On the road . April 2010 . Brazil
Paudimar Hostelling International Foz do Iguaçu,
Brazil, 25-04-10 -
Definitely worth the sweaty detour
24 km after São José do Norte to Viamão
(4 cycle days; 327 km; 598m)
24 km > São José do Norte to 24 km > Bojuru (76km; 68m)
24 km after Bojuru to 26 km after Mostardas (81km; 66m)
26 km after Mostardas to Capão da Porteira (115km;
77m)
Capão da Porteira to Viamão (55km; 387m)
Before we met Rodrigo and Gisele in
Santiago, our plan was to enter Uruguay and run along
the border with Argentina all the way to Foz do Iguaçu:
the massively famous waterfalls featured in the movie
The Mission, with a flow capacity equal to three times
that of Niagara Falls. As soon as we got to Buenos Aires,
we decided to still make our way to the falls, but abandon
the first route idea and instead cycle along the coast
of Uruguay, into Brazil, in the direction of Porto Alegre
and pay a visit to Rodrigo and Gisele.
Travel is not always about a direct
path to and from the well frequented sights and wonders,
but getting to know people first hand and hear about
the culture of a country from their perspective...
Tip
of the Month: Not only hot water, but
a cooked breakfast as well
A water heating element
is not only good for a pot noodle snack,
a cup of tea, coffee or cuppa-soup, but
it also boils eggs just the way you like
them. Place the eggs in the pot, fill with
water, add the element and let 'em boil.
Great if you are feeling
like a cooked breakfast, but don't really
feel like venturing from your hotel room.
Sao José do Norte - Foz do Iguacu (Brazil)
Kilometres: 326 kilometres and 680 metres
Riding days: just 4
Alti meters: 598 metres up
Weather: lot of rain; sticky and humid
Best accommodation: Casa 'Gisele e Rodrigo'
in Viamão (see below)
Special thanks to:
Rodrigo and Gisele for their heart-felt warmth and generosity
while we stayed with them at their beautiful
home just outside Viamão. Cuddles
to the cats: Samanta, Roberto, Marco Antonio,
Anja and Loira; and pats to the dogs: Nanook,
Anakin (or Gordo), Cusca Branca, Cusca Loca,
Taka, Yupi and Salamáo known more
commonly as Dirty Dog. And animal well wishes
to the others: Hortencia the turtle, Jorge
the little rooster and all the chickens,
guineau fowls and guinea pigs • Osvaldo Canquerini in Capão
da Porteira for letting us camp near his petrol
station; use of the shower; the free petrol
for our stove and the therma-lunch bag present • Dario Popular newspaper for the spontaneous interview (pdf) in Rio Grande.
Breakdowns:
01: broken tent pole...
04: flat tyre (Son)
30: broken tent pole
