Black week for Bornes in America…

Hard week for our two adventurers who left to explore Latin America in 125: while all goes well as far as Sucre (Bolivia), the first falls and mechanical galleys appear on the road to Paraguay … 17th episode: black is black !

We waited for it, we watched it, we apprehended it … And it has arrived: the black week mechanically signed Bornes in America welcomes you "welcome" !

It starts well, however, this week: the asphalt road leading to Sucre (Bolivia) delights our buttocks somewhat tired by the Uyuni track and the 160 km to be covered are a walk in the park: the Andes drop in a tone (from 4000 to 2000 m), the bends follow one another, the leafy trees stick their noses and only a few stray dogs disturb our quiet driving.

Sucre, the constitutional capital of Bolivia, is a world heritage for its old center: a good CV for a cultural stopover! The city is magnificent and its houses, each whiter than the next, give it a Mediterranean feel. The walk charms us and leaves us dreamers … We take the opportunity to hunt in the last Bolivian markets and enjoy the latest local habits…

And from there, the adventure, the real one, takes off! The tourist guides are in oblivion, we leave for 1600 km to Asunción, à la carte and feeling! Entrance: 400 km of sandy track downhill! The turns on ledges follow one another and our stock of gasoline cans flies to the right and to the left … In short, a terrain very conducive to a gap…

And precisely: PE, at the controls in front, waltz in the scenery (a kind of ditch / wall) at the entrance of a pin on the right! He and his motorbike find themselves upside down: the scene freezes the blood of Beru who hastens to help him and fortunately, more afraid than of harm: PE leaves his meter there, a little of his fork and a few scratches. Nothing too bad but we leave all the same a little cold…

A few tens of kilometers further, during an ordinary crossing of a stream, soap stones capsize Beru in the water! It only remains to mop up the business … After so much turmoil, a little bit of asphalt makes us very happy !

As the route initially chosen for Paraguay had no customs, the tar continued as far as Villamontes, where it was left with a few cents and cans of gasoline. The Andes give way to hostile greenery, a kind of local jungle: the Chaco region !

After 70 kilometers of sand under a blazing heat in the direction of the border, we ask for hospitality at a labor camp. Putting his dagger on the table, the owner asks to see our motorcycles, just to feel the trick or not … ¡No problemo, señor! Playing on intimidation, the good man accepts us without problem. His wife tells us the story of a Belgian murdered two weeks ago on the road and his son crushes a scorpion under one of our motorcycles … The night was short !

Paraguay is now open to us: more than 400 km of no man’s land to cover until the first village, supposedly a prestigious place for armed attacks … Pauses are rare, our primary concern being gasoline: the cans are dwindling, the reserves are running out over the miles and the dreaded breakdown seems inevitable … We are thinking about several alternatives when suddenly, the village is emerging on the horizon. Phew! Food, sandwiches: the hardest part is theoretically a thing of the past…

Except that in wanting to pick up a part that has fallen on the ground along the roadway, PE leaves his inner tube there … First puncture after 19,000 km, hat anyway! Repairs made, the road must lead us to a Mennonite settlement. But 8 kilometers from the finish in the twilight, the chain of Beru (although regularly greased) still does its own and breaks in two! Makeshift towing to the pueblo where the verdict falls: its front transmission axle is dead, as well as a spoke … PE leaves a tambien spoke there, in short it is the total mechanics !

Fortunately, the Mennonite colony quickly changes our minds: tall blondes and tall blondes, white skin, flow here for quiet days, speaking German on every corner and by no means Spanish. The situation is very strange in the middle of Paraguay! The school is in German, the products and road signs too: original! The road to Asunción is straight, very straight: pleasantly asphalted, it allows us to forget our mechanical troubles and admire the pastures and palm trees on the edge of the road….

Considering our mechanical galleys, the test of our Tucano Urbano equipment is only partly postponed … Stay tuned for the next episodes and have a good week everyone !

PE and Beru

Related articles

• South America in 125 – Head in the clouds … –

  Head in the clouds… Our two youngsters on their 125s continue their journey through Latin America while on the road to Chile, the Andes are pointing…

• South America in 125 – Two youngsters exploring South America … in 125! –

  Two young people discovering South America … in 125 ! Two young students in a gap year are preparing to cross Latin America … in 125! Argentina,…

• South America in 125 – Last rounds of the wheels for Bornes In America! –

  Last rounds of the wheels for Bornes In America ! And There you go. It’s the end of the trip for PE and Beru, our two adventurers from Bornes in America,…

• South America in 125 – South America in 125: life, the real one! –

  South America in 125: life, the real ! One month after completing their last kilometer and selling their motorcycles, now looking for an internship in…

• South America in 125 – Rodeo in the pampas while waiting for Patagonia … –

  Rodeo in the pampas while waiting for Patagonia… Set off to assault South America on the handlebars of their finally broken Yamaha YBR 125s, our two…

• South America in 125 – When you’re in the desert … of Bolivian salt –

  When you’re in the desert … of Bolivian salt After wishing a happy birthday on video to their loved ones (!), PE and Beru arrived in Bolivia in the…

• South America in Versys 650 – Latin America by motorcycle (06): on foot on the Altiplano (5000 m)! –

  Latin America by motorcycle (06): on foot on the Altiplano ( 5000 m) ! There you go, Santa Rosa is over. Direction La Paz, this incredible city perched…

• South America in Versys 650 – Latin America on a motorcycle (04): festival of galleys in the Amazon –

  Latin America on a motorcycle (04): festival of galleys in the Amazon I have been in Manaus , the metropolis of the jungle, in the heart of the Amazon…

• South America in 125 – Last episode before arrival … –

  Last episode before arrival… While Buenos Aires is pointing its nose, synonymous with the end clap for this 24,000 km loop on the handlebars of Yamaha…

• South America in 125 – Wind in the sails to Ushuaia … –

  Wind in the sails to Ushuaia… Long straight lines beaten by a violent wind, before crossing the Strait of Magellan by boat, take our two youngsters and…