Rio de Janeiro
Cristo Redentor
Brasil is a country of over 200,000,000 people in a land area about two thirds that of Australia. All those people need to be fed so agriculture is a huge industry. As we leave Foz do Iguacu in our mirrors we are immediately in a landscape of rich farming land. A slightly perverse reality of tropical rainforests means that the very conditions that promote the lush growth make ideal conditions for crops, so vast areas of the forest have been cleared for cropping. There are perhaps millions of acres of corn, mostly for export and ethanol production along with all manner of fruit and vegetable crops. Brasil is also one of the world’s biggest producers of beef with 225 million head of cattle or nearly 10 times that of Australia. All this, along with mining, timber, sugar, coffee and many other exports makes Brasil a prosperous country but we must wonder at what cost to the world’s environment. There has been a recent change of government from a fairly strongly right wing in favour of unchecked development to a more moderate left wing who are attempting to bring about some sweeping social changes. As with governments around the world, the country is divided. We wish them well.
Gaucho
We are in a sub-tropical coastal region now so the temperature and humidity at this time of year are becoming somewhat uncomfortable for us Tasmanians. The traffic is also a nightmare with massive lines of trucks backed up for miles. Kamikaze locals on small Chinese bikes dart in and out of the chaos at mind boggling speed so in order to get anywhere it’s a case of “when in Rome”… Soon we are charging along like lunatics, aiming for any gap we can find between the lumbering lines of behemoths. We take to the hard shoulder, we jump curbs and generally “do as the locals do” and in the end it is fun.
Around 30 years ago Sally earned a little extra cash to support her two girls by hosting foreign students in her home while they attended an International School in Sydney, principally to learn English. In the town of Bertioga (Ber-choe-ga) we meet up with Vivian, one of Sally’s former students. It is an emotional reunion after so many years and we are the last to leave the restaurant that night, still talking at a thousand miles per hour. Vivian is now a cosmetic dentist and her husband Jefferson is a lawyer in the finance world. Along with 9 year old Bella they are a beautiful family. They vow to come to Tasmania to visit us and I suspect it will be sooner than we anticipate.
Vivian and Family…and us!
As we move closer to Rio we follow the coast road past dozens of quiet coastal towns but the riding is brutal. We are stuck in interminably slow traffic made even slower by endless speed bumps and sweltering heat. We pass through areas of devastating flooding and massive landslides which have washed away large sections of road and parts of some of the hillside villages. It is agonizing to think what these people have been through yet somehow they seem to keep on smiling.
Costa Verde
In Paraty we are treated by https://compassexpeditions.com/ to a boat cruise around some beautiful islands in the bay. Pina coladas are drunk, seafood is consumed and swimming is swum. It’s a perfect day finished off with a tropical thunderstorm to cool things down.
Life is tough.
Paraty is a fabulous old colonial town with lovely colourful houses on cobblestone streets.
Paratay Transport
At high tide, flood gates allow sea water to clean the streets in the oldest part of town.
Where the streets are washed by the tide
From Paraty to Rio is the Costa Verde, said to be one of the most beautiful roads in the world and we have to agree. The views of the rugged coastline where jungle covered mountains plunge hundreds of metres into azure seas are breath taking and the road is motorcycling Nirvana. On the outskirts of Rio we are met in the traffic by a guy on a scooter who insists that we abandon our proposed route and follow him through the city. He even pays the toll for all of us as we pass several landmarks including the Olympic Stadium to the beach where he leaves us to enjoy the last few km to our hotel. Turns out he was an off duty cop and he was concerned for our safety. Some parts of Rio, the Favellas, (slums) can be very dangerous.
Favellas or hill slums.
A wonderful institution in Brasil is the all you can eat buffet which you pay for by the kilo.
Traditional Brazilian fish dish.
It’s a brilliant idea and it needs to catch on in Australia. After consuming several kilos of delicious Brazilian fare we play tourist and ride the cable cars to Sugar Loaf Mt
Mt Sugar Loaf Cable Car
and then minibus to Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), the girls hoof it to Copacabana Beach and some of us take the short walk to the Coloured Steps. We even find a cat park where stray cats are fed and cared for by volunteers.
Cat Condo
Tomorrow we must leave Rio and commence the journey westward toward Bolivia and Peru. There is civil unrest in Peru and some areas are off limits so contingency plans are being made as I write this. Stay tuned.
