Sao Miguel – Barra de Santo Antonio - 85 km ^109
Departing was in spitting rain and, now and again, it required hiding from the rain,
waiting until the worst was over. Reaching Maceio, the capital of Alagoas, was
reasonably early but we only stopped to buy cold drinks.
Soon after getting underway, a lovely Brazilian man stopped to chat, and the
disappointment on his face discovering we couldn’t speak Portuguese was clearly
visible. Still, it was possible to explain where we were from and what we were
doing. He must’ve been impressed as he gave us some much-needed cash. How
awesome is that? Not considerably further, we met Tauari Formiga and his friend,
who spoke English. They also enjoyed travelling by bicycle, and a few pictures were
taken. In fact, the photos he took remained some of my favourite ones of the entire
trip. The Brazilians were amazing, super friendly and exceptionally generous.
Barra de Santo Antonio had no accommodation - solely one expensive eco-resort.
However, they must’ve pitied us as they reduced the price by half, making it more
affordable. We stayed in a top-of-the-range chalet offering crisp white linen, TV, air-
con and excellent showers. Eco-resorts were popular in Brazil, but I didn’t see any
difference, except they didn’t supply toilet paper – merely a “bum-gun”.