Off-roading in a Fiat.

The car, a Fiat Uno

I wish that was an analogy for something…a decision that’s ok but not a very wise idea, something where you can easily wind up down a creek without a paddle or everything can turn out ok.  Sadly, in this case it is not a fun way to describe a bad idea; it is a true story.  Yesterday in rural Brazil near the capital of Brasilia I ended up accidentally off-roading in a Fiat that I had rented for the day.  The day started out innocently enough, I had rented a car to drive out to a town a few hours northwest of the city. To see some of the county side and get a feel for what grazing country looked like in the area.  Then I would make a loop heading slightly northeast of the city to see the Itiquira Falls before returning the rental car and ending up back at my hotel for the night. 

The road.

So off I went, feeling pretty confident after successfully navigating my way out of Brasilia (with the help of a GPS) and getting into rural Brazil.  This was after all the first time I’ve rented a car in a country where I don’t speak the language.  The landscape is stunning and my initial destination, the town of Pirenópolis was breathtaking.  Highways and paved roads the entire way made for an easy drive.  After lunch and some shopping in the unofficial silver capital of Brazil I set out for the falls.  Setting my GPS was a little more difficult this time but I managed to get it sorted out and headed off, this time however the GPS sent me out of town on a different road than I had come in on, I didn’t think too much about it as I was headed in a slightly different direction, that was until the pavement ended.  In situations like this that you should always listen to your instincts, this was one of those times and I choose to ignore it. I continued on, it was only 20 km down the road after all.  

The view from the top.

I headed up the side of a mountain and even passed a Dodge Journey at one point who was having trouble getting up a particularly soft section of steep road, I can proudly say my Fiat walked up without a problem.  The views from the top of the mountain certainly made it worthwhile.  But the road continued to deteriorate and I anxiously watched the kilometres slowly wind down as I approached the town and the highway again.   

Near the first river where I turned around, the town is the highway.

As I approached the town, I was relieved, 20 km of potholes and washouts were over.  I had seen pastures and cattle along the road so I was pretty happy in accomplishing that goal.  The road had a different idea though, it crossed a river that was about 30 feet across without a bridge, I unsuccessfully tried to find a different way across but the GPS continually pointed me back to the river crossing, I couldn’t see how deep it was and the slope on the other side didn’t seem doable…in a Fiat.  I did try and about 5 feet in, the water was eight inches deep, in a vehicle that was only a foot off the ground, I quickly got out of there.  I was only half a kilometre from town at that time but stuck.  So I headed in the opposite direction, my GPS finally found me a different route which was 30 km around the mountain in the opposite direction.  No problem as I didn't have any other choice.  So along I went, and I came across a small creek crossing, no problem for the Fiat…then another, which I also crossed.  Until I hit a third crossing which was larger that the initial one which had stopped me and I couldn’t actually see the exit on the other side.  I couldn’t do it, I was trapped in.  I turned around there really was only one option now.  I had to go back the way I had come and go the highway route, at least that way I knew I wouldn’t float away.  So I did, I went back along the pothole filled washed out route and had to head straight back to return the rental car as it would have been dark by the time I approached the city and it was too late to make my other stop.  It cost me about 2.5 hours of driving time along the dirt roads of Brazil but I got to see some stunning vistas and how many people do you know can say they took a Fiat off-roading?  The car held up exceptionally well and no comments about the thick layer of dust on the car upon my return.  And I learned another valuable travel lesson, when you are headed to a town where a selling feature is “paved roads the whole way there”  stay on the paved roads or perhaps more important always rent a large vehicle when traveling in Brazil.

The 2nd river crossing that turned me around.

I crossed this one!

The after shot, just a little dirt.