Surprise!
When I lifted the toilet seat in the bathroom this morning, I was taken by surprise, by two small frogs! One leapt out and hopped behind the sink the other swam down the toilet, never to be seen again. One never knows what to expect when camping in the wild.
Some sort of Reserve
RPPN Linda Serra dos Topazios is some sort of a reserve. The buildings we were camped next to were dormitories, with toilets and bathrooms and a large catering kitchen. There were posters depicting all the different types of birds, animals, plants and fruit that could be found and a map indicating where you could hike. There was a separate small kitchen and bathroom for campers. We had the place to ourselves, which was very pleasant.
We had to drive the 16kms back to the BR040 via the dirt road. The Brazilian soil is such a deep red colour. The track was pretty rough, but Poki coped admirably. Once back on the highway we continued through wide open countryside, where more crops were being harvested.
There is a campsite located in the city of Brasilia. It is attached to a sports club and uses their showers and toilets. I sent a WhatsApp message in advance asking if we could camp there and, fortunately, received a positive response.
As we approach the purpose built capital city, which took Rio’s place as the capital in 1960, the traffic became heavier. Brazilian drivers do have a habit of cutting in and constantly changing lanes. The city is known for its wide avenues and green spaces.
Brasilia and its Iconic Buildings
We pulled into some parking under shady trees at the Military Cathedral, another Oscar Niemeyer design. Here we catch up with correspondence, not having any signal at the campsite this morning, and also have lunch.
Deciding next to do some sightseeing from Poki, as the city is very spread out with its wide boulevards and so much green space. The city was designed in the shape of an aircraft, with most of the iconic buildings in what would be the cockpit area. There are many water features. Fountains and water cascading down the side of buildings.
We stop and watch the ceremonial guard marching down to the National Congress, another Niemeyer design. The grand urban plan for Brasilia was produced by Lucio Costa, Oscar Niemeyer was the principle architect and Roberto Burle Marx was the landscape designer. Brasilia’s urban planning design has been an example and universal reference to architects and urban planners ever since.
National Congress
The National Congress building, the Palace of Justice and the Itamaraty Palace, which houses the Ministry of the Exterior, three of the most important buildings, are all quite close. We park for a while, so we can see them all.
Itamaraty Palace
We also pass the very different Metropolitan Cathedral
Metropolitan Cathedral
Tonight’s Camp
The campsite tonight is, as I mentioned earlier, at a sports club. It is, obviously, a very popular venue, particularly in the evenings when it is cooler. There are all sorts of courts for tennis, basketball etc. We are the only campers here, but we are surrounded by lines of cars. I’m sure they will all be gone by the time we go to bed.
Tyres
Dennis has found a very helpful young man, Rafael, at the sports club who speaks good English. He is helping Dennis try and find some tyres that will fit Poki. Not B F Goodrich, that is too much to hope for, but another brand, Brutus, locally made. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.
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