Muddy Road, mosquitoes and Paraguay!

I finally made it out of the road 81!! But first, let me tell you all about the villages in between. Put off by the nothingness I found around the road for most of the time (which involves torny bushes) I decided to give up a bit on wild camping for a while. The good side about this decision however was that I have been stopping at most villages along the way. This also means I’ve also been able to strike up conversations with people there, leading to some great late night dinners. It’s always fun to test my Spanish against the jokes people keep throwing up at themselves!

One other milestone I went through as well is the first 1000km mark! (although at the time of this writing I am already over the 1500 one). Can’t believe I’ve rode so far from my starting point. Many days seem to be the same, or look alike but looking back I now realise how each of them brings new experiences.

Laguna Yema was definitely a highlight of the road with the jovial bunch of people I met there. I stayed there for about three days and went to take a tour along the coasts of the laguna Yerma, which extends for about 3km wide!

The view and the location was super pleasant but on fifth third day at dawn looking at the east, I set forth to continue my adventure. That led me to Las Lomitas. Well I’ve never so much struggled to understand people. It’s like a weird mix of Scottish and Aussie slang, but in Spanish. No really, couldn’t get a word. I stayed there for 2 days as well but more to escape the storm than anything.

Here’s a little guy as well tagging along for my night in some hotel along the way. I think this might look like a salamander but I’m not 100% sure! The other one was just standing there along the road and I thought the picture would be worth braving the swarms of mosquitos only waiting for me to stop.

Anyway, leaving Las Lomitas, I felt restless and really wanted to be on my way. I had not however realised how much energy I had stored. After the first 70km I thought I could definitely go on for more. That’s when I set out for the next village, adding 80km to the day. 150km is a lot, but that’s without taking into account that the last 20km were a dirt road. Remember how I sheltered myself during the storm not 3 days before? Well there you have it. Although most of it was OK, mud patches were laying here and there on the road only waiting for you to pass through to put your bike to a stop. That’s when you realise that you have to push your mud-clogged, wheels stuck bike through it while being yourself ankle deep in it.

Ah. But that’s the easy part. Because hundreds of mosquitos zoom around you as soon as you stop. I’m not joking, I could hear them everywhere. That’s just another factor helping you to continue pushing your bike not matter what! I let you imagine the state I was in when I finally arrived at the village hotel. Fortunately they didn’t mind much, they just gave me some water to spray on my bike so I could clean it up a bit. I slept early that night, I tell you.

I soon went back onto my trusty steed, which I have decided to name “Beloved”. That’s a reference to the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin Royal in French), but I thought this might be fitting, because why else would I put all these efforts to push her through muddy roads.

And then I arrived at the Laguna Blanca located in the national Parc Río Pilcomayo. The views are simply mind blowing and I will let you appreciate them for yourself.

The sunset was easily one the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Then you have all the birds looping around the lake catching bugs.

Later on the morrow I met Angel, another cyclist who’s been cycling for about 4 years with his dog and seeping bracelets he did himself!

And now… I leave Argentina for Paraguay!

I’ve been in the capital, Asunción, for two days now. There I had the chance to meet two lovely people, Valerie and Rui, with which I spent the night around a (few) beers and a good meal!