Calculating my options and the risks…

January 22, 2012:  “Readers have reported armed assaults on the night bus between Sao Luis and Belem, so consider flying as an alternative” my travel book states.  Doing some more research into it on the internet, I found blogs and travel site postings about the slew of armed robberies that take place on this road - one driver even claimed to be robbed 6 times.  It would be nice if you could rent a gun at the bus station when traveling through zones such as these.  Calculating my options including the risks and rewards of each…I took my chances last night and chose the night bus.

Between 1:00am to 4:00am in the darkness of the morning, where nothing man made existed except for the road we were on, I was awaken by the bus sharply swerving on and off the pavement.  Coming to an abrupt stop, I looked out the window but I was unable to see anything.  At first I thought that perhaps someone was lying in the road or we hit someone, but then it all “clicked” - we were being set up by bandits to get the bus to stop.  I am not sure how many brain cells where loosely floating around in the bus drivers head and why he ever stopped or ran outside the bus in an area that is so prone to armed assaults.

Happily, I can say that there was nobody with guns, machetes or spears that entered our bus - perhaps just a few mosquitoes.  Maybe I should stay off the movies for a while and limit my internet searches to strictly porn.  When we came rolling into Belem, unscathed, a smile cracked along my face as we passed the wooden huts along the road and crossed the small rivers that went under the highway…I made it to the Amazon, but even better…the Amazon River.

A gun is a gun…

January 21, 2012:  Walking back from the dock in San Luis after the 8 ½ hour trip visiting the old colonial town of Alcantra, I noticed some people peeping around the corner at something that was taking place a block away from my hotel.  It originally looked like there might have been a motorbike accident since a man with a helmet on was laying on the ground.  But it was strange since there was no motorbike around him to justify him wearing a helmet on such a hot day. 

I decided to get closer to see what was going on – thinking that someone might need some help.  This is when I saw the man wearing the helmet sit up with a gun waving in the air before whacking the man he was on top of with it.  He ended up being a police officer that enjoys running (no so smart) and fighting (very smart) with his helmet on. 

A gun is a gun no matter what size it is because you will have to see a doctor no matter how big or small the hole it makes.  But, I must say that the officer’s revolver was so small it was not even threatening – if anything it looked cute.  Is it possible for a handgun to be cute and not a Beretta?

1 second = 5 lives…I love seconds

January 20, 2012:  I have been traveling with a group of backpackers ranging from anywhere from 7 to 11 people the past 5 days – a rarity for me.  In some aspects it can really make travel a lot easier traveling in a flock of sheep, there is no need to think about anything if you don’t want to…you just follow the person in front of you. 

I really enjoyed my trip getting to Atins – a fishing village with a population of 250 people.  From the bus, to the 4x4 then transferring to a local fishing boat…it was all quite amazing.  We came here to visit Lencois Maranhenses National Park which contains about 500 square kilometers of rolling white dunes.  I cheated before coming here and did a search on Google Images of the park to help me decide if I should come here or just continue on to San Luis.  This defiantly ruined the anticipation but also creating a higher expectation, since it is not common for someone to post their worst photos of somewhere they go - unless they are legally blind, under the age of 6 or past the age of 80.  With this said, when visiting the national park, it looked nothing like the photos on the internet - sort of like certain individuals profile photos on facebook.    

Separating from the flock, I took the local 4x4 leaving at 4:00am.  By the time we left Athins, we had 10.8% of the population in the 4x4.  The vehicle was designed to fit perhaps 14 people comfortably…there was 28 people - that includes those on the roof and hood of the truck.  Fighting not just to stay on, but to take my whipping like a man as the branches would tear across the side of the truck down the narrow road when not in the open dunes.  To reduce the odds to not have any detours to the local medical facility, I placed my backpack with my computer and camera in front of me to protect my internal organs.    

When reaching the ferry, the 4x4 Toyota was like a real life Transformer, transforming from a truck into a submarine as it submerged itself in the water to make it to the ramp of the vessel.  I never knew a vehicle could go that deep in the water and continue to run - I wonder how deep I could get in my Volkswagen before needing an insurance claim. 

Once in the town of Barreirinhas I took a 3.5 hour ride in a collective taxi to San Luis – the reggae capital of Brazil.  During our ride the driver seemed to be catching brief moments of sleep.  I asked another passenger in the car who also spoke English, if they could speak to the driver to keep him awake.  Two seconds after saying that the driver leans over, grabbing his sunglasses and puts them on.  For someone who claims that he doesn’t understand English, I wondered the validity of his claim.

I don’t know if I will ever understand the need for someone to perform a pass on a blind curve.  My driver didn’t do it…it was someone else that was performing this feat of stupidity.  If it wasn’t for 1 extra second, we would have been in major accident.  Today 1 second = 5 lives.  I really like seconds - actually, today…I LOVE seconds.