Rio to Buzios
The descent from Petropolis to Rio was exilharating giving views of the surrounding mountains. It was good to be on a coach and not have to worry about watching the road. I doubt the coach exceeded 40 kmsh (25 mph) for most of the descent. Eventually we reached the suburbs of Rio passing the favelas and uncompleted houses which are very common.
Buzios has a number of beaches and knowing that my accommodation was distant from local transport I had hired a car to travel the 180 Kms. It was another journey of constant speed changes enforced by radar and the savage speed humps. I am sure that paying constant attention to the speedometer detracts from road observation and safe driving.
The chalet was only 200 metres from the beach, a walk along a sandy track and on to the beach, It seemed endless with very few people. The area in general is very popular and I visited other beaches, Manguinhas, Rasa And Tucuns and was surprised how quiet they were. Armaçao de Búzios on the other hand seemed busy. It was impossible to park within a reasonable walking distance. Spaces in front of shop were owned by the shop owner and to park in spaces with a blue line on the kerb (if you could find a vacant space) required a permit.
I returned to Armaçao one evening when I found parking a little easier. The place was heaving though. I walked along the front and stopped at Praia Brigitte Bardot, named in memory of a visit she had made back in 1964. There is also a statue of her that is very popular. There were many restaurants with inflated prices because of where they were located. Armaçao de Búzios was pleasant but I wasn't blown away by it.
Breakfasts were very relaxed on the chalet's covered patio. Bread, cheese, eggs, papaya and the sweetest watermelon I had ever tasted. With coffee served from a thermos
Fernando, my host, was friendly and spoke good English having lived in the US for some years. He gave me a book written by his father (Cleofas Uchôa) titled "A glance at the universe" (Published by Vermelho Marinho). Two actually: the English and the Portuguese editions. His father had also founded the Astronomical Observatory of Buzios, one of the largest private observatories in South America.
One night Fernando said that he was hosting a birthday party for his friend, Alexandre, and that I was invited. There were a few bottles of wine involved along with some beers and snippets of food. I was pleased that I could converse and generally understand even when the speech became slurred. We finished the evening with a pasta served in a tigela, a small round earthenware bowl and a game which was played on a pool sized table with only seven balls.
He also had a dog which he had named Gato - Cat! Gato, a stray, had turned up one day and chosen to stay. Gato was a lovely dog and very obedient. I went for a walk one day and he stayed by my side the whole time. I was sad to wake up one morning and learn that Gato had disappeared. (I checked with Fernando a week later and he hadn't returned.)
It was time to return to Rio for my last two days and leave another friend behind.
Buzios has a number of beaches and knowing that my accommodation was distant from local transport I had hired a car to travel the 180 Kms. It was another journey of constant speed changes enforced by radar and the savage speed humps. I am sure that paying constant attention to the speedometer detracts from road observation and safe driving.
The chalet was only 200 metres from the beach, a walk along a sandy track and on to the beach, It seemed endless with very few people. The area in general is very popular and I visited other beaches, Manguinhas, Rasa And Tucuns and was surprised how quiet they were. Armaçao de Búzios on the other hand seemed busy. It was impossible to park within a reasonable walking distance. Spaces in front of shop were owned by the shop owner and to park in spaces with a blue line on the kerb (if you could find a vacant space) required a permit.
I returned to Armaçao one evening when I found parking a little easier. The place was heaving though. I walked along the front and stopped at Praia Brigitte Bardot, named in memory of a visit she had made back in 1964. There is also a statue of her that is very popular. There were many restaurants with inflated prices because of where they were located. Armaçao de Búzios was pleasant but I wasn't blown away by it.
Breakfasts were very relaxed on the chalet's covered patio. Bread, cheese, eggs, papaya and the sweetest watermelon I had ever tasted. With coffee served from a thermos
Fernando, my host, was friendly and spoke good English having lived in the US for some years. He gave me a book written by his father (Cleofas Uchôa) titled "A glance at the universe" (Published by Vermelho Marinho). Two actually: the English and the Portuguese editions. His father had also founded the Astronomical Observatory of Buzios, one of the largest private observatories in South America.
One night Fernando said that he was hosting a birthday party for his friend, Alexandre, and that I was invited. There were a few bottles of wine involved along with some beers and snippets of food. I was pleased that I could converse and generally understand even when the speech became slurred. We finished the evening with a pasta served in a tigela, a small round earthenware bowl and a game which was played on a pool sized table with only seven balls.
He also had a dog which he had named Gato - Cat! Gato, a stray, had turned up one day and chosen to stay. Gato was a lovely dog and very obedient. I went for a walk one day and he stayed by my side the whole time. I was sad to wake up one morning and learn that Gato had disappeared. (I checked with Fernando a week later and he hadn't returned.)
It was time to return to Rio for my last two days and leave another friend behind.
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