20/6/2014 Rio Verde de Mato Grosso to a side road past Coxim
D66, T4, Av14, Max44, 28881, 3330
Fine and warm
It was a good day and a half in town. Some World Cup was watched, both in my room and a restaurant that served all you could eat for $8, it was bliss, lots of good green salads and meat.
My front rack had cracked again and the rear rack that I had repaired in Patagonia, had also cracked.
It took a lot of searching about to find someone who was skilled enough to use oxygen to repair this micro thin Titanium. One guy motioned to using an electric stick welder. I told him in no uncertain terms there was no way it could be done with this.
The guy that eventually fixed it was a person working from home. He was super friendly and did a really professional job.
He also gave me some thinners to prime the stove. It is impossible to buy alcohol here stronger than 45% unless it is the drinking kind. The black soot from the priming process will just have to be tolerated. It is so messy.
Kindly he did this work for no fee. He had also ridden a bike on the odd tour earlier in his life.
I am beginning to understand that the people that live in the Favelas around the large cities on coastal BR in reality have no way out of their situation unless they get lucky.
Things here are ridiculously expensive. Most consumer goods like sunscreen, shaving gear, much food are a third to double the price in AR or PY for example.
A visit to a doctor is $85 in cash, the other option is to go to a public health clinic.
BR has moved into the modern world, in doing so it has left so many of its 200 million population way behind.
It is not hard, even out here to see why many people are not happy with the expenditure on the world cup.
There are tours up into these favelas, from the tourists point of view it is like a going to a zoo, the reality is that is exactly what it is, only the enclosure is invisible. It is a social and economic enclosure.
People are even making money from their plight.
I am now using the antibiotic tetraciclina on my wounds. A capsule is opened and the powder adhered with moisture, it seems to be working.
This drug has a lot of more than just generic side affects.
One is a reaction to sunlight. This is not needed, that is for sure. I am also taking Vitamin C &E tablets on my sisters’ advice.
After finding the restaurant was open, it was a public holiday yesterday. A huge two plate meal of all sorts of salads and meats was enjoyed. I nearly needed a wheel chair to get out of there.
Once on the main road it was all trucks hundreds of them. Some 30m long and most were B doubles.
A guy at a weigh bridge told me most of the south bound traffic is taking goods to Sao Paulo.
There was a good shoulder thankfully. Though, up hills trucks were using this to let others pass.
It was mayhem. Though I never felt threatened. The big fear is in the odds that so many trucks passing, a loose load may impact on me. At one point a B double was on its side off the road. The guy had fallen asleep earlier today.
Nearing Coxim I knew there was a side road to get away from this traffic.
It was a case of coming from Toucans to trucks, what a difference.
I pulled off the side road after chatting with guys at a weigh bridge.
It was red dirt and gravel but oh so peaceful.
The properties are well fenced and there was little road reserve.
Soon a gully vegetated in trees was arrived at. Here there was a spot to camp, away from the sight of traffic.
It was a great camp. Though a bit chilly I am now at 430m even though my lat is 19.
Having had such a huge lunch, just coffee was enjoyed with some biscuits.
In bed at 1900, a new book was started, it wasn’t long before I drifted off.
There were no mosquitos in the dry bush where I was set up. So no itching was required. It felt good not to be inflicted by the localised pain of the infections on my left leg.
20/6/2014 Bush camp to a gas station 30km sth of Sonora
D74, T6, Av16, Max59, 28956, 3404
Fine and hot, 28 degrees
The camp was perfect, little traffic, private and no overnight disturbances.
The normal breakfast was enjoyed and a couple of emails sent while having mate and waiting for the tent to dry.
Once out on hte road, it started getting dustier and dustier. A couple of guys on horses were spoken to for awhile, another man pulled up in a pickup.
On departing I wished their team all the best.
From here the road got sandy again. It was patchy and dangerous. Coming down one hill I hit patch and wiped out really bad. I was ok, it is the bike that can get bent forks or the like. The rack repair held up well.
From here it was decided to slow down on the hills, their surface was just to unreliable.
Two yellow Macaws were in a roadside tree and were kind enough to let me get quite close to them . it makes big change to see these lovely birds outside a cage.
The road started to improve, at one point alot of Emu like birds were grazing in a low crop. Ema is the Portuguese name.
The country was now almost treeless and was either pasture of resting land.
Up ahead, the road took me into maize growing on both sides of the narrow solid brown track.
It was great riding. This went on for ten kilometres, it was apleasure. more fazendas were carrying out the same practices.
The larger fazendas had small houses for the peones or farm workers.
By now I was covered in dust, checking my phone GPS it was not far back to the main road.
Soon enough the sight of trucks moving at right angles to me was reached.
It was nice to be back on the asphalt though it is a very hot environment.
The amount of debris on the roadside was unreal. Mudguards, sheared bolts, tyres, ropes, nuts and rubber tubing, all from the hundreds of trucks on this road.
In this respect it was dangerous, if a truck shredded a tyre near me.
I was talking to some people parked well onto the shoulser and a truck came past me within a metre, it was scary, the road was smoother on the shoulder.
I was totally worn out by 1500, pulling over, a break and drinks with sardines on crackers were enjoyed.
Life outside a fast moving vehicles on these main highways isnot nice to say the least. It is hot, smelly and so damn noisey.
Coming to a huge older stryle truck stop. I just felt like hanging for awhile. It was still 30km to Sonora.
I asked if I could set the tent up on some concrete at the side of the restaurant, this was fine.
They had showers, it was just unbelievable to wash allthe dust of in hot water.
I never know where the day will end, today was a perfect end.
A large buffet meal was enjoyed at the roadhouse.
The Ecuador Honduras game was watched.
22/6/2014 Gas station to Grain mill
DD103, T9, Av17, Max59, 29059, 3507
Hot and dry
A great nights sleep was had, it was a 24hr gas station so there were no worries about theft.
Many trucks spent the night in the huge parking area.
There was still 135km to go so it would be split into two days.
Everywhere I go in Brazil, people are telling me to watch out for thieves. Of all the countries visited here so far this the first time this warning has been so consistent.
Once on the road, the mayhem began. Never before has a road been ridden with so many trucks.
They are all travelling over 100km/hr. Many are unladen.
Interestingly almost all trucks here have axles they can lift off the road. The B doubles van lift 3 axles when unladen.
This I figure, is because many trucks are travelling on return trips unladen. It must save a lot of tyre wear.
Most goods are coming from the interior to supply raw materials for the big cities. Wood, grain to name two.
It was nothing to be riding up a hill in a cutting and 6 trucks come flying down doing well over 100 km and one would be passing coming straight at me.
It was a case of bracing myself for the tremendous draft of air that accompanied the onslaught.
It was so important to hold on tight and keep a line.
The continuous noise was unbelievable.
Though I will say most truck most, I mean almost were really good drivers and courteous. Sure, they were passing coming at me but the shoulder gave me plenty of room.
The only incident that scared me was yesterday.
A stop was made at Sonora to buy bread and try to find something to alleviate this phlegm ridden cough. The town appeared to be a rural servicing town with many places selling and maintaining harvesting equipment.
After some advice from a pharmacist and a quick browse on the net, Guaifenesina was bought, in liquid form.
The church across the road let me use their wifi.
A new Resistencia was bought at the supermarket. I feel my old one is still ok but the voltage here not enough to make it boil water. For example, it is rated at 220v. The one I bought was rated at only 127v, to suit BR electricity. The old one will be kept, because once out of BR, the new one will no doubt burn out with higher voltages.
My Opinel knife on the handle bars is my humidity gauge.
The air here is hot and dry, consequently the wooden handle has shrunk and it can now be opened very easily. In northern PY, I needed my small pliers to extract the blade from slit in the swollen wooden handle.
The state line was crossed at the Rio Corrientes, having arrived into the state of Mato Grosso.
The road now is just a series of rolling slopes with small creeks between them. It is cropping country from horizon to horizon. Out there to my left the Pantanal is still there. Between it and me are just thousands of acres of corn and other grains.
Trees are a rare sight in this country, only in the odd gully and solitary specimens, oh so lonely under a huge sky, their only company, the odd bird.
The Emu type birds were feeding in the tilled paddocks .Some were feeding on the roadside. I gave them quite a fright, they all took off in such a hurry as to skid and fall over on the ashalt.
Macaws were even present in some of the still common Cocos palms. These plants have a huge rage here. Almost occupying parts of the landscape for 2000km.
Road runners are present, they are great they won’t leave the track at the side of the road but just keep running, one was clocked at 25km/hr.
.
Some time now is spent riding without my shirt on, it is nice to have some colour back in my skin.
Many trucks give me a blast of encouragement. My body outline probably shows a bit of age, they know the road and its hardships. These gestures are always welcome.
Most trucks have totally blacked out windows including the front one.
In the late day infront of a setting sun, there was a huge plume of dust on the horizon. Getting closer it was a group of tractors with gear, cutting stubble for hay. I was told they cut it almost to ground level, hence the immense amount of dust. It is baled into blocks as big as a small car.
So here I was in the vast open landscape at 1715 hours, nearing dark looking for somewhere to camp.
They options were a corn paddock or a corn paddock.
Way up in the distance was a stand of lush trees. I headed for these some 3km on.
Once there it was found to be an avenue of fig trees leading to a silo complex.
I asked a couple of truck drivers who were parked here, if I could camp there. It was cool.
There was a sports field there and a few houses.
I set up nest the field under a huge Ficus Benjamina and had bread rolls and tuna for dinner.
Plus a full pot of mate to rehydrate.
Sleep was instant, it had been a big day over 100km.
23/6/2014 Grain mill to Rondonópolis
D69, T4, Av18, Max47, 29128, 3576
Hot and slightly overcast
Up early and dreading facing the noise of the highway I could hear from my camp. It was relentless, trucks roaring along the highway.
It was like entering another world out there on that black strip, that trucks move stuff that some people want and others produce.
Manufacturers of trucks have seen that rail does not interfere with their plans. I feel if this trend continues as populations grow.
Roads with have to be segregated, one for trucks and one for passenger vehicles. At least on the busy arterial routes.
I asked a girl at a place where a drink was bought about accidents on the road, she said there are not that many. There were few tombes on the road and few spots where there were signs of a previous accident. Again pointing to an environment where no police were seen, which can lead to a self regulating situation, good stuff.
This road carried traffic that was 90% trucks.
One train could carry all they could and more. The trucks could just be local. I remember when most factories had a rail siding at their rear. So efficient and they had little impact on the general road user .
With 65 km to go to Rondonópolis, I could not get there quick enough. Fours days here on this road was taking its toll. The noise was the most tiring and having to concentrate all the way.
Especially on bridges with no shoulder. It had to be made sure that two trucks would not meet with me on the bridge and none were passing.
Most bridges were in gullies so my speed was high. Timing was important not wanting to lose the momentum. Almost all bridge crossings were done without having to brake or alter my speed past momentum.
Cold water was loaded at a gas station on the way. This facility is great the Brasileros also like their Tereré, iced mate.
Some 15km from town I could not believe it, there looked to be another touring cyclist up ahead on the other side of the road.
Getting closer, indeed it was. Here was this guy and bike that looked like a seriously seasoned cyclist.
He greeted me with a one crooked tooth smile. He was Brasiliero and had been riding for 25 years. He could speak Spanish so we had a chat.
The road truly was his home. His bike was a Brasiliera model of vey basic components. We rode together to a tyre repair place come bar.
I had two cokes. He had two large straight Tequilas and rolled a smoke in writing paper. Andre was 65 years old. We sat and chatted with the owner and his mate.
They just shook their heads at Andre, he was one out of the bag. A nice guy, he showed me a bag of semi dried meat he ate with powdered mandioca.
No wonder he was drinking Tequila, the meat was somewhere between rotten and dry. Obviously still edible.
One leaving, out on the road, he wanted to ride into oncoming traffic. The first truck coming at us nearly lifted me off my bike. I told him I was riding how I normally do . He had his way, I had mine and we said goodbye and parted.
Nearing town, huge factories and grain silos were on both sides of the heavily worn asphalt surface, it was trenched in places from heavy traffic.
Yeah!! Finally a right hand turn to go to the centre and a sign saying no trucks .I had made it through this gauntlet. Once in the local streets that were so quite, being a Sunday. I realised how this highway had affected me. I was quite distraught and totally exhausted.
I had to get a room and eat. No restaurants were open so 3 ice creams were devoured in close succession.
It took some time to find a hotel but eventually the Central was found on Av Cuiaba 740.
At 45 reals/ night two were booked. There were lots of guys staying here from a road construction gang.
It was out of this world to shower and collapse on the bed with the ceiling fan pushing cool air over my body . Later the guys told me of a buffet to eat at. I had not eaten all day, not good but once in awhile ok.
A guy from Peru was working here, we sat out on the street in easy chairs, chatting in the lovely mild mosquito free evening. It was so nice to be talking in Spanish about places in Peru and life here in Brazil.
This part of the journey was about going from Toucans to trucks, what a contrast. However, I will not say I did not enjoy the experience. It was challenging, the good with the bad exists everywhere.
23-26/6/2014 Rondonópolis
Hot, 30° dry air, no wind
My time here has been spent just resting and trying to plan the passage ahead.
North to the Amazon river does not come with many options.
To the west in Pará is Ruta 163.
This is known as the soya highway and is congested with heavy vehicles.
The other option north is in the east of the State of Pará. I hope to loosely follow Ruta 158.
Ready to leave on Thursday, it was found Colombia were playing Japan in Cuiaba.
It would be my only opportunity to experience the World Cup first hand.
A bus was taken over, in the morning, it was a 4 hour trip.
Again on the road there were trucks everywhere. Hundreds were parked at big lots and repair places all along this road.
I have never seen so many B doubles scattered across a landscape.
I can’t imagine another week riding in close proximity to these noisy, monsters.
From the terminal there, a stadium bus was taken. Out there, a few people were selling tickets. They were upwards of $100 for basic seats and over $250 for others.
Things were really well organised. Though some footpaths and other minor infrastructure items had clearly not been completed in time.
This mattered little, all the important things were in full swing.
The stadium was quite a sight.
The first half was watched in a bar outside where you could hear the crowd both on TV and outside.
A moto taxi was taken to the fan fest site where a huge screen and entertainment was supplied.
Good on Brazil, they really have got things organised, here anyway.
Luckily I managed to get a seat back on a bus to Rondonópolis at 2000 and got back here at 0030.
It was a full on but interesting day.
Peruanos I spoke to had come here via La Paz and Corumba on the newly paved road from La Paz to the border.
I finally succumbed to taking more antibiotics for my phlegmy cough.
I am on a five day program with Azitromicina which is used for bronchial problems.
Hopefully this will be the last of their use for a long time.
D66, T4, Av14, Max44, 28881, 3330
Fine and warm
It was a good day and a half in town. Some World Cup was watched, both in my room and a restaurant that served all you could eat for $8, it was bliss, lots of good green salads and meat.
My front rack had cracked again and the rear rack that I had repaired in Patagonia, had also cracked.
It took a lot of searching about to find someone who was skilled enough to use oxygen to repair this micro thin Titanium. One guy motioned to using an electric stick welder. I told him in no uncertain terms there was no way it could be done with this.
The guy that eventually fixed it was a person working from home. He was super friendly and did a really professional job.
He also gave me some thinners to prime the stove. It is impossible to buy alcohol here stronger than 45% unless it is the drinking kind. The black soot from the priming process will just have to be tolerated. It is so messy.
Kindly he did this work for no fee. He had also ridden a bike on the odd tour earlier in his life.
I am beginning to understand that the people that live in the Favelas around the large cities on coastal BR in reality have no way out of their situation unless they get lucky.
Things here are ridiculously expensive. Most consumer goods like sunscreen, shaving gear, much food are a third to double the price in AR or PY for example.
A visit to a doctor is $85 in cash, the other option is to go to a public health clinic.
BR has moved into the modern world, in doing so it has left so many of its 200 million population way behind.
It is not hard, even out here to see why many people are not happy with the expenditure on the world cup.
There are tours up into these favelas, from the tourists point of view it is like a going to a zoo, the reality is that is exactly what it is, only the enclosure is invisible. It is a social and economic enclosure.
People are even making money from their plight.
I am now using the antibiotic tetraciclina on my wounds. A capsule is opened and the powder adhered with moisture, it seems to be working.
This drug has a lot of more than just generic side affects.
One is a reaction to sunlight. This is not needed, that is for sure. I am also taking Vitamin C &E tablets on my sisters’ advice.
After finding the restaurant was open, it was a public holiday yesterday. A huge two plate meal of all sorts of salads and meats was enjoyed. I nearly needed a wheel chair to get out of there.
Once on the main road it was all trucks hundreds of them. Some 30m long and most were B doubles.
A guy at a weigh bridge told me most of the south bound traffic is taking goods to Sao Paulo.
There was a good shoulder thankfully. Though, up hills trucks were using this to let others pass.
It was mayhem. Though I never felt threatened. The big fear is in the odds that so many trucks passing, a loose load may impact on me. At one point a B double was on its side off the road. The guy had fallen asleep earlier today.
Nearing Coxim I knew there was a side road to get away from this traffic.
It was a case of coming from Toucans to trucks, what a difference.
I pulled off the side road after chatting with guys at a weigh bridge.
It was red dirt and gravel but oh so peaceful.
The properties are well fenced and there was little road reserve.
Soon a gully vegetated in trees was arrived at. Here there was a spot to camp, away from the sight of traffic.
It was a great camp. Though a bit chilly I am now at 430m even though my lat is 19.
Having had such a huge lunch, just coffee was enjoyed with some biscuits.
In bed at 1900, a new book was started, it wasn’t long before I drifted off.
There were no mosquitos in the dry bush where I was set up. So no itching was required. It felt good not to be inflicted by the localised pain of the infections on my left leg.
20/6/2014 Bush camp to a gas station 30km sth of Sonora
D74, T6, Av16, Max59, 28956, 3404
Fine and hot, 28 degrees
The camp was perfect, little traffic, private and no overnight disturbances.
The normal breakfast was enjoyed and a couple of emails sent while having mate and waiting for the tent to dry.
Once out on hte road, it started getting dustier and dustier. A couple of guys on horses were spoken to for awhile, another man pulled up in a pickup.
On departing I wished their team all the best.
From here the road got sandy again. It was patchy and dangerous. Coming down one hill I hit patch and wiped out really bad. I was ok, it is the bike that can get bent forks or the like. The rack repair held up well.
From here it was decided to slow down on the hills, their surface was just to unreliable.
Two yellow Macaws were in a roadside tree and were kind enough to let me get quite close to them . it makes big change to see these lovely birds outside a cage.
The road started to improve, at one point alot of Emu like birds were grazing in a low crop. Ema is the Portuguese name.
The country was now almost treeless and was either pasture of resting land.
Up ahead, the road took me into maize growing on both sides of the narrow solid brown track.
It was great riding. This went on for ten kilometres, it was apleasure. more fazendas were carrying out the same practices.
The larger fazendas had small houses for the peones or farm workers.
By now I was covered in dust, checking my phone GPS it was not far back to the main road.
Soon enough the sight of trucks moving at right angles to me was reached.
It was nice to be back on the asphalt though it is a very hot environment.
The amount of debris on the roadside was unreal. Mudguards, sheared bolts, tyres, ropes, nuts and rubber tubing, all from the hundreds of trucks on this road.
In this respect it was dangerous, if a truck shredded a tyre near me.
I was talking to some people parked well onto the shoulser and a truck came past me within a metre, it was scary, the road was smoother on the shoulder.
I was totally worn out by 1500, pulling over, a break and drinks with sardines on crackers were enjoyed.
Life outside a fast moving vehicles on these main highways isnot nice to say the least. It is hot, smelly and so damn noisey.
Coming to a huge older stryle truck stop. I just felt like hanging for awhile. It was still 30km to Sonora.
I asked if I could set the tent up on some concrete at the side of the restaurant, this was fine.
They had showers, it was just unbelievable to wash allthe dust of in hot water.
I never know where the day will end, today was a perfect end.
A large buffet meal was enjoyed at the roadhouse.
The Ecuador Honduras game was watched.
22/6/2014 Gas station to Grain mill
DD103, T9, Av17, Max59, 29059, 3507
Hot and dry
A great nights sleep was had, it was a 24hr gas station so there were no worries about theft.
Many trucks spent the night in the huge parking area.
There was still 135km to go so it would be split into two days.
Everywhere I go in Brazil, people are telling me to watch out for thieves. Of all the countries visited here so far this the first time this warning has been so consistent.
Once on the road, the mayhem began. Never before has a road been ridden with so many trucks.
They are all travelling over 100km/hr. Many are unladen.
Interestingly almost all trucks here have axles they can lift off the road. The B doubles van lift 3 axles when unladen.
This I figure, is because many trucks are travelling on return trips unladen. It must save a lot of tyre wear.
Most goods are coming from the interior to supply raw materials for the big cities. Wood, grain to name two.
It was nothing to be riding up a hill in a cutting and 6 trucks come flying down doing well over 100 km and one would be passing coming straight at me.
It was a case of bracing myself for the tremendous draft of air that accompanied the onslaught.
It was so important to hold on tight and keep a line.
The continuous noise was unbelievable.
Though I will say most truck most, I mean almost were really good drivers and courteous. Sure, they were passing coming at me but the shoulder gave me plenty of room.
The only incident that scared me was yesterday.
A stop was made at Sonora to buy bread and try to find something to alleviate this phlegm ridden cough. The town appeared to be a rural servicing town with many places selling and maintaining harvesting equipment.
After some advice from a pharmacist and a quick browse on the net, Guaifenesina was bought, in liquid form.
The church across the road let me use their wifi.
A new Resistencia was bought at the supermarket. I feel my old one is still ok but the voltage here not enough to make it boil water. For example, it is rated at 220v. The one I bought was rated at only 127v, to suit BR electricity. The old one will be kept, because once out of BR, the new one will no doubt burn out with higher voltages.
My Opinel knife on the handle bars is my humidity gauge.
The air here is hot and dry, consequently the wooden handle has shrunk and it can now be opened very easily. In northern PY, I needed my small pliers to extract the blade from slit in the swollen wooden handle.
The state line was crossed at the Rio Corrientes, having arrived into the state of Mato Grosso.
The road now is just a series of rolling slopes with small creeks between them. It is cropping country from horizon to horizon. Out there to my left the Pantanal is still there. Between it and me are just thousands of acres of corn and other grains.
Trees are a rare sight in this country, only in the odd gully and solitary specimens, oh so lonely under a huge sky, their only company, the odd bird.
The Emu type birds were feeding in the tilled paddocks .Some were feeding on the roadside. I gave them quite a fright, they all took off in such a hurry as to skid and fall over on the ashalt.
Macaws were even present in some of the still common Cocos palms. These plants have a huge rage here. Almost occupying parts of the landscape for 2000km.
Road runners are present, they are great they won’t leave the track at the side of the road but just keep running, one was clocked at 25km/hr.
.
Some time now is spent riding without my shirt on, it is nice to have some colour back in my skin.
Many trucks give me a blast of encouragement. My body outline probably shows a bit of age, they know the road and its hardships. These gestures are always welcome.
Most trucks have totally blacked out windows including the front one.
In the late day infront of a setting sun, there was a huge plume of dust on the horizon. Getting closer it was a group of tractors with gear, cutting stubble for hay. I was told they cut it almost to ground level, hence the immense amount of dust. It is baled into blocks as big as a small car.
So here I was in the vast open landscape at 1715 hours, nearing dark looking for somewhere to camp.
They options were a corn paddock or a corn paddock.
Way up in the distance was a stand of lush trees. I headed for these some 3km on.
Once there it was found to be an avenue of fig trees leading to a silo complex.
I asked a couple of truck drivers who were parked here, if I could camp there. It was cool.
There was a sports field there and a few houses.
I set up nest the field under a huge Ficus Benjamina and had bread rolls and tuna for dinner.
Plus a full pot of mate to rehydrate.
Sleep was instant, it had been a big day over 100km.
23/6/2014 Grain mill to Rondonópolis
D69, T4, Av18, Max47, 29128, 3576
Hot and slightly overcast
Up early and dreading facing the noise of the highway I could hear from my camp. It was relentless, trucks roaring along the highway.
It was like entering another world out there on that black strip, that trucks move stuff that some people want and others produce.
Manufacturers of trucks have seen that rail does not interfere with their plans. I feel if this trend continues as populations grow.
Roads with have to be segregated, one for trucks and one for passenger vehicles. At least on the busy arterial routes.
I asked a girl at a place where a drink was bought about accidents on the road, she said there are not that many. There were few tombes on the road and few spots where there were signs of a previous accident. Again pointing to an environment where no police were seen, which can lead to a self regulating situation, good stuff.
This road carried traffic that was 90% trucks.
One train could carry all they could and more. The trucks could just be local. I remember when most factories had a rail siding at their rear. So efficient and they had little impact on the general road user .
With 65 km to go to Rondonópolis, I could not get there quick enough. Fours days here on this road was taking its toll. The noise was the most tiring and having to concentrate all the way.
Especially on bridges with no shoulder. It had to be made sure that two trucks would not meet with me on the bridge and none were passing.
Most bridges were in gullies so my speed was high. Timing was important not wanting to lose the momentum. Almost all bridge crossings were done without having to brake or alter my speed past momentum.
Cold water was loaded at a gas station on the way. This facility is great the Brasileros also like their Tereré, iced mate.
Some 15km from town I could not believe it, there looked to be another touring cyclist up ahead on the other side of the road.
Getting closer, indeed it was. Here was this guy and bike that looked like a seriously seasoned cyclist.
He greeted me with a one crooked tooth smile. He was Brasiliero and had been riding for 25 years. He could speak Spanish so we had a chat.
The road truly was his home. His bike was a Brasiliera model of vey basic components. We rode together to a tyre repair place come bar.
I had two cokes. He had two large straight Tequilas and rolled a smoke in writing paper. Andre was 65 years old. We sat and chatted with the owner and his mate.
They just shook their heads at Andre, he was one out of the bag. A nice guy, he showed me a bag of semi dried meat he ate with powdered mandioca.
No wonder he was drinking Tequila, the meat was somewhere between rotten and dry. Obviously still edible.
One leaving, out on the road, he wanted to ride into oncoming traffic. The first truck coming at us nearly lifted me off my bike. I told him I was riding how I normally do . He had his way, I had mine and we said goodbye and parted.
Nearing town, huge factories and grain silos were on both sides of the heavily worn asphalt surface, it was trenched in places from heavy traffic.
Yeah!! Finally a right hand turn to go to the centre and a sign saying no trucks .I had made it through this gauntlet. Once in the local streets that were so quite, being a Sunday. I realised how this highway had affected me. I was quite distraught and totally exhausted.
I had to get a room and eat. No restaurants were open so 3 ice creams were devoured in close succession.
It took some time to find a hotel but eventually the Central was found on Av Cuiaba 740.
At 45 reals/ night two were booked. There were lots of guys staying here from a road construction gang.
It was out of this world to shower and collapse on the bed with the ceiling fan pushing cool air over my body . Later the guys told me of a buffet to eat at. I had not eaten all day, not good but once in awhile ok.
A guy from Peru was working here, we sat out on the street in easy chairs, chatting in the lovely mild mosquito free evening. It was so nice to be talking in Spanish about places in Peru and life here in Brazil.
This part of the journey was about going from Toucans to trucks, what a contrast. However, I will not say I did not enjoy the experience. It was challenging, the good with the bad exists everywhere.
23-26/6/2014 Rondonópolis
Hot, 30° dry air, no wind
My time here has been spent just resting and trying to plan the passage ahead.
North to the Amazon river does not come with many options.
To the west in Pará is Ruta 163.
This is known as the soya highway and is congested with heavy vehicles.
The other option north is in the east of the State of Pará. I hope to loosely follow Ruta 158.
Ready to leave on Thursday, it was found Colombia were playing Japan in Cuiaba.
It would be my only opportunity to experience the World Cup first hand.
A bus was taken over, in the morning, it was a 4 hour trip.
Again on the road there were trucks everywhere. Hundreds were parked at big lots and repair places all along this road.
I have never seen so many B doubles scattered across a landscape.
I can’t imagine another week riding in close proximity to these noisy, monsters.
From the terminal there, a stadium bus was taken. Out there, a few people were selling tickets. They were upwards of $100 for basic seats and over $250 for others.
Things were really well organised. Though some footpaths and other minor infrastructure items had clearly not been completed in time.
This mattered little, all the important things were in full swing.
The stadium was quite a sight.
The first half was watched in a bar outside where you could hear the crowd both on TV and outside.
A moto taxi was taken to the fan fest site where a huge screen and entertainment was supplied.
Good on Brazil, they really have got things organised, here anyway.
Luckily I managed to get a seat back on a bus to Rondonópolis at 2000 and got back here at 0030.
It was a full on but interesting day.
Peruanos I spoke to had come here via La Paz and Corumba on the newly paved road from La Paz to the border.
I finally succumbed to taking more antibiotics for my phlegmy cough.
I am on a five day program with Azitromicina which is used for bronchial problems.
Hopefully this will be the last of their use for a long time.
Normal road scene, BR163 Rio Verde to Rondonópolis
 I had to watch the fire hazard here whilst priming my stove. Great private camp away from the mayhem.
 Typical peone dwelling on a large fazenda.
 This surface and crop went on for 10km at one stage. So enjoyable.
 Icy cold water at all gas stations, bliss.
 State line between Mato Grosso Do Sul , MS and Mato Grosso, MT
 Sugar harvest under way.
 Andre, a hardened individual, character and ultra long term cyclist.
 A peaceful avenue, with 9 axles of mayhem just awaiting, only 65km to go!.
 Nearing Rondonópolis
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 Always a pleasure to sight the Macaws.
 Fazenda entrance on way. part of the road.
 Hot, flat and monoculture on a grand scale.
 Humble abodes, often located on the highway near a good source of water.
 I have a fascination with these birds when seen out of a cage! here in a roadside Cocos Palm.
 Hay cutting to ground level,with associated dust, late in the day.
 peace on the last night at the grain silo.
 Halve these prices and you have the approximate cost of fuel here in Aussie dollars.
Baby Hummingbird
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