Tuesday March 4th 2025 Ypacaraí to Clorinda
Not a great meal last night, thought the buffet would be open, so strolled up there at 7, only to find it closed . Hey ho just have to make do with a cheese and crisp sandwich, bingo had the famous pit pasties .

Bit of a change of plan, always going to be like that, decided to go back into Argentina then enter Bolivia from there. According to our calculations it saves a couple of hundred million miles (Police song) and a bit of climbing, we will see.

So the first part of the plan was a bit of a disaster, whose idea was it to ride through the capital city Aunchion in rush hour, well that would be me then. Very learly to say the least, been through some dodgy cities, this is up there with the best. Just gripping my handlebars as tight as possible, trying to hear Bingos instructions, with a loud chorus of motorbike and car horns playing their melody. Right in the middle of this we suffered the first of many punctures. Maybe I should read a few more blogs to see how the professionals do it, or do what us Sunshine Corner lads do and just blag it.

Finally recognised a district, as we were playing the traffic now, just get your space and let the wait, sign said 10Ks to the bridge, honestly my little mind went 6 minutes miles I can do that I think.

Sure that when we went over the route yesterday, bit of a crap road, then a nice bike lane to join the bridge. My head spinning with trying to remember when the turning was, about 2 miles I thought just keep singing and riding, great when it happens you under egg the distance we are on the road to” the Héroes del Chaco Bridge” not sure who they are, but they made a wonderful cycling lane over the Paraguay River, it connects the City’s of Asuncion and Nuevo Asuncion. Nice to see they have thought about two mad blokes from Aylesham needing to cross this busy river.

Still Paraguay at the moment have about 6 miles to go to the border, going to be manic, but the traffic will be slow so just ride on.

Sure enough it’s crazy from about 3 miles from the border, Bingo at the bridge just ride against the traffic like the motorbikes do, eye eye captain just followed him, we sweep past miles of cars and trucks.

Wheeled our bikes to the first kiosk passport all sorted, went to the Argentina side, all done in a minute, that’s a result.

Rode into the border town of Clorinda
same as most border towns, so stopped for an ice cream, cold drink and coffee all very civilised. So this is where all plans go out the window. Place seems full of lovely hotels, not really what we are looking for, it’s only just after 12:30 let’s ride to the next town, bearing in mind we have not had a beer yet, sure let’s go.

Another great plan, what could go wrong, about forty degrees dead flat road we will do the extra 24 miles in no time, well we did it in a time, but that’s only an abstract thought according to “Red Dwarf “ funny how I like the Dwarf stories, probably something to do with a beer in the Anchor after playing Thanet, that hurts dwarf throwing not the Rugby.

Back onto to the cycling or lack of it after five punctured, bingo has booked the starlight rooms in Laguna Naineck

Not something we normally do, but time was pressing on, so after a little chat, I rode on to the digs, while Bingo repaired his many tubes. Bingo soon got some help from a group of Argentina farmers took him up to their barn and had the inner tubes sorted in no time .

What could go wrong with me just pedal and pedal in the soaring temperature, my mind go mad thinking I reckon I will be there in an hour and quarter, cyclists know don’t look until then, result had a quick peek at the Garmin less than a mile to go.

That’s good now I need to find the place, no problem stop in the first bar and ask, mate I was there straight away, got some cold provisions and pin dropped Bingo , he was half an hour away.

When he stopped in the petrol station they told him I was at the hotel, very hard humble again, lovely people and wonderful hospitality again, so many nice people in this little world of ours .

What a day, that’s why we do not plan to much.