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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Southern Brazil

Headed to airport cargo terminal for our long waited equipment on Monday morning. Port Logistics was also there and we started the process of waiting. I counted eight interactions in total with officials. Luckily, with help of Bianca and Andre officials were friendly. They accepted my list of used equipment with marginal prices and calculated the fee smaller than expected. At 15:00 we had our stuff and just stacked it into the car to a big pile. Started our drive out of Rio, coastal road towards Sao Paolo. Rio treated us for good-bye yet another 39 Celsius in the suburb.

Coastal road offers nice views and lower temperatures.

For motorcycle travelers this is the road to go. Curvy, good asphalt, and not obscured views to the bays and sea. Every next bay offers something new, either pretty yacht harbor or ship dock or factory or just beach. Temperature was moderate 28-32 Celsius. Our goal was to find nice camping to lay our equipment around the car and re-pack it sensibly in again. Close to Paraty we found the campsite. In rural village, surrounded with horses one side goose the other and chickens the third. As Peeter said: "I met a horse on the street. It was followed by a barking dog. There was nobody else. This is real countryside" We were only visitors in campsite, so it was excellent place for our re-packing, finalized next day afternoon.

Cozy campsite with no other car than Amphibear.

Now we had courage to set our destination to a distance. So we set it to Foz city, close to Iguacu Falls. To our surprise GPS guided us not back but ahead of small village road. Road headed to hills. Car started to overheat. Air conditioning stopped working. Then asphalt road ended and gravel continued. Then gravel ended and pure rocks and holes continued. And then road construction on the way. But roadside with most diverse jungle we have seen so far. After every few kilometers we stopped to let the car cool down a bit. And then waiting two times for road builders to free the road. Good for the overheated engine and gearbox but bad for our planned distances. Finally at the top of coastal mountains height was 1500 m and temperature was welcomed 24 Celsius. Landscape offered pleasant views to forests and farms.

Waiting for road did take some time, but was useful to cool the engine

Views across the mountains were pleasant and restful

To overheating problem there was added strange noise from front right wheel. Roadside under the car crawling's did not resolve this tingle-tangle. As late afternoon already we decided to look for campsite for repairing the front wheel. By roadside sign we found one. Road to it was more like old riverbed and campsite gate too low for Amphibear. No problem, the host dug out part of fence and we drove in. If last place was rural village, then this one was pure nature. We stopped between ponds and frog concert for free for all night. Car repair was simple, just loose wheel-cap inside of cover cap. For variety I slept in car, but temperature 32 was too much for comfortable sleep, so I listened to the frogs.

Ainsad külastajad ka siin. Tiigi ääres põnev õhtune kontsert - konnade poolt.
Only visitors here also. Free entertainment by ensemble "Frogs and Frogs"

Looking at odometer in the morning realized that this way Brazil distances will not be quickly.
Headed on to Rio De Janeiro - Sao Paulo highway. Road and roadside were continuously nice until highway. Highway, as they are all over the world - fast and boring. Reached Sao Paulo and had idea to find Toyota service there. After tens of wrong turns in city we had new idea to find it in some smaller place. Sao Paulo is just too big metropolis to find anything quickly. Headed on inland of Brazil. Brazil agriculture started. Only fields, few gasoline stations and nothing more. At evening the GPS suggested closest hotel in 250 kilometers. So did take our driving in darkness. Finally found nice hotel next to Londrina. Name Solarium did met our expectations in heat of 35-37, but hotel did. Nice air-conditioned and with fast internet.

Straight road to horizon. Not Argentina yet, Brazilian agriculture instead.

Follow the Sun, in case you circumnavigate from east to west.

Hendrik Ross form design bureau Aramet OÜ, http://www.aramet.ee did strength calculations for pontoons and some important design changes are planned, as I need to keep the weight, but get much stronger pontoons. Voluntary help without any fee as Amphibear has met so many times. Without this kind of help the journey would be much more difficult. Than you Henrik Ross, Mihkel Güsson and all the rest for your work for Amphibear!

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