Brazil November 2003

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First we flew to Fortaleza for the ISDE

An event that is usually held in Europe, has been held twice in the USA and twice in Australia finally makes it to South America. Italian Franco Acerbis and his dedicated team were determined the 78th event would be one to remember.

The annual visit to this event has been one of the main reasons for our travels through the years and has taken us to some very interesting locations well away from the usual tourist spots.

Fortaleza in Ceara Province in the north of Brazil is a busy city and port but our base would be along the coast at Puerto da Dunas

We were with the UK teams at the Hotel Kalamari, a family owned hotel with very basic facilities.

However the beach was just a short walk away, the sun was shining and the sea warm-perfect.

It seems we are not the only ones who use buses as transport for bikes.

We had no problem finding our way around the region

We found the old town of Bereribe along the coast and the church square was one of the locations for service during the event.

This square would be bustling with activity in a few days time.

It was market day and just as in Oswestry the women from surrounding villages take their shopping home on the local bus.

The stalls in the market hall were overflowing with meat and fresh vegetables.

Outside in the sunshine the clothes and hardware stalls were doing a brisk trade.

The setting for one of the special tests was straight out of the travel book.

Dressed in their traditional costumes the ladies of Prianha looked very colourful.

It takes team work, logs and coordination to launch the traditional fishing boats.

To the east, away from the ocean breezes it was much hotter.

Here at Maraguape there would be two different service places-one on the edge of the town the other near the local beer factory and museum.

Intricate lace is made by the women here.

The drive up the twisty narrow road through the banana plantations at Palamacia was tricky as the trucks were coming down laden with fruit.

But it was worth it for the view.

There is little industry but there were many sugar cane factories.

Here they made fuel for cars, a very sweet liquor and nut filled sweets.

The ISDE gets under way on Monday 2nd November

The opening ceremony scheduled for Saturday in Fortaleza had been cancelled.

The unleaded fuel had not arrived from Rio in time so all the bikes were still un-tested.

Press lady Dot was busy with her camera taking those all important pictures for our article.

Once again there was a big contingent from the USA and they had well organised service areas.

Their riders had been the only ones with fuel so had managed to practise in the sand.

There were twenty five British riders and four teams of dedicated hardworking service crews who suffered in the hot sun. They are more used to rainy events and mud!

There were no complaints as everyone enjoyed the swimming pool once the work was over!

Nevertheless the workers and outriders were very pleased to get a nice bacon butty and a cup of tea!

The Purple Helmets display team from the IOM put on a show the like of which had never been seen in Brazil and the locals laughed and cheered!

Belgian Stephan Everts a multi World MX Champion was taking part in his first enduro which he won outright.

At the final MX test he discusses tactics with Finlands Juha Salminen-his equal in enduros-and a member of the World Trophy winning team.

Flying down to Rio for some serious sightseeing!

Everyone should visit Rio de Janerio as the setting is superb. Our hotel was on the famous Cocacabana beach and the view from the hotel swimming pool was just what we expected.

At night the promenade and beach was busy with people taking exercise in lots of different ways-but Jim was disappointed not to see any women playing volley ball!

Of course we took the tram ride up the Corcorvara to admire the famous statue and enjoy the spectacular views

The Botanical Gardens in the centre of the city were a haven of cool shade.

Dot was glad that the bamboo did not grow this big in Wales.

On a hot steamy, rainy day we took a tour of the city.

This is the unusual Cathedral with a leaking roof.

After driving along the Sambadrome where the Carnival dancers parade we were driven around the football stadium-all concrete.

The Sugar loaf was covered in cloud but the cable car ride was interesting.

The light was too low to get any good photos but later the sunset at Ipenema beach was perfect.

The triple border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay

A short flight took us to Iguassa de Foz where our base was the Hotel Tropicana.

Set amongst the jungle scenery right alongside the famous falls it was a beautiful place.

From the hotel terrace the view of the falls was breathtaking.

We marvelled at the spectacle as we wandered down the path to the river.

The flamboya trees were in full bloom in the lovely gardens where all sorts of exotic flowers and shrubs were planted.

We soon learned not to leave our haversack as the racoons tried to get our lunch!

Itaipu hydro electric station is the largest in the world and provides ninety percent of the electricity needs of Paraguay.

The shores of the huge lake behind the dam are used for recreation.

This bridge over the river is the border crossing into Paraguay.

The customs officers were having a clamp down so we did not bother to go across to go shopping.

To visit the falls in Argentina meant crossing another border and driving through the National Park.

There we boarded a little train which trundled alongside the river through the jungle.

Many of the trees were festooned with hanging nests and the birds were busily going in and out.

To reach the top of the falls we had to walk for almost an hour along a steel walkway that goes out across the river.

We could hear the noise of the falls as we got closer.

The Devils Throat is a circular escarpment over which the water rushes down to the river far below.

It is awesome and Dot took loads of photos and a video which hardly seem to capture this magnificent sight.

Covered in spray we could not talk above the noise as we stood in awe of all this water. We watched as the birds darted through the spray and into nests on the side of the sheer cliffs.

Early next morning we rode on another train through the jungle and then walked down to the river below.

At a small landing stage we boarded a rubber boat for a trip to the base of the falls.

What a ride over the rough river and into the falling water. Nearer and nearer we went as the laughter and screams got louder!

We were soaked and had to pack our wet clothes in poly bags for the journey home.

What an end to our trip!

--------It was very cold back home so off we went south. December 2003-March 2004 -------

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