28/5/2014 Concepción to 25km west of Yby Yaú
D99, T7, Av16.50, Max46, 27919, 2376
Fine and mild
This music is Polka Paraguaya, the lyrics are in Guaraní
I spent a couple of days in Concepción before deciding to move on.
The Monday was absolutely freezing, it was only 14 degrees overcast and wet. When I say freezing I refer to it in the sense of the clothing I am carrying. Too many more days like this will not be the best.
There has been a cold air stream from Antarctica passing over the interior.
In Bolivia thousands of cattle have died in the minus temps, only just a few months ago many were drowned in floods.
Deirdre and I were blessed with stable weather on our way through Bolivia last year.
Climate change is a real issue here.
I feel it is going to have some impact on me as I cross Brazil to the coast. I hope not.
I gave the bike a good service on Tuesday in the sun and did some hand washing, just essentials.
Whilst cleaning the chain and washing out all the brake cable housings. It was noticed, a spoke had broken on the rear wheel, and was not true.
Luckily, this was on the side opposite to the cassette, so replacement was easy.
Truing it took a while longer.
The dock outside the hospedaje was empty, the Aquidaban had left for another run up to Bahia Negra.
Reflecting on the passages, it truly was a unique experience on the River Paraguay.
Fernando told me a group of brothers own her.
My wounds are healing up really well, though now a niggly little throat cold has set in, I am not feeling 100%, it is possibly a side effect of the few tough nights on the boat.
Maybe it is just a coincidence. Either way on Wednesday evening, it was decided to not pack and see how I felt in the morning.
Concepción is an interesting city. It is largely a servicing town for the many rural communities and estancias around it.
In many respects, it is very isolated.
It was not uncommon to see horse and carts on the streets.
They were the taxis from the Wharf.
Good fresh fruit and veges were hard to find.
The people here have to put up with lots of rain and more so the mud. There are many banks which gives an indication of the rural wealth surrounding the city.
I was looking to buy a replacement camera here but the most expensive one was about 100 dollars. These and other electrical goods of any value are best bought in Pedro Juan Caballero I was told.
I ate Carolinas food most days but always had the porridge for breakfast.
So, if you are ever in Concepción their Hospedaje comes highly recommended, right on the river.
The Estrella del Norte.
The forecast was good for a few days so on Wednesday morning, it was decided to leave.I still felt a little off, but figured some good exercise might scare this cold off.
I stopped and put 65lbs psi pressure in each tyre from a gas station.
It seems like Gasolina Blanca is unavailable here in Paraguay, so possibly Petrol will have to be used in my stove. Maybe I can buy it in Brazil, maybe not .
I was on the road by 1000 loaded with tomatoes, bread, and onions for lunch.
It was a pleasure to be on the bike again after 15 or more days.
The road had a great shoulder and was a mix of gentle rolling hill country.
It was a mix of small rural properties all the way to Horqueta.
The lush roadside reserve was being grazed by tethered cattle most of the way with cheeky roadwise chooks on the shoulder pecking away at whatever they could find.
Plenty it seemed.
Trucks were frequent. Many goods come in from Brazil to Asunción. There wasn’t a breath of wind so riding was easy on the flat sections.
I have a Claro chip in my phone, my advice to anyone visiting PY get a Tigo chip, they offer the best service in rural areas, along with Personal. Claro have no coverage outside the cities.
The roadside always had people walking along the edges. Motorbikes are very popular here.
It is not uncommon to see a mum with three young children on a 150cc step thru. Helmets are rarely worn, though people on bigger bikes occasionally wear one.
Come 1500, a stop was made at a house to fill the water bladder. It is always good to be riding along with the nights water needs onboard, that way the best campsite can be found, as I am self contained.
Some km later a building next to a house was spotted it looked like some kind of Government set up.
I went into the house next door to see if I could set up my tent there.
It was a medical clinic staffed by nurses.
The neighbour worked there, she said it was all good.
It was great, a nice little slope for the tent and concrete around the building to cook on.
I was really worn out. Dinner of pasta and tuna was cooked. The woman’s husband came over for a chat. He asked me in for dinner, being totally worn out and in no way wanting to converse too much, his offer was declined with thanks.
I was in bed by 1730, read till 2200 and promptly fell asleep. It was good to be camping again.
There were no mosquitoes either which made it even more comfortable.
I was prepared for a cold morning, being told 4-5°C could be the low.
I had locked the bike to a radio tower by the tent. This always makes me sleep better, knowing a real effort would be required to steal it.
29/5/2014 Yby Yaú to Escuela Don Fransisco Espinola Guavira
D81, T7, Av15, max42, 279998, 2457
Fine and cool
I woke up nice and early to find a mild morning with a cloud cover that had reduced to dew and left a temperature of 15 degrees, very comfortable.
I had an early breakfast and chatted with the nurses who started work at 0700, they were great.
They told me of a clinic in YBY Yaú where I could get my rabies vaccine. I was on the road by 0830, early by my standards.
I still had this throat thing happening but did not let it dampen my spirits.
The road was more of the rolling hill terrain. Large mobs of cattle were seen from the road.
The country is still dotted with Cocos Palms, flocks of parrots are seen flitting past.
The vistas are a collage of shades of green.
I stopped at Yby Yaú and visited a supermarket. It was a cool day. They were selling meat at the back of the shop. For the first time i bought some meat for dinner. Two steaks, thin but not huge and very lean cost me 90c, so cheap.
I bought pumpkin and mandioca at a fruit shop.
I was looking forward to fried steak, onions, garlic, capsicum with boiled pumpkin and mandioca.
A stop was made at a little rustic cafe where a lot of truck drivers were stopped to eat.
There was a table outside under a tree. An Empanada was bought with a big bottle of coke in glass of course. These were enjoyed with sardines and onions on wholemeal crackers.
The tent was out in the sun drying.
I was fairly wasted and had 55km on the clock at this stage.
Heading off, tomorrow would see me in SPC early.
I stopped at a school and topped up with water, the hunt for a camp had begun.
Coming down a hill to a very elaborate property with a man made waterfall and what looked like a small power station on a creek.
A school was spotted just beyond. Pulling in here two young mums were washing up outside at the back.
I had a yarn with them and they should I was welcome to camp in the grounds. Whats more they said I could camp under the shelter. This was perfect.
I could cook up my feast and not think about the weather. .Plus the tent would be dry in the morning.
The school yard was alive with chooks and chickens, ot was coll seeing them all going about their business in groups.
I find chooks very soothing, just watching them peck away, they never stop. The chickens are never far behind.
There was a cat on sitei they told me he never touched the chickens, a small dog made up the compliment of yard animals.
Parrots were settling down for the night. They nest in the Cocos palms.
The big pad next door belonged to a wealthy politician, why am I not surprised. He even had his own set of street lights for 500m on each side of the road here in the middle of nowhere. A good use of the power generated in the stream.
Dinner was great, the steak so sweet.
The road was still busy with trucks.
It could rain all it liked tonight, I was cosy in my tent under the shelter .
30/05/2014 Escuela Guavira to Pedro Juan Caballero
D74 (49, 23km looking for a hospedaje!) T6, Av12, Max34, 28073, 2531
Cloudy with strong ENE winds
So far it had just been rolling country, I was now at 250m, so some climbing was ahead.
With only 50km to ride, it was going to be an early day, or so I hoped. The road from Concepción to PJC elevates from 100m to nearly 700m.
The children start school at 0720 so I was up early, it was mild. Though when I walked out of the shelter a strong nor easter blasted me.
Sitting around having breeky, the chooks were out in force all over the place. I fed them some porridge, they weren't overly keen .
They were just a happy well fed crew. They couple of roosters would chase each other now and again. There literally was a pecking order.
I sat and watched them for a long time, just lost in the moment, they are so busy, it is easy to just sit and observe their ways and drift off into peaceful thoughts.
Back to matters at hand, wandering over to the house I bade the girls goodbye and deeply thanked them for the night.
I probably raved on, they understood, or indicated they did.
This kind of accommodation is how I used to look at a flash motel.
Once one the road, the wind confronted me head on. There were high whispey clouds.
Having looked at the land profile I knew there was some climbing ahead.
A largegroup of cattle were wandering through a paddock scattered with Cocos palms and well pastured. They were all heading to the leeward slope.
I knew I was in for a hard ride to windward.
Some 10km on it started, though by Peru standards the slope and duration was nothing.
Once at the top the land leveled out and a variety of cropping was occupying the rich flat lands.
Police were frequently blocking the road and checking cars.
They stopped me twice, just for a yarn and photos.
It is quite imposing when 6 men dressed in camo green are all around you arn\med with pistols and the odd heavier piece.
They wanted to know how long I had been in their country. They are fiercely proud of Paraguay always asking how i liked it and the people.
There really only was one answer given the circumstances. A few took photos with me.
At one point, a truck driver was on the side of the road with the radiator out of the front. Stopping to talk he told me he had hit another truck. His phone rang and the first word he said to the person on the other end after hello “ tranquilo”.
Such is life here, nothing is a problem. He said he could fix it and told me how far the next town was.
Since leaving BA, no other cyclists from outside South America have been encountered.
This will be the norm I feel. It is great for my Spanish as sometimes i go for weeks without speaking English. It is full on immersion.
Getting close to Pedro Juan Caballero, a wall fronted me I was totally trashed. Took a gel and slowly plodded on. The wind and hills had made it tough going.
Making it to the first tienda. I bought a big chocolate milk and some dried cake.
It was a huge help.
Getting closer to town a meal was enjoyed. I was now fully charged again.
My next job was to find the hospital and get my final rabies shot.
Once at the hospital and having lined up for half an hour with mums and bubs. The nurses told me they had no vaccine. I could not believe it.
They said a few days late for the last shot is ok.
They told me to go to Brazil and get it,.
Next on the list was to find a hospedaje, i had been told there were plenty of cheap ones around the autobus terminal.
Well i hunted and hunted, found plenty, some were full and some were very dodgey. It was a part of town that appeared to be a place where people did anything for a living.
They must have got sick of seeing me on the same street so many times.
Rule number 1con my list: never look lost! During my hunting I found a language school so spent half an hour here with the girls who said i could use their internet for the time I was here. Great .
Still looking I headed into an even more apparently dodgey part of town looking for a place. Many were out of my desired price range.
Always asking people. A man told me to turn left down the road. I found the hospedaje. It was 25,000 G perfect.
Anyway going into a room, there was a blue flouro bulb I asked if they could put a white one in the socket, that was good.
The rooms were decked out with big beds and hearts on the walls and mirrors. Then the penny dropped.
The price was 25000 G per hour. It was a place where guys bought girls. This was confirmed in the second room when condoms were seen on the clean towel folded on the bed.
It was classic, I had said i don’t want the sexy bulb because I was solo.
I got out of there. By now it was nearly dark. Never before have the hassles to find a bed been like this.
Earlier I had looked at a cheap but dirty place. On dark Getting back there my choices were little.It was booked.
A tiny concrete floored room with a dirt yard and lots of other people there. Street vendors who sold brooms and one had a cart with shrubs in it.
They were drinking in the corner. The toilets were easy to find, They were a blind mans dream, the smell more than revealed hteir whereabouts.
It was just good to off the streets at this time of day.
Using them was a hold your breath affair and if that failed breath out of your mouth.
I was still not 100% healthy. Vitamin b12 and more antibiotics were bought.
It is very hard getting green veges here.
PJC is a busy vibrant border town.
D99, T7, Av16.50, Max46, 27919, 2376
Fine and mild
This music is Polka Paraguaya, the lyrics are in Guaraní
I spent a couple of days in Concepción before deciding to move on.
The Monday was absolutely freezing, it was only 14 degrees overcast and wet. When I say freezing I refer to it in the sense of the clothing I am carrying. Too many more days like this will not be the best.
There has been a cold air stream from Antarctica passing over the interior.
In Bolivia thousands of cattle have died in the minus temps, only just a few months ago many were drowned in floods.
Deirdre and I were blessed with stable weather on our way through Bolivia last year.
Climate change is a real issue here.
I feel it is going to have some impact on me as I cross Brazil to the coast. I hope not.
I gave the bike a good service on Tuesday in the sun and did some hand washing, just essentials.
Whilst cleaning the chain and washing out all the brake cable housings. It was noticed, a spoke had broken on the rear wheel, and was not true.
Luckily, this was on the side opposite to the cassette, so replacement was easy.
Truing it took a while longer.
The dock outside the hospedaje was empty, the Aquidaban had left for another run up to Bahia Negra.
Reflecting on the passages, it truly was a unique experience on the River Paraguay.
Fernando told me a group of brothers own her.
My wounds are healing up really well, though now a niggly little throat cold has set in, I am not feeling 100%, it is possibly a side effect of the few tough nights on the boat.
Maybe it is just a coincidence. Either way on Wednesday evening, it was decided to not pack and see how I felt in the morning.
Concepción is an interesting city. It is largely a servicing town for the many rural communities and estancias around it.
In many respects, it is very isolated.
It was not uncommon to see horse and carts on the streets.
They were the taxis from the Wharf.
Good fresh fruit and veges were hard to find.
The people here have to put up with lots of rain and more so the mud. There are many banks which gives an indication of the rural wealth surrounding the city.
I was looking to buy a replacement camera here but the most expensive one was about 100 dollars. These and other electrical goods of any value are best bought in Pedro Juan Caballero I was told.
I ate Carolinas food most days but always had the porridge for breakfast.
So, if you are ever in Concepción their Hospedaje comes highly recommended, right on the river.
The Estrella del Norte.
The forecast was good for a few days so on Wednesday morning, it was decided to leave.I still felt a little off, but figured some good exercise might scare this cold off.
I stopped and put 65lbs psi pressure in each tyre from a gas station.
It seems like Gasolina Blanca is unavailable here in Paraguay, so possibly Petrol will have to be used in my stove. Maybe I can buy it in Brazil, maybe not .
I was on the road by 1000 loaded with tomatoes, bread, and onions for lunch.
It was a pleasure to be on the bike again after 15 or more days.
The road had a great shoulder and was a mix of gentle rolling hill country.
It was a mix of small rural properties all the way to Horqueta.
The lush roadside reserve was being grazed by tethered cattle most of the way with cheeky roadwise chooks on the shoulder pecking away at whatever they could find.
Plenty it seemed.
Trucks were frequent. Many goods come in from Brazil to Asunción. There wasn’t a breath of wind so riding was easy on the flat sections.
I have a Claro chip in my phone, my advice to anyone visiting PY get a Tigo chip, they offer the best service in rural areas, along with Personal. Claro have no coverage outside the cities.
The roadside always had people walking along the edges. Motorbikes are very popular here.
It is not uncommon to see a mum with three young children on a 150cc step thru. Helmets are rarely worn, though people on bigger bikes occasionally wear one.
Come 1500, a stop was made at a house to fill the water bladder. It is always good to be riding along with the nights water needs onboard, that way the best campsite can be found, as I am self contained.
Some km later a building next to a house was spotted it looked like some kind of Government set up.
I went into the house next door to see if I could set up my tent there.
It was a medical clinic staffed by nurses.
The neighbour worked there, she said it was all good.
It was great, a nice little slope for the tent and concrete around the building to cook on.
I was really worn out. Dinner of pasta and tuna was cooked. The woman’s husband came over for a chat. He asked me in for dinner, being totally worn out and in no way wanting to converse too much, his offer was declined with thanks.
I was in bed by 1730, read till 2200 and promptly fell asleep. It was good to be camping again.
There were no mosquitoes either which made it even more comfortable.
I was prepared for a cold morning, being told 4-5°C could be the low.
I had locked the bike to a radio tower by the tent. This always makes me sleep better, knowing a real effort would be required to steal it.
29/5/2014 Yby Yaú to Escuela Don Fransisco Espinola Guavira
D81, T7, Av15, max42, 279998, 2457
Fine and cool
I woke up nice and early to find a mild morning with a cloud cover that had reduced to dew and left a temperature of 15 degrees, very comfortable.
I had an early breakfast and chatted with the nurses who started work at 0700, they were great.
They told me of a clinic in YBY Yaú where I could get my rabies vaccine. I was on the road by 0830, early by my standards.
I still had this throat thing happening but did not let it dampen my spirits.
The road was more of the rolling hill terrain. Large mobs of cattle were seen from the road.
The country is still dotted with Cocos Palms, flocks of parrots are seen flitting past.
The vistas are a collage of shades of green.
I stopped at Yby Yaú and visited a supermarket. It was a cool day. They were selling meat at the back of the shop. For the first time i bought some meat for dinner. Two steaks, thin but not huge and very lean cost me 90c, so cheap.
I bought pumpkin and mandioca at a fruit shop.
I was looking forward to fried steak, onions, garlic, capsicum with boiled pumpkin and mandioca.
A stop was made at a little rustic cafe where a lot of truck drivers were stopped to eat.
There was a table outside under a tree. An Empanada was bought with a big bottle of coke in glass of course. These were enjoyed with sardines and onions on wholemeal crackers.
The tent was out in the sun drying.
I was fairly wasted and had 55km on the clock at this stage.
Heading off, tomorrow would see me in SPC early.
I stopped at a school and topped up with water, the hunt for a camp had begun.
Coming down a hill to a very elaborate property with a man made waterfall and what looked like a small power station on a creek.
A school was spotted just beyond. Pulling in here two young mums were washing up outside at the back.
I had a yarn with them and they should I was welcome to camp in the grounds. Whats more they said I could camp under the shelter. This was perfect.
I could cook up my feast and not think about the weather. .Plus the tent would be dry in the morning.
The school yard was alive with chooks and chickens, ot was coll seeing them all going about their business in groups.
I find chooks very soothing, just watching them peck away, they never stop. The chickens are never far behind.
There was a cat on sitei they told me he never touched the chickens, a small dog made up the compliment of yard animals.
Parrots were settling down for the night. They nest in the Cocos palms.
The big pad next door belonged to a wealthy politician, why am I not surprised. He even had his own set of street lights for 500m on each side of the road here in the middle of nowhere. A good use of the power generated in the stream.
Dinner was great, the steak so sweet.
The road was still busy with trucks.
It could rain all it liked tonight, I was cosy in my tent under the shelter .
30/05/2014 Escuela Guavira to Pedro Juan Caballero
D74 (49, 23km looking for a hospedaje!) T6, Av12, Max34, 28073, 2531
Cloudy with strong ENE winds
So far it had just been rolling country, I was now at 250m, so some climbing was ahead.
With only 50km to ride, it was going to be an early day, or so I hoped. The road from Concepción to PJC elevates from 100m to nearly 700m.
The children start school at 0720 so I was up early, it was mild. Though when I walked out of the shelter a strong nor easter blasted me.
Sitting around having breeky, the chooks were out in force all over the place. I fed them some porridge, they weren't overly keen .
They were just a happy well fed crew. They couple of roosters would chase each other now and again. There literally was a pecking order.
I sat and watched them for a long time, just lost in the moment, they are so busy, it is easy to just sit and observe their ways and drift off into peaceful thoughts.
Back to matters at hand, wandering over to the house I bade the girls goodbye and deeply thanked them for the night.
I probably raved on, they understood, or indicated they did.
This kind of accommodation is how I used to look at a flash motel.
Once one the road, the wind confronted me head on. There were high whispey clouds.
Having looked at the land profile I knew there was some climbing ahead.
A largegroup of cattle were wandering through a paddock scattered with Cocos palms and well pastured. They were all heading to the leeward slope.
I knew I was in for a hard ride to windward.
Some 10km on it started, though by Peru standards the slope and duration was nothing.
Once at the top the land leveled out and a variety of cropping was occupying the rich flat lands.
Police were frequently blocking the road and checking cars.
They stopped me twice, just for a yarn and photos.
It is quite imposing when 6 men dressed in camo green are all around you arn\med with pistols and the odd heavier piece.
They wanted to know how long I had been in their country. They are fiercely proud of Paraguay always asking how i liked it and the people.
There really only was one answer given the circumstances. A few took photos with me.
At one point, a truck driver was on the side of the road with the radiator out of the front. Stopping to talk he told me he had hit another truck. His phone rang and the first word he said to the person on the other end after hello “ tranquilo”.
Such is life here, nothing is a problem. He said he could fix it and told me how far the next town was.
Since leaving BA, no other cyclists from outside South America have been encountered.
This will be the norm I feel. It is great for my Spanish as sometimes i go for weeks without speaking English. It is full on immersion.
Getting close to Pedro Juan Caballero, a wall fronted me I was totally trashed. Took a gel and slowly plodded on. The wind and hills had made it tough going.
Making it to the first tienda. I bought a big chocolate milk and some dried cake.
It was a huge help.
Getting closer to town a meal was enjoyed. I was now fully charged again.
My next job was to find the hospital and get my final rabies shot.
Once at the hospital and having lined up for half an hour with mums and bubs. The nurses told me they had no vaccine. I could not believe it.
They said a few days late for the last shot is ok.
They told me to go to Brazil and get it,.
Next on the list was to find a hospedaje, i had been told there were plenty of cheap ones around the autobus terminal.
Well i hunted and hunted, found plenty, some were full and some were very dodgey. It was a part of town that appeared to be a place where people did anything for a living.
They must have got sick of seeing me on the same street so many times.
Rule number 1con my list: never look lost! During my hunting I found a language school so spent half an hour here with the girls who said i could use their internet for the time I was here. Great .
Still looking I headed into an even more apparently dodgey part of town looking for a place. Many were out of my desired price range.
Always asking people. A man told me to turn left down the road. I found the hospedaje. It was 25,000 G perfect.
Anyway going into a room, there was a blue flouro bulb I asked if they could put a white one in the socket, that was good.
The rooms were decked out with big beds and hearts on the walls and mirrors. Then the penny dropped.
The price was 25000 G per hour. It was a place where guys bought girls. This was confirmed in the second room when condoms were seen on the clean towel folded on the bed.
It was classic, I had said i don’t want the sexy bulb because I was solo.
I got out of there. By now it was nearly dark. Never before have the hassles to find a bed been like this.
Earlier I had looked at a cheap but dirty place. On dark Getting back there my choices were little.It was booked.
A tiny concrete floored room with a dirt yard and lots of other people there. Street vendors who sold brooms and one had a cart with shrubs in it.
They were drinking in the corner. The toilets were easy to find, They were a blind mans dream, the smell more than revealed hteir whereabouts.
It was just good to off the streets at this time of day.
Using them was a hold your breath affair and if that failed breath out of your mouth.
I was still not 100% healthy. Vitamin b12 and more antibiotics were bought.
It is very hard getting green veges here.
PJC is a busy vibrant border town.
 Cocos palms and ant hills, a common site. The parrots nest in their crowns.
 Nice riding with a good shoulder.
 Cropping land on the tops 15 before Pedro Juan Caballero
 Maintenance, Concepción.
 Adios!! Concepción y el Rio Paraguay, fue un buen tiempo!
Quince dias sin pedaleando mi bici, mmmm?
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 Yby Yaú........
Saw five on a bike the other day. Traffic is so respectful of these families on their bikes.
What would an Aussie cop do here?
Fine everyone on board and lock the mum up!!!!
It would not surprise me.
Then on the other hand he might just throw his hands in the air and walk away!! LOL
 First night camping for a couple of weeks, at the medical clinic.
 Steak and veges for dinner and a roof . This qualifies for 4 stars!
 Cerro Memby
 Typical street scene Concepción. A large country town really. It had such a relaxed atmosphere.
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