Day 8 - Paraty to Sao Paulo

We arise the next morning – this time fresh faced and awake from a quiet nights rest. We enjoy the small continental breakfast at our hotel, pack our bags, and then head for the bus terminal. Arriving in the small terminal – we’re shocked at how crowded it is. It seems buses really are the way to travel in South America. We wait. And wait. And wait some more. Looking around anxiously, checking to see if our bus had arrived around the corner – or thinking, did we miss it? Surely not, as the woman behind the counter told us – no English spoken – the bus will be in one of the 4 lanes in front of you.

Sure enough, the bus arrives an hour and a half late and we board our charter. Frustratingly, the bus driver pulls out of Paraty, and about 15 minutes down the road, pulls into a truck stop for a 30 minute break. At least it gave us a chance to use the restrooms – as we’d been at the bus terminal for 3 hours and didn’t dare use the toilets lest we miss our tardy bus! Hopping back into the coach, we had a smooth 3 hour drive to Caraguatatuba – our layover on the way to Sao Paulo – where we reveled in the sunshine and glorious coastal roads.

Arriving in Caraguatatuba hours later than our booked tickets, we had to get our bus tickets changed at the counter. Once again, no English spoken, we had to speak in broken Portuguese/Spanish and nod a lot – eventually getting the message across that our bus was late. The ticket lady seemed to understand (maybe she’s accustomed to late buses) and booked us on to the next bus to Sao Paulo for no charge. We grabbed a quick bite to eat (hamburger again – seemingly their national dish) and board our coach to Sao Paulo – a further 3 hour drive.

Arriving much later than planned, we catch a taxi to our hotel – taking in the city sites as we roll. Sao Paulo, compared to Rio, appeared to be far more developed and in better condition, with many tall buildings/skyscrapers scattered along our journey. We checked in to our room, then immediately left for a night time stroll. Sao Paulo – in the jardins district – was very clean, and gave a safer impression than Rio. We strolled through many green blocks, past chiq pizza restaurants and mini marts. Neither of us were particularly hungry, so Rach grabbed a pudding (no surprise) as I grabbed a beer (also standard), and we headed back to our hotel. On the walk back we came across a very friendly (rabid?) bat – which made me question whether we had or had not received our rabies shots. We took the elevator up to the 8^th floor and called it a night – in our blissfully quiet room. Finally.