A word of advice about hitchhiking in southern Brazil...

[themodernnomad]

Every Brazilian and most people who live in Brazil will tell you: You cannot hitchhike on the side of the road. No-one will stop. In the south of Brazil you MUST spend your hitchhiking time asking truckers and hanging out at the gas stations.

This is true....but ONLY if you´re hitchhiking on a federal road (they are marked BR). I was stuck in Cascavel for four days asking at a gas station on the BR. I also tried waiting on the side of the road with my thumb out. Nothing.

Yesterday I got frustrated and picked out a small state road on the map. On this state road, the hitchhiking was EASY. I never waited more than 20 minutes, a HUGE differance from the BR! All the rides were short, but they came often. In six hours of hitchhiking I made it about 120 km, six or seven short rides. And the bus took me for free - twice! Anyways, it´s a helluva lot better than wasting your life at a Petrobras on the BR.

Hitchhiking in southern Brazil is actually easy - just stay off the federal roads!




-MN

[themodernnomad]

Some more info: busking in Brazil is absolute heaven. You will make enough money to eat well, huge all-you-can-eat buffets, ice cream, cigarettes, even a few beers here and there.

Brazilians love anything that is different. Telling them you're American gets really positive responses. I play the harmonica, they have never really heard someone play the harmonica in person, and are very interested.

Brazis very relaxed about camping. You can camp just about anywhere and no-one cares. You don't even have to ask the security guard. And that same security guard woke me up with a cup of coffee about 50% of the time

In Uruguay now. It will be hard to top this short time in Brazil. Afterthat it's back to Brazil and I will keep posting here with information about northeastern Brazil and the Amazon.

-MN

[Eripson]

Bah, rough experience. Reminds me of Pasto, Colombia. Nothing doing there.
Good to hear the busking is good, especially if it-s different. I want to learn to pick around on a banjo or mandolin a bit and travel with it. And Brazil is certainly a place I-d like to try that. Good pieces of info on Brazil. Enjoy Uruguay. Nice and peacerful country.

[themodernnomad]

[quote:f5c0c8bd94="Eripson"] Enjoy Uruguay. Nice and peacerful country.[/quote:f5c0c8bd94]

You got that right - too peaceful! Time to go back to Brazil where things actually happen haha. I've got 7.000 km to go to Belém, and looking foreward to every one of 'em!

-MN