from 18.12.: São Carlos / São Paulo

18.12.:

São Carlos, 24 degrees, cloudy!!

A pleasant breeze comes through the open window.

There are moments when only the bearable noises of the big city from below rise up to the third floor of my hotel, but there are also moments when customized motorcycles race past on the four-lane road, their sound overshadowing everything, including all other noises.

São Carlos, a university city with over 250 thousand inhabitants, with major employers like Volkswagen, Faber-Castell, Electrolux, with an agriculture dominated by sugarcane, with other universities that give the city a certain dynamism.
Thanks to the coffee boom at the time, it was founded only in the 1950s of the 19th century.

Flashback: the Rio Grande gives everything on this early morning! Its current, which rushes downstream at a tremendous speed by our standards, the reflections of the morning sun and the jungle flora that accompanies it in various shades of green.

By shortly after nine, I'm already on the BR 153 in southwest direction - thanks to the escapades of the previous day, as a result of which I was pushed away from my original route. A relatively relaxed drive, little traffic, fresh air.

But the enjoyment of the present is somewhat diminished by the mediocre signage here. I know that after a few kilometers, I have to turn southeast again. My gaze is constantly drawn to the GPS display, which is now easier to read.

But there are still two things to be taken care of:

The internet access of the smartphone must work even without wifi, and I have to find an ATM that is willing to give me cash.

So I get to know the town of Ipero. Nestled in a hilly landscape with pasture areas and impressive entrances to the fazendas ('farms') of large landowners. White wrought iron entrance gates decorated with brass crowns, at least three meters high, indicate the way - in many respects...

If I had known this village earlier, I would have certainly spent several days here as well. Here, the outskirts with commercial and residential areas are rather off-putting, because single-family houses are crammed together in a small space, posing great challenges to peaceful coexistence with one's neighbors. I have noticed this phenomenon in Chile as well. South America and Brazil in particular are such a large country - but people are given very little space to live.

But in the city center, there is even a plaza and a church, a narrow, bumpy main street with people observing life, with tables and chairs, with retail stores and the lotto shop found in every town. Lined with cool and shade-giving trees.

I'm just looking for a bank. It keeps a low profile. A youngster who runs a kiosk and whose little house is also adorned with a Claro sticker shows me the way. The ATM is out of order.

I still have 40 reais. Is that enough for the tolls that are demanded here at irregular intervals? Fortunately, credit cards are accepted here for amounts of all sizes. Not by the toll booths, but this way I can keep the cash together.

Like everywhere else - also here:

Helpfulness without end! By now, the kiosk owner knows that I have a balance of 50 reais in my Claro account and for some reason I can't access it. He delves into the matter. A friend - David - has arrived in the meantime and has already been served. But he has time and is curious.
A Jehovah's Witness in a blue and freshly ironed short-sleeved shirt with a leather bag over his shoulder is not a customer. He just wants to deliver his message.
When he hears that I am German, he opens a brochure and shows me a text that, according to the heading, must be read immediately.

A middle-aged man joins us and waits patiently. I already feel a bit guilty because I won't be a source of sales and he might lose his customers. But the man has time and is eventually taken care of in between.

I practice patience again. If I don't arrive in São Carlos today, then one day later. I have time. I'm not in a hurry. The rainy season is far away.

I have time and I am healthy! Who can say that about themselves? I have it and I am.
No appointment that needs to be kept, no one demanding something from me, I decide freely and independently what to do with my time. That is freedom!

The two young Brazilians are the first ones I meet who can and WANT to speak English!

They learn it at their schools, but hardly have the opportunity to use it. And when they do encounter a gringo like me, they start talking.

By now, the smartphone is working. I still want some water and hope to get it from him. Instead, he offers me water from his personal supply. Another missed opportunity for a business transaction. David takes me to a store that sells water and tells the seller that I come from Germany. Immediately, a conversation starts with the seller, who also wants to speak English and tells me that he wants to go to New York for 10 days in February.

There is such a benevolent and almost friendly atmosphere here in this village, that I even leave the ignition key in. Later, the kiosk owner points it out to me with a serious expression...

It is now 11 o'clock. The sun already has more power. Although I'm still on my way with my smartphone, I'm still far from knowing whether I have properly merged or when the first roundabouts or maybe even road signs will appear.

Nothing like that. Instead, the traffic gets heavier. A similar scenario as in Rondonopolis. Construction sites, dilapidated roads, hectic motorcyclists, and signs that are either hidden behind tall grass or have recently been cut off by a truck.

I didn't have the city of São José do Rio Preto on my itinerary. It should have been many kilometers to the west of me by now. If I don't want to be catapulted completely in the wrong direction, I can only resort to lawbreaking methods now. First, I have to go back and find a spot - preferably under a tree - to regain my orientation. Thanks to vigilant drivers, I quickly get on the opposite lane and actually find the desired spot.

I finally recognize my driving mistake. I should have turned east on the 262 shortly after starting this morning. Now, all I have to do is follow my road, keep the smaller towns that are on my desired route in mind, and study the signs with concentration. I cheat my way back into my original direction, keeping an eye on the faint contours of the GPS, the passing motorcyclists in the rest of my peripheral vision, and I actually see the sign for Cerda, which I have to follow. A small, insignificant sign that leads me onto a four-lane highway!!! And after a few kilometers, a green sign with white letters informs me that São Paulo is 465 km away.

It worked. The traffic quickly disperses. It goes up and down. Many forests have been reforested. The thin-stemmed trees stand in rows. There is not much space between them. I can look through the forest while driving! No undergrowth to distract the view.
I make good progress and now have time for a pit stop.

The toll booths here in the state of Sao Paulo allow motorcyclists to bypass the toll booths without paying a fee.

I take a break at one of them and realize that there are only 70 km left to São Carlos. I actually want to call it a day - I'm worn out.

Just as I think that, an employee of the highway maintenance department, in front of which I parked, comes up to me and asks if I want some water. It's not until he offers coffee that I become interested. It's nice and cool in the shack. A thermos of sweetened coffee is on the table, a girl playing with a smartphone at the table, a partially eaten cookie, I hear TV noises in the next room. A cozy working atmosphere. I refresh myself, answer questions, create enthusiasm, photos are taken, and by now another motorcyclist enters the room, who talks to me, shows me photos on his smartphone, and tells me about a young European woman who traveled alone through South America on her motorcycle.

In the end, there is even a language lesson: the next town, which also has over 200 thousand inhabitants, is called Araraquara.
I try to sort out the many letters and get tangled up every time. The two highway maintenance workers have fun with it and patiently repeat the name over and over again until I finally manage to sort it correctly.

125cc? Crazy German!

Photos and farewell.

I'm fit again and reach São Carlos after an hour. Driving through the outskirts is difficult, bumpy roads, a dark cloud releases a few drops of water, I drive into the city without a plan, hoping to find a hotel. But the plan fails. Thanks to booking.com and a functioning smartphone, but also with a lot of patience and water, which seeks its way into the helmet lining, I find the hotel after half an hour.

It's already 5:30 pm.

In any case, I will stay here for two nights.

Should I actually go to Sao Paulo?, crosses my mind before falling asleep.

Or go directly to Curitiba? With 1.5 million inhabitants, it's much more manageable. With theaters and a magnificent opera house?

I have reached civilization...

19.12. and 20.12.

The focus of these two days is on further travel planning.

I'm well-rested and São Paulo comes back to the forefront of my thoughts.

The search for a hostel is quite tedious. The cafe hostel and the zen hostel - both of which I know from our visit with Gabi, Nora, and Tillmann - are closed during the holidays. I actually expected the opposite and holiday rates. But apparently, the vacation travel wave doesn't start until after New Year's...

Now I have found the alice hostel, which can even offer me a parking space for the vespa. The wifi quality is said to be good, so Skype should work on Saturday.

The high summer here knows no mercy. Today it is 6 degrees warmer again. The climate is called 'mild' here because São Carlos is about 800 m above sea level. There is no cool breeze. A walk through the surrounding neighborhoods can only be considered in the late afternoon.

Discovered in a side street...

The streets are dominated by white young people. The service sector, with few exceptions, is entrusted to non-gringos. Whether it's the doorman in front of the restaurant, the girls at the cash register of the supermarket across the street, the saleswomen at the bakery, or the service staff here at the hotel - I can't tell if they are Brazilians or Venezuelans or Colombians who want to build a new existence here.

Have they just arrived or are they about to leave the country?

I also notice that those who have learned English or are just learning it want to use the language.

In the restaurant, the young waiter asked me (!) to speak English with him. He rarely has the opportunity to do so. The person who took my laundry at the laundry service also immediately switches to English. I have time and praise him for his good accent and ask him if he gets to use the language often. He listens to English music groups, trains American football teams in English, and reads American newspapers.

Maybe I'm also misjudging this, but I have the feeling that they want to leave, that the country has no future for them.

I had a similar experience at the gas station: the cashier immediately asked me in English which country I come from. When she hears Europe, her eyes light up. Yes, she has a boyfriend in Poland and yes, she wants to live together with her boyfriend, leave Brazil behind. The air is not good, and the political/societal situation in recent years has been just as bad.

I mention Bolsonaro to her. Is that the reason why she wants to leave the country?

No. Brazil needs a strong man.

In the afternoon, I discover an ice cream shop. Not an ordinary one, as we know it. The guest is greeted by an ice cream buffet. You can serve yourself. It's not just ice cream, but there are also fruit salads, sliced coconuts, a sweet display, delicious desserts - everything your heart desires. You take a plastic bowl and also a plastic spoon - you can choose from three different sizes - and the land of plenty opens its doors. Two scales are at the cash register. The price is determined by weight.

In the evening, the ice cream shop is packed.

Feliz Natal!

So tomorrow, I'm heading to São Paulo, the metropolis of 15 million people. I want to take advantage of the cool morning air and hope to be at my hostel early in the afternoon.

Signage won't cause any difficulties for me until the outskirts of the city...