A port, my kingdom for a port
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Porto Velho,
Brazil
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Flocks of shimmering green parrots seem to be playing with us as they flew just fast enough to keep in front of us until suddenly they darted off and disappeared. The morning sun sheds it's light on the birds', illuminating colours; bright reds, greens, yellows, blues. Everyday parrots, macaws, toucans and others fly across our path, keeping us busily oohing and aahing.
We drive away from the pantanal and find the shortcut to the northbound highway without difficulty. This road finds us on rolling terrain that takes us past many "fazendas", the Brazilian name for farms. It's so nice to take the less used road, even though it's inevitably harder on the car; it is always full of the real people and we see the land how it really is. No tourists came here today, or perhaps, this decade. Smiling happy people wave and smile at us at every gate, probably we're just as much entertainment as tv for them.
Speaking of tv, there are different satellite dishes here, and they point directly up into the sky, so are not made of solid metal as one would see in all the other countries but are a grid-like affair (they would certainly be birdbaths very quickly if they solid). Strangely, Brazilians don't spend a lot of time watching tv anyway, from what we saw. Perhaps they just simply enjoy real life more? Of course, we weren't in big cities, where certainly tv will dominate, and control, society.
The road north is not as congested with heavy truck traffic, and is a little more pleasant to drive than the heavily used south. Still, it's a smallish highway from which the entire economy is supplied, by these same trucks.
we drive long days, and stop at the enormous truck stops for the nights. Amazingly and surprisingly (once you get used to the noise) they are actually perfect for camping at, and indeed present the only choice for camping travellers, such as ourselves. Clean washrooms, free showers, good food, and secure shaded parking are the norm. Many have bbq facilities, and separate areas for cars and trucks. It's not all heavenly though; refrigerated trucks have motor driven coolers that run all night.... a bit loud for a restful sleep, Sometimes we had to move. And of course, they all start their big motors at 6am.
Fuel is getting more costly the further north we go, and we really hope that it peaks BEFORE it reaches the magic "2$/litre" mark. Actually, it never did, and peaked at 1.92$ (CDN).
More truck stops later, we find it's getting hotter and more humid daily. We're more or less heading straight north at 500km/day, so the equator isn't far off now. We are beginning to see poorer towns, with more horses and carts, and bicycles everywhere. Kilns for the local ceramic businesses abound.
Eventually, there is Porto Velho, and a chance to find new rear springs for the broken ones, and a barge north.
Comments
Pink People
You found pink people. Glad to see your in civilization. Did they communicate with you?