Last March I moved to Bauru, a midsize city in the state of Sao Paulo (Brazil is a federative republic divided into 27 states, by the way). By the time, I had lived in the country for about five months so I had already experienced the tragedy of the national public transport. City buses are limited, unreliable and baking hot so as much as it is possible, one tries to avoid using them. For most, the alternative to the nerving city bus system is a car. For some, the alternative is a bicycle. I decided to join the few and bought a bike. The new two-wheels friend (called Wendy) was a gift from heaven and a way to hell at the same time.
Why a way to hell? Brazil is unreliable in many different ways but one. You can be nearly sure that either you’re going to have a scorching day with heat that pushes limits of survivable temperatures, or you’re going to have heavy showers that nearly prevent you from seeing what is in front of you. In the first case, there is a high risk of dehydration and sunburn if you cycle. In the second, you nearly risk drowning.
Next to the weather conditions, there is also a problem with the nation’s obsession with cars. They simply LOVE them. Cities and their infrastructure are usually designed to satisfy this passion and little space is left for cyclists. It means not only that it is rare to find bike routes, but also that cyclists are not respected on the road. Cars do not overtake bikes with a safe distance as a common sense rules. They simply go as if they were the only ones on the road making your heart beat twice as fast. I believe that cycling in this country is one of the most dangerous activities you can possibly engage in.
On the other hand, my new hobby proved to have many unexpected positive side effects. Despite all the difficulties, there is actually quite a strong cycling culture. It is visible mainly at the weekends when the traffic is not as strong. But even that is great. Thanks to Wendy I met lots of cool people of the same interest which was also a great way to integrate into the local community. Every weekend I can feel that I’m part of a group. We all love cycling and that’s what unites us. I’m not the stranger or the different one anymore.
In addition, life with Wendy feels more secure in a certain way (let’s forget about the cars for a while). Walking on a street at night can be very unpleasant. Guys shout at girls, whistle at them, make comments about their physical looks and so on. Although none of that is particularly dangerous, it is extremely uncomfortable. But Wendy is there to help. My fast companion can get me through the streets quicker than anyone can realize my presence so together we manage to escape all the discomfort.
Bicycle also enabled me to get to beautiful places around Bauru which would not be reachable by public transport. Every weekend I can easily run away from the noise and pollution of the city and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the countryside. (Due to the heavy traffic, Brazilian cities are extremely noisy. The thing that struck me most when I went home for summer was how quite the capital of my country was. Imagine, if I consider Prague quite compared to Bauru, how noisy it must be here!)
I would say that cycling is on its rise here. There’s a lot that needs to be done before people can fully enjoy this great mean of transportation, but I can see that things are improving. For example, I was very happy to learn that you can actually get your bike on a bus without much hassle (that might be a problem in many European countries). If needed, you can even hitch a ride with your bicycle. And finally, I was very pleased to find that there are also some longer distance cycling trails with signposts there are reasonably easy to follow.
Teach in Brazil 