{"id":1604,"date":"2016-03-15T22:39:32","date_gmt":"2016-03-15T22:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paullferguson1.com\/?p=1604"},"modified":"2016-03-17T21:01:48","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T21:01:48","slug":"cycling-down-brazils-costa-verde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paullferguson.com\/cycling-down-brazils-costa-verde\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling from Rio down Brazils Costa Verde"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stats & Maps<\/a><\/p>\n

Rio de Janeiro<\/h3>\n

Sometimes setting off on a long journey feels a lot more like leaving then starting, the anxieties build far more than any other point in the experience. Leaving Rio was the toughest yet. I said goodbye to Anne the day before, a broken car and distant job means she must spent the night at a friends, it made for a anticlimactic send off but helped spread the nerves. I had naively grown very comfortable with Rio life but needed to keep moving, brave Anne shared her home me for what has been a treasured chapter, but living together requires some space and it was time to see more of Brazil.<\/p>\n

BR-101<\/a> is the old road that runs down from Natal in the north, past Rio and S\u00e3o Paulo to the Uruguay border hugging the ragged green coast. Mostly smooth with a generous hard shoulder it makes for good cycling. Some Brazilians have called it dangerous for its traffic and winding ways but has been a blast on the bike. The first day felt great to be back out on the bike but my ambitious touring brain had forgotten my five months rested condition, by 60 km things got very slow. Urban Rio slowly thinned through poorer neighborhoods with friendly smiles. On what is mostly a jungle lined road I stop at a strange site; an abandoned Christmas them park, giant gaping concrete Santas and candy canes stand among the palm trees. Regular waterfalls cool the hot miles. By 100 km it really hurts and the friendly hostel comes just in time.
\nI stay three nights while I walk a beach, work and arrange to fix my laptop which then decides to fix itself. Mysterious little bugger.<\/p>\n