Travelling the coast between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

From Curitiba we avoided the massive city of São Paulo by skirting along the coast as we headed North. The coast that is along side of São Paulo has what is said to be the busiest beach of Brazil. We didn't go there. But you can immediately get the picture that this area is quite built up.

At this point the road we followed mostly had a view of the beach on one side fronted by green spaces, and, on the other side tall buildings that seems to stretch on forever. But, despite the congestion, it was mostly nice. All in all we were pleasantly surprised. 

We sent a few nice nights camped beside or on beaches in different locations. We were headed for Ubatumirim, a quiet beach place recommended by some overlanders we'd met in Uruguay. 

We stayed on the Ubatumirim beach 4 nights. We bought prawns and mullet fish from fisherman. A stray dog adopted us, we fed her scraps and she guarded us and even stayed and guarded the camper when we went walking. 

I went walking inland twice and came across a different snake each time. H was disappointed to only see photos. 

The sea was shallow and calm so I went on daily sea walks. And one time I rescued what I think was a parrot fish from water that was too shallow. 

Ubatumirim is a lovely place to stop a while. 

Photo upload: Curitiba

Here's a few photos from our days in Curitiba. 

We didn't meet the people of the Brazilian camper,  but I thought it was one of the coolest looking campervans I'd ever seen. Or, as they'd say in Brazil: Legal!

I had seen the Curitiba transport system in a book years ago,  here's a bus shelter/paying/boarding tube for the buses.

We dined wonderfully well with our local friends in Curitiba.  This restaurant in the city centre didn't mess around,  the menu changed daily with Mondays alreadys being always the same,  Tuesdays always the same,  Wednesdays... you get the idea? You could order something else,  but it seemed noboby did. You had to wait for a table,  and everything was as basic as the menu, but the food was 'home style good'.

We met some people in Curitiba who were crafting wonderful things,  and buildings,  from Bamboo. H bought some bamboo pieces cut to size and made our bed more comfortable for me.

Curitiba: Serra Verde Express train to Morretes

I forgot to mention that while we were staying in Curitiba we did the Serra Verde Express train to Morretes, and back again. I guess I forgot because it just wasn't that memorable. 

We felt the experience to be quite pricey, with not enough to be experienced. The forest is so dense (which can be nice) that mostly you couldn't see anything. When views briefly became available you had to choose between looking or taking a photo, there wasn't time for both. 

The town of Morretes is a pleasant colonial town, but H and I get out of the cities and into the country towns a lot, so it wasn't exceptional for us. 

What we did like best was our lunch in Morretes. We went and had the barreado, which is a kind of slow cooked meat stew, served with banana. It was delicious. 

If you were bored in your travels and had to fill a day, the Serra Verde Express is okay... But there are more interesting days to be had. 

A brief stop in Curitiba

Curitiba was on my list of places to visit. Just because it, as a city, has been recognised as a good environmental example of how to operate things. We were also given a wonderful opportunity to visit some people we'd met on our last visit to Peninsula Valdes (Argentina, the places with all the whales, orcas, penguins, sea lions, and seals). 

Environmentally, all that stood out to me was the super efficient bus transportation system. Not just the energy use of the buses, but also the dedicated bus lanes and bus shelters where you entered and got your ticket. 

So far as a place to visit, we were glad to visit Curitiba to meet friends, but it's a city. Like most cities the attractions are churches, plazas, museums, gardens. It's nice, but I'm not a backpacker anymore so I can get out of the cities and see much more pleasant and interesting things. H feels much the same way.