Video's shot during our last trip in Brazil towards Argentina

Prologue

    These video's below are taken randomly and published today to get into the mood of our next trip. We have  one way tickets to Buenos Aires, Argentina for the 4th of November and another one way ticket from Lima Peru on the 22nd of December back to Utila, so we have 7 weeks to close the cap, but we have to go south first to touch the bottom of Argentina (Ushuaia), before heading north towards Lima Peru.

The distance to Ushuaia is 3000 km and north to Lima about 8000 km, give or take a 1000 km!

    The first few days in Mar del Plata, we have to tend to Scotty's bike. The engine, we have to take apart and we will carry the parts all ready packed from Honduras such as cylinder, piston, rings and gaskets and hope that will solve the oil problem he had the last 2 weeks ( one liter of oil, for each gas tank fill ) Hope the weather will be OK and even thou it is late spring in November , it still might snow in Patagonia, so I am carrying my ski clothes with me, which are not really waterproof, so no rain please! As well the winds are famous in Patagonia to blow constantly 75 km p/h

    As well to continue my blog, I updated the necessary links, pictures and maps and this post is a good test for me that all is working correctly, because most of the time on the road in the middle of nowhere, there are no good internet connections and if there are, it is usually slow and it is almost impossible to upload video's.

Riding through German small towns in Paraguay

Day 35 (379 km)

Left in cloudy weather Ciudad de Este to the Argentina border, but we didn’t want to go through Brazil, while us not sure if we were getting problems with the bikes, so we went over a new paved road through Paraguay to the city of Encarnacion. We stopped a few times and all we saw were German businesses and German advertisements, even the people had German features and most of them were talking German among themselves and all the restaurants and bars had German products.

It was almost surreal and being it Sunday, they all went for brunch to their own fancy restaurants and Sunday bands were playing German music all over the place. Around 3 pm we crossed the border and the procedure was fast, because we were already in the Argentina system and could stay with the bikes again till the 19^th of November and collected 2 more stamps in my passport. Scotty’s passport been filled up and I asked them to stamp his entry stamps on top of others.

After I got rid of my “flat tire syndrome”, I started to get a new one now involving the chain problems, which I heard banging the last few days and as well slipping. Finally after the chain getting too loose every day, I found out what the problem was, namely the teeth of the rear sprocket were gone and it must have happened according Scotty in the last week, because he cleaned my sprocket recently and didn’t see any wear and tear. Anyway I decided to stop in a small place where I saw a hotel and wait till Monday to change the sprockets and probably chain as well. It was a good thing we have a spare set with us and it was five o’clock anyway!

Popping in Brazil again, to see the falls

Day 34 (0) 

     Today, we went back in Brazil again and it was the most chaotic scene I ever saw on a border, thousands of cars, moto and trucks on both side and thousands of pedestrians walking over the bridge to go shopping in Paraguay. It supposed to be the shopping mekka of South America and everything is for sale in Ciudad de Este on the street and shops!

       Soon we walked over the friendship bridge and our passports didn't had to be stamp on both sides as long as we didn't go further as the Foz do Iguacu city limits. Took a few city buses and reached the Brazilian National park where the falls are. It was all set up professional and buses brought you into the park and had different stops to see and do activities around the falls.

        The falls are very impressive and you can not compare it to the Niagara falls in the USA and Canada, everything here is ten times more massive, with hundreds of falls and with very high drop offs, also it was possible to walk to these falls up to 2 meters and had it as a tourist attraction very nice put together. Had an expensive lunch there with a few beers and around five we were back in Paraguay again, tired, cut my hair, because it was getting time to do so, had some more beers and called it the night!

Twice a stand off on the road to Ciudad de Este

Day 33 (324 km)

       Asuncion, we left 10 am and it took us at least one hour to get out of town and the traffic was hectic and lot of people and traffic on the road, but finally we reached after 30 km the outskirts, but  every 10 km there was a village or so, so we did not make good speed and it was only 300 km to Ciudad de Este, which is located on the border with Brazil and Argentina and where the famous Foz do Iguazo waterfalls are. They supposed to be more impressive as the Niagara falls, so will compare that tomorrow.

        Every 2 or 3 km there was a checkpoint on the road from the transito police and noticed soon that they only had it in for foreign plates and motorcycles and soon we were pulled over a couple of times and intimidated with fines for speeding, crossing a double line, no reflection clothing, did not like the Bolivian stamp in the passport and more crap and every time the conversation started polite, but soon started in a shouting match and worse. but these young  arrogant cops were no match to me and after threatening a few of them, that I will send them tomorrow to the Bolivian border  for a year or so for punishment, after I got my sources involved to back me up ( I have none!) and what helps always is taking their pictures and tell them I made a video as well of there scam, they gave quick the passport and other papers back and let us pass and took their revenge out on the next Gringo's, this time they were 3 Mexican bikers (one man, two female) and felt sorry for them.

        It is a pity Paraguay, tolerate this behavior from these corrupt cops on the road and is so far the only country in South America were this is happening to us, but unsuccessful.

I like these stand offs  and it is like playing poker and I am good in it!

Looking for "The boys from Brazil" in Paraguay!

Day 32 ( 336 km)

       Next to our Hotel, the selection of Buenos Aires was welcomed with police escort and there was a party all night with bands and thousands of people were on the street partying! and our bikes were parked outside the hotel door on the street, but everything was still in one piece next morning and left 9 am for Paraguay, about 300 km away to the north.

         We reached the border around 2 pm and an hour later we had all papers fixed up and went to Asuncion, the capital 45 km away. I was impressed with the business I saw on the street and the ride in town was at least 25 km long with all the international businesses, you can think about, I even saw my first McDonald and Burger King!