Day 174 - Nova Friburgo

Next, we stopped in Petrópolis, an absolute goldmine if you were into hand-painted ceramic tiles. Tiles were sold individually or already fitted into serving plates and furniture. It was fabulous - not something I wanted to miss. Our camper didn't have much room, but I couldn't resist buying five small treasures as a souvenir.

Once we got to Nova Friburgo, we were amazed by its location and the proximity to the mountains. Some of the homes resembled indeed those in the Swiss town of Fribourg. We shopped in a supermarket and didn't expect to meet Swiss people.

Then a boy heard us talk Swiss and said his parents were from Switzerland. We asked him if there was a campground in the area. He said there was one and showed us the way, racing ahead on his kid's bicycle.

The campground was very upscale, with showers and everything, with a fee of $11 per person - a little too steep for our budget!

We decided not to stay. The boy insisted we follow him to his parent's home. The Kern family allowed us to camp in their front yard. Mr. Kern was the managing director of a cotton spinning/weaving factory. His wife was Austrian-super nice people. They invited us into their home, and in the evening, Mr. Kern put on a slideshow of places they had visited in Brazil. Oh my god ... there is so much to see in this country!

Stats: Miles 204, Expenses $24.01Read more