A motorist's fellowship in Paraguay

Hello friends,

i have passed through Paraguay, a magnificent and rarely visited country, and stooped there for a few days. on the road i visited a farmers house who live in a sort of paradise in front of great mountains. they invited me to their house and all they wanted is to have a conversation and know stuff about other countries.


than i arrived to the border town with Brazil named Pedro Juan Caballero. i wanted to service my motorbike and change both tyres to a more serious ones which will serve me on the dirt roads in my future travels.

i took a small ride in the city and suddenly i was stopped by a friendly guy from a motorcycle workshop. his name was Nelson. he asked me what i need and he straight away started to think on how to help me. at first, i was a bit suspicious, but after a while their motives were clear. they were so impressed by my motorcycle (a poor Chinese bike), and they just wanted to help.
so, a simple mission of changing the tyres became a full day job. they had to build up a new wheel which will fit the new off road tyres and my weird motorbike. it took the man a whole day to figure it out, but eventually he did. then after the day passes and night began, another friend invited me to stay in his house for the night. when i wanted to pay for the work, they refused to receive any money. i stood amazed by their kindness. this is what is called "A motorist fellowship" they told me. i have learned a huge lesson about kindness and giving. the people at "Taller Kiko" will forever stay in my heart.

por todos mis amigos en Pedro Juan Caballero,

Kiko, Diego, Javier, Nelson, Carina y toda la familia Berreto

ya te extraño muchisimo.

ustedes son los mejores jente que encontre en este viaje

muchas gracia por todo!!

estan siempre en mi corazon

Paz, Amor & Rock 'n' Roll

Eilon & (super)Chicho

The wild & the lonely

in the pantanal i met these 2 "retired" guys.
they both travel and camp with their camper van.

they met on the camping area and for me they seemed to know each other for ages.
one is 75 years old, single, no kids, curses all day and in constant look for hookers
the other is 78 years old, happily married, with his full mojo working.

now,
could you guess who is who ???

The Brazilian Pantanal nature reserve

hello friends,
here are a few photos and a video from the a great 7 days trip i made to the Pantanal, a huge swampy nature reserve in Brazil.

i arrived to a small town named Bonito in Brazil. just by the name of it ( Bonito = Beautiful) i could guessed it would be a tourist trap. and so it was. the area around the town is sure beautiful but it is also expensive as hell and every place should be visited with a guide, which takes the fun out of it.

i met some people on the local youth hostel and they were all taking a guided, all-inclusive "safari" trip to the Pantanal nature reserve. in all my travels i try to avoid these guided tours, but at this point, i wanted some more human company. eventually i decided not to join a tour and go solo with Chicho, my trusted bike. i have been warned about the rough road in the reserve, which was all dirt , gravel and stones. me & Chicho were going on an adventure and a challenge. a 150 k"m of off road driving, which would be a small warm up to the forthcoming journey to the Paraguayan Chaco (details soon..) and Bolivia.

i rode for 3 days in this amazing nature reserve, surrounded by millions of birds and Cayman alligators which could be seen all along the rout. in the second night i asked one of the few farmers in the area to camp in his Fazenda (farm) and he agreed without hesitation. i stayed 2 days with his family and he took me for a private horse ride and animal watching. i stopped missing any other travelers companion and just enjoyed the deeply lazy pace of farm life.

in the middle of the 3rd day of riding i finally met another bike rider. Pieter, a Belgian guy, was just starting his solo ride into the Pantanal. we switched some information and made a small plan to ride together for a few days. and so we did. we met again after 2 days and rode together back on the long road to Bonito. it was a great experience to ride together and share the adventures.

Cayman aligators

till the next one

E

Paz, Amor & Rock 'n' Roll

In the Iguazu falls i met a Brazilian couple from San Paulo.

Karina & Marcos

they were impressed by my courage to do this trip by myself on a Chinese bike,

so they wished me a little support from above.

in the morning when i woke up they were already gone, but they left me this cute little note

little gesture...... very big love

thanks so much

E

Iguazu Falls

Hey,

after almost 2 weeks on the roads less traveled and with no contact with other tourists, i have arrived to Foz Do Iguazu, the Brazilian city which serves as a gateway to the Iguazu Falls.

i was very pleased to meet other travelers, share my experiences and spend some good time.

i met Ben from France, a Jewish guy who was in love with his "Dubon" coat. he reminded me old and forgotten times when i also had a "Dubon" and loved it.

so... Ben, my friend, keep loving that Dubon, and it will love you back :))

the falls were magnificent and bigger than life. nothing more to say, need to see it. we went to the Argentinian side which is more adventurous and closer to the falls.

After 3 days in the city i was ready to keep going, this time to the Pantanal nature resaerve.

i packed my bike and crossed to Paraguay, where gasoline is cheaper and better and people are just wonderfull.

Ciao,

E

A new Banner

Hello

just wanted to say a big big thank you to Sagit, who made me the banner for my blog.
you are the greatest talent!!
Ciao
E