Friday, Nov 9^th: Richard and Tania guided us north on the Rota Romântica to Gramado, a German village famous for it’s chocolate and Christmas celebrations. After another HUGE buffet lunch, this time $3.50/pp, we strolled around the tourist town, watching them build Christmas Village, complete with a 3’ tall train that would circle the village of make believe. Richard and Tania headed back to PA, and we continued up the road to Canela, where we found a beautiful campground, virtually empty.

Saturday, Nov 10^th: Went up the road to the Caracol National Park, with beautiful forestry, a large canyon, and a famous 130 meter water fall surrounded by intense green vegetation. We parked the bikes and climbed down 947 steps to the bottom of the falls. Our thighs were quivering, so we sat for awhile at the bottom, enjoying nature’s beauty. The expedition back up the stairs – you might just call it a climb – was hard work, and we took full advantage of the many benches that were provided every so often. It’s amazing how out of shape we felt! Fortunately, the other tourists were struggling too! On the way up we saw a furáo, which is a long-nosed raccoon, and several large iguanas. We arrived back at our tent around lunchtime, exhausted, just before the sky opened up with a rain that would last until the following morning. In the afternoon we took refuge under the caravan awning of Fabriani and Daniela, a terrific couple from Porto Alegre. The four of us went to town for a pizza rodizio (all you can eat), serving 60 different types of pizza, including some terrific desert pizzas! The slices are (thankfully) thin and narrow, but we still managed to gorge ourselves, again for only $4/pp.

Sunday, Nov 11^th: Woke to the tap-tap-tap of rain drops still pelting against our tent. The ground outside was soaked, and we peered outside to make sure the bikes had not fallen over in the soft ground. They were OK. Everything inside the tent was damp, and our plans for an early rise for a ride to explore the area some more was cancelled.

Around 2pm, the sky began to show signs of blue, and the sun fought a desperate effort to paint the dark ground with strokes of yellow. We said farewell to Fabriani and Daniela, and went into town to pick up some supplies.  Sunset and the sky were purple and pink – we’re hoping for a dry night tonight!

Monday, Nov 12^th:  Hurrah!  The night was full of stars, and the morning full of sun streaks, scattered across the ground.  We packed the tent and gear, paid our fee of $3.50 for each of the 3 nights, and headed out east -- the long way to Porto Alegre.  One of the gang last Wednesday suggested a scenic gravel route back, through Sáo Fransisco do Paula/Riohzinho/Rolante.  It was a beautiful ride over some slightly agressive rocky terrain, lined with beautiful hydrangea.  It was hard work at times, but the views of majestic hills and water falls were certainly worth it! 

We're back in Porto Alegre where we'll hang out for the remainder of the week.