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There is a large main square, which is decorated for the holidays, but the action was on the smaller square by the Cathedral, which was packed with people and restaurants. This is a great place to enjoy a few beers and a big plate of frites.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8683/...ab5771d1_c.jpgDiamentina 26 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7542/...200ac6cf_c.jpgDiamentina 24 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7467/...fa11fbd3_c.jpgDiamentina 39 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/...18943458_c.jpgDiamentina 43 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr There was a free symphonic Christmas performance inside the Cathedral. The music was very good. And for the small Christmas pageant they had really fantastic costumes. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7578/...1e9ea2a3_c.jpgDiamentina 23 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7557/...fd564ae2_c.jpgDiamentina 44 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Getting out of the city like all of these places is a bit stressful on the cobbles, especially in traffic, since they are much more challenging at slow speed and on steep hills. We were headed across to Morada Nova de Minas, but it was not very nice and it was raining so we pressed on at 5 pm to Paineiras.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7559/...d76d3614_b.jpgScreen Shot 2014-12-21 at 8.41.07 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/...6c1e224f_b.jpgScreen Shot 2014-12-21 at 8.41.22 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Once out of the center the roads are paved and we backtracked 20 km and then headed west. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7563/...5601f1f8_c.jpgPainiera 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7503/...fc6f0a2c_c.jpgPainiera 5 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Today the weather is looking better and we continued to try to get south and east towards Sao Paulo.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7486/...e416618c_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-12-21 at 9.43.03 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr We did have two bits of excitement today. The first was Dan was driving along admiring these 2 huge stork like birds in the ditch on our left, when one suddenly took off and flew right at him. The bird exploded like a bomb of feathers on impact and pushed back the metal bracket on the right auxilary light all the way back and onto to the faring and at the same time cracking the faring. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8627/...1d6c0dba_c.jpgSireima_2_REFON by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7475/...83321d50_c.jpgboa esperança 5 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8615/...5da911d0_c.jpgboa esperança 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The second issue was just more of a delay and a 50 km back track. We drove up to the construction site where they are building a new bridge and took the detour to the left, but surprise! The old bridge had fallen down just before we arrived. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7499/...8f4b34b5_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-12-21 at 9.44.06 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8593/...fec5385b_c.jpgboa esperança 6 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7471/...15b2afb3_c.jpgboa esperança 7 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7504/...584d2af1_c.jpgboa esperança 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Boa Esperanca
We ended up by chance in the nice lakeside (reservoir side) town of Boa Esperanca. For a Sunday night there was quite a party atmosphere.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8673/...4d8b31d2_c.jpgboa esperança 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7527/...a9921592_c.jpgboa esperança 12 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7583/...253e357d_c.jpgboa esperança 14 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/...e619ec68_c.jpgboa esperança 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7523/...9a8f13cc_c.jpgboa esperança 19 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7500/...9ae81db9_c.jpgboa esperança 20 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Today the weather is starting to look like rain again and we decided to just book it back to the main highway and head back to the beach at Praia Grande a day early. Then we braved the mall in the pouring rain to pick up some gift for Christmas for our hosts.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7518/...1a34bdcf_o.pngScreen Shot 2014-12-22 at 11.08.18 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Christmas my job was to cook the Turkey, which turned out pretty well. We made it Brazilian style wrapped in plastic and so it was very juicy. We also had a choose your own pasta buffet. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8639/...510b68f5_c.jpgPG two 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8666/...e7d969d4_c.jpgPG two 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7488/...9790384c_c.jpgPG two 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr For Desert we had Dan’s favorite Flan! Then some Christmas souvenirs. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8605/...be7c5c08_c.jpgPG two 6 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7543/...42f1d9d6_c.jpgPG two 7 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Merry Christmas
On Christmas day we all headed to the beach and got a visit from some of Santa’s helpers.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7506/...7abaf5ab_c.jpgPG two 13 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8604/...55c7b2f3_c.jpgPG two 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8678/...2df2a965_c.jpgPG two 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7581/...a734f5e5_c.jpgPG two 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7580/...51ab207b_c.jpgPG two 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8630/...ebc25136_c.jpgPG two 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7506/...bdec2949_c.jpgPG two 11 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7487/...87dc4102_c.jpgPG two 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7551/...575b4b85_c.jpgPG two 18 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr For any shopping the guys take VISA! https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7551/...a3321e92_c.jpgPG two 19 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Periube
Today we did a short ride up the coast and then for lunch at Periube.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7486/...9fbae9d1_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-01-02 at 10.16.45 AM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7512/...480b6822_c.jpgPG two 24 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7507/...1cb35ee1_c.jpgPG two 21 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7549/...3ddd6e46_c.jpgPG two 34 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8671/...fd49c7e6_c.jpgPG two 35 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7481/...6e3dda23_c.jpgPG two 22 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7564/...d67802a3_c.jpgPG two 27 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7581/...45d4bf83_c.jpgPG two 29 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7522/...b49ccd59_c.jpgPG two 26 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7557/...61f6e47e_c.jpgPG two 31 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
For our last day with our PG friends we were back at the beach.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/...bde4a604_c.jpgPG two 41 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8637/...0859f919_c.jpgPG two 43 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8603/...a58762a1_c.jpgPG two 37 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8575/...6d8f5200_c.jpgPG two 39 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8631/...bbd1ce7e_c.jpgPG two 42 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8612/...e0eccf92_c.jpgPG two 44 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Rio de Janeiro
We were sad to leave our friends in PG, but its time to start getting north. Today we are riding to Rio de Janeiro. This is one of those exotic places we have been dreaming about going since we were kids. We had been invited to the home of Paulo and Elizabeth. We had met Paulo in Chile at the end of February when we were at the small Puerto Fuy ferry dock. It is amazing how these chance meetings turn into such awesome opportunities for us to experience places with local knowledge.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7561/...d6c8948c_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr We headed off on a cloudy, but hot day. This was all highway to get the 543 km done. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7475/...e8e2619c_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-01-02 at 10.18.10 AM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr The best part was the 5 min of pouring rain, since we were very cool for the next 45. The worst was the 90 min we were stuck in RdJ traffic at 42 degrees. Even with lane splitting this was torture. Finally we got the 14 km long bridge and some breeze! https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7524/...a3b84f71_o.pngScreen Shot 2015-01-02 at 10.18.47 AM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7544/...bd0d385f_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
This guy in front of us was honking and waving his I phone at us. It took me a while to see he had a Canadian Flag case for it. He is Brazilian, but wanted to tell us how much he loved our country.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7514/...19164ba6_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr We had to stop at the first place to get some rehydration. From there we had a great view of the city and the famous Christ on the mountain at Corcovado. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7498/...a2bbcc0c_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 4 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7470/...8d83452c_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 5 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Paulo welcomed us into his home. We went to his favorite brew house for dinner.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8589/...2f966fa1_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 6 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Today we had a mission to get brake pads for the 800 GS and oil. Our first stop was BMW, where they wanted 550$ for pads that we can get at home for 120$. We then managed to get rear pads at Honda and the fronts at Yamaha about 200$ total. After several hours of running around we toured up the coast to Barra de Guaratiba for a lunch of Crab cakes and shrimp Pastels. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7552/...97f0ae00_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-01-02 at 10.23.45 AM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7559/...8ab12d5b_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 12 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8591/...a6940c1b_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 7 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7503/...3e1a2c0d_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8644/...0266f05a_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7486/...07291f0d_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7499/...b5a9547a_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 11 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
From here we drove into the Tijuca Forrest for a nice drive up the mountain and a view of the city.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8608/...a4bb46c9_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr Nearby is the Tijuca National Park, here you get a great panorama of the city from the “ Chinese View”. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/...4a2b984b_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 19 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7466/...a9fdec21_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 21 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7520/...5857f2c7_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 20 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7502/...aa492212_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 23 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7554/...94d2bb38_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 25 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8601/...f09f4d7b_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 22 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7526/...0f68b84b_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 26 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8563/...123839ff_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 27 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr There are plenty of Monkeys eating the jaka fruit. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7549/...cb028354_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7517/...e34ef4ea_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 18 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
We went down to the Lagoon for dinner . Here they have the world’s largest floating Christmas tree in the center, which has it’s own light show.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7524/...1eedd858_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 29 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8614/...734b7cfb_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 34 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7534/...9e565124_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 33 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8588/...5a918ee0_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 32 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8561/...338fa8a4_o.jpgRio-de-Janeiro_2_Christmas-trees-with-real-bling by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7577/...d98798d3_o.jpg0 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7518/...495b40b3_o.jpgFloating Christmas Tree Sydney (Martin Place) by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7465/...3b2f9405_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 38 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr On the way home we stopped at vermillion beach to watch the worship of Yemanja Goddess. The Umbanda religion is a Brazilian religion that is a blend of African traditions, Roman Catholicism, Spiritism, and Indigenous American beliefs. They worship the Goddess Yemanja as one of the 7 spirits of God. She is the patron of fishermen, fertility, and moonlight. They send a boat filled with flowers to sea for her. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7565/...1fff8850_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 36 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
Itacoatiara
We spent the day at the beach near Paulo’s house in Itacoatiara. It is normally deserted, but this is a holiday week and so it is packed. We did get some reprieve at the neighbourhood beach club.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/...9ce01428_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 44 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8588/...8bc25f77_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 45 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7571/...73c10560_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 46 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7575/...8156ffa9_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 47 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7526/...12377790_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 48 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7583/...e555f5ac_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 49 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8645/...52c4c07e_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 51 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7471/...8b70850a_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 52 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7461/...6b0b7fbb_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 43 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8613/...03bb3405_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 53 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/...b2fa26c0_c.jpgRio de Janeiro 54 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr |
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