São Paulo

From Hitchwiki
Revision as of 09:38, 4 April 2009 by (talk)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

São Paulo is the capital of the state which bears the same name. It is the largest city in Brazil with over 20 million people inhabiting the metropolitan area. Partly because of this, the city presents difficulties in gaining rides to the place you want to go. To make life easier you may be able to get buses out of the city but trains are generally a cheaper option then using a local bus in that locality to locate the freeways and the petrol stations. Paulistas aren't the most open people to hitch hikers indeed in Brazil it's not too common. Truckdrivers are generally a better bunch to ask and will be usually going further in terms of distance. There are generally 2 freeways that head in principle directions due to the large volumes of traffic. The state of São Paulo has over 40 million inhabitants and statistically responsible for around 40% of the countries GDP.

To Interior of São Paulo State, Brasilia & Goiania

Make your way to Jundiai by train. From the centre of Sao Paulo go to Luz Station and get the A train. The fare is around R$ 2.60 Once you get to Jundiai station you will need to walk or get a bus through the city to either one of the Rodovias Anchieta or Bandeirantes. Their is a posto de gasolina and truck stop a little north of the city on the Rodovia Anchieta. Lunchtime is good to find a caminhoneiro (truckdriver) if not there are always truckdrivers trying to fix their trucks. Have a map on you so you familiarise yourself with the many cities in the area when asking for lifts.


To Rio de Janeiro

There again exist two freeways (rodovias) out of Sao Paulo in the direction of Rio de Janeiro. One is Presidente Dutra which heads closer to the Airport near Guarulhos, along here there are many posto de gasolina. For something different head to the Ceasa (Truck Depot) in Guarulhos. From here its possible to get a truck anywhere in Brazil, the size of the place is overwhelming at first. "I had to sleep in the Ceasa waiting for the one truck going to the Bolivian border but the truckies looked after us and we had free showers and food" - two anonymous hitchiking friends

To Belo Horizonte