The desire to reunite the friends around the same goal, do the adventure don’t stop in that April. And, in April 2008, the pernambucanos, a couple from Paraiba, a cearense and two gauchos from Nova Mutum – MT decided to continue the expedition. 

The Frevo Expedition, that had in its route the famous Transamazônica (BR 230) and the Humaitá – Manaus (BR 319). The Frevo Expedition, that had in its route the famous Transamazônica (BR 230) and the Humaitá – Manaus (BR 319).
 The adventure started in Recife – PE, roaming BR 230 in direction to Marabá, the begin of the grat off road, that, since 1980, when was created the Camel Trophy, became and icon of off road adventure.

During the way until Marabá, the expediion have passed to Carolina City, and took advantage to enter in some canyons of the region, and to take some waterfall bath. As in the last expedition, a don’t programmed pit-stop, but very well done.

 Between Balsas and Carolina, the way was very damaged, with many holes. From Carolina, we follow to Marabá through São Geraldo do Araguaia, and passed to two rafts (R$12, 00 each one). 
 
The course until Marabá was very rainy, since from Recife, what let was very apprehensive. Therefore, going on, we would face a earth highway and we were preparing ourselves to difficult moments, even the possibility of fell bridges. We spend the night in Itupiranga, place where we’ve me the gauchos Jrison and Nataniel, and the cearense Themoteo.

We left on morning going, to Pacajá. The group faced a very busy highway, and some parts were wet and some mud. When we asked information about thar mud transamazônica, people told us that we were two days late, and that is necessary just a sunny day to the clay dry and become rock.

At a side it was good, because we can early the trip, and cross it during the day. We were advised to not cross from Marabá to Uruará at night, because there are daily assaults in that part.
 
During the way to Pacajam the Toyota Hilux startet to get hot, and the diagnostic was lack of water in the radiator. In the next day we noticed that the propeller of the vane scraped the radiator in its high part and with that, cut it, and the motive had been a so deep hole that were in front of the vehicle, the shriek base, hit the exit and dislocated the protector of the vane presses the propeller in the radiator. 

With the problem solved, early we’ve left roaming to Altamira, and we got some more hard dust, with a little late, because the bridge was being fixed. In Altamira, we passed the night and left there around 7 o’clock, to Sanarem, with a 450 km course, we wanted to get a shortcut that reduces even in 150km, the far from Santarém. 

Until arrive in Uruará, the way was wet, with some hard parts but, nothing that could creat the famous atoleiros. In truth, the government of Pará, and the Federal, are doing the Transamazônica again. Mainly now, that the region is developing very much in agricultural and extractive in general.

In Uruará, we got a shortcut and completed the most beautiful part of the expedition, and 40% of the course, is made by intact places in the Amazonian Forest, and just in this part, we had the opportunity to see that, because even in parks or reserves, it was already damaged.

The Trans-Uruará, how is known this shortcut, is still in exploration routes, with some rice fields, coffee plantations of farms of raising animals to counts on, but in a short scale. This make this way, a place not so open to traffic and with a lot of adrenaline.

Some stretches of sand flooded, slippery mud with curves of 90 ranks, and descents and risky steep ascents.  Beyond many bogs and wet crossings, but perfect in vehicles 4X4, so that exists a regular line of Kombis, that utilize shackles and blockade in the rear wheels. 

With a lot patience and working with the passengers, they transpose to certain height, since a large mud really stops the passage of kombis, occurring like this the transfer of the passengers of a Kombi for another one.  In that stage of the course we had two stuck, one of the TR4 and another one of the Troller of Themoteo, that got stuck in 4x2 and didn’t got set 4x4 and had to left towed. 

We arrived in Santarém at night and we were received by Jardane’s family, the unique wife in the group. On Saturday by morning, we took the cars to a revision, Toyota and to Land Rover were perfect, barely a polished in cruzetas and in the graxeiros in general. TR4 should have changed a coifa, 100% of Carlos’s Troller had barely to hold tight the bolts, the Troller of Jeison changed retainer of the right front differential and a batter of suspension. 

The Troller of Muniz changed a coifa and a ball bearing of the front one.  The Troller of Themoteo had a lot service and alone we would be able to finish in the second one, delaying our party of Santarém. On Sunday the group was driven for Alter of the Ground, famous beach of Rio Tapajós and could enjoy a little and rest in a very beautiful landscape. 

On Monday, in the Troller, were changed three shock absorbers, front ball bearings of the wheel, the differential was with leak and contaminated with water and mud, the retainer were changes, the doorways of the suspension, two bieletas, free wheel right and some more articles and as the alone service finished in the end of the day we leave for we resort to the Transamazônica highway in the Tuesday by the morning.
 
We left Santarém at 7 o’clock, going to Itaiuba, around 360 km, and we had some moments with a large amount of mud, mainly before Ruropolis, that, we were since Santarém, under a lot of rain.

Transposed the big bad spot before of Ruropoilis, that consumed us more of a hour, since we should have removed a Fiat Single and a Truck Trunk, we follow for Itaituba and after a raft (R$ 20.00) for cross through Rio Tapajós, we arrived for another night and accounting ten days of road and with 12 hours of direction for 360 km roll. 
 
On the next morning, we roamed with sun, to Jacareacanga, that, according to the “4 Wheel Guide” stay about 350 km from there. Altough, we discovered that it stay 450 km, and in that part, different for what we are usually to do, we crossed it with less than five vehicles, what starts to show a less road transamazônica, but not because of this, that the way was poor. In some moments we could drive on more than 100 km/h. 

In the small city of Jacareacanga, inhabited in his majority by Indians, we got information about the path until Apuí, ours next goal and we leave later a little in that day, since the Julio didn’t have supplied the vehicle in the previous night, as everybody, creating claims by part than were since early promptly for leave and like to TR4 should have supplied the tank To the limitation of autonomy. 

The road to Apuí was in good conditions to the km 60, where initiate the State of  Amazônia and becomes in many moments, a small trail, with many holes and deep erosions, that if were raining would be highly risky and some bad spots, but not a big problem for 4x4 vehicles. 
 
We spend about eight hours to get to Apuí, and passed the night there because we wanted to get in Humaitá on the next day. Living at 7 o’clock, we follow calmly until km 180, how is known in the region, a small village 180 km from Humaitá.

We we got the km 180, we stopped to supply the cars and were surprised by a so intense rain, that, was impossible to see anything more than 30 meter in front. But, as we still had more five hours of light, decided to continue the maximum we could, and maybe, arrive in Humaitá in the same day.

By more than a hour the rain pursued us and were apprehensive moments, since the road be transformed in a torrent and the already risky bridges got worse. The water in torrent washed the heads and pulled out based on sustentation.

Outside that the rays cut the heaven and a fell to some hundreds of meter of the Hilux, that hauled the train, in that moment one of the participants thought that the ray had reached the Troller behind the Pickup. 

For it get worse, the tire of the Land Rover had pierced, and we had,  under a lot rain and rays, in all the journey what did more see were you hoist falls in the roads and always we were alerted by people that know the region of that in rain we must always looks the trees and find do not walk in places where the vegetation went closed. 

After the scare of the torrent we pass for a native reserve, by which we pay R$ 20.00 by vehicle, for travel through and we follow confident for Humaitá, in the KM 60 before Humaitá we find a stop for truck drivers and traveling, and informed ourselves that the road was interrupted after the KM 18 up to raft (R$ 12,00), that in the tappet to Humaitá and that in the KM 38 existed another structure for we spend the night. 

We drove until km 38 and resolved pass the night there, somebody inside the cars, another on the floor, and in nets. At 6 o’clock we were ready to go with a lot of hoping, and the news were that we wouldn’t get to Humaitá, because Rio Madeira had overflow damaging parts of the road.

Of the 38 km that separated us from Humaitá, 20 km were of a lot mud, but without bigger difficulties for our vehicles, the 18 remaining km were traveling through flooded and in many localities more of 1 km of river that invade the trail.  A stretch of 2 km, inside d' water with 50cm of depth and some moments with 80 cm, was the most long one. 

However, the last passage of water was the most dangerous, the depth was around 1 meter and the current was very strong, almost taking Rodrigo, that went in the front verifying the holes, since the depth didn’t permit to visualize the ground from inside the car. 

Almost that one of the vehicles tumbled in a hole, but with the help of Rodrigo and the bravery of the vehicles we obtain to transpose that difficulty, when we noticed that there is more than a day nobody passed and everybody that stayed in the road did not tried to pass.  

We arrived in Humaitá at 10 o'clock and we resolved to spend the night there, first to celebrate our victory and second for that our friend Muniz had a surprise, his sister, brother-in-law and nephews had came from Porto Velho to meet him.

We take advantage of the day for wash the machines, since some became an aquarium because of the crossings, tidy the mess, read the e-mails and we speak with our families, it has three days that we didn’t have sign of cellular. 

We celebrated the phase and the party of our partners from Rio Grande do Sul, that would not be able to accompany us in the journey to Manaus, bad knew they what would go to lose.

It was like this finalized with golden key the first phase of the Expedition of the improvised Dance, the Trans-amazonian highway, therefore the fate was Humaitá, with the possibility of we will go to Labréa, but as alone would be possible through boat did not interest us the journey. 
 
In the morning of the fifteenth day we entered in the second phase of the Expedition, to famous BR 319, that a day outside entirely tarred and was possible do Manaus – Humaitá (780 km) in few hours.  Everybody with huge expectations, since the information were the worst, or better, possible, depending on the viewpoint. 

It Polices Bus Station inform us that there is more of 45 days there was not record of passage by the road what left us more satisfied still and we follow in direction the adventure. 

We traverse around 120 km between good asphalt and a holed road, afterwards we begin to have an encounter with the bad spots and in 30 km of bad spots the situation were getting worse and the night approaching, as existed a goal of be slept inside the enclosure of the micro-waves transmission towers of Embratel, that stayed between 40 - 45 km between an and another one, we are going to arrive to the near one, 11 As the bad spots were getting worse we resolve to camp before of darken completely and we find a place.

The unimaginable have happened, we camp on the asphalt of a federal highway, we mount the camp in the asphalt, since in many stretches of the road exists intact asphalt and arriving to more of 5 km of stretch.  In the camp we did our forecasts, since I had rolled little, 247 km and 60% in asphalt and we thought even on staying more 5 days in that road. 

We prepare our dinner and we were sleep very happy, with so much mud and all that situation, so that Sérgio Holland and Carlos slept all the time in the nets, despising the ounces.  An insanity, and the rest of people slept in the cars.  A perfect night, starry heaven and the sound of the nocturnal fauna. 
 
The next day we take a delicious breakfast and we follow in direction to Manaus, apprehensive with what we would face in front.  After 11 km we find the tower of Embratel with a maintenance team, that was there have some days, and we take advantage to take a bath, since the heat was unbearable, more than 40 degrees, in some hours the temperature arrived the border of 60° C.  

We were informed that some big bad spots existed during the way and that another team were doing maintenance in a bridge around 90 km from there, and that if we had difficulties, the tractor would leave the forest after 17 o'clock and we would be able to utilizes it as a rescue. 

We follow between stuck, and 90 km afterwards was there the bad spot, was still 15 o'clock and already we had got stuck already sometimes and in that bad spot, the Land Rover came to a standstill some times, and in the third time only with the tractor was possible pull out the monster of the bad spot, without the tractor probably we would be able to strip it just in the next day. 

In this bad spot we lost two tows, adding to one that have already gone, now we just could count with three tows. The unique vehicle that crossed the big bad spot without stay there, was Toyota Hilux, all the rest had to be towed by the tractor.

We passed the night in front of the camp of the team that was doing the fixes on the bridges, it was a third company hired by Embratel. Again, we made our camping in the asphalt, interrupting the local traffic. We were becoming law traffic offenders, and interrupting the right of go and come, as in that Chico Buarque’s music – Construção;

That day, we covered 107 km and started to be really worried with the remaining course. Early, we left and five minutes later we faced another huge bad spot and again, the Land Rover and the Troller was in the mud. But, with calm, working together and with the Hilux tow, we finally took of the two vehicles, and continued the trip. 

In the third day, with 450 km of Road remaining, we left claiming to paths more fast and short bad spots, and we were attended. In the final of the day, we arrived in Careiros and passed the night there, to not get in Manaus at night, and lost the view of the crossing part. In Manaus, we negotiate the transfer of the vehicles and of the ship that would take us to Belém. It were finalizing the second and last stage of the Frevo Expedition 2008.

Notes:

BR 116 was terrible to the vehicles, but all they finished the stage without towing. In Manaus, the vehicles made revisions and we verified that the Trollers were the ones who more suffered with the adventure and needed more repairs.
 
Another point observed in the course was the wheels. As almost all the vehicles possess different wheels, were easy evaluate the perform of each one, and without any doubt, the wheel of Toyota Hilux Wheel Cross 7.50 x16 of eight canvases, were the better during the off road course, obtaining the largest traction, any hole, and supported all the terrain. The TR4 and one of the Trollers also used Cross and obtained best performs than the other vehicles of the same category.

In the final of BR 319, we passed by 138 bridges, many of it almost falling. We covered about 300 km without seeing any person and crossing many bad spots, that was about 37 stuck, so, the ranking is this: 4 Trollers 23 stuck, Pajero TR4 5 stuck, Land Rover Defender 7 stuck and Toyota Hilux 2 stuck. I the general counting were 39 stuck, one more to TR4 and for one Troller.

The ship travel, by Cisne Branco, from Manaus to Belém, were exciting, with domino games, and many new friends. The Expedition got Recife on Saturday morning (04/26/2008), finalizing in 28 adventuring days.

Some data: 
 
-Thorn Tire: 11
-Damaged Tows: 3 (Land Rover, TR4 e Troller)
-Rolled km go and back (Recife): 7.700km more 2.000km by raft from Manaus e Belém.
- Consume (about) by diesel vehicle, to the course: 1.150 L.  
- Minimum temperature: – 25°C
- Maximum temperature: 59°C (mid-da on BR 319).  
- Most expensive diesel: RS 2,95 – Jacareacanga
- Maximum period of moving x moving : 10 hours to cover 170 km.
- Waste (about) of the adventure per vehicle: R$ 7.000,00 (diesel, sleep and food).
- Number of participants: 12 in the first stage and 10 in the second one. 
- Number of vehicles: 7 in the first stage e 6 in the second one. 

-The name of the adventurers and their vehicles: 
 
Sérgio Holanda and Rodrigo Veríssimo – Toyota Hilux SR5 (1999)
Carlos 100% and Marcão – Troller T4 3.0 chipado (2008)
Carlos Muniz and Chico Poeira – Troller T4 3.0 (2008)
Themoteo Varela – Troller T4 2.8 com ARBs nos dois diferenciais (2004)
Jeison and Nataniel – Troller T4 2.8 (2004)
Julio and Jardane – Mitsubishi TR4 (2006/2007)
César Siqueira – Land Rover Defender 110 (2003)
 
Hints:
 
In Santarém, try to find the Souza office, specialist in 4x4.
Needing a taxi? Try to contact Carlos Santos (92) 9123-4328 from the association of port taxi drivers.

Visit Alter do Chão, it’s a great city in the border of Tapajós river.

Use always Visa card, because its accepted in all the places, the other cards don’t have all that reach.
 
In Manaus or Belém, you must try to travel at Rondônia or Amazonas from Enart, ships with capacity to carry the vehicles and the owners, and if you option to individual cabins, the cost of the vehicles falls to R$450,00, while, usually, it’s pay R$900,00 to the jeeps, more a negative certain of stoles in the delegacy R$ 85,00, you have to require this of the ports captanias of Manaus.

Always make your reserve before and stay informed about the dates of the ships ad boats. An option is enter in contact with Fifo Agency, in special, with Nilson (92-9139-9755), who will inform you about the dates, prices and who will probably drive the vehicles.

 Path Marabá – Uruará is vry dangerous at night, so that nobody drives in the region after he sunset, because of the daily stoles.
 
Path Humaitá – In Manaus, the vehicles need at least 100 littlers of diesel to move, so, always take twice the capacity of your tank, in extra diesel.

In Manaus,visit their teather. Teatro de Manaus, besides being a historical mark, it’s one of the most beautiful buildings in Brasil.
 
In Belém, visit the famous free market Ver-O-Peso, another great going out.
 
During the course between Manaus and Belém, take books, movies, and all you enjoy, to pass the time, because you’ll pass four days inside a ship.