It is not just a story about travel, but about overcoming.

by Caroline Queiroz da Costa (Brazil)

A leap into the unknown Brazil

My fiance and I decided to move from Rio de Janeiro to São Luís - MA for work reasons, and we thought it better to drive to São Luís, taking advantage of the beauties of the coast. Busy with the setbacks of the move, we hadn't paid attention to one detail: My fiance's driver's license was about to expire, and we found it expired on the day of the trip. I, who had just been through a trauma from a car accident, had to take over driving and that was the way. I plunged deep into this mission. We left Rio de Janeiro at 5 am, very early ... I remember that I passed by Reserva beach saying goodbye to the wonderful city and started to cry, a film of my story went through my head. We were traveling along the coast and seeing the wonders of Brazil that we didn't know yet. The road full of cacti at sunset looked like a very beautiful western movie! We passed by Espírito Santo where we saw a Monastery. We continue to Sergipe, Pernambuco, Piauí and especially Bahia, which is a place we love. We stayed in Arraial D’ajuda, which is a small town next to Trancoso, very touristy, rustic, with a lot of crafts and northeastern food. There is a street with only gastronomy and bars that is crowded at night. We also stopped to eat in another small town in Bahia called Gandu. It had a very organized square with colorful light trains, music playing and families gathered over snacks. We ate a sandwich and drank a Cocoa juice with Fruta do Conde designed by my fiancé and promptly executed by the cafeteria attendant with great love. We followed the road again towards Feira de Santana to sleep. Another city we loved was Aracaju, in Sergipe, where we were being anxiously awaited by my aunt who lives there with a hearty lunch table. We stayed there for two days, it was enough to replenish the energy. We love Aracaju, a tropical, beautiful and welcoming city! The road was a little bumpy and full of traffic, so I had to drive at night to reach my destination. I confess that I was scared, many trucks at high speed, a lot of fog, sometimes I couldn't see anything, but I remained firm and strong. My fiancé gave me all the support and was very eager to drive too, but we knew it was not possible. I remained focused and surprised with myself. When we arrived in Picos in Piauí, almost at the end of the trip, we were already very tired. I had already driven some 3,000 kilometers in total, I didn't even feel my legs anymore. But I was so happy to have overcome this trauma and to have made such a trip that it is the dream of many. Finally we went to São Luís - Ma, called Ilha do amor (island of Love), founded by the French, and which would now be our new home. This time, already firmly behind the wheel, I drove 12 hours almost non-stop to the island. We arrived in São Luís to the sound of the theme of Ayrton Senna's victory, loudly. It was a victory!