I had again a long day ahead of me… this time not on a ferry but on “Fury” my motorcycle. Marianna wanted to explore the Amazon in Peru and we agreed to meet in Puerto Maldonado. Reaching the “border town” in one day was impossible and so I decided to split the journey into 2 parts. The first trip was taking me to Rio Branco, the next larger town and capital of the Brazilian state Acre. Already in the first morning hours …
the temperatures raised to more than 30 °C and I was heavily sweating in my thick motorcycle clothes. It was simply impossible to escape the heat and the sun was burning merciless on my helmet. “Better than raining”, I thought. The day was actually super beautiful with a blue sky and plenty of small white clouds cluttered all over it.
The scenery alongside the road was beautiful. It felt like that Rio Madeiro did not want to let me go… From time to time the road would be splitting the water and I enjoyed my views on the beautiful water body and the lush green vegetation.
Ferry
After 4 hours I could not believe my eyes but I had to take again another ferry… I did not carefully check the maps and had to cross the Rio Madeiro again after the small town of Abunã:)
I thought it would be possible to buy the tickets simply on the ferry and passed the queue of waiting pickup trucks in which rough men with cowboy hats were already waiting for the arrival of the ferry.
A man came towards me while waving his hands in the air. I thought already… great… maybe it would have been better to queue up! Luckily, He just pointed with his finger to a small hut which was barely visible and tried to make me understand to go there first.
Of course, I had to purchase the ticket in advance and I was afraid to not make it anymore on the ferry considering the numbers of vehicles already waiting.
Luckily, motorcycles are always having an advantage in Brazil and I had the privilege to park “Fury” just in front of the ferry gate. Escaping the sun, I found some shade on the ferry and admired the beauty of Rio Madeiro once again.
The rest of the drive was rather unspectacular with the exception of a bush fire next to a petrol station where I had to fill up my bike again. Everyone seemed to be super relaxed and I was thinking: “Brazil, what else :D”
In the late afternoon/early evening, I arrived in Rio Branco – a surprisingly pleasant place in comparison to Porto Velho.
Where to stay in Rio Branco
João Paulo Hotel – I found this hotel relatively centrally located. There are restaurants and bars just next to it and I parked my bike directly in front of the hotel. The rooms are large, very clean and the beds are comfortable. The breakfast is decent, too.
Where to go out and eat in Rio Branco
After relaxing a bit on my hotel room I still wanted to see a little bit more of the town and went to a square which I passed during my search for an appropriate accommodation – Novo Mercado Velho.
Beautifully coloured houses were lined up along the bank of the river and I enjoyed a few beers while listening for the last time to Brazilian live music. It was the last night in Brazil and I could not believe that I already spent 3 months in this amazing country.
Safety in Rio Branco
I went back to my hotel and felt to bed like a rock. This time I called an UBER to bring me back since it is not recommended to walk alone in the streets of Rio Branco after it gets dark.
OBRIGADO BRAZIL!!!!!! You teached me how to live in the present moment like no other country in my life before. Viva a vida!!!!!!