The "BR" {Official name ~ pronounced "bay~ae~hee"} is the main dirt road through the region and when it becomes blocked or closed the local area can close down. I am told that last year it was closed down for 15 days during the rainy season. It is a bit like closing down the N11 between Wexford and Enniscorthy and there are no other roads to take. And so in June - August 2006 gone by the state raised two wooden bridges leading to the main bridge over Rio Vermelho. The trouble today is that the floods have washed away the dirt road between the two small bridges and the main bridge, so it is back to the drawing board.
I brought out our stranded guests to see the condition of the road and bridge to see if they could continue their journey home and this was after two nights in the parish house. They did not have a 4-wheel drive but a rather small VW.
