I only have a moment, but wanted to check in. I've been in internet
hiding for a few weeks. I hope that your ride is going well. I am
currently in the Sertão in Bahia and headed north fairly quickly to go up
the Amazon and get out of the country before my time expires. Quickly, I
would recommend to you to stick to the coast and the hills near the coast as
you move north. The vast interior of the country is fairly dull with the
exception of Bonito and the Pantanal - which I'm not sure are worth going
that far out of your way for. Unless you are seriously interested in urban
planning or concrete architecture, give Brasilia a miss too. People will
tell you horror stories about Rio, but I found it easy to find my way around
and not so dangerous as I had thought it would be. I did not go to São
Paulo so I can give you no info there, but the ride along the coast between
Santos and Rio along the coast is particularly beautiful if you are lucky
enough to catch it in nice weather. A nice beach in Rio de Janeiro state is
Arrial do Cabo - near Cabo Frio. From there I really didn't like the
beaches all that much and found the hills more beautiful - until I got to
Bahia. When you get to Bahia don't miss the beaches between Ilheus and
Itacaré (if you are beach people). Florianopolis should still be quite nice
until mid April if you are still in that region, and the windy road from
there into the mountains is quite beautiful (I don't remember the name, but
it is obvious on a map). The hills in Minas Gerais near São Paulo state are
also quite beautiful and the people are nice. Also the hills behind Vitória
(around Santa Teresa and Santa Maria.)
This is a huge country!! And this is probably the most mixed up thing
that I've ever written! Let me know where you are and I'll tell you what I
know. There's too much for one e-mail!! Bahia, especially the area around
Salvador, is very different from anything else that you'll see in the South.
It will remind you of being somewhere in Africa...
Gotta' run!
Happy travels!
Hope to meet you again one day soon,
Chris
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