Day 143 - New Travel Companions

We ran into Peter and Ute the German couple again while shopping for food. We had first met them briefly at the Venezuela/Brazil border 11 days earlier. They had been unable to obtain a work permit in Venezuela and had consequently returned to Brazil. Like us, they were heading for Rio de Janeiro, so it seemed only natural that we should travel together for a while.

Peter and Ute came with us to the DER (Department of Streets and Roads) to find out about the road from Manaus to Brasília and whether we needed a transit permit.

The news was not encouraging. The DER told us that no transit permit was necessary, but the road was closed because of flooding. I had suspected as much. The rainy season had been delayed this year, and the consequences were now catching up with us.

But what were we going to do?

The thought of being stranded in Manaus for a month or more, waiting for the water to recede and the road to reopen, was not appealing. There had to be another way. I decided that the next day I would try to speak directly with the DER director and ask whether we could travel by boat down the Amazon and up the Rio Madeira River to Humaitá, bypassing the flooded section of the road altogether.

Meanwhile, we had found a pleasant place to wait. The campsite where Peter and Ute were staying was quite comfortable, with toilets and a natural spring that provided them with drinking water and a place to shower. We decided to join them and soon settled in.

That evening, after dinner, we sat around talking with our new companions. With the immediate worries temporarily put aside, we had time to exchange stories and get to know each other better. What had begun as a chance meeting at the border was now turning into a shared journey, and neither of us knew yet where the road ahead would take us.

Stats: Miles 30, Expenses $22.70Read more