Day 272 – Bom Jardim to Belem, Brazil

Day 272 – Bom Jardim to Belem, Brazil      05/20/11       Mileage: 322

John and I had just over 300 miles to get to Belem, so after a nice breakfast that was included with the rooms, we continued up the BR316 north.

We sheltered our bikes in storage area behind the hotel…

John and his Yamaha TT600…

The skies were threatening all morning but we managed to stay dry. We planned to have a nice lunch at a churrascaria (a Brazilian steakhouse) which are generally plentiful along the road and in particular at gas stations and truck stops. Luckily we found exactly what we were looking for at exactly the moment it started to rain. As soon as we pulled the bikes up to the pumps under the shelter of the roof, it began to pour….perfect timing for sure. We filled the bikes and filled ourselves with meat at the churrascaria….different cuts of steak, chicken, ribs, tongue…the works! It was still pouring outside so we were in no rush to leave, and being a fixed price all you can eat….we just kept eating…meat. Eventually the rain ended along with our appetites, so we continued up the road to Belem.

All the rivers we crossed were very high…..this one has flooded the local soccer field…

John’s friend Ian whom I also met back in Buenos Aires was already in Belem, so we were going to try and hook up with him. We found the hotel easy enough but they didn’t have any more room in their garage and Ian was not around, so we found another hotel around the corner that had room in their garage for the bikes. After stowing the bikes and gear we went down to the waterfront for dinner and a few beers.

They served beer in these towers….almost like having your own personal beer tap….sweet!

The “working girls” were doing a good business at the waterfront and a few of them seemed particularly keen on selling their services to me and John….which could be taken as a compliment I guess…but probably not…. 😛