Last night we were about to get dinner, when Anderson asked us if we would like to go to a samba party! We thought about it, but knew we would not be able to communicate and we had no party clothes. So, we decided to be boring party poopers. Instead we went to Anderson’s house, adjoining the hotel, for beer and sushi. The evening passed in discussion mainly about world and Brazilian politics and Anderson’s belief that Brazil’s problems are mainly being caused by a change in women’s behaviour. They have become too independent!!!!
It had been lovely and cool when we first got up, but the sun quickly increased its intensity. Having said our goodbyes and thanked Anderson for his help yesterday, we set off in the direction of Brasilia.
Bela Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is another huge city and we had to cross it. All the Brazilian cities we have driven through, have wide 3 lane highways in both directions with no traffic lights. Although busy, the traffic was moving freely. We hoped being Sunday, there would be less trucks. No such luck, there were trucks by the dozen.
We kept following the motorway but realised we had somehow missed a turning. Not sure how, though as there was no signage for Brasilia. We quickly got back on track and looked for a supermarket. Pulling off into what looked like a shopping complex, we were met with an angry looking guard telling us we shouldn’t be there. It was a big distribution depot and industrial complex. Once in we couldn’t find our way out. Soon along came a guard on a motorcycle with a walkie talkie. He had obviously been told to escort us to the exit, which he did.
During the course of the day we passed three tolls. None were working. We’re not sure if travel is free on Sundays or if the tolls are being converterted from manual to electronic. We read that this is supposed to be happening in early 2025.
Unpleasant surprise
The road, the BR040, is terrible. It’s a rough ride. Many uneven patches where attempts have been made to fill potholes and many unexpected potholes. We were trundling along merrily, when suddenly “BANG”. The tyre we had repaired a couple of days ago had burst. Dennis said he thought a slight sway a few moments before, was the wind.
We wont have to worry about fixing that any more..:)
Stopped on the side of the road with trucks roaring past, wasn’t a nice place to be. The shredded tyre was smoking alarmingly. Dennis had to wait a bit for it to cool down before changing it. Not helped by the midday sun and the boiling hot tarmac on the road’s surface.
Once underway again, we looked for a place to stop for lunch, pulling into a huge car park beside a restaurant, where there were some shady trees. After this the road reduced to a single carriage way and traffic was less. We were out in the sticks. Not much of a scenic ride as there is thick vegetation on either roadside which you can’t see through or over.
Finding a camp!
There is very little camping on this road, but at Tres Marias, iOverlander showed 2 sites. One a private nautical club, which has apparently let some overlanders camp in the past and the other a municipal site, with a reputation for being very noisy, especially at weekends.
We tried the club first. The young lady receptionist told me we needed to be a member or be recommended by a member. I said we only wanted to stay overnight. A gentleman appeared and wanted to know where we were from. “New Zealand”. That seemed to help and after a lot of chat between him and the receptionist, we could stay for 60BRL’s each.
We were directed to a pitch. The club seemed pretty deserted. Across the water there was an awful lot of noise coming from the other campsite and from jet skis and banana boats out on the water. The pitch is stony, but Dennis managed to get the tent pegs in.
I’m not sure if the water we are beside is a lake or a reservoir. We are under trees and Dennis saw 3 little monkeys. They were very camera shy though. There are also large macaws flying around screeching. I hope the monkeys don’t try and invade the tent during the night searching for our rubbish bag.
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Tyres a priority methinks. Might have to settle for 2nd best. Maxxis Razor was a very tough tyre that I had on the old ute. Very heavy and thick walls. Not sure if they are around over there. Good luck.
Yes, thinking of all options. Brasilia should offer some solutions. There are Land Rovers here so there must be options.
Thank heavens for two spare wheels…:)