mind. North of Brazil passing Genepabu and Pitingu I didn't see a man with a wheelbarrow, let alone any footings for new buildings. The bridge is complete but it goes nowhere..it runs down to a basic B road towards the dunes. The main BR101 from north natal coast back to natal which allegedly passes the new airport is not the best of highways and back into town it transgresses some pretty dodgy areas. The north of Natal is extremely underdeveloped and simply, the villages are very scruffy. There is no infrastructure, shops etc...the restaurants which cater for the "buggy tourists" seem to base their prices on Marbella, not on Brazil. A dish of mixed fish, prawns and langostas cost nearly £30 for 2! As I thought, the place to be is Ponta Negra where there are lots of cheap run down houses that with some re-fitting can indeed yield a good profit. Plus the area is compact, easy to get around good shops, communications and hiper markets. It seems relatively safe and secure and taxis are cheap no more than a fiver to get anywhere. I did the same run to Pipa, which is very nicely done but not much cheaper than the Costa Blanca..the road to get there is your worst nightmare, pot holes on the side roads and the main highway....terryfying! There were 80,000 road deaths in brazil last year, 120 last holiday weekend!
if you have bought north or south of Natal, or are thinking, set aside 10 years before there is a sniff of profit or growth. Pipa in the south is far better than Maracajau in the north as there is simply no infrastructure inthe north. Ponta Negra is the place to make money....or maybe Pipa, but brace yourself for a rough and difficult ride in the process. Salvador forget it, maybe up the coast to praia de forte but otherwise the city is snarled with traffic and needs a good coat of paint. Not to mention the 2 hours wait to get in!