Back onto the road with trucks. Very good and polite drivers. They
would let me pass first before pulling out themselves. We came to a
stop in a big line of trucks, must be road works or accident up
ahead. Up ahead was 7km’s and 2 hours later but did not see the
cause of the holdup just a guy with a red flag. We then passed the
7km’s of trucks waiting to go the other way. So how many trucks can
you fit into 14km’s single file. Yep lots and lots of trucks!
The land has opened up and we are seeing BIG paddocks of crops for the first time. Big as in 20km’s long and as far as the eye could see. Some kind of crop that we could not identify. Next huge paddocks of sugar cane at all stages. Some paddocks just finished harvesting and others only a foot high. They can obviously harvest all year round.
One small town we went through was the pot making capital, pots of all shapes and sizes. Some looked hand beaten.
The road was much better than yesterdays. Although still lots of trucks, the crests of the rolling hills had an overtaking lane or was a dual lane divided road. Often we’d overtake the truck on the way up and he’d overtake on the way down.
Went into a couple of small towns to find bolts and 12 vault USB chargers and cables. On our second try, john decided the ladies in the phone shop may be able to help him with his SIM and data problem. We had been told that if you do not have the Brazilian ID card you cannot get Internet through the phone. The ladies tried to help then took us to the Vivo (phone company) shop and were told that we could only have phone no Internet. We reurned to the little phone shop and our assistant registered our SIM with her ID number. Well worth the kangaroo key ring. So now we have Internet again. John also managed to buy some bolts. We checked out the laundry - about AU$2 for a pair of shorts or shirt. So now we’ll do it ourselves again. Haven't found any coin operated Laundries yet.