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Friendship & Peace Tour To Brazil
AQUIRAZ 2008 January 10 to 19, 2008

Join Frederick official delegation on this 9-day trip to the Brazil Sister City of Aquiraz on its 1st anniversary of this sisterhood partnership!

Discover Aquiraz, thru its people and explore the surrounding beaches, landscaping dunes and local vegetation that make this land so interesting, so vibrant! Witness the roles that history, geography, culture, religion and the natural environment have played in shaping one of the most fascinating countries in the world.

Sunshine all year around, warm transparent waters and the chance to sit for hours in the shade of coconut trees, sipping sweet, refreshing coconut water on some of the beaches that tourists from all over the world have declared to be the most beautiful on Earth – this may seem to be too good to be true but it does exist. It’s Brazil, a sensational country, where hospitality is widely renowned. Brazil, where there are happy people that sprung from a mixture of races that has produced unique sounds, aromas, flavors and architecture.

Under the friendly and peaceful umbrella of Frederick Sister Cities Association – Brazil Division…pack your bags! Get to know Aquiraz, our newest Sister City and become a fan of the country of Brazil!

The Journey Will Take You Through:
• Rio de Janeiro (Picture of Corcovado/Christ Statue)
• Aquiraz (Picture of Aquiraz Beach with Jangada Sailboat)
• Jericoacoara (Picture of rock formation in Jeri)
• Fortaleza (Picture of Fortaleza’s beira-mar avenue)


ITINERARY:
Day Date
Time
From-To/Activity
Thursday01.10.08
Eve
Flight Washington/DC-Rio de Janeiro
Friday01.11.08
AM
Arrival in Rio (Stopover) Tour thru Rio
Eve
Flight Rio de Janeiro-Fortaleza
Transfer to Hotel in Aquiraz
Saturday01.12.08
Visit to Beach Park and City of Aquiraz with lunch
5:00
Offical reception with dinner
Sunday01.13.08
Day
Visit to Morro Branco (Hernani Tour);Iquape fishing villages, Community / Volunteer Center; Cultural visit to Indian village
Monday01.14.08
8:00
Travel to Jericoacoara
Tuesday01.15.08
Day
Tour and activities around Jericoacoara, Tataiuba village and Lagoon & sunset watching
Wednesday01.16.08
12:00
Return to Aquriaz
Thursday01.17.08
Day
Tour to Fortaleza: Dragao do Mar, Beira-mar; Official Reception at CEART. Supper at Churrascarria.
Friday01.18.08
Noon
Departure to S.Paulo/Washington DC.
Saturday01.19.08
Noon
Arrival in Washington DC.


EXPENSES:
Round trip airfare from Washington DC to Fortaleza, Brazil (approx. $1,500.00), plus $650.00 (Includes all land transportation, first class tropical accommodations (double-occupancy), 1-day tour in Rio de Janeiro, all official gatherings/receptions by the Sister City of Aquiraz including a visit to a local Indian tribe and a 1-day tour at Beach Park, 3-day luxury 4x4 Land-rover off-road beach tour to Jericoacoara and 1-day tour in Fortaleza. Complete breakfast included everyday and a few extra meals offered by the locals. This exceptional value is only possible because some of the expenses will be covered by our Sister City of Aquiraz as a courtesy to the official guests!

Other Special Events & Meetings:
  • Participate in an official reception hosted by the Municipality of Aquiraz and the State of Ceara, in an authentic Brazilian Rodizio Churrascaria (Steakhouse), followed by a show at the new Aquiraz ShowHouse/Teatro.
  • Visit a local Indian village and enjoy the tales, rituals, sounds and dances of the Jenipapo-Caninde tribe.
  • Spend a day at the Beach Park, the largest water park in LatinAmerica.
  • Listen to hundreds of local children play musical instruments at the Tapera das Artes, musical center for the underprivileged.


SPACE IS LIMITED! PLEASE SEE RESITRATION FORM ENCLOSED!
Form - Click here


FINANCES/REMARKS:
• Participants will be responsible for the cost of their air travel plus the $650.00 for in-land transportation, tours, hotels (double occupancy) and breakfast everyday. Some other meals will be provided as part of the official receptions. Extra expenses such as additional meals, souvenirs, etc., will be additional. Reservation fee must be made until December 12th, 2007 with down payment. Balance is due prior to departure.

• A TOURIST visa is required to enter Brazil. The cost is $110.00. For the visa to be processed, the Visa Request Form needs to be filled out. (it can be printed out of the site www.brasilemb.org. The payment ($110.00) needs to be in Money Order on behalf of Brazilian Consulate. One passport size picture is needed and a copy of the itinerary showing the name of the traveler(s) on it. The process takes one week and FSCA-Brazil Division will be helping the travelers to get these visas as a group. For more information please contact Dirci Borelli Marquart by email dirci@missionserv.org or by phone @ 240-315-2112.

FSCA AQUIRAZ/BRAZIL 2008 Visit Highlights:

Rio de Janeiro:
Carnival. Sounds. Colors. It can be said without fear of contradiction that Carnival in Rio is an explosion of Brazilian happiness. Its colors and mixtures, and its diversity are the maximum expression of the Brazilians’ way of being. Carnival is one of the biggest folk celebrations in the world. It brings together emotions, creativity, colors, sounds, plasticity and much joy.

But Rio de Janeiro is not only Carnival. Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s most famous cities. It overflows with charm, beauty and friendliness just like its people and its beaches. The color of the sea and the exuberant green of the Atlantic forest are intense.
Rio lies between the mountains and the sea and welcomes you with the open arms of the statue of Christ, the Redeemer.

Aquiraz:
Aquiraz, a Tupi Indian word which means “the water is right there”, was founded in 1699 and was the first capital of the State of Ceara, Brazil. The colonial days are still felt in Aquiraz today, which retains the small-town simplicity, characterizing a laid-back lifestyle. This preserved paradise has a natural variety and rich culture that leads its visitors to images that will never be forgotten. Among sand dunes, coconut trees and native vegetation, the exuberant nature guarantees a unique scenario composed of 27 miles of impressive seas.
Culture expresses itself everywhere in its rich local crafts, famous for its laces, and artistic presentations. The regional culinary options, from varied seafood to sugar cane by-products are produced manually at local food presses. Last but not least, tourists can sightsee by various means, for example, the “jangada”, a typical wooden sail boat made by the local population, kayak, horse and dune buggies, at the ecological track, all of which confirm the tourist potential of our Sister City of Aquiraz, today known as the Brazilian capital of Volunteerism, due to the volunteer mission groups that have been there under MissionServ International and FUNDAMED’s volunteer programs.

Jericoacoara:
Exotic, deserted and quiet long stretch of beaches, dunes, coconut groves and an indescribable blue sea, ideal for a well-deserved rest. That is what Jericoacoara beaches are like: unique. Buggies and Landrovers are the means of transport used to get to this beach, driving by the sea, crossing the dunes, and during the several hours of crossing, stopping by sleepy fishing villages, along the way! Scenery of the film The Oyster and the Wind, Jericoacoara became internationally renowned as one of the most beautiful beaches of the planet! On the way to Jericoacoara the following locations/beaches will be visited: Icaraí, Tabuba, Cumbuco, Rio Cauipe, Pecém, Taíba, Paracuru, Lagoinha, Guajiru & Flexeiras, where there will be a stop for lunch, then the beaches of Mundaú (with a barge crossing) Baleia, Praia do Preá, and finally Jericoacoara.

Fortaleza:
It is said that Fortaleza, the capital of the State of Ceara, was created by sun beams and that the heat changed the topography, slightly burnt the leather skin of men, forged their feelings, warmed their hearts and religious spirit and set fire in their imagination.

With its Dutch roots, recognized as a village in 1726, and called at the beginning Schoonenborch Fort, the city of Fortaleza has grown to have over 2 million inhabitants.
To know Fortaleza today is to see, closely, the work of its people, their faces and the hands that have built this singular universe, so full of revelations and so receptive to its visitors.

Fortaleza is its own world, that allows the interested viewer to know more about its crafts, its culinary, its housing, its economy, its traditions and costumes, and above all, its unique beauty, brought by the composition of its colors and natural elements.

Also known as the “Land of the Light”, Fortaleza, from its green seacoast with peacefully dancing “jangada” sails to the Arts and Cultural Center called Dragon of the Sea, awaits for you to share with you its light, which will be hard to forget!

FSCA-Brazil Division & MissionServ International are excited to offer this exceptional opportunity and value, exclusively to the Sister Cities members and their supporters, family and Friends of Brazil Circle.

For more information contact Dirci by email dirci@missionserv.org
or by phone 240-315-2112.

Frederick Sister Cities Association – Brazil Division
7140 English Muffin Way
Frederick, MD 21704