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Brazil
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'''Brazil''' is a country in [[South America]]. It has a border with every country on the continent except [[Chile]] and [[Ecuador]]. Brazil is a huge country and [[hitchhiking]] depends a lot on the area as to how receptive people will be and your chances in getting rides. Some Brazilians consider their country violent and dangerous, in part due to the media's love of seizing stories and exaggerating them.
In Brazil, hitchhiking is referred to as ''pegar uma carona'', taking a ride. On roadsides, care must be taken because of the erratic ways of Brazilian motorists. Many use the slip lanes to overtake traffic or swerve to allow others past.
== Regions ==
Brazil needs to be taken with caution but hitchhiking is doable in every area except within greater [[São Paulo]], as you are overshadowed by the volumes of traffic. On roadsides, care must be taken because of the erratic ways of Brazilian motorists. Many use the slip lanes to overtake traffic or swerve to allow others past. Areas like the Amazon and Pantanal backlands are much easier when asking on road sides and at [[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol stations]]. Areas with just one national highway are much easier for reaching your destination. Put your mind to it and it's very possible to cover a little over 300 kilometer daily or more depending on area. North East may be trickier as there are less cars and peoples fear of ''bandidos'' but when you get someone they will be talkative and friendly. [[File:Guaka-hitch-brazil.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[User:Guaka|guaka]] ([[User talk:Guaka|talk]]) hitching to [[Rio]], 2012]]Hitchhiking on the interstate highway is even easier. Interstates highway have different names, depending on the state you are in. For example, if you are in the state of Santa Catarina, the interstate highways are read as SC. They are called in portuguese as the Rodovia do Estado. There is less traffic on these highways, so hitchhiking is easier. And you get more rides on private vehicles, rather then trucks. The national highways are shown as BR. Hitchhiking here is pretty hard according to some, fairly easy according to others ([[User:Guaka|guaka]] ([[User talk:Guaka|talk]]) on BR-101 in RJ and ES). The best way to get rides, is to talk to truck drivers at the Petrol Station or the Posto BR as locals would call them.
In the south (Rio Grande Do Sul) drivers hardly stop on the roadside if you are only using your thumb (even if it seems to be a perfect hitching spot). [[User:Balazs|Balazs]] would suggest to always use a sign on roadsides (but generally, don't hitch there, try as hard as possible to get to the petrol stations.). At the stations, he was almost always taken if the driver was going in his direction and the car was not full.
== Sleep ==If you look like a foreigner you might consider going to a hostel or stay with a [http://www.bewelcome.org/ local host]. There are lots of homeless crackheads in major cities these days. In rural areas, if you say you have nowhere to stay they will often offer you a spot in their house and good hearty Brazilian food (which is often rice, beans and corn porridge in some areas, or roasted cassava flour to eat with the beans, very energetic and delicious, and sometimes chicken or meat - if you are a vegetarian say you don't like meat, if you just say you don't want they will think you're shy and put on your plate anyways, and if you don't want the food say you are very full and they will stop insisting). Small villages are great for camping and police will rarely bother you, unless it is a touristic area. Avoid setting up a tent in big cities; if you have no money and don't know a concealed spot, sleep in bus stations or in the open air. Gas stations can be good places to sleep. In the north, truckers usually set up their hammocks behind the station and you can sleep next to them (there are usually free showers too). Further to the south, people are not using hammocks much, and [[User:Sebastienhh|Sebastienhh]] and his travel companion often found themselves the only ones sleeping there, but security would ask if they intended on spending the night and then regularly come to check that they were OK. As in many countries in Latin America, firemen will often put you up on a bunk or sofa for a night if you ask nicely. =Cities = Cities ==
* [[Aracaju]]
* [[Belo Horizonte]]
* [[Vitória]]
== Personal Roadways == === Backcountry ===Areas like the Amazon and Pantanal backlands are much easier when asking on road sides and at [[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol stations]]. Areas with just one national highway are much easier for reaching your destination. Put your mind to it and it's very possible to cover a little over 300 kilometer daily or more depending on area. North East may be trickier as there are less cars and peoples fear of ''bandidos'' but when you get someone they will be talkative and friendly. The [[transamazonian highway]] (transamazônica) - a long stretch of potholes and mud through the amazon jungle - is one of the most incredible hitchhiking experiences and highly recommendable! === Highways ===[[File:Guaka-hitch-brazil.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[User:Guaka|guaka]] ([[User talk:Guaka|talk]]) hitching to [[Rio]], 2012]]Hitchhiking on the interstate highway is even easier. Interstates highway have different names, depending on the state you are in. For example, if you are in the state of Santa Catarina, the interstate highways are read as SC-###. They are called "Rodovia do Estado" (state highways) in Portugese. There is less traffic on these highways, so hitchhiking is easier. You get more rides on private vehicles, rather then trucks. The national highways are shown as BR-###. Hitchhiking here is pretty hard according to some, fairly easy according to others ([[User:Guaka|guaka]] ([[User talk:Guaka|talk]]) on BR-101 in RJ and ES). The best way to get rides, is to talk to truck drivers at the Petrol Station or the Posto BR as locals would call them. == Maps ==[[File:Brazil highways.jpg|thumb|300px]][http://www.br.map24.com/ map24] was a useful online route planner for Brazil and the rest of South America. [http://www.guiamais.com.br/ruas GuiaMais] is another great website with maps and route planning for Brazil only. As of 2012 Google maps is pretty decent for Brazil. Guia Quatro Rodas publishes a great road map of Brazil. Available at some gas stations for R$13. == Sleep ==A personal story If you look like a foreigner you might consider going to a hostel or stay with a [http://www.bewelcome.org/ local host]. There are lots of homeless crackheads in major cities these days. In rural areas, if you say you have nowhere to stay they will often offer you a spot in their house and good hearty Brazilian 20 year old girl hitchhiking alonefood (which is often rice, beans and corn porridge in some areas, or roasted cassava flour to eat with the beans, very energetic and delicious, and sometimes chicken or meat - if you are a vegetarian say you don't like meat, if you just say you don't want they will think you're shy and put on your plate anyways, and if you don't want the food say you are very full and they will stop insisting). Small villages are great for camping and police will rarely bother you, unless it is a touristic area. Avoid setting up a tent in big cities; if you have no money and don't know a concealed spot, sleep in bus stations or in the open air. Gas stations can be good places to sleep. In the north, truckers usually set up their hammocks behind the station and you can sleep next to them (there are usually free showers too). Further to the south, people are not using hammocks much, and [[User:Sebastienhh|Sebastienhh]] and his travel companion often found themselves the only ones sleeping there, but security would ask if they intended on spending the night and then regularly come to check that they were OK.
* ''Something I learned as a woman hitchhiking through Brazil alone is that certain highways (I heard it was mostly on the BR 116, Rio-Salvador, for example) have women that are highway prostitutes that wait to be picked up on the side of the road. Traveling with truck drivers alone I also learned that many of them pick up hitchhikers that also become lovers, mostly locals from smaller towns who wait on the highways to leave town and go on an adventure. But it is usually easier to tell the difference between hitchhikers and women wanting rides for sex, and of course communication is important. I think it's important to know that these incidents are common because you understand where people are coming from when the subject arises. I never had problems with males drivers and truck drivers but I have definitely had them ask for sex, the program ("not even with a condom?" yuck...), what not. I think being clear with drivers before is important and making sure you feel safe is important too. But again, I hitched almost 5000 km alone in Brazil, no problem, it is incredibly liberating and easy! Go adventure! :) '' -[[User:Yayael|Yaya]]
==Links==
* [https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/viewer?mid=zp9crAsPGb2s.kP_S4APpoKLY Brazilian hitchhikers/tramps on the map]
* [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/caroneirosdebeiradeestrada Brazilian hitchhikers mailing list]
*[[nomad:Brazil]]
*[[trash:Brazil]]
*[[visa:Brazil]]
{{States Brazil}}
[[fr:Brésil]]
[[pt:Brasil]]