A select few pictures from the journey through Bolivia and Brazil (July – October 2010):

Riding the famed TransAmazonica Highway that cuts across the Amazon jungle in Brazil. The route traverses across numerous rivers and tributaries and ferries are a way of life here. Waiting for a ferry across Rio Madeira, the biggest tributary in the world, emptying into the Amazon River. In the rainy season, the river rises a staggering 15 m (50 ft).

The red-colored river flowing near the town of Lençóis in the foothills of Chapada Diamantina, a national park known for its numerous waterfalls and good hiking trails. The reddness in the water comes from tannins that are leached out as the water flows through a swamp or wetland. These kind of rivers are referred to as ‘blackwater’ rivers. It had the clarity of a good cup of tea.

Crossing Lake Titicaca that straddles the border between Peru and Bolivia in the Andes. It is a sacred site of the Incas and still holds its power as it is the highest-largest lake in the world at 3,800 m (12,460 ft). The water is the deepest of blues and runs to the horizon, meeting snow peaked mountains.

Riding the infamous Death Road in Bolivia with local rider Alfonso. The road is cut right into the cliffs and when it rains, one can imagine the increases in danger. A new modern road has been built so regular traffic has been diverted but if your attention is diverted, the road will hug you into its fame.

In the historical centro of São Luis, a coastal city in northern Brazil known for its reggae culture and colonial architecture. Catching a street performance of Tambor de Crioula, an Afro-Brazilian dance where the rhythmic drums (tambors) and chanting vocals were encouraging women to swirl and gyrate into the energy and seduce the beats.

My ride along the TransAmazonica emphasized how the doom and gloom news of burning precious rain forests is still on-going. The road was created to allow people to settle the Amazon and that means cutting down forests along the road to create pasture land for cattle, which Brazil happily exports to the ever growing demand for beef.

My throttle cable broke near this remote house in the interior of Bahia and after explaining my situation to the family, they gladly took me in for the next few days until I could get to a big city and source the parts needed to make another throttle cable. There were no neighbors around and the remoteness was apparent at night with our Milky Way galaxy shining in full brightness.

Ooops. The road heading north through the Bolivian pampas was quite sandy in places and I took the little side road on the left to get some relief and as I was coming back to the main sandy piste, the front wheel dug in and sanDRina laid down for a nap. She’s a beast to lift up, but someone came by within 15 minutes and helped me get her up. If not, I would’ve emptied all her contents to lighten her and then she’d rise up easily.

The lovely little colonial town of Olinda, known for its numerous churches and unique carnival celebrations.

A truly sad sight. I stopped and reflected on the damage Man can do to his own home. This is my planet as it is everyone else’s and it’s only our short-sightedness that perpetuates these actions. There’s signs of hope though with the World Bank stating at the UN Convention of BioDiversity that all nations will be economically held accountable for the damage done to their natural ecosystems since the Amazon doesn’t belong just to Brazil, but to every human being.

Mmmm, eating some good grub with the people of Oruro. For about $2 you get a big bowl of rice with a potato and some freeze-dehydrated potatoes (black items) and a serving of lamb or chicken in a sauce. It’s topped with a salad and comes with some hearty soup. A good meal for the chilly altiplano, the high plains in western Bolivia sitting around 3,660 m (12,000 ft).