Day 22 - Turtles and the Big City

Another great day exploring foreign lands. We left Brasileia and set out for Rio Branco as the excitement of seeing new lands was there to wake me up nicely.

A perfect day ... good weather (from 80 to 95 degrees), good roads with good potholes to avoid ... decimated jungle as far as the eye can see ... lonely trees here and there that survived the burn many years ago ... big cattle ranches with white cattle with black snouts and ears ... lonely ranch houses here and there with lots of land each ... and a cloudless sky for the second day. 

I wonder what effect what we have done here, and continue to do in other areas of the Amazon, will have in the long term. I am optimistic that Mother Earth will figure things out in the end and keep its balance ... but sometimes I hesitate. 

Our first stop was a lodge that keeps Amazonian turtles in their river/pond.  Lots of them ... looked like snakes with a shell ... hungry ... looked like snakes with s shell. Had some delicious coffee and maracuya juice and were on our way.

The city of Rio Branco, our destination for today, is one of the largest cities in the State of Acre in Brasil.  0.5 million people with good infrastructure.  We stopped by the Honda dealer to check on some parts and headed to our hotel.

There was a nice, very noisy, and typical elections parade in front.  Democracy in action. Flags, music, people.  For some reason, Brasil always makes me feels good about racial integration ... I am sure it is not perfect but to me it always feels very real and honest ... black, indigenous, European and everything in between, working, learning, relating, demonstrating, singing, dancing, and having fun together. Hope for the soul.

We found a proper "mall" where we got some cappuccinos, plug adapters, chocolate ... and found an art gallery with a wall-sized painting by Ueliton Santana, who was there.  A well known artist with painting in Spain and other countries.  

A unique property of art is its ability to stop time and force the viewer to be present. Ueliton's painting made me loose a few minutes as I immersed myself in it. A very cool feeling when you are aware of what is happening.

Tomorrow, we have a long day as we go deeper into the Amazon basin to try to reach Porto Velho.

Leaving Brasileia across a single lane rickety bridge over the river

No more thick jungle as far as the eye can see

Jungle replaced by cattle ranches - white cattle everywhere

Sad

A nice stop at a turtle farm on the way to Rio Branco with a post full of good wishes

Amazonian turtles

Wow!

Watching the river and the turtles

What? Look at the size of that coconut

These trees are survivors and are everywhere with charred trunks but alive

The Honda dealership in Rio Branco - very nice.

Piling up in the Honda dealer's van to go to the best restaurant in town

Ready to go

Waiting for our food to be served at the restaurant in Rio Branco

Had the most amazing and delicious piranha looking fish

A political festival in front of our hotel in Rio Branco

Lots of people

We found a proper looking mall in Rio Branco