Day 2 & 3 - 21 & 22 January
On our second day Tanya & I slept in (missed our 1 good breakfast at the hotel) but thatīs okay - who needs to eat?! Especially when I still have tim-tams from the giant pack we took on the plane (thanks Joan!) so a little mid-morning we started on our adventure to get to Buzios which is about 3 hours north of Rio on a peninsula scalloped by 17 beaches! It was an old fishing town until the early 1960īs when it wasīdiscoveredīby Bridgitte Bardot. Now at night time, itīs filled with people like a little Disneyland, lined with boutiques, restaurants, fancy villas and posh pousadas. During the holiday season the population is said to explode from 8,000 to 100,000. Wow!......
The real adventure though was trying to just get from Ipanema to the Rodiviaria which is the main bus station where we were to find our bus north. Unfortunately, we had this little map from the hostel that had a picture of the bus station next to "Cais do Porto" so we were asking for the cais do porto and witnessing big discussions between the two men helping us at the bus stop as they argued in Portuguese about which bus we should catch. After two different buses and feeling slightly lost, we discovered as we asked another person pointing at the map, that the cais do porto must be some port or something which is near - but separate to - the bus stop! Anyway, a few hours later we made it. We still made the afternoon bus to Buzios and the seats were all more comfortable after carrying our packs that long!
Oh yeah - when you come to Brasil, make sure your pack is not only light but not too wide cause itīs such a laugh trying to get through the turnstiles on the bus! As Tanya said - she found herself at one point going against all good travel advice - staying at the wrong end of the bus, her money belt exposed as she tried to heist her pack over the turnstile, handing a complete stranger her carry bag to help lift things over! I kind of barged my way through but it is quite an effort!
The actual bus trip from Rio to Buzios was great too - the bus was like a coach and we had the front seats so we could keep our packs with us. I slept probably half the way and when I opened my eyes I could just see lush green hills with mist everywhere! It looked so beautiful and very different to what I expected. Then we struck a heavy downpour of rain - the drivers donīt seem to mind, they still overtake on crazy corners and floor it round bends, but we arrived in Buzios in the rain at a stop right opposite our hostel - "Buzios adventure hostel" which is appropriately named for there was no electricity due to the rain, so no hot water, lights or fan, but hey, we have hammocks, a mattress and a clean floor so itīs all good! So good in fact we decided to stay another night. I wouldnīt mind staying a week actually but we are on our way to Salvador so are due to leave here tomorrow.
We came into town here last night and the place is beautiful - it reminds me of a little Italian village. Cobblestone roads and shops spilling out everywhere, restaurants and cafes and lots of people walking around. I think this is the rich manīs holiday spot though, even though itīs not actually expensive; itīs very pretty and I guess it could be exy if you ate at certain places and stayed at more upmarket joints. (Love the Aussie slang!) Tanya made her first clothes purchase last night (I wasnīt first!!) and then came home and started ruthlessly throwing things out of her pack after carrying it for so long that day. I couldnīt stand to give up anything - actually, I donated one of my 21 (no joke!!) tops to Tanya, but Iīd rather carry the weight than give anything up just now! Iīm so bad, I know. I just wish Iīd had more time to pack but itīs okay, better than not having something I need. And today I bought some awesome cotton threaded bali style pants. I love ém, so yes I might part with one other item of clothing if I must.
Today we went to the beach which has crystal clear water, still cool - and short sandy beaches, but no waves where we were. I hear there are some good surfing beaches around here but we havenīt ventured that far as itīs really hot to be walking long distances. The food is great too - cheap and loads of variety. We had a really good hamburger for brunch, though I havenīt figured out how to say no meat yet, so that was fun - I had egg and cheese still - was meant to have salad on it but theyīd run out. But thatīs fine. It was 4 times the size of the bacon and egg rolls we have at work so Dave Kirkland would only have to eat 3 or 4!
Apart from that weīve just been chilling out, about to go back and hang in the hammock and read my book. I havenīt taken many photos yet but will post a few when I get a chance. Bye!
Posted by Haley at January 22, 2005 05:27 PM