It's summer again and here we go

[arjones]

And what happened with day four? Well, the plan was live Campanha, almost in the border with São Paulo, early in the morning. But I didn't. I left late in the morning and I regret it. Every truck in the world decided to go the same way at that moment. And the rain. And the state of São Paulo, a mix of boredom, heavy traffic and more rain. To make the long story short: no photos, no fun.

Day five started foggy and wet, to turn out beautiful and sunny later.

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Can you guess who where there to start the day with me?

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I decided I should race against them, but I couldn't. They where racing each other...

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I was alone, nobody wanted to play with me, so listening to some fine tunes I headed to Curitiba, Paraná state to meet my wife.

[tundradirtbiker]

Spent a few weeks on the Pantanal several years ago. A great trip. Merry Christmas and keep us posted.

[Eagletalon]

Awesome pics!!! Haven't seen many Brazil RR's! Stay safe

Later
John

[arjones]

Originally Posted by tundradirtbiker

Spent a few weeks on the Pantanal several years ago. A great trip. Merry Christmas and keep us posted.

Originally Posted by Eagletalon

Awesome pics!!! Haven't seen many Brazil RR's! Stay safe

Later
John

Thanks guys, you are very kind. Hey Eagletalon, I'm gonna put this RR updated as soon as I stop in Salta - Argentina, some 800 km away from where we are right now (yes, we are in Argentina)... BUT, to answer a previous question... a teaser:

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Merry xmas to all of you out there!!

[feldjäger]

That is some amazing scenery!

[arjones]

Originally Posted by feldjäger

That is some amazing scenery!

Thanks a lot! There is more from where it came from...

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[tundradirtbiker]

Merry Christmas,
That is awesome photography. No point-and-shoot camera. Is the Falls location Igauzu Falls on the border? Spent the day there, crowded and incredible above the Devil's Cauldron.

[arjones]

Originally Posted by tundradirtbiker

Merry Christmas,
That is awesome photography. No point-and-shoot camera. Is the Falls location Igauzu Falls on the border? Spent the day there, crowded and incredible above the Devil's Cauldron.

You have a good eye my friend!!!

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[arjones]

Ok, after been ignored by the trucks, I managed to get in Curitiba - Paraná, where I got new tires (Mitas E07) and waited for my beloved one. We hit the road as soon as she arrived. Guess who was happy to be on the road again...

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And she got busy as always!!

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Now we where in Foz do Iguaçu, the last city in Brasil before we enter Argentina. But we would venture in this country visiting their side of the Iguaçu Falls (that's the portuguese version of the guarani, language of the people who lived here in the 1500's and before that. I will talk a little bit about them later.). We were excited to be there:

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It wasn't crowded. I guess the timing was perfect and in fact the nature was already taking back the place...

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Things started to look and sound really good:

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then you start to look into the devil's throat

Or, in spanish, La Garaganta del Diablo:

[arjones]

Next day we explored the brazilian side. Let's the photos do the talk.

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We spent all day there. The next day we took off heading to Salta. This part would prove, once again in our relationship with Argentina, that this country can be a real challenge to any biker, on or off road. Stay tuned... because for every outstanding day we had until now in this journey, we gonna find at least one that would be miserable...

[rebel346]

Awesome pics! Thanks for sharing!

[arjones]

Just to give you guys a bigger view of everything in the last post. This is a region where the three countries meet. In this pic you see Paraguay on your right, Argentina on your left and Brasil is your point of view.

This is the Marco das Três Fronteiras (The Three Borders Monument). The river is the Iguaçu river.

Every single one of these three countries has a similar monument.

[arjones]

And this is the starting point of our fun in Argentina. But first, let me tell you about the next photos.
During the 1600’s the european settlement process of de la Plata River arrea, as well as some other parts in Brasil, had a hard time with the resilience of some Amerindians like the Guaranis, Tupinambás (these in southeast and northeast Brasil) and Tupiniquins (located at the same place of the previous ones). Some of them where very good warriors and the violence was a common place. As for Tupinambás, for example, they scared the Europeans to death for their habits too. They were anthropophagus as part of their beliefs. To eat the enemies was a form of recognition for those enemies’ importance and skills as warriors.
But aside of war, another form to put the Amerindians under the Europeans control was the “Missões” or “Reduções”. They were sort of communities built by the Jesuits. Their goal was to convert the Amerindians to the Catholicism, to “protect” them from the slave traders and provide them faith/salvation. Many historians agree that the Jesus Company (the Jesuits) were actually another “arm” of the Portuguese state and their colonial politics towards Latin America. Some Jesuits, like Antonio Vieira, took place as members of the Portuguese government.
So parts of Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay were targets for the Jesuits as they were very important to the Iberian States. Missiones, province where you find the Iguaçu Falls in Argentina, is one of those regions. And here you can see what remains from the Jesuits work.

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[Cowboy]

Thanks for taking us along for the ride arjones!.. Your photographs are fantastic, and they make me want to visit Brasil. I could do without the Patagonian flowers, whether your wife likes them or not. We have those Russian thistles here in Wyoming too, and they are terrible weeds!

Originally Posted by arjones

231 por Arjones rider, no Flickr

My wife is from Venezuela and she loves to ride with me (long hauls, that's it) and loves Patagonian flowers too:


456 por Arjones rider, no Flickr

[arjones]

Thanks a lot Cowboy and rebel346!!! From the last post on we gonna tease you with the Argentinian landscape. San Ignacio Mini ruins are in Argentina, Misiones province. Although hot as hell (at least in this time of the year), a beautiful and peaceful place. Very easy to visit, since it's right there on the road.