Day 143 - New Travel Companions

We met the German couple during food shopping, whom we briefly met at the Venezuela/Brazil border 11 days ago. They could not get a work permit in Venezuela and returned to Brazil. They plan to travel to Rio de Janeiro as we do. We agreed to stick together since we were headed for the same destination.

Peter & Ute joined us at the DER (Department of Streets and Roads) to inquire about the road from Manaus to Brasilia and obtaining a transit permit.

The DER informed us that a transit permit was unnecessary, and the road was closed because of flooding. I expected that could be the case since the rainy season was delayed this year.

What were we going to do now? We certainly didn't want to hang around in Manaus for a month or more until the road opened. Thus, I'm planning to talk to the DER director tomorrow about the possibility of traveling to Humaitá on the river Rio Madeira to bypass the flooded section of the road.

The campsite where Peter & Ute were staying was great. It had toilets and a natural spring that they used for drinking water and showering. We decided to stay there as well and made ourselves comfortable.

After dinner, we talked with our new companions and got to know them better.

Stats: Miles 30, Expenses $22.70Read more