Ok, f i n a l l y wifi worthy of photo support.

We were going to take the back roads and stay off the main drag but mum natures radical display of thunder, lightning and heavy rain that night finished that, Brasil has red clay which in Kamillas terms is “like riding on wet soap”, she is right it is slippery as.

Backtracking slightly we met a great guy in Rio De Janeiro, Raf Kiss, turns out he knows some other dodgy advers as well, we got an updated tracksource map of Brasil and many pointers on where to go up this neck of the woods, onya Raf, great information which has made our trip better. You can find his website here 9 days on Brazil's Estrada Real - A mix of History, Culture and Natural Beauty (Part 1)Brazil Road Trips and if you want great info on Brasil then this is for you.

Relegated to the tar seal saw us riding in full wets, it was very wet and very cold … something we were not used to given the previous temperatures we had been experiencing.

Yes these clouds did do nasty things

P1190467 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Our task for the day was to make it north to Ouro Preto (Black Gold), a very nice and very old town and being 420 km away was huge day for team TMK.

The odd section of road and bridge being rebuilt just to keep us on our toes

P1190473 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Ouro Preto was an easy day it turned out being 100 % great quality tar for the most, we were threatened with ominous clouds later in the day as well but they only frowned at us luckily, we found a hotel which was made in 1740 …. cool place with great wifi and parking for Maya.:clap

IMG_1183 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

There was a concert on as well while we there, we did get up to see the talent to find it wasn’t quite what we thought it would be, good all the same.

IMG_1272 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Spending the day in Ouro Preto we took the place in with its stunning architecture of hundreds of year back so the depth of history being a major player in the place.

The sun did come and out and shout us an outstanding sunset across the town

IMG_1188 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A waiter in a restaurant, beautiful buildings here.

IMG_1259 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Leaving Ouro Preto in the wet again (we are getting used to this) we continued on the Estrada Real, mostly on the tar but the first “shortcut” on the old trail, this section only 8 km long so the work level skyrocket for me and Maya slipped and slid around on the damp paste, lucky not many other vehicle had been on it or it would have ended in tears.

P1190494 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We stepped off the main road and followed some of the original trails, for the most of it they are narrow dirt roads with a few signs explaining the locality and the happenings … all in Portuguese of course.

P1190542 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Some of these roads are 100% red Brasilian clay and so red they almost look fake, the red dust coats the close by trees and anything else) with a very red tinge.

P1190599 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The easy day on mostly tar again saw us arrive in plenty of time to Diamantina, that next.

__________________
Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Diamantina, a similar town to Ouro Preto but felt nicer for us, some places you just gel with easier and this was one of them.:clap

Ellen did the usual go find a hostel, hotel or dumpster bin to sleep in, while she was away I managed to attract the attention of a local bar owner, the bar called “Gringos”, now he saw me sitting and waiting in the heat and bought over bottle of water gratis and gave it to me, onya mate really appreciated that!! ….also attracted the attention of the Police who simply asked if I needed help, at the same time Eduardo came up and was photographing Maya and he speaks English so with his help we explained we were just looking for a place to stay. :clap

The town, beautiful and well kept

IMG_1292 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We did get sorted, the courtyard a little tight with Maya filling up a good bit of it.

IMG_1294 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Eduardo was there on his Honda Varadero 1000, very nice guy so we caught up with him that night taking a bottle of rum and fizz to chat over, we also joined him in a sightseeing tour the following morning, good times.

IMG_1274 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

IMG_1277 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

While walking around in Diamantina I spotted a hot Asian chick so took her photo :evil

IMG_1303 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We had been struggling to keep water in the header tank in Maya so decided something wasn’t right, there were a few options, blown head gasket :huh :cry, cracked head :huh :huh :cry :cry or failing water pump.

The water pump had 60000 km on it so was a contender and as that is what we could fix easily having a spare on board that was the first option, the others expense wise would be a show stopper for us.

Our hostel man pointed us to a moto shop, turned out to be a Yamaha shop.

On the Monday morning we went in and politely asked (via our Goooogle translate and big smiles) if we could use their workshop to do a waterpump job and we would buy 4 liters of oil, 2 liters of antifreeze and grease etc from them, we needed a hammer and circlip pliers, everything else we have to do the job.:clap

They agreed welcoming us in, they were keen to help and very good to us (the theme of Brasil) so I set too ripping Maya to pieces to sort it out, Ellen went to the shop and bought them some guarana fizz drink which they appreciated too.clap

Many faces came and went during the day looking at the monster on the bike lift and the gringo getting greasy fixing her.

The shop is Edvel Motos in Diamantina, Diamantina : Edvel Motos (Yamaha) these guys were seriously helpful to us allowing us some space in their workshop, they have a good selection of parts etc too, if in the town or close and needing something these guys rock.clap

Although the water pump shaft looked plus or minus ok we successfully fixed the it with a new kit complete.

The crew

P1190621 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Maya on the surgical table

P1190617 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The waterpump, although the shaft looked +/- ok we replaced the lot being that far in.

P1190619 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A huge thanks to Edvel Motos, yet again saved by a Brasilian Yamaha shop :rofl

To finish this section of the Estrada Real a small vid we made, not hell exciting Red Bull stuff but its what we did.


<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/f0QThxtMTCQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Brazil looks amazing ,and very friendly too by the look of things .so what do you think the water pump was doing? is there water in the sump?surly there would be a leak out of the tell tale hole on the water pump? Not giving you a hard time just interested .Nice pic's as always .one week and a bit till i have a break away ,going to HU Brisbane (on my Varadero) ( Beaudesert ) about 1000km for me can not wait ,then Rhonda and i will do a trip to the south(4x4) and up the great ocean road to Adelaide through the outback and home .anyhoo until next time YDF Noel

Heya Noel

Yeap Brasilians right up there with Colombians for friendly and helpful, seriously nice change after Bolivia.

Waterpump was the seal, both sealing edges were rounded thus not doing the full seal, the other bearing had a small amount of movement, not sure if that was cause or result tho.

There will have been water in the oil but the oil was still well coloured and felt good, nonetheless we changed it out anyway, it actually takes less than 1 % of water in the oil to turn it milky so it tells you how much there wasn't in the oil which is cool co yes I do worry about shit like that too

On the 950 SE or LC8 engines there is no tell tale hole unfortunately, that would make it real easy, the water instead goes through the seal, through the pump bearings and into the engine, sometime if a seal lets go quickly the oil and water emulsify and you end up with white gooey oil and a latte mix around the clutch being the biggest stirrer in there.

Me being anal about everything I notice changes early and look for the reason, I am a kind of a mechanical nutta but I love it, this incredible attribute I have (apart from being extremely good looking ) saved the day from more damage

Great stuff going to the HU meeting and a nice distance, easy as on the Varadero, funny this, today we are meeting up with a guy that we met 2000 km north of Rio De Janeiro and he has a Varadero as well ... but he is a nice guy

And the 4 wheelin, love that too, miss that from travelling on a moto, in NZ we have some 4x4 buds for playing in the mud.

Ok, time to hoon now so we can catch up with our man.

Catch up next time Noel, be safe and keep the rubber side down mate

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Completing Diamantina we headed to Itaobim, the road in various states of repair, disrepair and dirt compete with few sandpits.

P1190640 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

P1190646 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The day was Foooookin hot and the temperature around 45 deg C, Maya was sitting at 5 bars out of 7 most of the day, Ellen and I also feeling it and drinking 90% of our 4 liters on board. :eek1

P1190649 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Arriving at Itaobim we found a hostel straight away which was easy, as we seem to be in fix everything mode at present we spotted a small moto shop, needing some brake hose copper washers we had tried many places but nothing, these guys, yeap!!!:clap

We established they were all part of the hostel, restaurant, moto parts and moto repair shop family. Fabio was very keen to help us given we were staying at his families hostel so we set too, changed the washers and bleed the brake successfully which was cool.clap

On completion my day was undone as I realized we had a back flat, 99040 km without a flat wasn’t bad, it had to happen some time, because all the air was at the top I just turned it around but all the air went back to the top, it was clear we needed to buy a tin of heavier air.

I pulled the wheel out then using a vice we broke the bead and proceeded to remove the tire and found the offender, a small nail through the top of the tire and a corresponding hole in the tube.

This is my not impressed look

P1190650 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Let the wrestling match begin :rofl

P1190652 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The little bastid which ruined my day

P1190654 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Fabio quick as a flash prepped the tire and tub, patched the tube and we stuck it all back together, 15 minutes and we had her done, no need to buy a tin of heavier air. :rofl

Came to pay the bill, they said no charge, we had paid for the washers and oil etc prior and I think they felt sorry for us so gratis was the word, the following morning we bought a 2.5 liter cold Coca Cola and gave it to the lads, they were very appreciative of that as the place is foookin hot, hand shakes and well wishes we headed to Barra Da Estiva just short of the national park.

Now for the upside of getting a flatty .. yes it is true it was a good thing.

When I removed the wheel I found the seal had chopped out and the right hand side bearing was pretty unhappy, as it turned out the bearing cage was just coming apart so we caught it at the 11th hour and 59th minute, we still had 60 seconds left so plenty !!! :evil

With no bearings in this town we stuffed it full of grease and rode quietly on, only 12 km up the road there was an auto shop and bingo, we changed it there and then.

This is the difference ... not much as you can see :rofl

P1190661 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Good luck or bad luck, for me both, we found a potential issue before it held us up ... good luck, we did 99040 without a flat ....bad luck ....would have been nice to have cracked 100k :lol3

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Escaping Barra Da Estiva (nothing to show) we headed for the park along the big straights then we took a shortcut gravel road that turned into single track sand at one point, serious bright red dirt again in patches then back to sand as quick as that and the sand changed from bright yellows to dull browns, although it was not a hard road it made for interesting travelling because of the vast changes in colour.

From this

P1190687 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

To this

P1190703 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We did however have two minor tank slappers in the sandpits which filled the gruds, this part testing my skills :eek1

P1190716 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

More sandpits

P1190717 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

P1190721 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

P1190731 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Crossing an array of dry riverbeds, small bridges and sandpits (as above) we made it to Caete Acu or Vale do Capão (lots of places here in Brasil have different names, makes it harder to find on the map), soon to be home for three nights as we enjoyed the national parks offerings, as luck would have it in true tradition of us going to a tourist place the weather caved in.:cry

Home for 3 nights, private bathroom and a kitchen to cook, undercover parking for the Mayan

IMG_1314 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We did a walk to the worlds 2nd highest waterfall (yes …another one!!!!) called Trilha Da Fumuça.

The weather was shit, cold and foggy, given the day before was 45 degrees C we left in shorts and t shirts only to find when we got to the plato at the top the rain was coming in sideways propelled by the wind which was cool enough.

We made it to the waterfall but no epic views as it was foggy and raining, the waterfall not doing much either from the previous dry spell, can’t win them all unfortunately, the highlight talking with a dude from Salvador (the town) who owns a BMW 1200 GS which was parked at the bottom of the hill.

See down in the pic the waterfall

IMG_1319 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

This is what we should have seen

Fumaça by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

It did not feel scary cos we could not see over the side so it was safe :huh

IMG_1322 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Coming back into town some,linemen were cutting trees away from the powerlines and they had some Jackfruit from the trees cut, they cut a chunk off with a machete and gave us some, I love the stuff but it has a very latex style glue inside which a lot of people can't be bothered with.

IMG_1334 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Spider man Kiwi style :evil

IMG_1336 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Trying our luck the next day Maya took us 6 km to the head of the valley which lead us to two waterfalls, not very big but very nice place to sit and relax in the sun/cloud and a very popular spot indeed.

Ellen snuck in a quick skinny dip (called Purificaçao waterfall ) just before the masses arrived, hereya Trevor Ellen topless for you mate!!! :rofl

IMG_1341 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

IMG_1356 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Some of the abrupt valley walls, mind boggling standing there feeling very insignificant

IMG_1363 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

With this side of the park done what we wanted to see our next move was to Lencios, only 11 km as the crow flies, 76 km by moto.

__________________
Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Lencois

Finishing at Capão we rode around the corner (76km) via dirt, sand and tar to arrive in Lencois, a little more touristy but a very nice place all the same.

A symbol along the road section

P1190776 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We were looking for an economic hostal when three men passed by … and talked English, they asked do you need help, we said well yeah we need a hostel or Pousada, turns out one guy owned a Pousada and said come have a look.

Well it was slightly out of town (3 minutes walk), very quiet, moto parking, so so wifi and the price was right, we were in.

We had only just settled in and were sitting checks e’s after being wfiless for a few days when I heard a sound, an odd sound for that area, I was sure it was a V twin.

Curiosity got the better of me and I checked it out, poking my head out the gate and down the road there was an 1190 KTM Adventure R parked on the road. Time to check it out, so I met the owner and we discussed his bike etc before saying we were next door on our SE.

He came and checked out our hostel as the parking was way easier, he ended up taking a room there as he is kicking around fr another month or so …because there is a woman involved … typical.

Martin Leonhardt is his name and he has been on the road for 11 months so far.

The first day in Lencios was market day so a huge fruit market, perfect timing for us so we made the most of it.

Armed and dangerous with bananas we rode out to the blue pools, the afternoon clearing up in fine fashion presenting us with a cave all to ourselves for about an hour, stunning, peaceful, cool and a nice place to sit and observe the color changes within the water and limestone walls, these days you know you are alive.

IMG_1379 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Just stunning, I was stuck for words watching this unfold in front of us

IMG_1401 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

IMG_1387 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A couple from northern Brasil came to the cave, she was beautiful with colourful clothing which made a quite a statement and with the contrast of the cave colours and backround ...well here she is, I love this photo.

IMG_1460 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

On the way back we took a shortcut to be nosy, it was anything but a shortcut and yet again I have not learned to stay on tarmac.

IMG_1477 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

To finish a pleasant and sunny avo we sat at the base of a long waterfall ( name Poço do Diabo : Devio’s pool) and pond which Ellen made the most of.

IMG_1504 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Sossego Falls, that was the plan for the next day, mum nature turned on a fantastic day, the walk 7 km along an easy track with some rock hopping at the last 3/4 km to the end.

IMG_1549 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

IMG_1553 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The reward was water to swim in and sun to sit under, what a treat another reminder we are alive and well.

IMG_1524 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

There was some other people there this time so not quite having it to ourselves but the scenery was nice to look at so ….not too bad eh.

IMG_1541 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Now purely by accident from the shot above .... anyway you get the picture (if you look harder) ... you can see the natural grain of the branches ...was that a lucky shot or what

IMG_1541 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Back to the programme Ellen enjoyed here swim and climb behind the waterfall

IMG_1540 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A nice walk back into town and a quick visit to the waterfalls or more like a huge natural slide called Rioa do Mieo at the end of our street where again Ellen went for a dunk and I utilized the sun to recharge my solar panel.

IMG_1565 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

All in all Lencois a fantastic place to visit and well worth the stop, in fact the whole Chapada Diamantina National Park is excellent.

Itacaré next, gone coastal again.

__________________
Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Just some local town photos and with Martin and his 1190 keeping Maya company.

Martin with Ellen, Martins webpage Freiheitenwelt › Martin Leonhardt || Fotografie | Outdoor | Abenteuer |

P1190783 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Local music groups playing in town

IMG_1568 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Any alleyway with bars, pubs and restaurants, very nice place.

IMG_1570 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We were there on a full moon and a clear night, lucky!!

IMG_1370 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Can't believe you guys are still living life on the road, great pics, like the branch grain! I've been back to work 9 months now, time to start planning again, keep living the dream
Gino

Heya Gino

Yes we are still slaving away ...its awful ... yes branch grain was nice

Will keep going although the end is in sight for us, we head home around next May and back to work

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Leaving the National Park happy campers after being served up mum natures best eye candy caves, waterfalls ... and tree branches we hit it to Itacare.:clap

The plan was to ride the road from Lencios south beside the park, we started out with the road turning into a dirt track as expected and as we progressed in got narrower into a 4 x 4 only width with sandpits and obstacles.

P1190789 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

P1190825 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Approaching a river it was clear it was getting a little harder, a digger was busy making the crossing easier but that was no use to us. and we took an alternate crossing which was easier but still sloppy with slimy stuff so crossing it was hard wok as my original chosen line was taken out of my hands pretty quick.

P1190791 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

P1190796 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The exit was sandy and very very soft making it interesting.

P1190823 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

More small creeks with grease to make it interesting

P1190800 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Having completed that we continued on and it progressively got worse, after a section of about 300 meters of sandpits we dropped into a sandy creek bed and were confronted with what appeared to be more soft sand. I took an investigatory look to find out how soft it was, there was also lots of it, actually for as far as I could see which would have been 300 - 400 meters easy….hmmm degree of difficulty getting beyond fun. (Metal Jockey sand two up)

A stone stepped section which was welcome traction .... amazing what you think is great when things get bad :rofl

P1190818 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

P1190819 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

P1190817 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

After thinking it was improving it started to get a little soft :eek1

P1190804 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Then the deal breaker

P1190810 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Making a trackside executive decision to turn back at this point and wanting to make some ground today this track was not going to cut it.

Stinking hot, we were wet with sweat and the weather was turning bad so time to put tail between legs and turn around 8-( … you don’t want to be caught mid track on the red clay as it is like riding on soap.:eek1

Suddenly this looked like a motorway and we were happy to be on it :rofl

P1190812 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Retracing our steps back to town we nearly made it back to cobbled street before the rain struck and it came down in buckets, all through town and to the petrol station we got washed.

Tanking up we continued head on into heavy rain, the good thing here is it comes in fast and usually goes away fast, today was similar but it did hang round a bit longer washing Maya and us, at least it was not cold.

Deciding to bust our near 500 km ride to Itacare into two days we took the back way away from the truck laden main drag, of the 350 km we did that day nearly 200 km was on clay roads and sandy tracks and very harsh rock surfaces … a little more than we wanted but we had time up our sleeve so no worries.

Anyway lost some potholes cos we found em :lol3

P1190827 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Then a couple hundred km of this,

P1190830 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

This

P1190846 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

..and this, sandpits now and then to keep us awake :evil

P1190851 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The following day was the leg down to Itacare to meet up with Gail again, easy ride down on tar until we took a shortcut on a neat wee dirt road.

When we started on that section it was sunny and hot, 15 km into the 30 km road it got dark then the clouds popped … this time we were mid ship on a red clay track …. our worst nightmare.

Dropping the pace on the paste was in order and Maya was squirreling around and a handful to keep upright, continuing on slowly we made steady progress in and out of pot holes, and water flowing across the road, it actually became easier with the heavy rain turning the road to slush rather than hard top clay with a greasy surface (Soap).

Eventually we made it back to the BR101 and tar which was a relief having made it without dumping us or the bike, a quick scoot down the 101 and out to Itacare to find Gail. :clap

Itacare next, very nice place and a catchup with fello hooligan and RTW traveler Gail :clap

__________________
Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Thankyou for the fabulous posts and pics, I see that KTM knew you were coming, they appear to have painted the roads for you:-))

Heya Canyon

You are welcome my friend, yes pretty cool getting personalized roads ...we would have to be careful where we park the bike or we may not se it again

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Mission was to find Gail, this time Mrs.Garmin was correct to the mm. Easy parking, easy to find, easy to our room.....the perfect landing which does not happen often.:clap

Arriving early in the day meant we could use the rest of it for sight seeing and beach time talking travel, bikes and beach scenery.

IMG_1604 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Check out this little dude

IMG_1590 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The late afternoon sun with background cloud creating some spotlights to highlight the view, pretty neat really.

IMG_1596 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Gail was still suffering an ankle injury from a small binning in Bolivia so an easy slow walk was in order and Gail enjoying being able to start and exercise it again after seeing a witch doctor / janitor / local surgeon / someone who nodded and said nothing broken....all in silence or Portuguese...the same really for us :rofl

Hitting beaches was cool, very relaxed place with a great feel to it and surfers making to most of the waves from the southern breeze whipping up a serving of fun for them.

Ellen busy taking photos again of young six packers relaxing

IMG_1575 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Discussing places to go etc saw Gail heading north to Lencios and us heading south to Arraial d' ajuda, for both of us a hoon down the tar.

There are guys on the beach with little coal fires from which you can buy grilled cheese etc, pretty neat

IMG_1644 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

It is a very tranquil place to sit, relax and take in the surrounding, we were not the only ones take a moment or two to appreciate our surrounding, also Ellen likes this tatoo

IMG_1637 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

As dusk unfolded so do the change light of the day with the added guest of a small rainbow lining the sky.

IMG_1630 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The sunset finishing a great day of chats, drinks and amigos.:clap

IMG_1616 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

__________________
Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Leaving Gali and Itacare were set to down the tar, we met up with Adriana who we had met at the Buzios Rally and stayed 3 days there again taking in some beach time.

On arrival Mrs.Garmin had sent us astray with 3 streets having the same name and both we had in were incorrect, we parked behind a white F800gs and the owner came out to greet us with enthusiasm which was cool, he contacted Adriana for us and few minutes later she arrived on her NX400 Honda to lead us back to her place.

IMG_1707 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

IMG_1699 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Ellen out on the reef

IMG_1652 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The port area to Porto Seguro

IMG_1669 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

From Adrianas we again set off south down the BoRing 101, this unfortunately is a truck infested toll road however we needed to make some ground, our lower steering head bearing needed some work with the bottom bearing suffering 66000 km of hard work and starting to show signs of wear with a notch in the center so heading back to Rio to MotoBiu's to buy some bearings and seals from him as he had helped us prior, nice to support those that have supported us.clap

We decided to do front wheel, back wheel and steering bearings all at the same time and be done so this will see us to the finish of our trip. (that is awful to say :cry)

Vitoria, a moto bar b q was on and we tried to find it but with no luck, the waterfront is huge so it was like trying to find a KTM in Brasil :rofl, giving up on that we took our turn inland via another national park which was a back road treat after the 101, we really wanted to turn right heading deeper into the park but we were sitting on the edge of a big rain and in the middle of a red clay soap road on 90% spent "tireds" ... most of the black bits that stick out already gone so we opted out to the main road for a short stint.

P1190932 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

I think there might be an election coming :eek1 :huh

P1190938 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Again turning off we hit a very nice wee back road through to Nova Friburgo to Lumiar which was our destination, we wanted to catch up with Kamilla as well on our way through but she was sway so timing did not permit.

P1190872 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

In Lumiar we stayed at a hostal and the dude rode a Harley so was very welcoming, pictured here is Ellen and his good lady, nice people.

IMG_1712 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Leaving Lumiar our destination was back to Paulos and Moto Biu to do the bearing job, as usual we could only get 90% of what we needed so had to order two bearings in to complete the order, no biggy, all off the shelf bearings so easy to get.

Getting sorted ... that next :clap

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere