December 21: Colorful Country Full of Character

Splashing my way through the flooded streets of Azul shortly after the torrential morning showers stopped, I headed south on a rather arduous trek of over 650 miles in hot and humid weather, hoping to get some distance under my belt before the high winds hit. It didn’t keep me from appreciating the beautiful colors all around.

Making my way on Ruta 3, I traveled through mostly agricultural land, passing expansive fields with fresh green crops, grey concrete farm sheds with silvery corrugated metal roofs, cows and sheep grazing on the sunburnt yellow grass, tractors pulling newly baled hay, and beautiful blue skies above.

Passing through a variety of small towns, I was struck by how cheerful and full of character they seemed.  Although many of the buildings were cracked and crumbling, they were painted in bright hues of pink, blue, green, orange, and yellow. The mural on one establishment of a women with windswept red hair was so breathtaking I had to turn my bike around to get a picture of it.

People hugged and kissed when they greeted each other in front of cafes and parks, couples rode two up on scooters of all sizes and shapes, and pedestrians were always willing to give directions to a traveler that didn’t speak Spanish.

I did notice that there seem to be quite a few reasons why gas stations don’t have gas at various times throughout the day – shift changes, cleaning breaks, and construction projects. Thankfully by sticking to the main route I was able to find what I needed.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to ride in South America and am looking forward to new adventures in the days ahead.