Travel Around Brazil

Travel around Brazil, for me has been mostly via private automobile (within Ribeirao Preto) with my sister-in-law (Adelaide) driving, or (between Ribierao Preto and Sao Carlos, a distance of about 100 kilometers) via intercity bus. The bus is a Brazilian make, accomodating 46 or 48 passengers in great comfort; it is air-conditioned, maintaining a temperature of about 68-70F no matter how hot it is outside -- except when parked at the terminal and then there is no air at all!!

It is leaves about every hour on the half hour from Ribeirao Preto and every hour on the hour from Sao Carlos. The bus travels at about 70kmh, but stops to let people off anywhere along the highway or to pick people up, also anywhere along the highway, but particularly at little bus shelter/stops that are every 5 or 10 miles. So the trip between RP and SC is always about two hours.

Adelaide learned to drive when she was about 30 -- she couldn´t afford a car before then. I think she could hold her own with the taxi drivers of New York City!! Come to think of it, I think the New York City taxi drivers would find a lot of competition from private automobiles here in Ribeirao Preto! Besides other automobiles and trucks, there are a jillion 125 to 200 cc motor bikes whizzing around you as you drive along at a breakneck speed! I haven´t seen any blood yet, or even a dinged fender, but I can´t believe it doesn´t happen!!

My favorite way to travel around is by private airplane. Here are a few of my favorite views out of my window as I have flown my brother´s Mooney between Ribeirao Preto, Campinas, and Ubatuba. I´ll let the pictures speak for themselves -- or if anyone has questions about what´s in a picture, just ask in the comments section and I will respond.

The top picture is mostly fields of oranges. The next one down is mostly Eucalyptus trees; you can see a shadow which is the edge of some fairly tall trees and then to the left a newer planting of shorter trees. In front of the tallest trees may be a brand new planting.

Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia and have been introduced into Brazil to use for wood pulp; the trees mature in about 5 years!

Most of Brazil is covered by sugar cane fields, however. I may show a representative photo of that in another posting.