Me and my bicycle in Santos.

Me and my bicycle in Santos.

Since I last posted on the blog, I have been cycling through the states of Santa Catarina, Parana and some of Sao Paulo state. It has been a really good ride. Here are a few words and photos from the ride.

After leaving Rio Grande do Sul, I headed to the Santa Catarina state. I went past some very nice little picturesque fishing villages, as I was moving towards Florianopolis. Just before Florianopolis, I hit a stretch of road with a lot of road works and heavy traffic, going up over a small mountain. It was so bad that I decided to walk the bike for 6 kilometers. I thought it was too narrow to cycle that road safely. It was only 6 kilometers though and once I was past that, things were great again.

 

Fantastic Florianopolis.

Florianopolis is nice.

Florianopolis is nice.

I had heard a lot of good things about Florianopolis before I went. And I can see why it is so popular. It’s located on an island with some very nice beaches and the city itself has a nice waterfront with cool promenades. Florianopolis is in many ways a small scale of Rio de Janeiro. Things are not as hectic, but still really cool. Meeting up there with my old friend Suzane, whom I met in Albania last year, only made the stay better.

Street artists in Joinville.

Street artists in Joinville.

Garopaba was a wonderful little town, where I stopped for the night.

Garopaba was a wonderful little town, where I stopped for the night.

Paranagua is a nice old historical town with a good vibe.

Paranagua is a nice old historical town with a good vibe.

Moving north, I passed the town Joinville, which has many German emigrants. There are a few houses that pretend to look german. Best thing about this town though, is that they brew some really good beer in Joinville. It’s a bit of a center for Brazilian micro brewing these days. After Joinville, I cycled out towards the coast again and stopped at the pretty provincial town of Paranagua, which is one of the oldest towns in Brazil. In Paranagua I spoke to a Brazilian tour cyclist, who told me that I would not be able to cycle on the big highway that connects Curitiba with Sao Paulo. The traffic police confirmed that to me. So I took the bus for a little stretch, as there were not really any alternatives to the big road. Looking at the road from the bus window, I could see why it is forbidden to cycle there. There are some very narrow bridges on the road, with no shoulder for soft traffic. And there are an enormous amount of trucks on the BR116. Once I got past that with my bike on the bus I was riding happily again and hit the coast of the Sao Paulo state at the small pleasant town called Peruibe. From Peruibe to Santos I cycled mostly on bicycle paths. Really nice to see that bicycle paths are starting to make their way to Brazil, so that more people can enjoy cycling and stay safe at the same time.

Cycling along the coastline of the Sao Paulo state.

Cycling along the coastline of the Sao Paulo state.

The state of Sao Paulo is so much more than the mega city Sao Paulo. The coastline is incredibly beautiful in this state with one pristine beach after the other, that you have most likely never heard of. Santos, which serves as the port city for Sao Paulo, is a really pleasant city. There is a nice old town center that has been the center of the world’s coffee industry for as long as coffee has been a global business. Santos itself has really nice beaches too and is a center for surfers, as there is a really good surf here. I am actually just about to head to a surfer party, so I will be back later.

The historic part of Santos.

The historic part of Santos.

Classical music in the streets of Santos.

Classical music in the streets of Santos.

Nice pousada and nice people.

Nice pousada and nice people.

2 Comments

  1. Hi Claus.
    Very nice to read about your journey, some day I would like to do the same route, looking forward to your next post. Are you feeling safe on the tour regarding robbery etc.? I had a bad experience in Chile an not feeling really comfortable about south america.
    Have a nice journey and stay safe.
    Best regards from your home country
    Jesper

  2. Thanks for a good write up bro.

  3. Pingback: Maresias hostel is a fantastic hostel on the Sao Paulo coast. -

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