31 July 2013 / leggypeggy

When boredom sets in

boredom, Brazil, Oasis Overland, overland travel, South America, travel, Truck life

Batman doesn’t get traffic moving, but has a lot of fun

Nothing like a gigantic traffic jam to bring out creative solutions to pass the time until everyone is able to move on.

Luckily, overland trucks are much better equipped than cars to provide their passengers with an array of entertainment.

It all depends on the angle. Colin looks taller than he is, and Mario looks way shorter

Take the other day.

On the way to Porto Velho in western Brazil, we came up behind a kilometer-long line of vehicles. Once we realised there was an equally long line coming from the other direction, we knew there had to have been an accident.

Even though the truck is filled with people over the age of 18, there’s still an are-we-there-yet mentality. So out come the goodies to keep the big kiddies occupied.

The volleyball came out first and kept people amused for 10–15 minutes, and then out came the fancy-dress box. We’d used these clothes last year on my birthday and for Halloween, so I could imagine some of the get-ups that would be dragged out of the box.

Big kids goofing off

Batman suited up first. Then the big baby. Even Batman couldn’t get the traffic moving, but he did turn a lot of heads. He was photographed so many times, it will probably make him difficult to live with in the coming days.

Plenty of police arrived (to deal with the emergency, not Batman). An ambulance came and went—with lights flashing, but not speeding—so we’re hoping the injured are already recovering.

And then traffic started to move, so it was back in the truck after an hour of silliness.