A few days ago, I took the bus from Niteroi to Friburgo, a couple of hours away, up in the forested mountains.
When I was a kid, we used to go there at weekends, especially in the summer months, to get away from forty-degree heat, and to enjoy waterfalls, cool forests, unspoilt nature, peace and tranquility. Its one of my favourite places, but I hadn't been back since my arrival in Brazil several months ago, so I was now itching for a return trip. As soon as the weather forecast looked good for a few days, I hopped on the first bus out of town.
When I was a kid, we used to go there at weekends, especially in the summer months, to get away from forty-degree heat, and to enjoy waterfalls, cool forests, unspoilt nature, peace and tranquility. Its one of my favourite places, but I hadn't been back since my arrival in Brazil several months ago, so I was now itching for a return trip. As soon as the weather forecast looked good for a few days, I hopped on the first bus out of town.
Within half an hour, I was looking out at green pastures and palm trees on rolling hills. On the horizon, was the long line of abruptly-rising mountains. I recognised Três Picos and Caledonia, amongst the highest peaks. I was in my element, on a bus heading towards the mountains.
After more scenic foothills and cattle ranches, we reached the agricultural town of Cachoeiras de Macacu (which, if it were in Queensland, would be called Palm Tree Falls). It's a good place to stock up on sweet dried bananas and it marks the start of the steep and winding climb up the mountains. This part is truly spectacular, with thick spongy rainforest covering a wide amphitheatre of imposing mountain slopes. But it's surprisingly quick to get to the crest - only twenty minutes- and I was now having to keep a keen look-out for a small family-run hotel, marking the turn-off into the valley and hills we used to go to.
There it was. I ran to the front of the bus and asked the driver to stop when he could. He reacted immediately, slammed on the brakes and got the bus to come to skidding halt on a sharp corner. By this stage, I was half-way back to my seat, gripping on to head-rests, with passengers looking on wide-eyed, slightly concerned and confused. Backpack on and jumping outside, it felt cool compared to Niteroi, with a characteristic fresh mountain smell of pine hedges and dewy grass.
Before my walk, I wanted to grab something to eat and ended up going to the first place I saw, a smart wooden chalet restaurant on the side of the road, specialising in trout, good company and Bohemian beer. Sounded good.
Before my walk, I wanted to grab something to eat and ended up going to the first place I saw, a smart wooden chalet restaurant on the side of the road, specialising in trout, good company and Bohemian beer. Sounded good.
Friburgo got its name from Fribourg in Switzerland, and the story goes back a long way (for Brazilian standards). The area was settled in 1820 by 261 Swiss families, totalling 1682 immigrants. They'd been granted land by the emperor Dom Joao, who was keen to attract immigrants from Europe, in order to settle empty parts of Brazil. This also happened to be during the Napoleonic invasions and wars in Europe and these families probably saw a better future for themselves in a new and distant country. The added attraction was that they were going to something familiar to them- a cool, forested and mountainous region. Four years later, 332 German immigrants joined them. As it happens, Friburgo ended up becoming Brazil's first Swiss and German colony. Shortly after, most would begin to settle in the south of the country.
Still to this day, the Swiss and German origins are surprisingly strong. Its quite common to see blond kids running around the place, wooden chalets with chimneys, tidy gardens with vegetable plots, stacks of precisely-chopped firewood, sausages, smoked trout, home-made beer. To me, it's Lauterbrunnen in the tropics.
As I came out of my daydream, thinking of what it would've been like for the first Swiss immigrants, and by now well-fed on delicious smoked trout pasties, I got up and started my walk to the start of the dirt road.
It was steep and continued on and on, past small farmsteads and rural folk by the side road, until I got to a high ridge an hour later. From there, I looked over a breath-taking panorama of mountains and forests, stretching far inland. Wunderbar.
At this stage, and starting what I thought was a fairly well-deserved rest, I felt something rasping on my neck, a branch perhaps.
No. Not at all. A beetle, I soon found out, as I prised it off me and looked at it.
After the initial scare, it was actually quite harmless, and on the plus side it was stunning to look at. Luminescent green spots in lines painted on a black body, and a long anteater-like snout.
As beautiful as it was however, I didn't particularly want it gripping onto my neck again, so I put it amongst vegetation at the side of the road. I looked at it for a bit longer and then as I stepped back, it flew straight towards me, expertly landing on the same spot of my backpack. This was definitely a fatal attraction- between a stunning beetle and a faded red and green backback smelling of damp cupboard and sweat.
I got my backpack off and watched the beetle crawl over it for a while. Eventually, I plucked it off, and as I did so, it escaped my grip and flew onto my leg. Without knowing it (but rather cleverly, in retrospect) I pressed the shoot button and took a photo of the latest scene:
The struggle went on for a bit longer, but I managed to prise it off (I was surprised at how determined and strong it was), and put it back in the bush.
Backpack on and quick escape. Made it!
Backpack on and quick escape. Made it!
Towards the end of the 15 km walk, the dirt road met the river down below. I indulged myself and went for a refreshing swim in a shallow sandy stretch, bordered by palms and overhanging branches covered in bromeliads. Absolute paradise.
Then it was another kilometer or so, past a farm with a tall palm and a few cows, until I got to a wooden bridge with a field next to it, which looked like a good place to set up camp.
