....when we keep going and going and don’t seem to be able to find a right place for the night...and we keep going some more...another uphill..way too steep with pot holes to balance around and trucks to avoid ..another downhill ...there is a village somewhere ...maybe we ask somebody to let us camp in their yard. We could get water and then camp in the woods or ..maybe there is a lake, a river, a creek without shit and garbage...somewhere...there is a place for us.....
Sometimes I feel so drained or even a bit shy and I don’t want to ask a stranger, but then again..why not? Or....a little village with a hotel, but then there were people and nobody opened when we rang the bell (or was it disconnected and didn’t even ring?)..there were windows and voices and dogs barking, but nobody came. So, we went to the Police (military) Station. We had luck with that plenty times in the past, but this one (across from the hotel) was locked up with the security cameras running, the TV running in a different room (we peeked through the windows)...another room with bunk beds and a backpack...kitchen with Yerba mugs and the hot water still steaming, but nobody answered...
When it gets dark and all seems weird, I think, staying with the police might be a good thing, so, let’s just sit here until somebody comes back. Somebody MUST! People have been staring at us the last few days - almost causing accidents while sitting on their little motorcycles, passing us, staring, turning their heads while they keep going. It’s been an issue for me...Brazil has such variety of mixed cultures, I really didn’t expect to be stared at like this! Friendly curiosity is one thing, but this doesn’t seem that friendly..or is it me? Have I gotten cranky ....lost my sense of curiosity/humor?
Anyhow...after an hour or so, the police came back ..with blinking lights. They had stuff going on...domestic crisis...or something. We finally settled between the “hotel” and something like the town hall building- somebody brought us bottled water which was filled with tab water. Thank you! But I didn’t feel it. I felt unwelcome, a bother. I don’t understand...am I just spoiled? This little video does not reflect the dreariness of the situation...but it was the morning after and the sun was shining...looking at it, I can even see a palm tree now.
https://vimeo.com/354115057
It is not easy for me to stay focused on the good stuff when I get that cranky. The road get’s tough and the trucks annoy the crap out of me and I wonder where the hell are they going and why? Why is nobody fixing the roads...there ought to be a shoulder and why are the trucks honking for us to get out of the way, instead of slowing down and waiting for a moment to pass us cyclists in a sane way? I feel the anger rising and I want to shout!
Passing chemical plants that advertise their goodness so the farmers can grow good food...yeah, right! The currant Brazilian president is allowing these companies to advertise and sell their poison to the farmers for better harvests, destroying the soil ....aside from killing the Amazone for profit
The Amazon rain forest in Para State, Brazil. Deforestation is increasing in the country, but the current government has reduced enforcement of protective laws. (NYTimes)
This is effecting us all! The whole planet!
I am not in the best mood here, can you tell?
And then it got COLD!! Below freezing! Ice on the tent!
That’s just enough to wanna go home to my perfect little Marin Bubble in the summer and look the other way. Do I want to deal with this country’s politics? At some point we all have to and as we all know...it’s not only Brazil...can’t hide...can’t get away..we are all in it. Bike touring or not!
