Our joy at reaching our destination of Porto Velho was tempered by a thirty minute hike carrying our entire luggage. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but having not eaten and being severely dehydrated this was entirely soul destroying, especially when it emerged we were lost and walking in a huge circle.
The next day I didn’t dare venture more than a couple of meters away from the bathroom so it wasn’t until the day after I walked into town to visit a Pharmacist and pick up some rehydration sachets and an over-the-counter course of antibiotics.
Whilst we’d been on the ferry, the truck had been travelling on a special truck boat, which hadn’t yet arrived so we were forced to spend an extra day in town. We also got the news that a replacement windscreen wouldn’t be available until Rio, so we had some long slow driving days ahead.
When the truck finally arrived it became obvious that we’d need to drive for 36 hours straight to get back on schedule. My stomach really wouldn’t allow this so I signed myself off the Dragoman trip and after another night in a hotel caught an air conditioned coach (with a toilet) which would do the same trip in less than 12 hours (as it didn’t need to drive round every pothole for fear of the windscreen falling out).
