Villaguay to Paraná

That wasn't really the plan, but in the end I did 160km yesterday – from Villaguay to Paraná. The plan was to go to Viale, about 110km from Villaguay, and to find some accommodation there.

I set off from Villaguay even earlier than usual – at about 6:30 in the morning. I knew that there was a service station about 75km from Villaguay – to far for the first break. So the plan was to have a first break at about km100 of the RN18 – more or less 55km from Villaguay. This worked out well. Exactly at that point was a bus stop, which provided me with some shade.

It wasn't the most pretty place, but shade was more important. And I didn't have a long break – I just had some water, ate some biscuits, and rested a little, and then I was on my way again, for 50 more kilometres.

I did a second break at a service station at about km75 o 70 of the RN18 – there I had a Mirinda, and refilled my water bottles. This was also not a long break – it was still too early for lunch.

I arrived to Viale at about 12:30pm. I went to the central square of the town (or village) – a large square with lots of trees and shade, but not much more. There I had my lunch, and rested a bit.

Then I tried to find accommodation. I had seen something when I entered Viale, and so I first went to this accommodation. I rang the door bell, but nobody answered. I asked a neighbour, and he told me that there was something else nearby. I tried to find it, but it didn't seem to exist. I had also seen something on the internet before, but that didn't seem to exist neither. Finally I went back to the first one and looked up the phone number on the internet, and gave them a call. Someone answered, but told me in an unfriendly voice that they didn't have a room for one. And so I decided to wait a little, and to continue until Paraná – another 52km.

I left at 3:30pm, as I calculated that I would need probably more or less 4 hours to get there, and I didn't want to arrive too late, in the dark. Obviously, it was still very hot at 3:30pm, but I didn't really have many options. The first 10-20km went OK, but then it was more hilly (not very high, but I was tired), and also the heat and the sun had some impact. I needed more breaks, and finally, at about 16km before Paraná, I found a place on the side of the road with trees providing shade... A break, out of the sun. I had drunk all the water from my bicycle bottles already, but I still had my 2l reserve, and I needed that now.

The last 16km were the hardest. After a few kilometres began the urban zone, and cycling was hard because of the traffic. Finally, I arrived at the centre of Paraná, and I went to the Paraná Hostel, which I had found in the Lonely Planet. I found it easily, did the check-in, and took a shower. Later I had some beers, and talked a little with some people – one of them a rapper. Rap is not really my music, but we talked a bit.

Later I went to have dinner, and I saw a bar/restaurant at the main square of Paraná that had something vegetarian that wasn't pasta or pizza – stuffed courgette with maize and vegetables from the wok. I had no doubts, so I entered and had a very delicious dinner. The waiter had seen me before with my bike, and he asked me from where I was, and if I was travelling on my bike. We talked a little, and then I paid and went back to the hostel, to have an early night.

Today is a rest day, and I also have to organise how to get to Santa Fe, as there is only a tunnel, which I can't use with my bike...