Just Getting There....

Our first leg on the Seja Abençoado

I know I've been writing mostly lately about my travel experiences, but I promise, this one takes the cake!

On a recent trip to the community of Baixão (last time we went there by dirt bike and a ferry), I couldn't help but laugh.  I'm not sure that I could even have dreamed it up, but my Brazilian counterpart never blinked an eye, nor lost faith, in our ability to arrive at this community.  16 hours later, he was right!

We started out from town on a boat, loaded down with lumber, headed up the Amazon River.  The next morning, after spending all night piloting up the river, we jumped into our little speed boat to make the next two-hour leg of the trip.  Up to now, everything is going as planned.  Arriving in the dried up lake where the community Ponta Grande is located, we figure out that there is no way to actually arrive at this community because the water is too low!  So do we abandon the trip and head home?  Nope!

Leg #2 - Speed Boat

Luckily we found some men loading farinha into a boat to take to the city.  After a bit of questioning we figured out that we could land the boat there and store the motor at this guys house.  So, using his ox cart, we loaded up the motor and went for a ride.  Arriving at his home, we unloaded the motor and his mother quickly sat us down for lunch!  Now the problem is that we were still over 10 miles from our final destination.

After a bit of conversation, we found out that the local school bus could get us within a couple miles of our destination.  So shortly thereafter, we found ourselves in the midst of a dozen screaming grade school kids!

Leg #3 - Ox Cart

Jumping off the bus, and looking around, we only had one option now, hitchhike again.  Keep in mind, we've each got a backpack with our clothes and gear, a bag of tools, a sledge hammer, a post hole digger, two shovels, and a framing square.

Luckily, we were dropped off right in from of a little house with several motorcycles.  So we paid the guys to take us the last little bit. (Remember the gear?  Now imagine us on the back of motorcycles!)

And then we had to get home.....

Pure adventure!

Thumbs up on the bus!

Sorry, no pictures of the motorcycle ride because I was too busy holding onto the tools!  But here's a picture of me working, just so you don't think we have too much play time with no work!