Ponta Negra Beach Live Cam

There are two ways to arrive in Natal: by plane and by bus. Natal has a pier, but only for cargo ships. There are few railroads in Brazil, none in Natal.

Arriving by plane - If flying in, you will arrive at International Airport Augusto Severo. The airport is far from the Natal. Actually, the airport is located in another city, called Parnamirim, conurbed with Natal. Getting to and from the airport is nor easy nor cheap, so make sure you fix all you have to before leaving the airport; pay special attention if you are going to rent a car: prefer those companies which allow you to pick up the car at the airport and return it at the city, or vice-versa.

If you are entering the country - currently, this only happens with charter flights -, the Federal Police will check out your passport (separate queues for Brazilians and foreigners) and the Customs will check out your luggage; Police and Customs staffs are usually very friendly. If you are coming from other states in Brazil, your papers and luggage won't be checked again. The airport is new and modern, it was refurbished and reinaugurated in 2001. Before 2001, passengers had to walk across the runway; now, planes stop at fingers.

The airport is clearly oversized for its current level of business (designers say that a big grow in traffic is expected, and this was factored in the size of the airport). There's no accumulation of people or luggage chariots; the place is spacious and well ventilated. There are some basic services (restaurants, coffee shops, news stands), but it's far from being a good place to past time.

There's a tourist office at the airport. Staff speaks English there, get as much info as you can, ask all free material they have. Unlike other bigger Brazilian airports, there is no free shop in Natal. Brazilian free shops are not very attractive, anyway; last I checked, electronic appliances were obsolete, perfumes were overpriced, tobacco and spirit were not much cheaper to justify facing the extra bureaucracy of buying at the free shops.

Getting from airport to Natal - Depending on where you are staying in Natal, you could have to drive between 15 and 25 km to get to your hotel. If you are in a package tour, make sure there will be a bus to pick you up. Unlike most other major airports in Brazil, there's not a cheap shuttle service between the airport and the city (this has been asked by passengers since long ago, but it looks like some lobbies convince the government that it's not necessary). Taxis are expensive (for Brazilian standards): to Ponta Negra, a special taxi (which is supposed to have air conditioner and turn it on) goes for about R$40 (try to bargain down this price); a normal taxi, about R$30 (according to the fare meter). Prices depend on whereabouts in the city you go.

If you have little luggage, speak a little Portuguese and want to save some money, take the bus which runs by just in front of the airport; make sure that the bus is going to Natal, not the opposite direction. Get off at Natal Shopping Center and take another bus from there; if you are going to Ponta Negra, walk across the street and take bus.

Arriving by bus - If you arrive by bus, the final stop is Rodoviaria Cidade do Sol. The bus station is depart point for buses to several cities in Rio Grande do Norte and several states in Brazil. All kind of travellers are found here, from Brazilian and foreigner tourists going to near capitals (some travel times: Recife: 4 1/2 hours; Joao Pessoa: 3 hours; Fortaleza: 8 hours), to people going to visit their relatives in small cities, to entire families moving (and bringing all their few belongings) to the big cities in the South.

Not many basic services: there are several snack bars, only one restaurant (far from luxury), news stands, a left luggage, a VISA - Banco do Brasil post; there are toilets, but the cleanest; there is a tourist office, the staff tries to be helpful, but their English is far from perfect, and their stock of maps seem to be very short lasting.

Just outside the main gate, there are a queue of taxis and a bus stop; avoid walking much further from the bus stop, specially at night. A taxi to Ponta Negra goes for about R$20, and to Via Costeira about R$35. Buses: to go to Ponta Negra, take bus #66 and it will take you to very close of the hotels; to go to Praia do Meio and Via Costeira, take bus #40 and get off at Praia do Meio, from which you can either walk to your hotel (if you're staying in Praia dos Artistas or Praia do meio), or take one of the buses which drive along Via Costeira.

Water and food Tap water is OK for cooking and bathing (Brazilians, and particularly those ones from the NorthEasth, are very fond of baths and showers; three or four a day). Mineral water is so cheap in Brazil, there's no need to drink tap water. Restaurants in the tourist areas are clean, the Sanitary Agency is very active. The law obliges all restaurants to allow customers to visit their instalations to check out the higiene.

Vaccination Natal is an urban city. There's no need for vaccinations, unless you plan to go to wilder regions (Amazon or Pantanal).

Hospitals and clinics - Whichever place you choose to travel, there's always a chance you will have to go to a hospital or doctor; common reasons for that are the changes in food, climates, etc.Natal has public and private hospitals. Don't count on public hospitals (stories of people arriving at 3 a.m. to try to see a doctor, or waiting months for an urgent surgery are not uncommon).

Note, however, that in case of very serious injuries (a car accident, for example), you will be probably taken to a public hospital, and that's the best place you could be, because these hospitals are the only ones which can afford to have any specialist at any time of day or night. In such cases, however ugly the hospital could be, if you or yours are being assisted, don't try to find a better looking place. Private hospitals are better, but expect a service much worse than the one you are used to; even for emergencies, a few hours waiting is not uncommon.

Doctors and dentists - Of course, you should see your doctor before travelling. To see a doctor in Natal, appointments usually are set a few days in advance, whatever your Health Plan is; some more respected doctors (the ones more likely to speak English) can have a few weeks already taken. If you don't have a Health Insurance, expect to pay something between R$50 and R$100; in Brazil, the consultation fee includes the first and a return visit, if needed (for example, the doctor may request some exams, which would be require a return visit to be analyzed).

Dental urgencies are more common than medical. It's easier to have an immediate appointment with a dentist. There are a few 24h dental clinics. Prices can vary very much. A particular good clinic is OdontoFace.

Natal is a safe city - Despite Brazil being a very violent country, Natal is a very safe city. Of course, there are occasional thefts and even murders, but not to those scaring levels you may have heard about.

To estimate the difference, do the following: Go to Tribuna do Norte, the most important newspaper of Natal, and do a search (search box is at the right columsn, half way down) for the word "assaltos" (without quotes), which is the Portuguese for assaults; I found that, to read ten reports mentioniong assaltos, I would have to go back about one year. Now go to O Globo , a major newspaper in Rio; search for "assaltos" (left column, about half way down); a new window will open, search again for "assaltos", check the (free) 7 day span search; I found that within the past two days, ten reports mentioned assaltos.

What can explain this difference in violence levels between Natal and other Brazilian cities? The answer to this question is certainly complex, but a few reasons are mentioned below. In the bigger cities of south, notably Rio de Janeiro, there is an organized crime which controls the drug and/or gun market, and employs violence to keep their dominance (the movies City of God portrayed this scenario very well); it's common to hear that an important criminal which was arrested or killed was promptly replaced by someone else (usually younger and even more violent). In contrast, crime in Natal is still commited by individuals (several passional crimes) or, occasionaly, two people; crimes in Rio are scheduled, crimes in Natal just happen.

Of course, poverty plays an important role in the levels of criminality. There are poor people all around the country, but some diffences are noticeable: for the poor, cost of living is much lower in northeast than in south (in extreme conditions, someone in Natal could survive eating coconuts and cuscuz, which are very cheap; because of scarce space, house rents are expensive in Sao Paulo, a cold city in winter, whereas one could live for free in the beaches of Natal); poor people in Natal have, even if little, support from their families, where as they are all by themselves in Sao Paulo (many people regret their migrating to the south, but can't even afford a ticked to go back home); the poor youngsters in south have more materialistic ambitions: they see their friends joining the criminals and making money to buy them clothes, cars, whatever; the simpler way of life of Natal helps keeping the youngsters, even if poor, away from criminality.

Police in Natal are more ostensive. You see the police everywhere in Natal, before crimes happen (in Rio, because crime is already established, police spends most of time chasing criminals); there are several fixed police posts (usually a trailer with an improvised office); random blitzen are very common: drivers are stopped and papers and cars are thoroughly checked; policemen in motorcycles are always going about the streets of Natal, bringing mobility and agility which are not possible in the chaotic traffic of bigger cities.

Foreign tourists are often surprised by some facts which happen in Natal and Brazil which they think should be forbidden or regulated by law. Fact is that the laws already exist, but, for several reasons (which are out of the scope of this site), they are not enforced. Be warned, though; in the unlikely event that you are brought to Justice because of some of these crimes, neither your ignorance of law nor the fact that several other people also commit the crimes will make you less of a criminal to the eyes of the judge.

The behaviour of Brazilian drivers always remind civilized people that Brazil is still a Third World country. Worse still: take a look at how parents behave when picking up their children at school; parking in forbidden areas, unnecessary horning, disrespect for everyone else. This is how the rich parents in Natal educate their children ("laws and rules don't matter, do what is better for you"), indicating that the next generation will be as uncivilized as the current one.

Brazil has a modern and rigorous transit legislation. The legislation grades the infractions in light, normal and severe; the more serious the infraction, the higher the fine, and more points are added to the driver's profile (reaching a determined amount will cause the license to be levied). However, several infractions are commonly commited: crossing pedestrian walks and red lights; over speed; parking unproperly; turning (particularly to the left) unproperly. Brazilian drivers are very uneducated. More than an infraction, driving drunk or other influence is a crime; the legal limit is very low (as in other countries, there is a limit on the alcohol percentage on one's blood), something around two bootles of beer or two shots of whiskey for a normal person. People don't seem to care much.

Public services are of very low quality, and the tax fiscalization is very inefficient. This possibly explains why most Brazilians don't think much before breaking tax laws, and also why most Brazilians don't care much when seeing the law being broken. Every goods or service seller should issue a fiscal ticket, and all income should be reported; many don't issue the ticket, some only do it by client's request. Many people are more concerned with getting enough food on their table than with their tax obligations (for example, the hard working guys who sell widgets everyday on the beach), but several others are just blatantly dodging taxes they know that should be paid.

Foreigners may think that the law should protect more the lower class workers. However, the problem may be that there is too much protection. The Brazilian law which regulates the labour relationships has over 1,000 articles. Few companies can comply with all the rules; even those who try (big companies, state companies) have to cope with thousands of labor actions in court. As a result, the law is completely disregarded, jobs are many times only verbally contracted, and none of the supposed rights is granted.

Most remedies consumed by Brazilians are sold over the counter. There are three classes of medicines: freely sold (very few; vitamins, aspirine and some all natural medicines fall here); red targeted (sold only with prescription, but the prescription remains with the buyer, not with the pharmacy; most remedies have this classification); black targeted (each prescription is numbered and controlled by the government; Valium, Prozac, Rohipinol are some examples). Red targeted remedies are (contrary to law) sold freely, without prescription; most drugstores would even deliver. This helps explain why Brazil is one of the biggest consumers of viagra in the world. Selling of black target without prescription is not as easy, but far from being unheard of.

Natal has hotels for every taste and every pocket size. There are a couple of four and five star hotels in Natal; all of them are new and are located on the Via Costeira. All these hotels are as close as possible to the waterfront; nearly all rooms have front sea view, but there are a few with lateral view, so make sure to ask.

It's not hard to see why this is the hot spot in Natal. Morro do Careca is a combination of sea, mountain, dunes and green. Climbing the hill is forbidden, but many people don't care; the gay guides repeatedly mention the lateral trails of the hill as a good meeting point. Below, a few pictures of Morro do Careca, taken from several distances.

The avenue sideways is where most fun happens. That stretch is always crowded with tourists, both Brazilian and foreigners. It's not luxurious or posh, but it's cosy and clean. The sun is almost always shining, but it's always accompanied by a refresing wind. It's always busy with people of all walks of life, but everybody respects each other. The pictures below were taken all at the same day early December 2,003; they show a little of what goes on everyday in Ponta Negra.

A few interesting info about Ponta Negra: - Parking is a problem. The only way to park is along one side of the street, which besides being short, has several slots reserved to taxis, disabled, police, etc. There are a few private parking loots which charge up to R$ 3 and give no guarantees (if you manage to park in the street, separate a few coins to the "flanelinhas", those guys who "keep an eye on your car for you"). - The village is up the hill. As soon as the beach street ends, you have to walk up a steep hill to go to the village. That means that a hotel "100 meters away from the beach" may end up being not so close as you thought; however, there is the advantage that you can have a good view of the sea even if you are a little far from the shore line.