As a little girl, I remember, I saw a photo in a magazine of a statue of a girl sitting with her suitcase overlooking the ocean. I didn’t know who she was or why she was staring at the ocean in such a beautiful-sad stature. Never knowing that I would someday sit on her lap and look at the ocean with her, I tore out that picture and kept it somewhere.
After we had enough of Rio’s never-ending heat, noise and over-crowded waters, we ran into a fellow South African who told us about Búzios. Again, we didn’t plan it, but it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We took a bus from Rio to Búzios, without knowing what to expect or what we will find.
Búzios is a small town about two hours from Rio. Once the preserve of pirates and slave traders, then popularized by legendary movie star Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s, a quiet fishing village, now luring peace-seekers away from busy Rio.
Brigitte Bardot had come to Rio de Janeiro with her Brazilian boyfriend but could not leave his apartment without being followed by the paparazzi. The couple escaped to Buzios. While she was there, she fell in love with the town - so much that she stayed for months longer than she planned, and returned often for vacation.
Her statue sits along the main street of Búzios, the Rua das Pedras (Street of stones), overlooking the ocean and the beautiful sunsets.
Búzios is a hidden gem, a treasure. And Brigitt Bardotts saw it and showed it to the world and to me: Fishing boats resting on clear blue waters, fishermen statues pulling ropes along the horizon, beautiful, calm beaches. The best way to explore the curving shore of Búzios is to rent a buggy. Exploring the cobble streets and coastline can be tricky, (use a map!), we got lost quite a lot. It is a paradise once you find the beach. "Mielies" (corn cobs), cashew nuts and coconuts are being sold on the beach by locals on "stalls on wheels" which are very cute. Seafood and beer are a treat to enjoy at the “restaurants” (tables and chairs on the sand) on the beach. We found a room on the street overlooking the ocean with a local family. I remember the woman quite clearly as she had a small room in which she painted Mandalas. The most beautiful ones I've ever seen. She didn't ask us much for the room, and for the location and cleanliness it was a great place to stay. Therefor I would not recommend hotels or even hostels for this little town. Try the locals!
Búzios was our last stop in our South American journey and rounded it up in a magical and peaceful way. We kept prolonging our stay as we fell more and more in love with Búzios until it was really time to go back, otherwise we would have missed our flight.
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