History of Gas
Since our return to Brazil we are desperately looking to fill our American gas bottles.
We only find resellers and not factories. We bought several different adapters to puit all the chances on our side.
Of course what was supposed to happen happened.... On the third night our second bottle died.
It’s a pity, Christophe had prepared a quiche-lorraine!!! It’s a bundle ... Tonight for dinner: a cold meal.
But you don’t know our "Christophe * Dieppe’s Junior Woodchucks Guidebook "!
!
In the very spartan collective kitchen, he finds a rudimentary wood stove
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And here is our Junior Woodchucks looking for firewood to prepare a good fire.
He cooks us chicken nuggets, pork chops and prepares coffee for the next day.
Jean-Pierre is on a crockery to recover the very blackened pots
Cavernas Do Peruaçu National Park
In many parks in Brazil it is impossible to hike without a local guide.
Knowing that here Brazilians only speak Portuguese, it is difficult to find an English or Spanish speaking guide ... Not very nice.
Our host at the campsite organizes visits for the next 3 days.
Our guide is called Solomon and speaks rudimentary English!! We have no choice ... it’s either Portuguese or a semblance of English!!
The price is exorbitant for 3 hours of hiking. We can not take our camper on the tracks leading to the different caves, so we are obliged to pay to borrow the vehicle of the guide!!
The park has several archaeological sites with prehistoric cave paintings and more than 180 caves and caverns, the most famous of which is the "Janelao" cave, with 176 meters in height.
This cave contains a rock face covered with several thousand-year-old paintings that tell the story of the human presence in the Peruaçu Valley. Inside is the second largest stalactite in the world, "the ballerina’s leg", 28 meters high.
In the cave "lapa dos desenhos" the cave paintings are different in style and technique.
The trails run along the Peruaçu River along a lush forest, until they give way to a dry forest.
There are few people and we visit the different sites alone.
We hike to the sites in the morning to avoid the hot afternoon.
Cavernas Do Peruaçu National Park
Our next step is a "National Park" that none of the guides we have referred to, and it is the same for other parks.
We are in a region in central Brazil where the sites to visit are non-existent. The settlers settled mainly along the Atlantic Ocean or in mining regions.
We are in a cultural no man’s land ...
However, this region has several national parks, some of which are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After two days of driving, we arrive in this park known for its open-air caves covered with rock paintings.
Diamantina
It is the third wonder of the historic towns of Minas Gerais.
Its history is of course linked to the discovery of diamonds in the Jequitinhonha region.
It was the starting point of the "Caminho dos Escravos", the ancient diamond road that joined the Estrada Real in Ouro Preto, and was built with the sweat and blood of thousands of African slaves.
Very far from other colonial cities it is the most preserved for more than two centuries and the least touristy.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, it is built on very steep slopes.
The beautiful colonial houses of all colors are today charming pousadas (hotels), beautiful shops and restaurants.
After a visit to the tourist office that informs us that the main museums are closed, we stroll quietly under a burning sun up or down the alleys.
* Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos: The oldest church in Diamantina, built in 1731 by black slaves. The trunk of the tree facing the church encloses a cross. According to legend, the tree grew, like a divine sign, to exonerate a slave wrongly accused in the eighteenth century of stealing diamonds.
* Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo: Gilded sculptures with leaf and its organ made in Diamantina emphasize that this church built between 1760 and 1765 is the most opulent in Diamantina.
* Casa da Glória: An intense blue passage, at the level of the second level built to hide the nuns from the public throughout the 102 years during which the building held place of orphanage and school, connects the two bodies of buildings that face each other.
The heat complicates the visit in these alleys all paved and with high sidewalks ... We take a taxi back to the motorhome parked at the top of the city.
Christophe spends part of the afternoon looking for a gas adapter for Brazilian bottles for a possible purchase since it is impossible to fill our American bottles ... He found it... finally!!
Then he goes in search of a 12v/220v converter, ours having passed away a few days ago.
After several unsuccessful attempts a dealer offers to have ours revised. Also in a pouring rain he takes him on his motorcycle to a specialist who repairs it ... Our biker refuses to be paid ... Once again we’re facing Brazilian kindness.
Diamantina
Our next stop is about 500 km away via a road in good condition but which extends us by 100 km ... We prefer this option because the fastest route is made of self-locking stones. Some of them have disappeared!! Huge holes are to be expected.
We are still in a region of hills and valleys where the vegetation has been identical for several days. It is known as "Cerrado", the South American savannah.
It exists in 4 types of vegetation: cerradao (dry forest) / campo limpo (grass) / stricto (small shrub) and supo (mixture of the other 3 types).
We ride under a blazing sun + 35°.
When we arrive at our destination, we refuel and we land on a parking lot of a gas station open all night.
Next to our bivouac, there is a car accessories store in which Christophe finds his happiness: a floor mat for the cabin and oil filters.
We still haven’t recharged our gas cylinders.... It’s becoming a concern.
ROAD BOOK 167
MAVROS ODYSSEE
