It was a beautiful morning at 6.30 when I emerged from the Caranex. Completely still and absolutely silent. After breakfast, Dennis was completing his blog, when along came Ricardo, the campsite owner. Ricardo is an overlander himself, having driven a Jeep, towing a caravan, all the way south from Toronto 15months ago. The caravan is parked at the campsite. Ricardo lived in Boston and Toronto, so speaks fluent English. The campsite it well equipped and in a lovely quiet environment.
The first thing Ricardo mentioned to us was that we had a flat tyre. The rear tyre with a slow puncture, was completely flat this morning. Before we could proceed anywhere, Dennis had to change the wheel. There was a small nail in it. The plan was to drive into Ouro Preto to sightsee. However, before setting off we walked down to the waterfall, next to the campsite.
Tyre Repair
Driving into Ouro Preto we came across a tyre repair shop, so we stopped to mend the punctured tyre. It turned out not to be the tiny hole which has been causing the slow puncture, but the nail, that had caused today’s flat. Why that particular tyre should always suffer, I don’t know. Holes mended after about 30 minutes, now to paying the bill. 30 Reals. I couldn’t believe it. About £4 or NZ$10.
Sightseeing in Ouro Preto
Now we could proceed with sightseeing. Ouro Preto was founded at the end of the 17th century. Ouro Preto means Black Gold. It was the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil’s golden age in the 18th century. With the exhaustion of the gold in the 19th century, the city’s influence declined, but many of the impressive buildings, churches, bridges and fountains, remain as a testimony to its past prosperity.
The streets are narrow and cobble stoned. Some are extremely steep. There are more than 20 churches scattered over the hillsides. I was concerned parking would be problematic. It was. The city was very busy with tourists and parking was a nightmare. Several times we thought we could park, but were politely advised we couldn’t stop where we were.
Problem with our Brakes
We have encountered a problem. When changing the tyre, Dennis noticed that the rear brake pads were severely worn. Having driven around the city and been unable to park, we decided we would cut our losses and head towards Belo Horizonte. Once out of Ouro Preto we looked for a place to stop for lunch. Braking produced a horrible grinding noise from the rear. We’re scraping the rear brake rotor on the left side.
When we arrived at the next town we stopped at a garage to see if they had brake pads. No luck, but the very helpful mechanic said he thought he knew where we could get them. He said he would show us the way, so we followed him up into the cobbled back streets to a parts supplier. Unfortunately, he didn’t have brake pads either.
Time was getting on and we had anticipated camping north of Belo Horizonte. Traffic was heavy and the road conditions not helpful to our predicament. Constantly having to slow for sleeping policemen or speed bumps, and descending steep hills. We decided there was no way we would get to the camping before dark and so we looked for a motel.
Motel outside Belo Horizonte
We have found one in the outskirts of Belo Horizonte. It isn’t luxurious. All rooms only have 2 single beds. The owner wanted 250 Reals, but we bargained him down to 200, including breakfast. We’ve pushed the beds together and are using our bedding, so it’s acceptable. We had dinner in the adjoining restaurant. Another one of these buffets where they weigh your plate and charge per kilo. The food, unfortunately, always looks better than it tastes and it’s always cold.
Belo Horizonte is the 6th largest city in Brazil, the metropolitan area having a population of 6 million. It is the capital of the state of Minas Gerais. It is the first planned modern city in Brazil. The state of Minas Gerais is famous for being rich in minerals and has the third largest GDP among Brazilian states, due to its mining activities. The most important minerals are iron ore, bauxite and gold. The gemstone, tourmaline, is also mined here, only being found in Brazil.
Carolyn, do you remember Geography A Level lessons with Miss Brooker. I remember her teaching us about Belo Horizonte and mineral production in the state of Minas Gerais. I can remember her being really excited about the new, purpose built capital city in Brasilia. It would only have been a few years old then, having been completed in 1960.
Tomorrow we will have to continue our brake pad hunt. Unfortunately it’s the weekend, so we are hoping there will still be garages open.
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