EL PANTANAL
The ankle was finally healed and we were itching to get pedaling again. There was little interest in cycling the same highway again (we had to go back to Santa Cruz to heal from the ankle injury), so we bused it to the border to start our journey. We took the night bus and arrived at the border in the early hours of a Sunday morning. We rolled up to immigration to find a long line of waiting travelers. After a five hour wait, we were finally through with not a single glance at our cargo. Lesson learned, avoid crossing borders on Sunday. It was unusually cold for the area and there were two days of rain on top of us so we opted to wait it out in Corumbá. It was a nice town located on the edge of the Pantanal over looking the Rio Paraguay. After the storms passed, we were wheels down, rolling through the middle of the Pantanal which is an expansive, protected wet land. We experienced an incredible diversity of wildlife and wonderful people living life on the river. The elevated dirt surfaced road crossed through the Paraguay and Miranda rivers in addition to over 60 bridge crossings.
Once through the Pantanal, we passed through Miranda, Bodoquena, Bonito, and Guia Lopez. This was all paved with a shoulder and no shortage of heavy transport. We continued to see ample wildlife, even along the busy routes. The dollar sure wasn't going as far in Brazil as it had in Bolivia, especially in the touristy areas such as Bonito. We avoided the tourist attractions for that reason but there were plenty of options if that's what suits your fancy. Bandit camping was almost impossible due to all the fencing, transport, and lack of places to hide. By the time we reached Guia Lopez, we were ready to find an alternative route to get off the busy pavement. The route between Guia Lopez and Antônio João was long, hilly and rough. The landscape was draped in large agricultural fields and the road rolled up and down without a flat meter to be found. Once back on the pavement, the stretch from Antônio João to Ponta Porã was worse than one could have imagined. I would not wish my worst enemy travel down this dreadful stretch of black top. Fortunately it was only 50k to the border towns of Ponta Porã, Brazil and Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay. There you can find a most interesting mix of interactions between countries that share, what they refer to as, Frontera Seca. This is not an area that has the best reputation in regards to safety, but during our short stay here we encountered no problems.
