Foz do Iguaçu
Before arriving in town we do a small refueling. The campsite we chose is located at the entrance of the park but 17 km from the city.
We sit quietly and prepare our excursion to the falls.
Shortly after, a French motorhome registered in Brittany arrives.
And that’s how we meet David and Charles who are at the beginning of their journey in South America for a year.
After the presentations and the various topics on our respective projects, we decide to visit the falls together the next day.
The Iguaçu Falls, named after the river which means in native "great water" are certainly among the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
Located in the middle of the Argentine and Brazilian rainforest, they fill the surrounding lush jungle with their majestic din.
On the border between Argentina and Brazil, they have the particularity of being located on the 2 countries at once with still the major part of this set Argentinian side.
It is not strictly speaking a fall, but a set of 275 waterfalls forming a front of about 3.0 kilometers, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation.
The highest of them reaches 80 m in height. It is called the Garganta del Diablo in Spanish or Garganta do Diabo in Portuguese («Devil’s Throat»).
All the waterfalls discharge up to six million liters of water (six thousand tons) per second. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Unforgettable show for the four of us... We stay on the Brazilian side where the view is the most spectacular.
Back to the motorhome for a late lunch.
We spend our last days in Brazil with our « Breton » friends.
Gas cylinders continue to play tricks on us ... Several questions arise:
Is it the quality of the gas? Is it the installation that would be clogged by oil (the filter was full of oil)? Are the gas cylinders damaged?
We do a trial with a Brazilian bottle lent by the campsite ... Result : the installation is good. Here is already an option set.
We realize that by opening the two cylinders and putting the mixer the gas works.
What is the reason? ....
The day before crossing the border with Uruguay, we make a new drain, a revision of the horn and the change of the rear lights to "LED"
We do not return to the campsite and stay in town where we are joined by the Bretons.
On our way to Iguaçu
After several tests and adjustments the small noise is still present. The mechanic explains that the only solution that remains is the complete disassembly of the engine!!
According to him and his boss we risk nothing on the road ... Everything was checked and controlled.
We listen to the advice of professionals. Wait and See…
We return to check the alignment of the wheels after the many assembly and disassembly of the past days.
Finally we resume our journey.
We had to head south for a circuit prepared with Juliani but heavy rains are announced with a drop in temperatures.
Moreover, when reading the various "web" sites, we realize that some of them are not accessible with our camper.
We study the map again, the weather forecasts and we change our plans to reach "Foz do Iguaçu".
It takes us two days to reach our destination on a road that can be called a highway.
The landscapes are consistent with what we have already gone through.
On our last night, the Brazilian gas bottle is empty ... It’s 11 pm, and here is Christophe plugging one of our American bottles ... It does not go as expected ... The gas goes out ... Patience ... After several tests it restarts ...
Pinhais
Nous arrivons la vieille au soir pour être sur place à l'ouverture.
Nous sommes reçus par " Claudinei " à qui Christophe remet un topo sur toutes les réparations effectuées depuis quelques mois.
Il nous affecte un mécanicien expérimenté depuis 40 ans.
Il installe le camping-car sur des calles, démonte les deux roues et contrôle toutes les pièces une par une.
Nous comprenons rapidement que la révision sera longue. Le premier soir nous dormons dans un hôtel en centre-ville et les soirs suivants nous restons dans notre camping-car à l'intérieur du garage fermé.
Bilan des réparations :
* Remplacement des roulements à billes et des joints de la roue avant droite
* Remplacement du roulement du support du semi-axe côté droit et des trois capots latéraux
* Remplacement du tule du semi-axe côté gauche et des trois supports.
* Remplacement des coussins de support moteur droit et gauche.
Les journées sont longues ... Nous ne pouvons pas trop nous éloigner du garage, juste pour déjeuner et faire quelques courses.
Matinhos
Le moteur du camping-car faisant toujours un petit bruit, nous décidons de retourner à Curibita où nous prenons rendez-vous avec un garagiste spécialisé dans les moteurs diesel.
Nous devions y aller après notre visite à la " Policia Federal " mais nous avons eu notre problème de crémaillère de direction.
Nous voulons absolument que ce dernier fasse un check-up complet du moteur afin d'être tranquillisés pour la suite de notre odyssée. Le rendez-vous est fixé pour lundi prochain.
En attendant nous décidons de passer cette fin de semaine au bord de l'océan. En chemin nous visitons " Paranagua " qui s'avère être inintéressant.
Puis nous rejoignons " Matinhos " pour son immense plage et son accès facile. C'est le week-end et la station balnéaire se remplie petit à petit sans avoir l'impression de foule.
Le temps n'est pas au beau fixe mais plutôt alternance de soleil et de pluie.
Vila Velho
The Parque Estadual de Vila Velho is known as the «stone city».
The centres of gravity of the park are the 23 aretinhas (sandstone pillars), created over millions of years
The mysterious red sandstone, some of which take recognizable forms such as animals and objects, creates striking silhouettes over the blue sky and green foliage.
Located near Curitiba we go there in the late morning. There are very few visitors and we hike alone on the well signposted course.
Then, after lunch we continue to browse the site in a less interesting part.
For the night we lay down near the park and as every evening the rain comes again.
ROAD BOOK 176
Curitiba
To reach our next destination we have to cover more than 500 km in two days
We drive on a 2 x 2 lane highway and as usual very busy.
We land in a campsite outside the city.
Praised for its urban plan, its concern for ecology and its economic dynamism, the capital of "Parana" is often a good student of Brazil.
In 1668, Portuguese and Indians gradually settled in a small village called Nossa Senhora da Luz dos Pinhais de Curitiba following the discovery of gold.
In the 18th century it takes the name of Curitiba and becomes the capital of the province of Parana, recently created, which thus takes its independence from that of Sao Paulo.
From 1870, German, Polish, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian and Japanese immigrants joined the population.
The first federal university in Brazil was built there and began operating in 1913. The city is placed under the sign of education, a tradition that will not go out the years.
The day after our arrival we leave to visit the city.
* Jardim Botânico: Inaugurated in 1991 and inspired by the French gardens, it is the most visited place in Curitiba. It is famous for its glass metal structure and the garden of sensations that offers direct contact with plants of different textures, shapes and smells.
* La Praça Tiradentes: This is the historic centre of the city where the Nossa Senhora da Luz Cathedral was built in 1893. We did not like the neighborhood which according to the guides was renovated!!! We saw mostly poorly maintained and dilapidated buildings.
* Ópera de Arame: Opened in 1992, it is located on a small lake in an old quarry. Its different and special glass structure makes it its originality.
* Museu Oscar Niemeyer: It is a contemporary art museum designed by the great Brazilian architect. Besides its interesting architecture, the place hosts many exhibitions. We loved the exhibitions "Africa", "Asia"
Back to the camper, it raoins in the late afternoon.
MAVROS ODYSSEE
