Wet & Windy in Nirvana

We had dinner including quite a large quantity of beer with  friends of Catcha's on a wet and windy night. Catcha is a member of a Motorbike club for those who have done Alaska to Ushuaia, there seems to be members in most towns we pass through. The average age is probably 55 years or so. All nice people with a shared interest.

It was still wet and windy when we woke up. If I was Catcha and Adrian I would have postponed my departure by a day but, being more hardy than I, headed off in to the miserable weather.

It seems that the weather here is in sympathy with that in England although I am prepared to bet the rain is warmer here.There wasn't much for it but to use the gym, listen to music and read a lot.

I was worried it was going to wipe the smug look off my face but luckily it only lasted one day! Then it was back to a wonderful day including a walk along the beaches

 Here you are Millie, these waves should be big enough for you. The surfers have clever brackets on their push bikes to get their boards to the beach and there are so many shops with every type of surf board and skate board.

Obviously the locals don't come to the beach on week days, it is pretty clear those of us out here are the tourists!

And if you get bored of the beach (why would you?) there is a very nice park nearby. The only other thing of interest today was a haircut. Only the third of the tour which is about as many times as I have had my laundry done. I walked in to a Salon and, despite all the girls in there, I got the old gay guy! I am not too sure, as I can't see the back, but I think I have ended up with a Mullet. All I need now is a bushy moustache and I will look like a 1970's German Porn star (waist up obviously).

I suspect the days ahead will be made up of breakfast, gym, beach, lunch, beach, dinner. I will not do any more blogs from here unless that boring old routine is interrupted by something to make you even more envious!

Loafing around with Christ

The 3 bikers arrived from Vitoria and, given the amount of room in my apartment, it made sense for them to spend a few nights here. There is no such thing as budget accommodation it this part or Rio so it helped their budget a little.

It was a flying visit, especially for Wing, he only stayed the one night as his rear bearing is still not right. He has to give up any hope of reaching Ushuaia and ship his bike back from Buenos Aires - bad luck and it is such a shame not to be able to see Patagonia.

That left Catcha, Adrian and I to visit Corcovado (the rock or "Morro" that the statue of Christ stand upon) and Sugar Loaf.

There are two ways of getting to Christ (well three if you believe in prayer) Taxi or Funicular railway. We took a taxi but the train looked a more charming way to do it. It is a steep climb through waxy green forest. At the top you are thrown in to the world of the Tourist with coaches taking you up the final climb. It is low season and I would hate to think what it is like at its peak. The Statue is big at 40 meters but that is about half the size of the Statue of Liberty. It took 10 years to build and was finished in 1931.

The Statue is nice but the real sight is the view across Rio. This is the lake in the middle of the city.with Copacabana in the distance. Noticing the horse race track, I asked the taxi driver when there were races. I think I may pop along one evening for a bit of fun. I will have to phone Mother to get some tips.

 This is Sugar loaf and Botafogo Beach/Bay

The little strip of buildings in the distance is Ipanema where I am staying. One of the top three districts in which to stay. If I was to recommend somewhere I think I would say Copacabana. Although it is a little tired around the edges, it is much more central (taxi's are pretty expensive). Although the traffic is remarkably good for a big city, it still takes a while to get around. You could take lots of photos of the view but this gives you some idea of the city.

On the way back down we passed the inevitable tourist shops. It made me chuckle that the Brazilian Number 9 shirt gets top billing over Jesus.

Once down we trundled over to Sugar Loaf - it seemed a good idea to get the tourist bit done in one hit so we could get back to the beach bars.

 Unlike Corcovado there is only one way up - a two stage Telecabin. It is not cheap at Reals 53 per person (Jesus was only Rs18). This picture is at the mid-station. I wear the Dakar shirt to let people think I actually did the race. If they knew anything about the Dakar, they would know that it would be impossible as I would be dead! This is Catcha (always called Gordo as a child, even by his parents).

This is a view back towards Botafogo beach from the mid station................

 

 The long stretch of sand is Copacana from the top.

This is another picture of Botafogo beach from the top. For some reason it just isn't as interesting.

We also spotted that there is a second way to the top of Sugar Loaf - half way up were a few mountaineers. I don't know if it is a tourist thing but I wouldn't be doing it anyway!

Last but by no means least, you can look down on the aircraft as they do an approach for Rio airport. If you are flying in to Rio book a seat on the right hand side and you will pass Christ and sugar loaf pretty close!

Is this the arse end of Rio?

Yep it is and they are everywhere!

I am not sure why the lady in the middle is wearing a Victorian style bathing costume. She was arrested shortly after this picture by the fashion police.


I don't know why I am bothering with the rest of the story but here goes...............The ride down from the hills was very picturesque, driving through a national park. The views across the plain towards Rio were fantastic but spoilt by some mist from all the rain previously.

The plan of going in to Rio on Sunday worked a treat as there was very little traffic. It didn't stop me missing a junction and getting terribly lost. Once again a local bike enthusiast Marcelo came to my rescue. He led me straight to my hotel in Ipanema, which was about 40 minutes out of his way. After a few photo's he shot off to be very late for wherever he was meant to be. Another kind person on the tour.

The first impressions of Rio are WOW! The route through town is very impressive, large, clean, parks, lakes, nice buildings and that is before you get to the beaches.

I threw my stuff in my apartment and went for a stroll along Ipanema beach. They close the coast road so that the sea of people can cycle, skateboard, roller blade, run or just walk without being too intense. There are many many Volley ball nets set up and all of them in use. The standard is high with some playing no hands (ie only using feet, head chest). Then you have girls playing football ("keepy uppy") and blimey are they good?! I will not be embarrassing myself or the English nation by getting involved.

Street cafes sell coconuts for R3 (£1) which is refreshing and you get to sit and watch some very pleasant sights pass by......oh and the waves of course.


The fun had to be put on hold whilst I took my laundry to the local cleaners. Judging by the look on the ladies face, I think I have taken the Bill Oddie Hobbo look about as far as the genre can go. These few clothes have seen me through 9 months but are beginning to look a little past their best. I should have realised I needed some new clobber when the Amazonian canoe people were throwing my stuff back on the boat.

It occurred to me just how little "true" laundry I have had done since leaving Buenos Aires. If I lied and told you it was 10 times more than reality you would still be horrified.

I had an early dinner as everyone keeps telling me it is dangerous around here (the tourists attracting the criminals). I can't say it feels remotely threatening so far. I would say that Rio is about as expensive as London. Sorry kids! i hate to think what will happen to prices when the World Cup and the Olympics come to town.

Rio is a highlight of the trip and I have only been here 24 hours.You could slap me in the face with a wet kipper and you wouldn't wipe the smile from my face!

Recife to Teresopolis

We were packed and ready to go early..

Not only was Tacio coming for the ride and one more night with us but so too was Nelson (this one has both arms and eyes) a retired colonel in the Military police. He loves bikes and so does his wife, who is the spitting image of Sarah Palin (could be worse, she could look like Michael Palin), she rides a scary Huyabusa (a seriously quick sports bike).

Tacio was the perfect guide taking us along the coast to see some more wonderful beaches and palm tree plantations.

We even got a short ferry ride across a river.

Arriving at night (seems Tacio likes to get a full day in the saddle) drinks and then a sushi dinner. We said our farewells in the morning and the four of us headed further south whilst Tacio and Nelson returned home.

Again some more beautiful coastline to enjoy as we rode by although the town of Itabuna is not the prettiest town you will see in Brazil (actually probably the worst I have seen on my tour). We had Ayrton Senna's grandfather as a taxi driver to take us to dinner (it didn't look the sort of place to walk around). I would say, him apart, the driving in Brazil is very considerate. The main road from North to South (BR101) is only single carriageway and has a lot of traffic, mostly heavy trucks. The truck drivers try to help by giving an indication of when it is safe to overtake and giving us space to get by. The preferred wave in this part of the world is a clenched fist with little finger and thumb sticking out (it is meant to be a bulls head with horns). They were always appreciative of such a wave. T

I have been travelling through Brazil pretty far already but it gets your attention when you see signposts for Rio still being over 2,500 kms away.

I decided that this would be my last day riding with the others as they were heading in to Vitoria tomorrow to visit another friend of Catcha's. I didn't want to go into another large city and I actually wanted to head inland to see something of the uplands of southern Brazil.

 We had a very windy night in Guriri and there were two Kite surfers in action. I had intended to spend some time doing some more myself but riding with the others it just never seemed the right time to stop and do it. I will have to make another trip!

I wanted to get within spitting distance of Rio so set myself nearly 700kms to do in the day. I crept out of the room at 6:00am, obviously making enough noise to wake Wing in the process.

After a few hours I was happy to turn off the BR101 and onto some quiet back roads. The scenery was of rolling hills, ranches and small towns. some of the roads were fast curves and with road tyres on the bike we were able to zip through them at quite a pace, using the full extent of the rubber. The weather is also noticeably cooler.  Teresopolis is not a pretty town but the hills surrounding it are beautiful. It is a strange name but comes from "Therezopolis", named after Empress Teresa Cristina.

 My first hotel choice was a non starter. They said they had wifi but after unpacking I discovered they didn't. I was a bit hacked off but got my money back, loaded the bike again and found another.

The Palace Hotel is like an old English gentleman's club - dusty and full of leather armchairs and peeling paintwork. No sooner had I arrived than the heavens opened. Within minutes the roads were rivers.You can see two water spouts pouring off the roof and just missing the bike. I haven't seen rain like this since Buenos Aires some 9 months ago.

The other news is that there is no longer a need for Malaria pills. Actually if I had bothered to look at the Malaria map, I could have stopped taking them just after we got off the boat at Belem!!!

Next stop Rio!

Tacio's "Museum" (for motorbike fans only)

Here are a few pictures of the bikes Tacio has in his collection - all of them are in working order (apart from those that are clearly beyond repair).

The climate means there is no need for walls.

These old ones are not in working order but look good as ornaments

These BMW's will be of special interest to Bezza who is building his own collection of such beasts.

There were a few nice English bikes

This Triumph Tiger was my favourite with a Matchless and BSA too.

Of course with such a collection you need a proper workshop - this is one of the two on site.It goes without saying that there is a music system and large TV (the day of the BBQ theTV was tuned to Recife versus local rivals (can't remember who), funny enough it was Sandra (Tacio's wife) who was the most ardent fan.

Sandy Watson, a racer friend, once told me: "The man with the most toys when he dies - wins".
Well I think Tacio is certainly up with the leaders with a collection of 43 bikes.

Private Island anyone?

Armando, one of the Recife Moto Club members and a good friend of Tacio's invited us to a day out on his boat. After another very full breakfast at Tacio's we met up with Armando and his son Armando Jnr (who had begged a day off school to come with us).

Armando has life sorted. He is married to Marcia - an attractive, charming, hard working business woman (she has the exclusive import rights to Calvin Kline in Brazil). He doesn't work, well why would you? His only gripe is that Marcia limits his bike trips to a maximum 40 days at a time - poor chap.I tell you this to explain the next picture:

This is a picture of the armoured glass in the car. It is an inch thick, adds 300 kgs to the weight (that would be the same as strapping my bike to the car) and $20,000 to the price. The plating is for all the windows, doors and roof! By the way cars and bikes cost at least twice as much as in the UK due to import taxes - before adding things like armoured glass. A Range Rover here costs $250,000.

They keep their day boat about 90kms away (I can't remember the name of the town) from Recife. It is a small fishing village that is being turned in to the rich peoples weekend retreat. The boat was waiting for us when we arrived and appropriately stocked with cooler boxes full of goodies.

With junior at the wheel we motored out to a little private island which was recently sold for $7m dollars. Armando apologised for the lack of clarity in the water but there had been some stormy days that had churned up the sand.

By the way - that is our umbrella on the beach (keeping the beer out of the sun). After all, who would want to go to a beach that was crowded with other people. After a picnic lunch and several beers he took us past some great beach houses and through the mangrove. 

 We didn't see any alligators but they are there apparently. My camera had run out of battery at this point but suffice to say - it was not budget housing!

 

I told you they have an unnatural love with Harley Davidson's - to the point they put stickers on everything!

After a wonderful day we went back in to Recife for a pizza dinner and to say farewell to a few people - all of whom had been so kind and generous to us.
Armando gave us a great day out, nothing seems too much trouble for these kind people. Thank you once again.

All South from here.

Before reaching Recife Tacio took us in to a town called Joao Pessoa for lunch. We had lunch at a BBQ by the beach, in some heat, so fresh coconuts with a straw were the order of the day.

Before leaving town we went to the most Easterly point in South America. I am not sure why there is a bit of a gay dance going on here but we are probably all smiling because we managed to get a stunning girl to take the picture. So it really is all going South for me!

Another example of coastline from Brazil. I will stop taking pictures of the coast otherwise you will all get depressed after the summer England had.

We reached the outskirts of Recife and then proceeded at a snails pace, taking 2 hours to get to our destination by which time it was getting dark.

We stopped of at the Recife Moto club - a bar for bikers and a very friendly bunch too, who have (in my opinion) an unnatural love of Harley Davidsons! After a quick drink Tacio led us to our accommodation for the duration of our stay. A dorm in his "Museum" - more of which later. 

A quick wash and brush up then dinner with some family and friends of Tacio's. Next day a quick look at Wings bike showed that the rear bearings etc had gone again. We went in search of parts and as Tacio had arranged for mechanics to come over to the Museum on Sunday. We bought oil and tyres etc followed by a trip to the supermarket for the BBQ.

Tacio took us back to his apartment (a whole floor of the brown building above). He would also pick us up each morning and take us back for breakfast each day.

A walk along the beach brings you to these signs. Recife means reef and there is one the length of the immediate coastline. This harbours sharks - not big ones apparently "only" 2 meters, but they are aggressive! They don't kill directly but they rip off limbs so that you die from loss of blood! They had 50 attacks on people one year so surfing has been banned from this area. One story was of a surfer who tried to fight a shark off by punching it - first punch it bit off his hand, second punch it bit off the other hand. i don't think Stumpy will be playing the piano again!

We then made preparations for the BBQ. Well I say we did, Tacio has a few staff to do such things.

Tacio likes an excuse to invite all his biker friends over and we 4 were that excuse for this week. BBQ, a band, lots of bikes, food, beer, wine and port! Whilst the party was going on, tyres and oil were changed by the mechanics. I have been told that it is all Tarmac to Buenos Aires so I have fitted road tyres for the remainder of the trip- seems like another subtle end to the tour.

Quite a set up he has here!

After all the guests had gone Tacio decided to restart the BBQ so the 5 of us started all over again!

Tacio was the most generous and kind of hosts - thank you!

Wings clipped on the way to Piba

We had a relatively short ride with Tacio as our guide to Piba so it was a leisurely departure.

100 meters from the hotel Wing's rear bearing failed again. To cut a long story short it took 4 hours and 2 trips in to the local town by Tacio & Catchya to buy two new bearings and weld up his rear hub that had cracked, oh plus a piece of coke can to give the bearing a tight fit!

One point of amusement amongst us linguists was the "Borracharia". Boracho is a drunk in Spanish but a mechanic in Portuguese. This one, although you can't see in on the photo, advertised himself as a 24 hour Drunk. I suppose you had to be there.....................
We were all in our riding gear and it was hot sitting and waiting. village life went on around us which included an English guy stopping for a chat when he saw the bike. He was a dispatch rider in London and moved out here 20 years ago. He was very chatty and told us that he had hosted Ted Simon (writer of Jupiter's Travels - one of the first Motorcycle diaries to be published) not so long ago.

The local s were passing by with their horse and carts which are still very much a part of Brazil commerce. Brazil appears to have the most extreme range of wealth and poverty, but again no one seems to be starving

The fix was done and we got going about 4 hours later towards Piba - with a very apologetic Wing.

It was a nice drive but we did arrive in Piba in the dark which is not the best way to do things, especially having to negotiate sand roads and cobbled streets whilst they are having a political rally.

Rather than sort accommodation we decided to have a beer, the decision was helped by this lady trying to get us in to her bar. Caiparinhas were the order of the day or Caiparouska (vodka). Oh and the music was Rock & roll with some heavy Metal thrown in - Thomas would have loved it Smoke On the Water seemed very popular. The myth that you only hear Tango in Argentina and Samba in Brazil is busted!

Piba is a real party town but this time of year is reasonably quiet. I should think it is manic in season as the roads in and out are very narrow. It can take 3 hours to get a table for dinner.

We went round in a few circles before we found a place that had parking for 4 bikes. Showered then dinner in town, funnily enough we ended up back at Anna's Restaurant (the lady above) for dinner.

Next day we were off to Taciio's home town Recife but before we left he took us through the lanes to the coast at Piba. The coastline is stunning and goes on for hundreds, if not thousands of miles.

This is a rocky cliff top that you can ride to and look down on the sea.One of the best spots on the tour.
To get there were a few small sections of sandy roads - I was the only one to drop a bike! Show me some sand and I will show you an accident!

This is looking back at the spot of the earlier picture.From here we continued south.................