Onward to Morretes, Brazil

Luck was with me when I found myself sitting next to a group of three who spoke English and were kind enough to include me in their group for the trip duration. Jeffrey, Yao, and Roberto (top right), met when they all worked for Microsoft in Seattle. Roberto is back, living in Sao Paulo and served as tour guide for his friends on this trip. It was a treat talking to him and getting his perspective, especially with his experiences in both the US and Brazil. The remainder of the trip was filled with everyone on the train taking pictures of each other during the times we waited for the rain to stop. It amuses me to think that I'm in the background of over 20 pictures in family albums throughout Brazil, (unless they have photoshop).
The tent in the picture bottom left was a prevalent site. The clearings were packed with campers on their climbs up the surrounding mountains. Finally, bottom right, shows that horseback is still the transportation of choice for many of the folks along the way.
Next stop - the picturesque town of Morretes and a traditional Brazilian meal.
Happy trails until then.