Acre State

 Brazil is a Federal Republic with 26 states and I can name three of them having driven across two with my eye on a third.

830,000 people live in the state that is known as the end of Brazil, or the Latex State owing to its rubber trees, a huge economic engine in the 19th century. Peru and Bolivia fought over the territory and Bolivia held it until 1900 when the residents declared independence and created their own republic. Brazil paid two million dollars to Bolivia and created their own  State of Acre in 1909 as part of the federative republic. Even today half the population lives in the capital Rio Branco (white river). Thats the history but what’s it like to drive across this distant piece of Brazil? 

My over arching impression was that it looked a lot like Central Florida. You probably want it to sound more exotic but it was all rolling countryside, cattle ranches to the horizon in hundred degree heat and aside from a few drops of rain on the windshield (below) and a passing thunderstorm it was surprisingly not humid. 

We drove from our gas station stop to the capital of the state, the city of Rio Branco (white river). I got a cold shower in the men’s restroom but Layne  reported no shower in her bathroom. The highway started out smooth but it soon deteriorated into torn up asphalt and random potholes keeping our died down to thirty miles an hour or less. And then we had speed bumps to deal with. 

I don’t drive straight over this stuff and try to preserve GANNET2 by picking our way through the holes. It’s slow going as you can imagine. 

The road is largely empty between the very rare villages. There are no little stores or restaurants along the road. You have to wait to reach a town or village to find human habitation, other than ranch houses in the fields. 

Speed bumps announce the presence of humans ahead, gas station, tire shop and eatery maybe. 

We aren’t the only heavily loaded Fiat on the potholed road…

The ranches are announced by gates at the highway with ridiculous roofs over them. In these cases they are set high enough to allow trucks to pass underneath but these gates with roofs are all over the place and often prevent us from fitting in parking lots and even campgrounds. 

And then there are the cows themselves.

Our first stop was in the town of Capixiba where Layne  spotted a water company.

We bought two jugs of water and poured them into our 30 gallon tank. They charge about 80 cents  for five gallons so it’s one of the cheapest rates for bottled drinking water since Mexico. We only put drinking water in our tanks and we still run it through our Berkey filter to be sure. 

The locals were quite interested in my water transfer operation. 

The capital of Acre State is a city of 400,000 people and it’s called Rio Branco which means white river but the river is actually brown and not very wholesome looking.

Our plan is to find the rubber factory outlet store in the city and somehow a car is pulling out of the exact right spot for us so we take it. 

Rusty enjoyed his walk despite the heat but he was happy to get onto his bed under the air conditioning. 

The old market was built in 1929, the first building made of brick after the community ditched up with buildings but ing down on them. 

There is also a rather interesting dining experience as usual and not terribly intimidating despite the fact we couldn’t figure out what they were selling. 

Pedro to the rescue. He walked up out of the blue and translated the buffet into English. 

He was helping himself to food too and took the time to convert the contents of the display cases into English. Typically cheerfully Brazilian. 

Lunch was beef chicken ribs fish beans aged no vegetables. Delicious. 

A young woman showed up who introduced herself as Yara and were we the owners of the van parked across the street from her place of work, the post office? 

So yes she got a tour. And Layne got dinner earrings from original object of our stop. No shoes got do she got rubber earrings instead. 

On the road again. 

And do we left the State of Acre and drive into the state or Rondónia about which I knew as much as the previous state we were in. 

We discovered there’s enough money in Rondónia State to pave a main highway properly which was lovely. And we found one more fully equipped truck stop to spend the night. 

Showers. Laundry. Ice cream shop. Kids playground. Barber shop. Restaurant. What more do you need? 

Jacob spent three years in the US in Massachusetts and Maryland, saved his money and came back to build his own truck stop on his own land. He loves the US and is grateful for the chance it gave him.

I don’t think he’d like the reception he’d get today in the land of opportunity. A really nice guy in a country filled with great people.