customs officials told Gilles of a man
who sometimes used his pirogue
(small wooden boat) to ferry people
and goods across the river. With the
help of four people, the big BMW was
lifted aboard and headed into anoth-
er country.
The north-east brought another
coastal town, the capital of Surina-
me, Paramaribo. A beautiful city, yet
time was short and so Gilles contin-
ued to Guyana, a country Gilles found
labouring; customs, immigration and
bureaucracy all brought issues. The
land not as ‘nice’ as that of Suriname
and French Guiana. Georgetown, a
city built on the seafront, is ‘protect-
ed’ from the ocean by a wall while
houses are built on stilts. There’s a
uniqueness to the city.
Inland to Lethem brought Gilles to
Mabura Hill, the tropics were back,
and along unmade dirt roads. The
ride was difficult, yet Gilles knew he
couldn’t miss the control stations oth-
erwise he’d be forced to head back.
Gilles found he was mobbed by the
indigenous people. Not violent or ag-
gressive, but rather very friendly and
happy. Beers were in order once they
discovered where Gilles had ridden
from, he was now a local celebrity.
Mabura Hill’s control station offi-
cers told of good conditions ahead.
They were wrong, perhaps still laugh-
ing.
The road was tough and tiring,
Gilles feared he wouldn’t make it,
but knew he must. He needed to see
what was left of Jonestown, the name
given to the compound belonging
to the Peoples Temple, where over
900 people committed an act known
as ‘revolutionary suicide’. Many fol-
lowers of Jim Jones who survived the
horrific events in 1978 say it was an
act of mass-murder.
This route brought a heavy police
presence as gold mining and panning
is prevalent, and with it brings theft
and crime. Heavy traffic brought
deep corrugations.
More ferries and back into Brazil,
through the beautiful town of Boa
Vista, to Manaus – the capital of the
State of Amazonas. While beautiful
and full of history the region is prob-
ably better known these days as be-
ing Brazil’s tech capital. Microsoft,
Pioneer and BMW all have factories
and technical facilities here.
The route from Manaus to Porto
TRAVERSE 77
Velho brought further challenges as
the roads were closed. A barge jour-
ney was needed, four days along the
Madeira River. A small deck for 150
people, all sleeping in hammocks,
food of a poor quality although, the
fish was fresh, straight from the river.
Porto Maldonado, back to where
Gilles had previously been. It was a
time for repairs and cleaning clothes.
The locals were again good, offering
fresh fruit and water. A great time to
refresh as Gilles was soon to head in
to the Andes.
“I was in a small town,” explained
Gilles. “It was 30 degrees Celsius.”
“At noon, 4,700 metres high, I had
to stop,” he went on.
“I had a big headache and the tem-
perature was only 11 degrees.”
Gilles put on extra layers and
stayed the night in Cusco, to become
accustomed to the conditions, in par-
ticular the altitude.
Gilles returned to Lima, Peru’s
capital, as he headed north following
a rough route that runs amongst the
Andes, he was now heading to Trujil-
lo, through deserts, sand dunes and
fishing villages.
With the Pacific coast on his left