Brasil, so sunny, so warm, so wide! Everything changed after the boarder crossing at Iguazu: compared to Argentina the offer in the supermarket is way bigger! We’re heading towards Florianopolis, because the Lonely Planet „loves it“ and it looks nice on the map. After 2 nights at gas stations, it would have ment to travel 300km double once again.. So we decide, while on the road, to better head north directly. The GPS Navigation is a little rascal - it doesn’t make a difference between tar, gravel or „nothing at all“. We aim at the next campsite, shower and cooking on managed ground is desired. The direct way leads us through banana plantations and all of this green stuff. In the middle of these almost un passible tracks there is one lonely campsite: Our first night in the jungle - so cool!
In Porto Grande at Meaipu we’re sleeping in a Poussada with camping. Our hosts Marco and Claudia can’t stand it us sleeping in the car, so they give us theire mini suite without extra charges. The suit does have a separate bathroom and is more like a hotel room (Katrin prefers sleeping „at home“, because in the meantime the Landy became the home). We thankfully take the offer to go with a canoe on the lake that’s right in front of their house: finaly some physical action after rocking down these tons of milages in the rover.
At departure we get guest presents: a shrub of bananas and some avocados in size of a handball.
On the way north we pass through salvador. Here I can get back to the box-topic. The lack of Portuguese lets me fail again, getting these boxes will most likely by chance. Further on on heading north we stay the night at a campsite in Aracaju. I instantly recognized the camper with the license plate from Düsseldorf: it was the former car of Bea and Dirk, we met in south east Argentina. That time they told us that they’re selling the car to a funny German: Michael.
Michael is traveling a little while with Raul Yadira and Patron, a crew from Venezuela. The warm hospitality and the nightly caipirinha excesses connects us. The Venezuelan connection is traveling with a self built IVECO, 7 tons, motorbikes on the back, a kitchen with with more then just a one flame kitchen. You sit together, talk about travels. Our fast track plans with shipping to Panama and return from New York was commented with one consent: too fast. We sleep over the thoughts and decide to cancel the fast track to take a slower lane to slow down our speed of traveling and of course to stay for the championship. The drive up north with shipping the car would for sure have been an adventure, an unforgettable one. That one you can do later in time, the word cup in Brasil you can’t. In the end of our trip the car has to be parked in Uruguay - more time for anything.
So you’re talking about this and that, suddenly we scratch the topic of the boxes. Raul will help me to sort something out to get these things: it’s happening by chance. We find a window maker who will built these custom boxes out of teared aluminum plates. PERFECT! This means more room in the car, it doubles the traveling comfort. We decide to travel with the charismatic trio while the boxes are built within 5 days. At Praia do Gunga we enjoy an incredible nice beach together, free camping and an unbelievable view. Raul and Co want to go on traveling, but have to realize that the hill they descended to get to the beach was to steep for their 7 toned monster-truck. We like helping them and support-pull the hulk with the Landy in low range and 2nd gear uphill (now and then with spinning wheels) It was not the first time having someone on the hook. On this trip we already helped 3 guys out of their misery. Karma: you get what you give.
