Traveling in Southern Brazil

Hi, guys!

These are the pics I took in the last trip I did - June/2005, 27 days, 7.000 km, in a Honda CB 500. I went to the south region of my country. This region has 3 States: Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

These are in the town of Sao Francisco do Sul, in the coast of Santa Catarina State:
- the construction of this church begun in 1699



- the same church




- again


- a bird


- me and a town's view



- sunset





- I found a good place to keep my byke



In the next day, I went to Urubici, a cold town in the mountains. In the way, I stopped for some pictures.










- now, a waterfall near Urubici




- a view of the town


- almost in the bottom of the waterfall. In this moment, it started to rain...


- The waterfall name's "Avencal" - this is because there are a lot of "avencas", a plant, everywhere




- some very old inscriptions carved in the stone







- Around this valley there are thousands of apple trees




In the afternoon the sky was very, very blue... I went to other mountain - the "Morro da Igreja", the highest place in the region. Sometimes it snows here.



If you look carefully the above picture, you'll see a rock with a hole - it's called the "Pedra Furada"
- a close look in the "Pedra Furada"


- that's me!





- interesting rock



- this small plant is called "tuna" and grows in the rocks. People make a dessert with it (I didn't eat it!)


- I love flowers


- a nice waterfall, but the water was very cold...





- this is the kind of place I would like to live




- this is in the "Corvo Branco" (white crow) mountain





- I want my coat back!


- down the mountain



- some weird trees


- those trees are called "araucarias", their fruit is the "pinhao" - we eat them cooked or roasted - very good!


- no, I did not go thru that bridge!


- some cows

Awesome pics!! Id love to visit there someday.....Beautiful scenery!!

Superb photos , thank you for sharing them with us .More please !

And I went back to road again...


- - this means "ice in the road" - it's something new to me, because I live in a hot region in the middle of Brazil (Brasilia, the country's capital)






- going to "Serra do Rio do Rastro", a famous road for Brazilian riders, you'll see why...















- I stoped for a cup of coffee with a friend in the town of Turvo

Great photos Fernanda, thank you so much for sharing with us

great shots we call the rock in this picture basalt

FDF, welcome to the asylum and thanks for posting such great pics!

Nice bike, too.

Well, two days later I was in the town of Bento Goncalves, Rio Grande do Sul State. This is a medium size town, a lot of Italian descendants, with some industries and is famous in Brazil for its wines. I found some friends there and stayed with a couple of them.

- before entering the town


- an old house



- does anyone knows this leaf?


- the wine is for free...


- there was a huge motorcycle event


- I love sunsets!


- after a delicious pizza, the chocolate dessert, just for me!!!


- this means "The Vineyard Valley", where the finest Brazilian wines are made


- look at the church, over the hill...


- inside that church


- beaultiful colours


- let's drink some wine?


- that was not me who was buying all theses boxes of wine...


- after some glasses of wine and champagne...



I'll be back!!!!

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful country with us. I had no idea is was so spectular. Your English is excellent also. Please post more if you can. Brasil is near the top of my list of "must see" countrys. Enjoy yourself. HB

A superb report...I had no idea of the contrasts in terrain within Brazil. Great!

Still in Bento Goncalves - this is Saint Antonio Church, very nice. It's bell rings each fifteen minutes, all day and night, just in front of my friends' apartment!



In the next day, after leaving Bento Goncalves, I went some kilometers north to see the famous Bridge of the Archs. It was built in the fifties.


In the bottom, the river of Antas (anta = tapir). It's valley is beaultiful.



There is something more that I love: DOGS! I take dozens of pics of them...


This waterfall stands near the town of Caxias do Sul



More flowers, of course!


This is my vision of future... Me and a best friend walking in a very nice square, talking about our next trip... This is in the city of Nova Petropolis.



Flowers, flowers!


This place, Nova Petropolis, was buit by German descendants. This is an old church:


This is the place where they kept the wine


There was a delicious smell, I followed it and found this lady baking cakes - they call them "cucas". She hardly spoke Portuguese and later I saw her speaking some kind of German dialect with a friend.


"From 1875 until 1940 the family Deppe lived here. They were shoemakers."


Imagine those tools in our bike!!!!


Then, I went to the city of Canela, and this is the "Caracol" waterfall.


A big "araucaria".


I left Canela and went to Cambara do Sul.

The views from the road:



"Caminho da neve" means "The snow way"... This region has high altitude and, in the winter, sometimes snows. I think that there are only two or three places that have snow in Brazil.


More "araucarias", beautiful trees!


Geting close to Cambara do Sul


Can anyone believe in this sky?


A dog in a cold morning...


When the air is clean it's possible to see the sea.



This plant is very soft.


This place is called Fortaleza Canyon.


"Sir, may I stay here the whole day?"




Now, the "Rio do Segredo" (The Secret River). See this water, so nice?


This is what happens to that water - the Black Tiger waterfall:


It's not possible to see the end of the waterfall.


The Secret Rock. It is 5m high.


Other view of the Fortaleza Canyon.


This flower, "tojo", is exotic, some peolple took it from England about a hundred years ago to make fences. Now it's a plague, grows everywhere without control.




A sunset is coming!













In the next day I knew another canyon - the "Itaimbezinho".


See the waterfalls?


I could never get tired of watching this sky, so blue!













Yes, I always find a good place to keep my bike...


Leaving Cambara do Sul


The road

Olá Fernanda.

I was in Brazil in 2001 and visited some of the places as on your trip.
Your photos are awesome, I too like sunsets and waterfalls.
I hope to someday return and explore more of your beautiful country.

Muito obrigada

I count myself fortunate to have been able to travel multiple times to Rio Grande do Sul. The company I worked for had a plant in Carlos Barbosa, right outside of Bento Goncalves, where our hotel was.

There's something magical about the region. Mild climate, a vibrant economy, wonderful scenery, locally made wine and chocolate. On more than one occasion I've referred to the area as heaven on earth.

Beautiful pics that reminded me of many warm moments.

Thanks for your kind words! I really enjoy my marvelous country and its people, love to ride bikes and I'm lucky to have time and condition to travel.

Now, some more pictures...

I'm still in Rio Grande do Sul State, and its population has lots of European descendants.

This is in Santa Cruz do Sul - the big ones are Fritz and Frida... Some friends and their bikes.


Look this old bike, perfect!


With this kind of wellcome, I'll always come back!


Buying "cucas" for a friend! It's a really delicious cake.





Yes, I like pizza!


I was missing my dogs, so my friend gave me hers... Good night!

I think dogs know I love them... In Brazil it's usual to find dogs that live in the streets, homeless. They are very sweet!


In Brazil meat is not so expensive, everybody invite you for barbecues. Specially in Rio Grande do Sul, land of "Gauchos". The best barbecue of Brazil.


Look the birds!


Just a small snack before we leave. Everywhere you go in Brazil people invite you to eat in their houses.


Nice!


Back to Porto Alegre, this State's capital. Want some beer? This is the famous "Portena", from Uruguay.



In the next morning I left Porto Alegre, heading north to Florianopolis, capital of Santa Catarina State. This town stays in an island, with marvelous beaches.

Now you are geting used to the idea... More free dogs.


I stayed in a small village, it's people is descendant from Azores Islands, and and they fish for living.


Well, it's not Azorian, but surelly fishes for living...



My brave bike.


The sun rises!





Yes, they love me!




This s a small lake.


Someday I'll learn to do that!



This one stayed with me for more than an hour.


I didn't know, but this was the last sunny day of my trip.


Life can be so good!



Dozens of surfers!


And the clouds are coming!


The village



Remember the "araucaria" trees? These are it's fruit, the "pinhao".



My friends cooked a wonderful food, the "entrevero" - pinhao, meat, sausage, tomato, onion. Very good!

Hungry?

So Fernanda are you a Chilanga ?

Thank you for sharing your photo's and your trip . I too love photo's and your's are SUPERB and a super report.Keepit up

Why yes. Now that I've read your posts, with desert and the last dish (what would you call it?) I am hungry.

And I just ate.


Thanks for taking us along! Beutiful country.

Great pictures.. Brazil just moved a few notches higher on my list of places to visit.

tau biem! I was in Brazil in 2000 and fell in love. I long for the slow afternoons and ripple tide on Isla Grande. I will be back in Brazil again. I'll have to hold on to your report so that I have a new set of cities to explore while I am there. Great report. Please keep your camera with you on your rides and report often. Bo noite.

I've already posted once about how nice a report this is...now I am going to do it again. Very, very nice!