The Bus Ride to our Destination, Camp Bethel

I took a lot of pictures of scenery en route to Camp Bethel, being intrigued with architectural differences and transportation modes. It was about a 2-hour ride, including a brief stop at Pastor Nathan Frays home and a ferry ride across the lake. Some of the pictures at the end are actually of our return trip to the airport, when we also made a pit stop at Nate's house before going shopping for a couple hours and then driving for hours to the airport, all still within the city limits.

Ramp providing pedestrian route over the highway.

Graphiti everywhere.

A bus similar to ours.

Rachel Blake, explaining things on the bus.

Trash all over the ground. We were told Brazilians through things down wherever they finish with them.

We missed rush hour this trip. On the way back to the airport a week or so later, we did not.

Terraced construction, shanties adjacent to the highway.

Fairly new apartment buildings.

Single family homes are behind protective walls.

A nice private residence.

Under construction.

New construction just above rubble of old buildings, where people still live.

Still in the city, these beautiful flowering trees

Sao Paulo is the 3rd largest city in the world population-wise, exceeded only by Tokyo & Jakarta. It's also the 7th largest city area-wise.

A police car in pursuit of someone.

This canal stunk pretty bad and had a lot of debris on the banks. We were told it is constantly being dredged.

Workers in Sao Paulo average 2-4 hours commute each way, via bus &/or train.

A train stop, not busy mid-afternoon.

A tree covered in little yellow flowers.

A single-family home in foreground, sky-scrapers in background.

Water collection systems of various sizes on almost every building.

Most private residences not only had protective walls, but had razor or barbed wire on top to keep out vandals. It is illegal to have a personal firearm in Brazil, but all the thieves have them. Many neighborhoods hire security guards, but they also cannot have firearms.

Our team outside Pastor Nate's house, waiting to get back on the bus after a bathroom break.

A coconut milk drink vendor beside the ferry. At night the neighborhood turns into a bar strip.

Rachel Blake & Cathy Kearnie on the bus.

On the ferry crossing the lake.  It holds 2 buses and up to 6 cars, operates 24/7 by the State of Sao Paulo, free of charge. The ferry is pulled across the lake by a cable.

This bridge is the alternative route to the island (really a peninsula), but the roads are dirt, muddy, narrow and in very poor condition.

Some homes on the island.

A little chapel on the island.

A better part of the road into the camp.

The camp gate.

The bus had to back up to make this section again. Where the water is on the road is a small plank bridge, barely the width of the bus tires.

The road is not wide enough for 2 small cars to pass, never mind passing our huge bus.

Note the broken glass imbedded into the wall around this palmetto plantation that abuts the camp.

The ferry approaching.

If you look closely you can see the 2 cables that pull the ferry across the lake.

Note the small yellow item on the bank of the lake - it is a pineapple offered to the spirits.

Exiting the ferry.

Monte Hanks and Ken Riley on the bus.

Dick Tiff, Ken Riley, Linda Riley, Jim Hetzel on the bus.

In city traffic, with one of the city buses.

Note this city bus has an "accordion" in the middle that flexes for the bus to go around corners.

A bus stop.

Our bus outside Nathan Fray's house, Walter, the bus owner/driver, is cleaning his tires after traveling the muddy roads.

Our bus outside Nathan Fray's house.

Finally a Meal

We all left our homes early Monday morning, 10/18/10 and arrived in Sao Paulo Tuesday, 10/19. By the time we were loaded on the bus, it was Tuesday afternoon.  We traveled for an hour or so, then stopped at a barbeque place (Chuharia) to eat. We had only had airline food in the meantime. We filled our plates at a great salad bar then sat down to eat.  Then the waiters began bringing out a variety of barbequed meats on skewers. It seemed like the meat would go on forever, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, sausage, etc. Then we had a tour of the kitchen where they prepared the meats.  Photos are not in order.

Me and Jenny Hanks checking out the ovens.

One of the kitchen staff explaining the process to Cathy Kearnie, John Wern, Jenny Hanks & Ken Riley.

Don Dale and Ken Riley checking out the pits.

Showing us one of the typical skewers hot out of the oven.

Monte Hanks, Cathy Kearnie, Dick Tiff, Nate Fray, John Wern, Jenny Hanks, Mike Maloney, Barb Hetzel, Don Dale and Ken Riley, checking out the barbeque pits. Nate interpreting for the kitchen staff.

Some of the meat being prepared for the pit.

Skewers on the spit.

Rachel Blake and me enjoying our meal.

More meat for me, Ken & Linda Riley checking it out.

One of our waiters showing off a skewer.

Getting on the Bus

We had a bit of luggage, including wheelchairs to be distributed to some pre-approved recipients and some generic chairs for unknown recipients.

Monte Hanks, Mile Maloney, Elmer Hess and Don Dale waiting for the bus to arrive.

Ross Ream, standing, talking with Cordell Brown and John Wern. Linda Riley in background.

Elmer Hess, Pastor Don Needham, Don Dale and me listening to a story from Ross Ream.

Linda Riley in foreground, much of the rest of the team, still waiting for the bus.

Wheelchairs and other equipment waiting to be loaded.

Finally, the bus arrived, wheelchairs lined up to load, Cathy Kearnie in front of bus.

Don Dale & Pastor Nathan Fray loading wheelchairs, luggage is in one bin.

Rachel Blake, Jenny Hanks and Ken Riley supervising loading of wheelchairs into the bus.

Arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil 10/19/10

Attempts to post during the trip failed.  Here are some photos of the trip, arriving in Sao Paulo airport, loading the equipment & luggage on the bus, going out to dinner at the Chuharia, and finally arriving at Camp Bethel: