The next couple of days are filled with major adjustments to
the Brazilian culture. The first is their over the top breakfasts at the
hotels. We had gotten used to the coffee and bread of most other countries down
here but now we are greeted with a breakfast buffet of fruit, cereals, cold
cuts, cheeses, yogurt, juices, coffee, teas, 3 or 4 types of bread, and then
there are the pastries. Some of this I had mentioned before but it is that
amazing that it needed to be mentioned again.
The other thing that is somewhat
taking us by surprise is how friendly the people are. We had read about this,
but all the youtube videos of gun play and violence gave us the impression that
people were much more edgy and rough. Thankfully most everything we see on TV
and online is not an accurate depiction of the real world, rather a portion of
it under a microscope that seems to encompass the whole world but actually fits
into a petri dish.
We visit Gramado, which we think is their version of
Whistler or Aspen at Christmas without the snow because it is 25°C. It is a
very beautiful place fully adourned with holiday glitter and larger than life
decorations on the boulevards. This is on top of the already touristy orientation
of the town. Once we adjust to being in a very touristy town we enjoy the
atmosphere and notice that once again people here do the same kooky things we
do when enjoying family vacations. Things like taking pictures with your face
stuck through a hole in a plywood cutout of Santa or one of his Elves, posing
for pictures with plastic snowmen or in front of reindeer statues. The ones
down here have their own twist of course but the sentiment is the same and it
appears so are the people. We must have walked five miles around town looking
at everything. Probably the most impressive thing in town was the amount of
flowers growing along the roads, absolutely stunning natural beauty.
Brenda and a little Mate sippy cup.
Dog of the Day
After Gramado we made our way to Soa Joaquim and we found
our way mostly on dirt roads. This was a fantastic introduction to the
non-paved world of Brasil. There is a lot of rock and a lot of cows. The roads
are very twisty but due to our location there is not a lot of elevation gain
just yet. That will come with time but we are currently only about 800m at
Gramado to 1350m at S. Joaquim. The twisty dirt roads beat us up a bit so by
the time we reach SJ allwe really want
to do is have a shower, a bite to eat, and sleep. The bite to eat consisted of
a burger type thing from a street vendor, the bun was fresh as were the
ingredients but it was more of a stuffed pita than a burger. Peas, corn,
cucumber, crispy chips, lettuce, grilled chicken and onions??
Next, the beach. Brasil is synonymous with beach, it is
woven into their culture which is a perfect fit with their openness to skin.
After all it is not called a Brazilian wax for nothing. But first we had to
ride Serro Rio do Rastro, which is one of the most spectacular roads in all of
Brasil as far as two wheels is concerned. Unfortunately the fog in the valley
prevented us from seeing it from the lookout point so I had to borrow some
pictures. Part way down the 1000m drop we rode out of the fog and could see the
valley below. Quite spectacular.
Pick a line and go with it.
You don't see this on the interstate.
Rio do Rasto
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