Today we got a early start which got delayed at the get go. As we were putting the trailer back on Guille’s bike, we noticed part of the hitch was broken and there would be no going forward without repairing it. I happened to be facing the room and noticed that there was a stick welder in the corner with an electrode on it. 15 minutes later it was repaired and likely stronger than the original piece.
We were trying to outrun a storm which was forecasted to bring high winds and rain around 1000hrs. We got to our original destination with heavy winds coming from all directions early and before the storm. We decided to push on an additional 25km. We had a nice tail wind and made good time but not before we got rained on twice. Each time we got rained on, we were dry again within 15 minutes.
As we rolled in to our first potential stop, there was a storm front moving in pretty quickly. It was like a wave that just rolled over itself. Not five minutes after we got in, this video was taken.
The storm is here and we have planted ourselves in the little gas station shop eying anything that can be made into a dinner. I got dibs on the sandwich. Guille got the bag of peanuts.
We were lucky enough to have skirted the rain storm in Virasorro to Santo Tomé. The forecast had for days of heavy rain. Seems that once we got south a bit, it was just overcast.
The road from Santo Tomé to Alvear was fairly easy but long – a solitary flat ride through the plains and pantano of 91km. We had a slight tailwind which made pedaling fairly easy.
The solitary nature of the endless plains patched with pine or eucalyptus groves destined for the paper mills was also patched by pantanos. I’m used to quite a bit of road kill in California, but the roadkill of this area was quite the novelty. We passed several yacare or caimán that were leathery carpets on the side of the road ranging in size from one to two meters although they can grow up to three meters – 9 feet. The other novelty roadkill were capybara. I first learned of capybara from one of my favorite childhood books – Capyboppy. I kept an eye out for live ones – alas, I only say dead ones – usually in the inflated Shrek-style ballon form where I wanted to steer clear as they seemed to be at their bursting point – and that would be a real mess.
We rolled into town around noon so we sheltered from the heat for four hours in the local YPF gas station diner – they are air conditioned.
Around 1600hrs, we headed into town to find the bank, and a hotel that would let us stay with Rocko. We found the two banks, but they were both national banks and don’t work with my debit card. Now I’m down to my last $1000 ($16USD) and the prospects for getting cash in the next few days are almost zero. We were turned away from the hotels we checked so we headed back to the YPF. On the way we passed the bus terminal. Not air conditioned, but a shelter against any possible rain. About 1830, I called a hotel and they had space for us and Rocko – we were off… went to the grocery store, had a pizza and slept well.
Day 15: a short ride of 45km to Guaviraví. A little town of less than 70 people. It was an easy ride and we got in around 10:30 as we slept in.
The town was dead. As we found out later, people get up at 0530 and are back in their home by 10:30 and stay there until around 1700hrs when the temperatures come down. Then it seems everyone comes out on the streets until midnight.
Today was a treat for us. Guille, Leila and Larry stopped by here on the way north and were very well received – and invited back. So we stopped and were once again well received. They had just butchered a lamb and wanted to share with us. So we all participated in the parilla of Cordero and pollo.
This parilla is a social event where many come out and participate. There are two focuses with the parilla – meat and camaraderie. Once cooked, the Cordero and pollo was placed on a piece of cardboard and the 10-12 people participating all jumped in and ate on the communal table. Implements of choice were hands and fingers but forks and knives were provided for those who wanted to stab the pieces of meat and cut them rather than grab and tear. There is something primal about sharing a meal in this fashion. Some might say it’s barbaric or low cast but I personally think it’s an elevated form of social participation. I feel privileged to have been invited and to have participated with these people.
Day 16: down day In Guaviraví
Today, our down day, we woke up at 0530 and went to Paso de Los Libres to go to the bank, pharmacy and a few other errands. On the way back, we were invited to have lunch at the mayor’s mother’s house and were very well received and enjoyed the welcome nature of this group of people. Kind souls they are.
An afternoon of doing little to nothing: sitting in the hammock, washing a few items of clothes, and minor maintenance on the bikes.
Tomorrow we head out for a moderate distance ride with a storm in the forecast. We’ll see what happens tomorrow if anything happens weather wise.
Personal reflection: this trip had me out of my comfort zone on many fronts. I am an introverted person and this social interaction, while it’s something I wish came naturally, I am pretty awkward at. It forces me to socialize and meet people and learn about different cultures – which is one thing I strive for. But at this level, I would never reach out on my own. I feel blessed for this opportunity and while it’s a difficult trip, I am having a good time and will always remember it. While it might not seem it due to my writing style, I have no complaints. Waiting at a gas station diner allows us to talk with many different people from many different walks of life. The trip, the bikes and Rocko provide an ice breaker to talk with strangers.
Not knowing if we will stay in a hotel or a bus stop on the side of the highway is part of the un-plan. We get up and pedal then we figure it out. For many (including myself) this is foreign and can be overwhelming. But it’s also rich in new and different experiences that I would normally not find myself in. I am lucky to have a guide and instigator in all of this in my Brother Guille. As mentioned in an earlier post, this trip is turning out to be an unexpected pilgrimage of sorts for me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
We left very early In the morning from San Jose to Virasorros. The ride was short – 45km. Because we left so early, we were able to beat the heat. It was also a milestone of sorts, we passed through the entire province of Missiones and entered Corrientes.
We got settled in the municipal gym where they had real beds and showers. Not hotel real, but real enough. As the day wore on, the heat kept going up and up. Around 1600hrs, the clouds rolled in and dumped – in true tropical rain storm fashion with lots of lightning and thunder.
We hung out for another hour and then ventured a couple of blocks to the supermarket, a pizza shop and an ice cream shop. There goes another kg of ice cream.
All in all it was a good day. The ride and rain storm afterwards were the highlights.
Day 13: Virasorro to Santo Tomé 69km (plus another 10km around town)
We didn’t sleep well last night so got ready at five. We were worried about the rain forecast from last night – four days of tropical rain storm. We didn’t want to get stuck in Virasorro for four days – so we got out early. It ended up being the nicest ride. It was about 24°C, low overcast and a slight breeze. We finished the distance in just over three hours. We were in town by 10:30.
We went into town to look for a place to stay. The gym was closed as were the three hotels we checked. We decided to go get something to eat instead. Had a decent meal albeit too much.
We then headed down to the river with the idea to cool off. As we reached the river – I was in the lead, there were a group of men drinking. I just rode past and went to look at the river. Next thing I know is that Guille road right up to them and joked about “no dollars here, the central bank has them all…”. Afterwards, he tells me they pegged me… ME!!! as a gringo with $$ and while their intentions were not known, it might have gone the wrong way.
So the river, it’s the Uruguay River forming the border between Argentina and Brazil. About 140m wide at this point with Brazil on the other side. It was pretty and all with fisherman in their launches going up and down the river, but as a closer look was taken, it was quite dirty. Lots of broken glass and plastic in the river. I opted not to go in and hung back with the bikes. Rocko and Guille on the other hand went right in.
We then headed back to the Ruta and look for a hotel – we found one and were told they would be there in 10 minutes. As we waited, a car pulled up and a family piled out. They had seen us on Facebook and on the Ruta earlier that morning and wanted to give Rocko some food and take a picture.
A few minutes later and we got a nice refreshing cool shower and are just hanging out.
Let me first start off my staying that I am on vacation. Riding my bike though Argentina with a friend. It’s clear we have different comfort levels. I admire him for his commitment to less consumption and sustainable living.
Today however has opened my eyes briefly to how others without choices live. Back in ‘79, my family had a hard time, my parents decided to take us camping for the entire summer. Never did I feel or think we were homeless. It was the best summer of my childhood and the only one I really even remember.
Getting back to today, we never really woke up from last night’s sleep in the local sports complex. It was overly hot, full of mosquitos and echoed every single noise on the street 10-fold. We departed early – around 0630hrs. We easily made the 69km before the -real- heat of the day kicked in – it only got up to 34° by the time we got to our next stop at 1045hrs. I don’t like to ride in the heat, it’s killer.
Looking at the weather forecast, it’s not expected to cool down until about 2000hrs that night. So that means spending 9 hours in the diner of the gas station and watch life go by for so many travelers. No point in taking a shower before then as you sweat like you came out of a sauna as soon as you get out of the shower.
As soon as we got out of the shower we prepared our dinner. A can of tuna, a bag of mayonnaise, a loaf of bread and a tomato – oh and a packet of mustard. We parked our butts on the concrete pad outside a closed market and ate it and relished it. Then I went and bought a couple of beers at the gas station. A good dinner if you ask me. The only meal we actually had today as gas station diner fair is less than… well you all know what it’s like.
After dinner we started to strategize about where we are going to sleep. Note that this couldn’t be done before as it was too bloody hot to step outside. So the things we thought we needed to think about were: rain (80% chance overnight), flood lights, noise from the road, the heat in a tent and mosquitoes. All equally bad. It took a while but we each came up with our own solution.
Guillermo went for sleeping out in the open under the shelter of a covered walkway. He won’t get rained on tonight. But, he’s wearing long pants and sleeves to protect against the mosquitoes, is directly under lights, has foot traffic near the bathrooms, has road noise fairly close, is sleeping out in the open, etc.
I chose for the tent in a grassy area. My tent should protect most of me against the rain, I don’t have light pollution, I have protection against mosquitoes but I have: hotter than blazes in a tent that doesn’t breath, I’m out of the light (I’ve already had a wandering visitor asking me what time it was). I do have ear plugs so that barking dog… oh wait. Bliss.
Anyway, back to the point of this note, I’m on vacation. While this might not be the ideal accommodations, it provides. And I have a choice. I feel a bit off even comparing these last two nights to someone who doesn’t have a choice, but it’s the closest thing I can compare it to while providing a sense of realness I suppose.
I know a respectable person in our community who refers to the homeless as the unsheltered. At first thought, I kinda like that term. But I don’t think it’s up to me to say whether or not it’s what they would be prefer to be called or described as. But it is an attempt to provide some dignity and recognition to those less fortunate than us.
I’ve been on personal pilgrimages before and this is certainly another one. I am putting myself up against difficult physical and emotional challenges way outside of my comfort zone. I guess it’s how I have chosen to grow and understand this life. I had no idea what this trip would bring to me to contemplate, homelessness – but here we are.
Today was a down day in Jardín America. Went around town and got some needed supplies (beer) amongst other things.
The local supermarket provided us with the fixings for a few good meals and the swimming pool did right for cooling us down.
Some bike maintenance, cleaning road grime off the chain, etc.
Took a nap, and just relaxed.
Day 10: we’re traveling 3 days on and one off for now. The afternoon temps are very high, today reaching 41°C on the road. There’s no shade on the roads at this point so we try to leave early. Today we left at 0630 and made real good time until we got to San Ignacio where we relaxed for a bit in the shade and visited the largest restored Jesuit Mission – similar to the California Missions. Same story, the church basically enslaved the indigenous peoples and took their resources and shipped them off to Spain. Power grabs never change. We’re seeing it in the Middle East today.
By the time we were done at the mission, the temps had creeped up another 4° to 38°C. We only had about 16km to go to Santa Ana, but with the hills and the heat, it always takes longer than expected. We arrived sometime after noon-30 and split a watermelon, some rice and 8 hard boiled eggs between the two of us.
We were stopped several times on the road by people wanting a picture of Rocko (not us) as he is famous in the area on social media for being the Dog who travels by bicycle. We are now just hanging out in the air conditioned gas station waiting for a possible call from someone who is looking for a place for us to stay here in Santa Ana – after she got her picture with Rocko.
[UPDATE] Rocko just got us a place to shower and sleep for the night. WooT!!!
We have two more days of the heat and the hills, then we will just have to contend with the heat. We expect our distance to jump to 80-100km daily pretty soon. We have a couple of more places to stop with friends of Guille, and then we’re planning on going to Uruguay probably in two weeks – and a ferry to Buenos Aires – to mix it up a bit.
Today was a short km day – only 42km – perhaps a few more as the story develops.
Day 7 didn’t quite end as of the last posting. Guille went to look for a place to shower and stay, preferably the same place alas it was not to be.
He gets back after what seemed way too long, perhaps an hour or so while I sat in my sweat soaked clothes at the local gas station with WiFi and air conditioning. He returned all showered and clean an happy to have found a place at the local sports complex. So on we went.
We got there and the shower was a hose rigged from above while the care takers small kids watched in awe as the overly white person showered outside on an ant hill in his underwear. Nevertheless, I got clean and a few welts from the ants. As soon as I dried off, I started sweating again.
We headed back to the ruta where by this time at 2130, there was only one restaurant open. We ordered a pizza and beer. When we got it, we devoured it. It was the worst pizza we ever had, but it sure was delicious at the time. It was one of those frozen pizza deals with spongy crust, fake cheese, processed ham and four olives. We were in heaven.
We headed back to the sports complex to pitch the tents, we chose the indoor (under roof) soccer pitch. You couldn’t even whisper without the neighborhood hearing it as the echo and amplification were so loud.
About 0230 the next morning I woke up to Rocko barking as if the xerox machine went wild on “bark” mode. The two barks never ended, but it was clear he chased the 2-3 kids away who were probably just going to hang out there after a night or partying. I did sleep much better than Day 5, probably due to the beer and just being plain worn out.
Up early at 0530 on Day 8 as the morning commute of motorcycles and tractors without mufflers was non-stop. We headed back to the gas station where they had a bathroom – but it was out of service.
Breakfast consisted of another one of those 7-8kg watermelons. Cut it in half and ate it with a spoon.
It quickly heated up to unbearable temperatures, not a cloud in sight and no shade. We gained ~740 today over 44km. It was a shortish day but it was pretty difficult.
We calculated that Guille has about 100kg he’s moving up these hills while I am moving about half that (he has the trailer for Rocko and of course Rocko).
We get to Jardín America and find out that Guille’s friend who owns a Mate plantation had her truck in the shop and she couldn’t come meet us. The 20km rode on soggy iron rich dirt roads would not have been fun. So we looked for a place to stay in town.
The first place looked real nice and had great reviews – but one – who said that the mayor built it with stollen money. We get to the hotel and… it’s shuttered. Who shutters a brand new hotel???
Next place is a block away, I call and tell them I need a room for two and a service dog (Rocko has papers). They were hesitant but said they had a cabin for us. Great! We’ll be there in 10 minutes. We got there, there were no signs on the hotel and all of the doors were locked, then my six calls to them went unanswered. On the 7th, she answers and says she’ll be right down. One look at us – filthy dirty, sweaty, disheveled, bikes and a dog…. and she immediately tells us there isn’t any room.
I call the next place – validate they have room and that they accept pets, we get there and after she gets a whiff of us, she asks me if I made reservations – that my voice was very similar to that of her other customer and she got my American accent confused with a local Argentinian.
She offered to help though. She called “her brother” who had Cabañas two blocks away and that he had one available and would accept Rocko. We got there and again, not sure if it was the dirt, the smell the dog or something else, but they were full. She directed us to another place two blocks away.
We got there and the lady was very nice. We explained the situation and asked if she had room. She said “let me check”. It’s important to understand that these cabin rentals are really rooms built into their homes so the idea of her having four guest cabins and her having to check, was like… ummm. Ok.
Anyway she came back and said there weren’t any available. I went into the double-sob story. She said hold on and came back a few minutes later. She has a friend who has cabins and she had space and would accept Rocko. Best yet, her friend would come and get us and lead us back to the cabins. Seems like her late-teen children had seen Rocko on the gram and Facebook #missionesenbicileta and that they were also featured in the local paper.
So… all showered, fed, laundry hanging out to dry – we have a down day tomorrow, a swimming pool right outside our door and a nice supermarket down the street.
Today was a good day…
Next target over 2-3 days will be Virasorro and 400km down out of the 1400km.
Rode 70km today in 38°C temps. Started out nice in the morning, but then it quickly heated up.
Drank:
8 – 750ml bottles of water
1 – 750 ml bottle of Coke (first in to years or more) as I needed the sugar
1 – 1.5l bottle of some grapefruit flavored sugary drink by Coca-Cola.
I don’t think I retained any of it.
Went swimming in the Paranáy River. Nice refreshing slow moving clear water.
Looks like we will camp in the city square tonight. All we have to do is pitch the tents as it’s right across the street. I don’t think we will get showers today.
The original plan was to ride from Iguazu to Colonia Delicias/Magdalena – about 75km. We made good time taking an hour in Colonia La Esperanza to hydrate.
This is fairly hilly country (our ride was 3550ft in elevation gain) – jungle like so high temperatures and high humidity. Until about 1600hrs, it was a cloudless day and the run was relentless. We got to Colonia Delicias at 1400hrs and the town was dead – it was siesta time.
We bought a 7kilo watermelon and shared it between the two of us and just hung out in front of the local market (also closed for siesta) and just chatted. We decided that we didn’t want to stay there so we planned on heading out after it cooled down with a departure time of about 1800hrs. We only had 12km to go to a gas station that has a covered area to pitch the tents and more importantly, showers.
1800hrs rolls around and we head to the ruta (highway). A pack of dogs decided it would be fun to chase us and Rocko was not in the trailer so we were using our bikes to keep them away from him. (This is and important moment for later in the story).
We hit the road and the shadows were long which made riding nice. It was still warm but the direct sun was minimal. We figured it would take us less than an hour to get to the Axion Victoria and sunset wasn’t until 2000hrs so we had plenty of time.
Making good time, after a celebratory fist bump, I closed the trip on the bike computer and there wasn’t the familiar beep-beep saying it synchronized with my phone. Sometimes that happens. So I went to get my phone…
It wasn’t there!!! I looked again… it still wasn’t there. I borrowed Guille’s iPhone (lucky he had an iPhone), used Find MyPhone and it showed up right away – 12km away….
Deciding how get back Guille offered to ride back and get it – I refused. We asked the gas station attendant and his friend didn’t answer.
By this time, Guille flagged down a motorcyclist and he recognized Rocko and Guille from #missionesenbicicleta (its a phenomenon how many people know of Rocko through social media).
@julio_marecoo gave me a ride back to the market and waited for me to find my phone. Upon getting on the bike, I promptly burned my calf on the hot muffler – that’s gonna… no.. damn it hurts…
Guille lent me his phone so I could track my phone – but he didn’t have signal there so I found some locals who lent me their hotspot to use find my phone. These people are amazing – friendly, honest and just plain good people.
Ends up, when the dogs were interested in Rocko, I dropped my phone by a bus shelter. Right after I dropped the phone a local picked it up. He opened it up and found my passport card and was worried. He wrapped it up in paper, put it in his backpack and went home worried how he was going to get it to the American.
So, end of Day 6 (but really Day 1 of the ride to Buenos Aires), we’ve clocked 90km of the 1400km or so.
A very successful and eventful day.
For those that are interested in the ride stats, visit:
Preparing early in the morning, putting the bikes together. Rocko is excited to go.
We met up with Alejandrino and his wife. He helped us by taking the broken bikes to Iguazu on Day 1. @guillermoaimar made chimichuri sauce and Alejandrinos wife made sopa paraguaya- sort of like corn bread but made with yucca, eggs, cheese and onions.
We made it back to where I joined #missionesenbicicleta in La Esperanza. We will continue for another 25km today to Colonia Delicia – where I hope there are delicious pastries there but I don’t think there will bakery there.
as a gringo with $$ and while their intentions were not known, it might have gone the wrong way.
