May 4, 2010

Well, it’s never a good time to get a flat tire, but at least I knew what to do when it happened. Check out this bolt I picked up about 40 miles after leaving Tebicuary…

That bolt was 4″ long, and the entire thing was embedded in my tire. The rear tube was absolute toast, and so I got to use the spare I’d carried for about 19,000 miles!

In hindsight I wish I had more pictures…I rolled the bike off the road and started to work…only to realize I’d set up shop in the sand and the bike was sinking…and I had no way of breaking the bead of the rear tire since I oul not get enough leverage off my center stand with it in the sand…

…along came a very nice gentleman on a MINT 250…he offered to help, and I quite surprised him when I not only knew what I was about changing the tire but also when I asked if we could use HIS bike to break the bead…

After he helped me to change the tire, he commented on how dirty my bike was, and INSISTED that I take care of it and get it  washed. Funny guy. So I paid tribute to him by washing it.

Did I mention my savior’s name? Miguelangelo. Michael, the Angel.

🙂

SO after that  it was almost dark. The only hotel in town was a LOVE HOTEL. Ha! The proprietors did not know what to make of me, but they let me stay all night. First night in a round bed!!!

May 5, 2010

I woke up to rain. Downpour. Wet-you-through kind of rain. I waited an hour, then another,  but it wasn’t letting up, and I was quite certain that I did not want to pay for this hotel room by the hour, so I packed up and took off. Ugh. My panniers leak, my Scorpion riding suit leaks, my boots leak, I am NOT happy riding in rain. o much for seeing the Animal park, and several other points of interest I wanted to see in Paraguay.

It cleared a little after 2:00, so I stopped and had some lunch. I think it was chicken.

My horn had died again (the first one quit, the second one rattled off the bike, the third one quit, so now I was needing horn #4. I really like my old, LOUD on, but I thought this one might be overkill…

The owner of the auto shop was eating something yummy looking, and I asked where I could get ine (I assumed he’d purchased the parfait across the street at the ice cream shop). nope, he went in the back and served me up one for myself.

Ice Cream AND Auto parts?

YUM!

Here’s his shop…if you ever make it there be sure to ask for your ice cream too!

Next stop, gas.
Remember I spoke about the tea the Paraguayans drink? EVERYONE carries their terere…and the convenience shops at gas stations? They take it seriously too. Here’s a pic of everything they had on the shelf:

oops, sorry this pic is upside down…but they even have hot water machines at the gas stations for your terere!!!

I rode to Encarnacion, the border town where I would cross into Argentina…I decided to spend the night there since I did not want to cross the border late afternoon.