1 September: yesterday was a long day in the car, only finishing around 5pm and today even longer. After 3 hours we got to Porto Velho and went in search of a shopping mall to try draw Brazilian Reals and find a cellphone shop to get a local SIM card. It took a while but thanks to receiving the CPF via email we got sorted.. Grabbed lunch in the food court before heading out for more hours on the road. It is super-hot, we are experiencing 38Deg inside Mr J but thankfully the last 2 afternoons the heat has been broken by a massive thunderstorm.
2 September: Had a really quiet night in the gas station last night, as it closes at night so not that popular with truckers, then put in a solid day of driving with just a 45 min break for lunch. Pulled into another gas station on outskirts of Vilhena. We are getting closer to the Pantanal, about 650km to go. No thunderstorm today but a nice cooling breeze tonight. You know it’s bad when you think 28Deg c after dark is cooler…
4 September: Today is 355 days since our fire and disastrous breakdown 48 hours on the train-panteneira and this time we made it to the end.
5 September: As it is so hot here and not much to do around camp, initially we had thought to try and get on a Jaguar boat trip asap but as we are hoping to share the boat costs we decided to take a rest day and see if anyone else pitches up that we can share with. In the end the day wasn’t too hot and unbearable and the rest was very much needed after many days of just driving in super-hot weather and slow roads (5 days and 3000km).
6 September: Still landed up doing boat trip on our own but in fact it was probably a good/nice thing as we didn’t have to worry about accommodating others, so we could stop for all the birds and just have a chilled time as our boat driver was a super chilled and sweet old guy – no English but our Portuguese understanding has definitely improved..
7 September: The drive out from Porto Jofre seemed long and hard today as it was very hot and the corrugations got tiresome. Stopped in Cuiaba to do laundry at a self-service spot and got to enjoy 90minutes of air conditioning while we waited – sheer bliss.
9 September: Took another rest day, as we need to kill time until we need to be in Brasilia and the campsite outside town is very pleasant with super sweet owners who brought us freshly made cake mid-morning and then invited us for lunch. Great little swim in the river, in the afternoon as it is super super hot – 35+
10 September: Woke up to a flat tyre today and then got irritated with the help from the owner. Not his fault but sometime over eagerness is irritating and can lead to doing things wrong – this is when not being able to communicate is a pain. Then did a long day of driving, compounded by making a detour to some mineral pools we stayed at last year and loved but this time didn’t feel the same energy especially with regards their pricing model which would work out a nearly R500 a night to camp with basic facilities. So, moved on and tried another spot which turned into a bust and eventually just headed for a truck stop
12 September: Back to Pirenopolis and the campsite we ended up visiting 3 times last year as we bounced back and forth to Brasilia with car issues.
16 September: After 4 days of chilling in Pirenopolis we hit the road for Brasilia today, what should have been an easy 3 hours somehow left us shattered at the end. Having a very disturbed sleep last night didn’t help, then we seemed to mission around trying to find an attacado in Brasilia so instead of arriving at the lake at 1:30, we got there at 3:30 and hadn’t yet had lunch. Followed all this up with chatting until midnight with a Swiss couple that parked next to us, was a nice evening but further contributed to the tiredness..
21 September: It has been a productive few days in Brasilia. Unfortunately we were not successful with applying for a visa for French Guiana due to timing but at least that also clarifies the route we will take through Brazil. After collecting Mr. J we made a big drive south, original plan was to stop after 150km but we didn’t find any gas stations that appealed and so ended up doing 300km for the day
23 September: We have pushed really hard the last few days as we crossed the state of Minais Gerais to get to the coast, driving until just before sunset each day. Pulled into camp today, 15 minutes after the kickoff for the massive World Cup clash of Springboks v Ireland and had decent Wi-Fi so got to watch a nail biting game which sadly we lost.
24 September: a quick recap of the last 30 days – we have driven over 6000km from the high Andes to the Amazon basin and then across Brazil to get to the coast, from freezing temps to upper 40’s. In between we have had 1 week off in Pirenopolis and 4 days off in Brasilia while having Mr J serviced, and a few “rest days” in and around the Pantanal.
28 September: 5 days since we arrived at the coast has flown by, weather hasn’t been fantastic with lots of wind but its just good to be stationary and on the beach. Stuart’s only managed one surf so far because the wind is messing the waves up but we have put the downtime to good use, ticking off a number of small but important “to-do’s” on the job list which accumulates when you travel lots.
29 September: Wind was calmer today, so tried to grab a surf in the morning at low tide but the rip was quite difficult and this break doesn’t suit low tide. Had a second attempt around height tide and caught a few pearlers 🙂
30 September: Another great afternoon in the surf, catching some great waves. It has been a little frustrating with the wind earlier in the week but the patience has been worth it the last couple of days.