This is a quick post to let everyone that is interested in the tracking that I got my tracking working this morning.
You can follow our progress as we steam up the Amazon over the next couple of days then on to Lima.
This is the link http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0uEuQQBKBg6oVGnM9KePqykimP64fOlEI
My next post will be after we disembark the boat up the Amazon for the next 2 days and drive 400 k’s on the 15th our time.
This morning we all headed off to the Space centre for an official tour of the facility and launch pads, which had been pre-booked for 2 months.
This all fell in a screaming heap on our arrival when the guide advised us that the rules had changed on the 1st of October that we needed to advise them 2 days prior everyone’s details and passport numbers.
We were however given a discounted entry in to the museum, which didn’t require the 2 days advice. We spent an enjoyable time there before heading to the Brazilian border.
Today’s drive took us from the coastal flat jungle in to some rolling hill and windy roads. Part of the drive was in a national park and it was very obvious the extent of the national park because out side the national park was a lot of clearing and burning taking place.
Finished the day with a border crossing into Brazil by barge up the river 10 k’s from St Georges, French Guiana to Oiapoque, Brazil. While going up the river by barge we passed under a huge bridge across the river. We are told its been built for a few years with everything completed on the French Guiana side but Brazil has not built the road or border control post on there side so a many many million dollar bridge stands unused.
After clearing Brazil customs in a timely fashion fro the Brazilians we all converged on accommodation for the night. It’s no Hilton but it is the best in town with clean beds and most importantly the AC works so no extras are really needed.
Tomorrow’s drive is one of the biggest for the trip and takes us to the mouth of the Amazon ready for the boat trip.
Well sort of, today we left Suriname on a barge across the Le Maroni River, which is the border from Suriname into French Guiana and it’s officially part of the EU. More on French Guiana later!
Yesterday morning we departed the Royal Torarica Hotel 10.30 as the start of “The Great Amazon Adventure 2016”.
Our first day was a very easy 90ish k’s south out of town along the Suriname River to a jungle Resort for the night. James and I went a bit past the stop to look at the huge lake being held back by the Hydro dam built in the 70’s – 80’s to supply power to SuriAlcoa’s refinery.
The expanse of water went a lot further then we could see and was providing a transport corridor to deeper in the jungle with little boats being loaded with fuel and supplies before heading off across the lake to village’s afar.
After returning to the resort we were take on an excursion after lunch to a display village and hill top cemetery from the Slave working times prior to 1870 when Slavery eventually finished.
On returning to the resort a couple of us saw a Caiman resting in the shallows.
Today drive was back up to Paramaribo past the now closed SuriAlcoa refinery then over the bridge to head east along the main road to French Guiana.
This drive was through coastal jungle along a road constructed by digging a drain either side to build up the road and keep it dry. This drain seems to be a source of fish as a lot of locals fish in it.
Once you leave the city the people living ether side of the road seem to be farming very small plots to meet there needs and sell the excess on roadside stalls.
Arriving in French Guiana it was a much more prosperous country with a supermarket with some fresh fruit and veg instead of the local seasonal staples in the previous countries we have been in. However once you leave the large towns people are living the same small farming operation along the major road.
Tonight we in the town on the coast that services the European Space Agency launch site here at the Guiana Space Centre along with having the famous French prison island know as Devils Island just of shore.
Our day starts tomorrow with an ESA launch facility visit, so more on that next blog.
No more sleeps to go!
James and I arrived in Paramaribo Suriname three nights ago at about 10.00pm after spending the whole day waiting around airports and flying from Venezuela. We arrived at the hotel and Penny was already parked in the carpark, waiting along with all the other cars. After a long awaited meal we went out just to have a look at her before going to bed.
Friday was the option to do a river tour so we partook in it instead of doing anything on Penny. We knew that she had a flat battery and I didn’t want to deal with that at that stage so went site seeing instead.
The river cruse took us up stream to visit two old plantation that in the long past grew Coffee and Coco. These plantation dates back to when the country was all farming and worked by slaves before slavery ended in the late 1800’s.
Paramaribo is a very old Colonial town with the regular timber building seen all through the Caribbean region. With a lot of the building needing a lot of love as Suriname is another country that is broke since the GFC of 2008 when it became no longer cost effective to mine for most minerals. The only exports left from here are Gold and timber.
Yesterday was get organised for the start day with the first thing on the list to get a new battery and fit it to Penny. We got take bt taxi to the best auto electric shop I’ve been too in a 3rd world country. I was able to get the exact battery that is fitted to Penny along with spare fuses of all sorts and anything else auto electrical I wanted should I require it.
A new battery fixed the stating problem so I headed down town for lunch and on the way walked past the most amazing Cathedral. This cathedral had all the round pillars and vaulted ceiling familiar to all Cathedrals but the difference was this was totally out of timber and clear finished on the interior and paint on the outside. Sadly I had no camera.
After a rest James and I took Penny for a test drive that was cut short with the site of a big storm rolling in. We just got back to the hotel and the covers on when, down it came for about 20 mins. It left everyone and us else working on Cars very wet, as we never made it to the hotel in time so sheltered sort of under a shed awning.
Martins Lagonda was running like very rich and rough yesterday and a lot of time was spent on cleaning this and that and eventually the text message from David Ayre about the Ky-gas pump was shown to someone who understood what a Ky-gas pump was, tightening it fixed the problem so Martin is all smiles again.
The day finished with a briefing about what to expect follow by the pre-rally banquet prior to this morning’s departure.
This morning is a frenzy of final packing and sorting ready for our 10.30 departures.
