Brazil Coast to Rio

Like a good hangover I wake up some mornings and it takes me a couple of moments to get my bearings and remember what I did the day before. But this morning there was no mistaking what city I was in.

 Sugarloaf - Pão de Açúcar

 I made a few more stops down the coast before arriving in Rio de Janeiro. Firstly in the beautiful coastal town of Trancoso.

Trancoso 

I stopped on the road to take a photo of some flowing trees and found this beautiful butterfly as well - always it seems that Brazil gives more than you expect.

Flowing Trees

Butterfly - Borboleta in Portuguese

I could probably write a complete blog about the signs I see on my travels. Like this one on how to take a whizz

Don't pee on the floor

Next stop was  just 150km outside Rio, the resort town of Cabo Frio

Cabo Frio

Fishing boat in the bay

Strange tourist

 The plan from here was to spend just one night in Rio and then to ride to the little inland town of Itajubá where there is a good KTM dealer as my bike was in need of tuning and a few minor repairs. Checking my bike over in the morning before leaving I discovered oil in the radiator - head gasket blown!! If I had ridden the bike more than a few more kilometers it would probably have seized.
Plan B. It took me the morning to find a guy with a small pick-up truck who was willing to transport my bike and me the 500km to the KTM dealer, drop the bike off and then return me to Rio. So my bike in now in the town of Itajubá where it will stay for the next 6 weeks while I return to the US. I had planned the vacation from my vacation anyway so the timing was good to have my bike decide it was time to take a break.

Moto Naranja takes a vacation

 I now have one week to wander around Rio and take in the iconic sights of this bustling, dynamic city. I am staying at a really cool BnB in the Botafogo neighborhood, which means to ”set on fire”. This referred to the artillery of a Portuguese galleon that had a reputation for blowing shit up.