The route west out of Sao Paulo is right through the centre of town with multi lane highways and plenty of exits to get wrong. I had made my way in to the centre but decided to get some fuel and ask directions. No sooner had I stopped than two Harley Davidsons arrived. With hardly a word being exchanged Nelson & Arnaldo had adopted me and were showing me the way (I think they are doctors).
Within a few miles it was self evident I would have been thrashing about in the city for hours had they not given up an hour of their Sunday ride to help me. Once we were on the right road we pulled over and had a coffee. They run their own Rock Radio station www.motoradium.com.br - aimed at Rocking Bikers. They have also travelled widely through Europe (on their bikes obviously). somewhat more surprisingly is that they sport Masonic emblems on the jackets. clearly not as secretive as the strange bunch of misfits in the UK. They asked me if I was a Mason (do I have a funny handshake?) which, of course, I am not.
They also gave me some stickers (already on the bike) and some patches for my jacket. Which will be sewn on when I can find somewhere to do it. Very nice guys who once again epitomise the camaraderie amongst Bikers.
Having said good bye to them I headed off through nice, if not spectacular scenery. My route took me through another large sprawling, industrial town Curitiba. This was remarkable easy as I was picking up signs for Foz on the outskirts of the city. Feeling rather pleased with myself I pressed on until a thunderstorm broke. I followed another bike in to a Petrol station to shelter under their canopy. The other rider Eric and his girlfriend were in T shirts and got wet rather quickly.
We were soon joined by a friend of theirs (another Harley) and whilst watching the rain come down they invited me to their weekly biker meet which was just up the road. I had plenty of time and the rain had stopped so why not?
There were probably 20 bikes and 40 people there, some spoke excellent English - which was a relief as my Portuguese has not improved much! As always in South America the Harley's are very much in evidence. I was given more stickers for my bike and I noticed later that others had already been stuck to my bike, which I like. I feel rather guilty/stupid for not having brought some English related patches or stickers to give to people. Next time!
Having had lunch and a good chat about motorbikes and touring they were heading off for their ride and I needed to cover another 100 kms and find an hotel.
At the risk of repeating myself, these people are so kind and all we have in common is out bikes. I hope that when they travel in Europe they are looked after to the same degree of kindness.
No comments:
Post a Comment