Preferential Treatment for Motorcycles

In Brazil the motorcyclists take their craft seriously and many hotels make sure preferential treatment is extended to those shiny machines. Brazilians love group riding and all belong to clubs that have their own stickers made up that are to be found plastered on every surface that they visit.

Working my way south and dodging, or not, storms that seem to hit with a fury but luckily dissipate just a quickly has been the order of this last week. Finding myself in places with exotic names like Toque Toque, Curitiba and Uribici.

Toque Toque

Toque Toque

Uribici is on a high plateau, which is rich farmland with a vast variety of crops grown from apples to grapes.

Fun Dirt roads - Parana Pines

Unamed river crossing

Roadside restaurant for lunch

 The riding in this area is second to non with roads that somehow manage to cling to the side of the mountains as they wind their way up and down the coastal escarpment.

Serra do Curvo ( Mountain of the White Crow )

Serra do Rio do Rasto

Pedra Furada

I had been given a route that goes down the southern coast for nearly 500km on the beach and had every intention of following this but the weather had different plans for me. Waking up to pounding rain in the town of Tramandai the beach option did not seem like the the wisest of choices, especially as the tide was very high and I really did not relish the idea of being washed out to sea, KTM and all. However after riding on the highway for a few hundred kms with improving weather I decided to cut back down to the beach at the town of Mostades. A sandy, and at times riverlike track brought me to the ocean.

Road or river -one and the same

The hard packed flat beach was ideal for riding on and at times I found myself flying along at 80km/h. With the surf creating a thick mist along the beach there were times that the sky and the sand were indistinguishable making for a surreal sensation of floating in air.

After about 40km ( 25 miles ) I came to the Lagoa do Peixe which had breached the sand barrier and was rushing into the ocean. With no possible way of crossing this river I had to backtrack all the way to Mostades and continue down the coastal highway. I arrived at Hostel Casa do Bolaxa  just south of the port city of Rio Grande as the heavens opened once again. After a long day on the road ( and the beach) I was made welcome by this wonderful family.

Casa do Bolaxa

The road south to Uruguay follows a narrow piece of land between two lagoons and traverses the Tiam nature reserve with an incredible variety of birdlife from storks to eagles and every sort of duck imaginable. The Black Necked Swan is the symbol of this reserve, but unluckily they had decided to take the day off. It sure was WINDY along this stretch.

Checking out of Brazil and into Uruguay was breeze and took all of 15 minutes - then came Customs !! The customs official was very nice and helpful but insisted on seeing a copy of my insurance certificate, and not just the expired one I have from the US - picky picky. Big problem on a Saturday afternoon as everything is closed. My helpful friend, Captain Carlos from Customs managed to get hold of a friend in the town who was the insurance agent. This gentleman hopped on his moped, came to the customs post, took photos of my documents and disappeared back to town only to reappear a short while later with my insurance certificate - all for the cost of $80. Seemed a little steep but who was I to argue at that stage.

First night in Uruguay and the cool little surfing town of Punta de Diablo

La Posada -- Punta de Diablo

View from my bedroom

Thatched roof houses

Back in the Saddle - Return to Rio

Marmoset seen in Rio Botanical Gardens

Christ the Redeemer

Rio

The adventure continues, although after having a granddaughter this little jaunt seems positively tame.

One night in Rio and then a 5 hour bus ride south to pick up my motorbike in Itajubá - all repaired and looking shiny bright and positively panting to be back on the road - I think it missed me.

This mountainous area in the State of Minas Gerais is largely agricultural and I found a very cool Fazenda (farm) to stay on for two nights. Fazenda Maratea, just outside the little town of Piranguçu, although a working farm, has created an events center and Pousada ( inn / BnB ). I am staying in a converted barn that for some reason I have been told is quite fitting. 

Fazenda Maratea

Piranguçu

 I am going to be riding back towards the coast tomorrow, weather permitting, and then aim south towards Uruguay. I say weather permitting as this is the start of the rainy season and the forecast shows a 100% chance of rain for the next two weeks!!  -- Will keep you updated

A Grand Adventure

Welcome to this big wide wonderful world Margaret Joy Luck Thompson

Welcome MJ

I made a dash home to Colorado from Rio de Janeiro just in time to welcome this little beauty into the world. Not all life's adventures are about doing wild things like riding a motorcycle through South America. Congratulations to my daughter Kelly and her husband James, you have made me a very grateful and proud grandpa.

I will be home for about 6 weeks before returning to Rio to pick up my KTM and continue south.

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.

The Coast of Brazil

Finally the Atlantic Ocean

Salvador

I made “seafall” on the Atlantic coast of Brazil arriving in the beautiful old city of Salvador in the state of Bahia. This was after an 1800 km diagonal dash across the largest part of the Brazilian landmass. I wish I could say that it was an interesting ride but no it really was not. Eight to nine hours a day in the saddle for 3 1/2 days with temperatures soaring to 37 deg C ( 100 F ) with great waves of heat rising up off the superheated asphalt. I was very pleased to see the ocean. This huge area of Brazil reminded me very much of the South African bushveld without the animals or even many people and being almost completely flat it was difficult to see the horizon making for a pretty boring and tiring few days.

Mimosa thorn trees - first hill in 1800 km

A little town on the way

A lunch stop on the road

Three nights in the incredible city of Salvador rejuvenated me and I loved walking around the old city with its numerous plazas, hundreds of churches and many a sidewalk cafe just begging me to stop and have an ice-cold beer.

Salvador

Salvador

Narrow streets of old town

My pousada ( hostel ) was on this street

Best of friends

State of Bahia governor's residence

Skyline of Salvador

Motorcycle enthusiasts on the ferry

A ferry ride across the bay saved over 250km and allowed me to then follow the coast south with the first stop being at the surfing town of Itacaré. Many good restaurants, with menus that even included excellent salad choices which have been lacking in the central part of the country and certainly completely absent in the Amazon.

Praia da Concha- Itacaré

A local rasta dude

Itacaré

Good surfing ( I am told )