Day 561 1st February 2018
40 miles (Campos dos Goytacazes to Quissama) Average speed 10 mph Top speed 26 mph
I got up at 7.30 and had brekkie of toasted ham and cheese sarnies with cake and melon and coffee. I left at 10.30 after lots of packing and a shower. I hit the main road and cruised for the first 10 miles to the turn off, where I had a Fanta at a garage and then it was country lanes and farmland for the next hour.
Countryside and farmland
I had lunch in a tiny village of three banana cakes and another Fanta. Then things took on a different angle for the next hour or so as the 2 miles of cobbled stones out of the village turned into sand for the next 7 miles.
Sandy roads
I did my research this time on google maps but it certainly didn’t show these roads on street map. This time the sand was wet and there were big puddles across the whole track which meant I had no choice but to get the wheels caked in sand and grit as I navigated the best way through.
Caked wheels
There were ruts and thick sand to negotiate and it turned out to be a tough afternoon. Once I got to the river and a bridge across it with lots of people fishing the road returned to tarmac and things improved. The colours of the varying green fields were very vivid with lots of cows and horses to talk to! It was still tough though as I was now going straight into a headwind.
When I arrived at the junction to turn right, I didn’t ponder very long on whether to carry on or stop the night in the town of Quissamã four miles along the road. It was a bit of an easy decision as the next town would be about 20 miles.
As I arrived in town it was surprising how many beautiful girls there were compared to other places and it felt like a good place to live.
Dancing in the street
People were happy and friendly. I found a tourist office and asked for recommendations for a pousada and was directed to this one.
Pousada Quissamã 80 reais