On the way to
Christmas in Brazil
22 december 2000
Introduction: Mike Durden is a brit Ron Lussier met while staying at the posada in Olinda. He doesn't own a Vanagon, but otherwise he's a very nice guy.
Well, here we are at 6:30pm on the second day of our trip to São Paulo. I wasn't going to write anymore diary stuff 'cause it all gets a bit tedious for you and me. But, there are a couple of things that I'd like to share. At the moment we're hacking along in the howling wind and rain ridden half light coming down a pretty forestry mountain on a road surface that's somewhat less than predicable. The only consolation is that this driver must have done this many times before, and survived. Fingers crossed.
The bus is a pretty neat air condition jobby with masses of legroom and comfort for a three-day journey. Dead quiet inside normally but for the incessant repeated rolling by of this bloody musak tape. But now, with lightning flashing and all it feels like we're in a 50-man twilight cresta bob sleigh run. I can feel the spray hitting the belly of the bus through the luggage space as we hit the lakes in the road and we just hit the biggest pothole, it went with such a bang I'm surprised the wheel didn't come through the floor. Still the ol' "motorista" seems to know what he's doing. The quasi Ray Coniff big band music, when it can poke its head through all this din, does seem a bit incongruous though. The Ride of the Valkyries might be more appropriate. Everyone seems to be pretty calm though so I suppose there's no need to worry. I suppose I wouldn't feel so jittery if we hadn't glimpsed those six poor souls laid out by the roadside last night after a pretty severer head to head. Urgh. First time for me seeing something like that. A bit of a shock I must say.
Ah, it's stopped raining now and it's all gone calm again.
Do you know something I've noticed? We've been on the bus for 28 hours now and nobody on the bus has been reading. No books, no magazines, no puzzle books. In fact nothing but sleeping as much as they can. Strange that.
Well its morning again now and we managed to get through the night without an ambush. Before we started this leg the motorista (that's driver to you and me) told us to put our bags in inconspicuous places, so that if we did get stopped the robbers wouldn't easily be able to pick them up. Before leaving Olinda, a German tourist came to stay at the Pousada and told of his experience getting from Salvador on the bus. He got ambushed. Four cars boxed the bus in and guided it down some side street. Loads of desperadoes, got out, surrounded and boarded the bus waving guns and stuff, and cleaned all the baggage out of the bus. Scary erh. Luckily for him, he had his bum bag hidden and the didn't spend to much time seeking stuff out, just took bags, watches, jewelry and stuff. Just like the romantic highwayman stories.
We're coming in to Rio now and it's a pretty black looking day weatherwise. It's interesting to see Rio again though it's all pretty shitty on a day like today. We're just passing through so I won't get a chance to meet it again.
Well we arrived at the bus station Rio and those that want to get off have, and the rest of us are not allowed to get off. The last stop was five hours ago and now mayhem has broken out because everyone wants to get some breakfast and a piss. Us who booked to São Paulo expected to go there direct, without this Rio stop. I'm not really in a position to argue, not having any relevant words in the relevant language, so I'm keeping quite while the others go for it, as we speak. The coffee on the ship has run out and the toilet stinks now and everyone's a bit tetchy. I'm ok. Could do with cleaning my teeth and freshening up, but hey. I'll get there stinking anyway.
We're on our way to São Paulo now, eight or nine hours to go. I might have to find a pousada there at this rate. The trip from São Paulo to Varginha will take another five or so hours and I have no idea when the busses go at the moment. The rat at the travel agent told me we'd arrive in São Paulo at ten this morning. It's half eleven now and we've only just started out from Rio. Oh, they do the daylight saving thing here, so it's half eleven now not half ten (I think.)
The countryside around here really is quite beautiful compared to the NorthEast. Mountains, trees, rivers and there really is a marked difference in the apparent poverty of the country folk. Houses here are a lot more decent than around Recife. Shame it's such a dull overcast day. Reminds me of Dartmoor on a pretty grand scale.
Just remembered, I've got a bit of cheese I bought earlier thinking it was cake. Well some of the cake here does look like cheese. It's a bit sweaty now but that and a glug of water will do right now. Great breakfast but I was getting a bit tied of those cochinos and pasty things every time we stop.
Looks like we're not going to stop again till we get to São Paulo.
Well we did stop, at 1:00. Every one was dying for a piss but the selfish motorista (driver) had his itinerary from which he refused to deviate. By the time we got of we'd been motoring for seven hours!
Anyway that's all in the past now and we're in São Paulo at last. Well actually we've been here for the last hour.
Stuck in a traffic jam trying to get to the bus station. I bet the last bus for Varginha leaves at 7:00 and I get there for 7:05. Ah well. I'll be kind of sad when this journey's over anyway. Since the Rio lot got off it's been more a party atmosphere. People have got to know each other a bit more. There's been biscuits passing around and cake and jokes. I got some of the biscuits and cake but didn't get any of the jokes. Well, you can't be greedy can you?
Incidentally, there are three kids on the bus 3, 5 & 10. They've been as good as gold the whole trip. Lack of impatience seems to start at a very young age.
Now I've just got on the bus to Varginha. My final destination. wow. I was right, the bus (not the last though) went at 7:00, and I got to the bus station at 7:10 after doing a taxi transfer from the station the Recife bus took me to. This trip is now going to take another five and a half hours. A mere jaunt. Should, if all goes well, get to Soria's at 2:30am. Total 60hrs.
The thing is, that I only came to São Paulo because I thought I would get here for 10:00 giving me a chance to take my camera to the São Paulo Agfa fixer. I could have got off at Rio and gone to Vargiha from there. I would have been home in time for tea and a quickie down the grill. Ah well. It's 9:00 and off we go.
2:30am. On the dot. After much interruptions of five and a half hour sleep, arrived ok Andy & Soria waiting. Bless 'em.
