Heat

The rain fled and and a heavy heat landed and then suffocated like 4000 bees killing an ox. How hilarious that my hubs or bottom bracket might be damaged from rain when now the sun heats the air as a hot pizza. With luck I had purchased a small packet of juice drink and as the heat began to suffocate me mid-day I put the drink packet in the water bottle and nursed the sugar and flavor throughout the day. There were some flat, fast stretches, but also some rolling hills. The sweat mixed with bugs and the face and torso began to agitate. After two hours of Portuguese lessons on the MP3 player, I skipped forward for music. I have about 10 hours of Tim Maia on my MP3,  the Into the Wild soundtrack, and John Coltrane’s Giant Steps.  Into the Wild carried me through the steeper climbs and Giant Steps the construction zones. The heat grew more intense as I approached, 35 Celsius. I found a small grocery store and then a cheap hotel near the town center. I chose a more expensive room with a private bathroom because I had some washing to do, but the price for a basic room was $R27 and for a room with air conditioning and a bathroom $R45. I am only 60km away from Foz de Iguacu. Will I ride the Patagonia as Moraline suggests? OR do I head north and continue to explore Brasil? Not bad questions to ask—as Chrome would say, not a bad problem to have. 

 This sign did not help me today.

 This part of the road was good.

 I am tired and covered in salt and washed lots of bugs that got in the jersey. I can take a nice bath with half a water bottle but I used a shower with unlimited water.

 The bags are on the floor. I took them off to get the bike up one flight of stairs. I had to cut off duct tape off one section of the rear rack because the rain had swelled the duct tape and had contributed to the latches tearing off from pannier.