Home » Brazil » Brazil 1999 - Part Two - Sao Joao del Rei & Buzios

The ride back to Rio was uneventful. About half way we stopped at a little road-side café over looking the ocean. The whole place was outside, just under a roof - a testimony to the mild weather in these parts.

Brazil 1999 - Part Two - Sao Joao del Rei & Buzios

Dougburnett
2003-11-22 17:42:21

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Monday, September 6, Rio de Janeiro

The ride back to Rio was uneventful. About half way we stopped at a little road-side café over looking the ocean. The whole place was outside, just under a roof - a testimony to the mild weather in these parts. At the counter I found a variety of "fast-foods" available. I had some kind of triangular-shaped baked goodie that was filled with spicy meat. It was so good in fact that I went back for a second and only just got to the bus before it left.
At the Rio bus station, I looked for a place to change money but couldn't find one. Next, I went looking for the ticket office for San Joao del Rei - the next town I wanted to visit. I figured that if my credit card had arrived I would just take off in the morning or - heaven forbid - if it hadn't, there was still no reason to hang around as tomorrow was a holiday. If I didn't get the card today, it wasn't going to happen before Wednesday. Either way, there was no reason not to buy a ticket.

It was while I was getting my ticket that I realized something: everyone I had met in Brazil so far was very patient, even the ticket salesmen. Usually, people who deal with the public get to be impatient grouches and I'm not sure I can blame them. But here everyone just seemed so patient. When the ticket guy wasn't sure what seat I wanted - I had written "Janera direita" meaning "Right windows" and shown it to him - he just turned this computer monitor around and had me point. Every time I got a ticket it was the same. Anyway, I liked these patent Brazilians more and more. What a delightful place to travel.

Ticket accomplished I took the "Executive" bus back to Copacabana. This bus is more expensive - $R 3.00 (US$1.56) as compared to $R 0.80 (US$0.42) for the normal city bus - but both faster and air-conditioned. One thing that struck me odd about the buses was that you are given ...