Caravana United
21 novembre 2000
Well, we found them! Last Tuesday, after an email from Larry Calhoun telling me of the other group's plans to be in a park near Teresina and then go on to Rio, we realized that we would need to be in Teresina in 2 days if we wanted any chance of catching up with the others. So we drove 2 fairly serious days in the rain and arrived in Teresina. (This was the first time since we've been here that it has rained more than an afternoon tropical shower. It was very cool and we all loved it.)
The drive up the mountain to the town of Teresina was the most breathtakingly beautiful road that I have ever driven. We climbed from sea level to a very cool mountain town in an hour or so. The mountains there are emerald green and almost every tree was in bloom. After never having a winter, we suddenly moved into a gorgeous springtime. Since we've been in the tropics, this is the first time that I notice that we really are on the other side of the equator and the seasons are now reversed. We passed the entrance to the park on our way into town but decided to have a look around the town first.
When Napoleon took Portugal, the royal family of Portugal evacuated to Brazil and ultimately declared Brazil an independent country, over which the royal family ruled until the end of the 19th century. Teresina was the favorite summer retreat of Princess Teresa and is a lovely mountain town. After a very brief tour of town, we decided to go to the campground to see if the others were there.
Another breathtaking journey up the mountain brought us to a very minimalistic campground with space for 2 vehicles and a broad area for tents. Nobody was there.
The road was lined with blooming flowers, ferns, absolutely lush vegetation, made even lusher by the light rain which had been falling for the 2 previous days. Since the road didn't stop at the campground, we decided to keep on going and see how far up the mountain we could go. We wound on for at least another half hour, and, as we arrived at the end of the road, Tyler shouts into the radio, "There are vanagons there!" At the end of the road was a waterfall and a large parking lot - provided for the hardy souls who continue on foot to the top of the mountain. We hopped out of the vans into the joyous arms of Larry, Will, Kai, Valeria, Les, Vicki and Jozey. We were all actually shocked that we'd found them so easily! For the next 2 days, we stayed in the park and celebrated our union.
On Sunday, we circled around to the other side of the mountain to the city of Petropolis, where we visited the summer palace of the royal family. It is beautifully preserved and the crown jewels are on display for the public, an awesome display of gold and gems. Since there were no other camping facilities, we settled on a truckstop for the night. We circled the wagons, had a few beers and hit the sack. A few minutes later, Tyler heard a scuffle. Five guys came out of nowhere and were beating up the gas station attendants - a robbery attempt. (I found out the next morning that the station attendants had absolutely no money and that the robbers got nothing for their effort.) The five bandits split up and ran in all different directions. Tyler says that one of the attendants came over and closed the doors of his van and that the police came soon after. We never cease to be amazed at the kindness of the people we have encountered and their attempts to keep us safe. The rest of us slept through the whole thing and didn't even know about it until morning. The next morning we all left for Rio.
In Manaus, Larry and the others had met a couple who had a sailboat in the Marinha da Gloria in Rio and had suggested that perhaps the group might be able to park in the marina parking lot, so that's where we headed. When we got there, the management of the marina said they would have to talk to the city management people to get permission. Since it was a Rio holiday, nobody was available to give or deny permission and we spent the night there. Unfortunately, today we were told we would have to leave so we're again camping out at a filling station and will look for something better tomorrow.
We've spent the last 2 days happily exploring the Zona Norte of Rio, which is the area where almost all commerce takes place. It also has some very lovely old Portuguese buildings, including a very beautiful library and opera house, and beaches, of course. Tonight we drove down through Copacobana and Ipanema beaches, in the Zona Sul, in search of internet connection.
We are now in need of food (Chinese, preferably) and will try to take in a movie.
More soon,
Jeanne
