(^6) BRAZIL PART TWO
The summer was spent in the northern hemisphere biking in Europe, starting in
Budapest, Hungary and ending in Lisbon, Portugal. In Lisbon, I stayed with Carlos,
a South African friend living in Portugal. He drove me all over the place, and we
took the bicycle to the bike shop to have it boxed.
In the meantime, my sister Amanda wanted to join the adventure and planned on
meeting me in Brazil. Cycling Europe was fascinating, and I felt confident and
healthy (both mentally and physically) upon returning to Brazil.
A taxi from Rio Airport took me to Wave Hostel in Copacabana Beach, situated
across the way from a bike shop, making it easy to reassemble the bicycle. The
hostel wasn’t too bad, as hostels go. Being close to the famed Copacabana Beach,
including breakfast and free Wi-Fi, one could do worse in such a popular location.
Rio de Janeiro
A great deal of time was spent shopping for a Brazilian SIM card, camping gas, and
a map of Brazil indicating distances between towns northwest of Rio. The vague
plan was to follow the ocean towards French Guiana, a small country bordering
Brazil and Suriname.
In the meantime, I ‘recced’ the route out of town, hoping to find a way that would
make a less stressful ride for Amanda on her first day. Although August is
considered winter, beaches were crowded with thong-clad sunbathers, deck chairs
and umbrellas. I could comfortably live in a place like that.
leana
(Leana)
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