Búzios

Buzios

We left Rio in the early afternoon and in just three hours we had already reached this renowned tourist destination. Already arriving in the first outskirts of the town we realized we found ourselves in a little paradise; to the right and left of the road rose luxurious villas with pools that thinned out as we drew closer to the center of Buzios. The bus did not let us off in a real station but simply at the side of the road under a sheet-metal roof. We were initially thrown off by the numerous owners of posadas who were waiting for the arrival of tourists to lure them in: our trust was placed in an Argentine guy with a moderately honest face who offered us luxurious lodging (though a bit outside the center) at a more than reasonable price.

Having gotten into his off-road vehicle he led us up to the top of a little hill that dominated the town center and right there at the top stood his posada. It was a newly built building in masonry and wood with a very green inner garden in the center of which was a pool; the place was truly beautiful and also included a rich breakfast but above all the price was nothing short of competitive: it was just right for us. As soon as we set our backpacks down in the room we went down to gather information from our Argentine friend and subsequently we headed toward the town center. Right away we understood that, despite Buzios not being very big, an alternative means of transport to our legs was necessary to visit the twenty-three beaches that have made it famous throughout the world.

We went down toward the town accompanied by the inevitable clouds and by a very fine and constant drizzle: it seemed that the bad weather had decided to spend its vacation with us and that from Rio it had moved to Buzios. The center of the town proved to be a little pearl, tranquil, orderly and clean with numerous little shops along the main street and with a seafront that despite the inclement weather absolutely did not lose its charm. After a brief reconnaissance it was already time to head back since the evening was looming over us and strictly on foot we took the reverse road and climbed back up the hill to our posada. Just the time for a shower and it was already time to return to town... the road was already starting to feel too long.

For our little dinner we chose a very classic pizza by the slice and then took a stroll along the main street desolately deserted: they had told us that Buzios was an absolutely non-dangerous and tranquil place but we were starting to doubt that it was even too much so.

The following day our goal was to rent a buggy to deepen our knowledge of Buzios; no sooner said than done, after a bit of brief chit-chat with our landlord it was he himself who gave us a lift to a car rental agency that we later discovered was his brother's. We could choose between a very beat-up Palio and a heap of buggies in different colors; taken perhaps by the excitement of driving something different from the usual economy car we opted for a very yellow buggy without windows and with a measly plastic roof that gave the impression of being about to detach at any moment. With hindsight we still cannot understand why we chose that clunker especially if you consider the precarious weather conditions...

crazy! Having gotten on board we headed toward a nearby beach but no sooner had we started the engine than it began to rain, something that forced us to head back home; as if that were not enough, misfortune had it that in the middle of the trip the accelerator cable decided to snap and leave us again on foot in the rain. We had rented the car five minutes earlier and we already regretted it. Having parked the vehicle at the side of the road we returned toward the posada to report what had happened and claim a replacement vehicle. No problem our Argentine friend drove us back to the agency which offered us two alternatives: rent a classic car for about an hour in place of the buggy which in the meantime would be repaired, or wait for them to repair that clunker since getting the money back was not even up for discussion.

We did not want to waste any more time and on board the very beat-up Palio, placed at our disposal temporarily, we headed toward the center in search of a laundry. The rain, the one-way streets and the difficulty of finding a very simple laundry meant that that hour at our disposal went by very quickly and so having returned to the rental place we retrieved our buggy which with a new accelerator could still do its dirty work. Fortunately the rain had stopped but by now it had gotten too late to begin a visit around Buzios; the only alternative was to return home and then focus on the evening. Despite the incessant drizzle we decided to go to dinner with our very sporty vehicle at least to save ourselves the boredom and fatigue of the trip.

Going out the gate we even met another guest of the posada, strictly Argentine, who after a bit of chit-chat decided to invite himself to dinner with us. Having reached the center and eaten a very vulgar hot dog, Ignazio (the new Argentine friend) recommended a trendy little place to spend the evening; to tell the truth it was the only venue open after 11:30 pm and therefore it turned out to be an obligatory choice. After having strolled a bit through the streets of the center we decided to enter this notorious venue which initially hosted few people but within half an hour had literally filled up. We stayed inside for a good three hours sipping some caipirinhas listening to very classic Western music after which, having retrieved our vehicle we returned to the posada for a well-deserved rest.

For yet another morning we were greeted by clouds and rain but cheered up by a hearty breakfast, while waiting for an improvement in the weather that at least partially arrived in the afternoon. We didn't waste a second before climbing into the rusty buggy and finally setting off to explore the outskirts of Buzios. We started by visiting the nearest little beaches, true corners of paradise made even more beautiful by numerous bronze statues, some of them placed in the middle of the sea. We then ventured further out, climbing along the many hills overlooking the sea until we reached the highest one, from where it was possible to get a full view of the entire town.

Buzios seen from above was even more beautiful, it almost looked like a freshly painted picture with the vivid colors of the sea and the green of the hills dotted here and there with a few little houses; a stunning postcard that even the bad weather couldn't dim. Back from our buggy excursion we headed once again to the center for the usual pizza and after a short digestive walk it was time to return the vehicle. On foot again we made our way back, at a leisurely pace, to the posada to start packing since the next day we would be setting off again for new destinations. The following day, in the late afternoon, we boarded once again heading for Rio de Janeiro, a mandatory stopover for our next destination: Ouro Preto.