BRAZIL (rough draft)
Part Two: A moto tour of Southern Brazil.
This would be our second real trip to Brazil, the eighth to South America. We had been in Brazil before but we have already enlightened you with these minor trips, and going to Foz do Iguacu three times. You can learn more about these previous trips at the web site: users.rio.com/~tynda.
Remember that the key to Southern Brazil is that it was settled by many German and Italian descendants over 100 years ago. If you can speak one of these languages travel will be easier. Many times, seeing that we were riding a BMW, people first spoke German to us. I guess we do not look Italian.
On this trip we entered at the state of Rio Gande do Sul, at the city of Santana do Livarmento on the Uruguayan border. The town in Uruguay is Riveria. Have your map ready. Contrary to the general rule we did this on a Sunday. First, customs which was somewhat difficult to locate and since we had a moto it was necessary to go to another special building, the Federal Police, as USA citizens, we had to have our photos and fingerprints taken at a third, somewhat remote location. We think this was the first time for the procedure as the policeman did not know how to fill out the forms. But Gail, having her fingerprints taken many times for reasons we will not go into here, was able to help. The city of Santana is not too bad for a border crossing. Usually cities at border crossings are real dumps.
ROAD REPORT
We will simply mention a few towns that we visited with some tips that might prove helpful.
Rasario do Sul was the first stop for the night. Although inland, and an alternative to the normal crossings at Chuy and the falls, it actually has a beach, being on a dammed river, and was nicer than we expected. Also, there was a concert on the beach, but it ended at 9:00 PM which was a contrast to the late hours kept by the Argentines and the late hours for the Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha in Tacuarembo, Uruguay.
Next, to avoid the main road, we went north to Santa Maria, then south to the small village of Formigueiro, where there is an interesting bridge outside of town, and then back up to highway BR 297 and Sta. Cruz do Sul. The city of Formiqueiro is so far off the main highway that unless you live there you will not know where it is. It may not even be on your map.
At Santa Maria we entered the town for gas. At the friendly Posto do Nino gas station they gave us baseball caps, bags and stickers for the moto. Took photos and even provided a moto escort to the churrascaria which we would never have found.
We stayed in Sta Cruz de Sol that night after getting rained on. Took shelter in the bus stop when it became too difficult to see clearly. Can almost get the moto under one of those.
Garibaldi is in the wine country and was the next stop for the night. We took time to visit the museum where the gentleman spoke very slowly and clearly. Made it easier to find our way around town. Several people were doing research upstairs and we chatted briefly getting further directions. Before Garibaldi, we had stopped at the town of Teutonia, which we assume must have been a German settlement. Good view of the valley but not a place to linger.
In Veranopolis we went into the visitor center. They insisted that we wait for the English speaking individual though we were quite content with the brochures and video. Daniel arrived and was able to clarify the route to the cascades. He had been to the US on an exchange program. While talking with him another man rushed up to question about the moto. He was a member of the local club. We now have another hat, t-shirt, and a trophy of the "cowboys". At this rate we would soon not have any space left in our moto panniers.
The cascades are down a narrow dirt road. Checked the look out point, the Tres Monges Falls which had very little water. There is also the Capitel Sao Marcos church which was locked.
The next day we went north to the larger city of Bento Concalves thinking that maybe we would tour the wineries of this Italian settlement. But we found that on the next weekend there would be a moto tour of some wineries therefore, we decided to leave and then return for their first moto rally.
We did return and had a great time. This was the first rally that the local club had organized. We even won a trophy as we represented "Tynda's Club of Oregon." Although we did not stay at Pousada Sao Jose, it is owned by a motorcyclist, we found it upon leaving the city. See Accommodations below for details. One might think about staying there.
The room we found was in a small posada which was adequate and owned by an elderly man. One night, we came back late and found everything locked up. He had given us the key to our room and the opener to the gate but not to the house itself. We knocked on the door until no skin was left on the knuckles. We also went around the house knocking on windows but everything was dark. Our sleeping bags and tent were inside. Finally, we decided we could sleep on the pool table under a shelter when we noticed thru a tiny crack in the shutters a TV that was on. We knocked on the window and at last were in. One never knows what will happen on these trips.
Then it was off to two of the three canyons in southern Brazil. To get there one must first go to the small town of Cambara do Sol. It is tourist oriented and has facilities.
The best place to dine was away from the Pousada das Corucavas our stopping place for the night. It was a cold and windy ride back, no heat in the room so quickly to bed.
The next morning we travelled about 10 k on some gravel roads to the Fortaleza Canyon. Of the two, this was our favorite because there is nothing there except nature. For about three hours we had the entire area to ourselves. As we left another vehicle did arrive. Besides the canyon one can climb the hills and get a good view of the valley and the ocean. Then leaving the village of Cambara do Sul, the next day, one passes by another canyon. Although the road from the city is not paved, the exit to the canyon is indicating that this will be more developed, and it is. With a restaurant, museum and such you will not be alone, and the canyon we found just not as interesting, too regimented as to the exposure of the site.
There is a third canyon in southern Brazil, but we have not yet been there.
We have two friends from Germany whom we had met on the road in Peru and then another year later in Argentina, Torsen and Ricarda. After visiting them in Germany we met again in Brazil as they were heading south and we were going north. This time we connected in the city of Florinapolis. We knew of the famous motorcyclist Gall and stayed at his home for two nights. We had meet him briefly when he visited the national BMW rally which was held in Oregon.
Two days later we were off, four of us on three motos to ride to the famous motorcycle road Serra do Rio do Rastro. Our route first took us to Sao Joaquim, home of Marcos and his parents, apple producers/exporters. They favored us with an asado at their home on the hill. They have two BMW's, another is on order, and have promised to come for a visit in Oregon. That night, staying in the town of Sao Joaquim, we were hit by the tail of Brazil's first hurricane to come ashore. Lucky for us that we were not on the coast. The town of Torres took the brunt of the winds. It rained all the next day in Sao Joaquim. Thanks to our friend, Stilleo, who we had met on a previous trip, we had shelter. The wind was so strong that it blew Ricarda's moto over during the night.
We rode the famous motorcycle road, Serra do Rio Do Rastro, which leads down into a canyon and on to the coast. This is where we left our friends. We returned going back up the road so now have done it now three times.
Taking some back roads we went to a city off the beaten track. We had been there the year before. That year just as we reached this main highway it was nearly dark and began to rain. We saw a sign noting there was a hotel just ahead so we turned off to find it. Never saw it, travelled on about 20k in the dark with heavy rain until we found another hotel, in one of those towns never visited by foreign tourists. This year we went back to find out why we could not find the missing hotel. It was so dark and raining so extremely hard we could not see the printed, unlighted sign on the other side of the square. We had missed it by only a few yards.
Going forward again we turned to the coast and the city of Joinvillia to visit our moto friends Anne and Freddy. While there we visited a bicycle museum in which there was a 1880's bicycle that was shaft driven. The start of BMW's? After a good time exploring the area, a few days later, we continued north. Again we found our friend Maartin, from Holland, who we had met in Buenos Aries, Argentina. After a day or so, including a party at the home of a local who had stopped us to ask directions, we split up agreeing to meet once more in Rio.
We went to some cities north of Rio, Petroplis and Teresopolis. As we entered the latter city, we stopped to check our information for internet cafes. A moto rider pulled along side of us and said that he was the president, (or something,) of the local club and would we like to stop by that night. Remember, we don't speak Portuguese or understand much of it. He even took us by so we could find it later. Nice club house, nice people with good contacts for use in the future. Brazilians are the kindest, friendliest people, open with invitations to stay with them, and always the asado. So good for hungry, tired Americans.
Now a bit of a push on to Rio as our time was running out and we had to take care of details, such as moto storage. Fortunately, our good friend Fernando, the world moto traveller from Argentina, now living in Brazil, had a friend in Rio with a moto shop. We emailed him and with the aid of another friend who spoke the language arranged for us to go to his place the day before we had to leave, But two days before the appointed time he shows up with a trailer and wants to take us to his moto shop. Quickly we loaded the moto and crossed the bridge to a seedier part of city. It took an hour and half as it was going home time for city workers. While not a slum, well maybe it was, we would never have found this out of the way place. We began to have doubts but when he opened the locked, entrance gate and we saw the many motos in an immaculate shop with covered parking, cleaner and better arranged than some of the BMW shops we have been in, our fears dissipated.
Two days later we returned to our home; to work, high temperatures, wondering why we left one of the last little bits of paradise left in the world, Southern Brazil. Good food, good riding, good people and not many tourists in this little known part of the world. Other than Rio the back roads are areas that tourists generally do not go to, and if coming from Argentina, Uruguay or Iguacu, most simply ride through on the major highways in two or so days to Rio. We intend to go back and see more.
CUSTOMS:
First, one needs a Visa to enter Brazil (at least if you are from the USA).
As far as the moto is concerned, when we entered Brazil we were giving a document showing the date of entrance. The date was at the top and so we made a copy of the document, cutting off the top line giving us as many days as we wanted. The year before, since we did not have documenta- tion for Argentina, when we entered Brazil they would not give us documentation for Brazil. They said "no problem," and we had no problem as we were never stopped by the police. But other travelers had been stopped and since this time we were now going to Rio de Janeiro, we thought it best to have the correct papers. And we do.
Not unexpectedly, we were stopped by the police and they looked at the copy of the original document with the top cut off. They compared it to some list and then told us to go on. Later, when we met Maartin from Holland, who had entered at Chuy, we asked to see his documentation. It was not the same paperwork as ours, but a computer form. So it appears that different entrance points have different forms. How is a policeman to know which is correct and which is not? As we were not stopped again it does not matter now.
We should note here that several weeks later our USA touring company (AAA) told us that driver's licenses from the US are no longer honored in Brazil. So what is? Might find out before you go.
CRIME: Everyone knows there is a lot of crime in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janerio. But it is really the luck of the draw. Maartin said that on his world tour, things were only taken from him, twice (in Australia). We have had things taken in Russia, (due to our own stupidity), Germany,(backpack stolen off moto) Los Angles (Video camera) and Greece (moto helmets and gear), the last three not exactly third world countries. A moto friend of ours in Rio, who works for an oil company and is moved every two years and has lived in such places as Jakarta, Saudi Arabia, and other shaky places, said that the only time he was robbed was at 10:00 a.m. in a shopping mall in Houston, Texas. And we both agreed that other places, such as Quito, Ecuador were more dangerous than Rio.
Once while riding around in Rio, we stopped and while speaking to the locals of that neighborhood, we said that we had to leave but would be back. They said don't come tonight as the gangs in two different barrios were going to meet and have a shoot out. They may have but we followed the advice and did not return.
On another of our rides in Rio suddenly a car darted in front of us causing us think that this was one rude driver endangering the lives of others, especially us. Gail wanted to follow the auto and beat up the driver, but the auto pulled along side a scooter and pointed a machine gun at the two riders making them pull over. There were three policeman in the auto and since we stopped to take video, we saw them search the backpack of the scooter riders and then let them go. Laughing.
Our conclusion is that Rio is not as bad as we had read. The streets are welled signed and at least in the beach area, police protected. It is expensive when compared to the rest of Brazil. Maartin was nowhere to be found. He did not like the hotel where we agreed to meet and took off going north. We have not seen him since but he has promised to visit our home in April of some year. And he has sent us emails.
Beaches near Rio: Of course, beaches are an important part of Rio and one can read about these in any guide book, but a friend there recommended two near Rio: Cabo Fris and Buzios. We have not visited either.
FOOD: As we stated in our first report, here one finds Churrascaria A buffet like place where one goes to the steam tables for salads, vegetables and bread but the meat is served at the tables on a long skewer. No Portuguese is necessary. And it is possible to eat as much as wanted for one price. For take away the food is paid by the weight.
We also found a pizza restaurant that serves pizza this way, but not on a skewer. They have about 50 kinds but we didn't sample nearly that many. They had one pizza which was chocolate and raspberry. It might not sound good but if one likes chocolate, or raspberry one will find this a delicious choice. The up to the individual to decide on how many slices to consume. Difficult decision.
There any many things we have not mentioned in this report, such as people who realized that we did not read the local language and helped us. Who invited us to their homes. Who gave us hats and clothes, who fed us and did many other things making this an unforgettable journey.
Because some of you have limited email space, we have not included photos. They are on our web site at users.rio.com/~tynda.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
We are only interested in accommodations owned or catering to motorcyclists. The only one we found on this trip is in the area of Bento Concalves. The hotel Pousada Sao Jose, Travessa Palmeior, found at www.pousadasaojose.com.br. email: pousadasaojose@hotmail.com. Phone: 9966 6109--9991 4240
Well, we must finish this report somewhat prematurely as we have just completed a 3500 mile ride in the western part of the USA and now we are off for a moto ride in India. More later. Thanks
Eric and Gail Haws for Tynda
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