Torres to Porto Alegre, Thursday, 28 March 2013, Day 268

Puerto Alegre iconic landmark gasworks some of these industrial building can be rather attractive.

I have been spoilt for the last couple of weeks as every where I had stayed had breakfast included of varied quality but today there was none so I went round the corner to the local bakery and had a nice breakfast there before hitting the road.

Destination Porto Alegre only 200km away choice one follow the coast or choice two stay on the main road 101 that goes inland ish. I decide to stick with the coast and the weather is also not sure at what it wants to do and it keeps trying to rain but never enough to stop and pull the waterproofs on but enough to keep the road damp and slippery. Dull road guess I was spoilt rotten yesterday and back to a dull flat straight road  and it is supposed to be running along the coast but I cannot see the sea. I do hope its not going to be like this for the rest of the trip.I pulled into Porto Alegre at about 2pm ish and I had plugged a couple of hostels into my GPS. The first had no safe parking for Daisy but the second one did and I have a 10-bed dorm all to myself as its empty, which surprised me, as it was Easter weekend and I was expecting it to be difficult to find accommodation.

Most interesting shot of todays ride!

I have been trying to get a half decent Internet connection to do some admin as it’s the 1^st April soon and I needed to get an extension on my personal tax return as there is no way I can complete that whilst traveling and also the tax man is bugging me for a tax return for my new company which is strange as it only been up and running since October last year and normally they give you a years grace in your start-up year so I need to ensure I do not get a fine and stay out of the taxman bad books in my first year of business! And the yearly bills are piling up so a good couple of hours with a connection would be nice but nope-dodgy intermittent Internet here and of course there is a man coming to fix it but that will be tomorrow. So I was also unable to get my blog updated either.

So I decide to go for a short walk round the neighbourhood, which of course in Philly fashion turned, into a long hike all over town. Nice enough place ended up at an old disused power station watching the sunset and the folks there was also an interesting exhibition about Cartoons in the Power Station.

I walked everywhere it seemed I do hope I left something else to see tomorrow it was busy in town and I walked around the central market which was buzzing as everyone was doing there last minute shopping before Easter I am guessing it will be a lot quieter on Good Friday.

Back to the hostel I have given up on the Internet as its frustrating as hell working with a dodgy internet connection so I am reading my book instead John Grisham the legislators interesting enough page turner of a book so I have nearly finished it.

I am that frog 🙂

Porto Alegre, Friday, 29 March 2013, Day 269

Some more industrial landscapes for a change!

I am spending another day in Porto Alegre so I got up just in time for breakfast as it was nice in my huge room which I thought I had all to myself but someone else had arrived during the night. Relaxing morning Internet still up the spout but I spend the morning in the garden with my Kindle finishing my book and then of for another marathon hike around Porto Alegre. As I mentioned yesterday Porto Alegre is not really that much of a tourist destination and a bit run down in places but a I had a great day just walking around taking in the sites and taking loads of crap photos in the hope there may be that wonder shot in there somewhere 🙂

  

      

So this were St Nick goes forces Holidays!

I had left the hostel at about 12am and got back at about 7pm so that is 7 hours just wandering around all over the place I covered a lot of distance today I think.

The man for the Internet has not turned up either so it is worse tonight so the blog will have to wait I did manage to sort some of the other stuff that needed doing in the moments that it was cooperating but it is to frustrating to work with a dodgy connection so I am going to start yet another book to catch up with all that reading I promised myself I would do on this trip which as usual I have left to the last minute 🙂

      

      

  

I have no idea where I am going tomorrow as it would be nice to have a look on the Internet but let it be a surprise its either Rio Grande or a place called Pelotas which I have heard has a yearly candy festival I wonder if its this weekend?

Porto Alegre to Cassino, Saturday, 30 March 2013, Day 270

Leaving Porto Alegre

Oops I have let this slip so a mad catch up is needed  it must be because I am so close to the end that this is no longer a chore that I cherish but I will persevere on behalf of my loyal fan base and I hate reading blogs or ride reports that just end in the middle with the last bit omitted or the end of the story missing so I am determined not to let this happen with mine, I even have some plans on adding a couple of extra pages with the Finances, Accommodation list, Cost and kit reviews but I digress lets get back to the story. A weird day I had two options of a final destination and I was unsuccessful with both and I ended up putting my tent up in the dark.

So the original destination was Pelotas uneventful run there tried a few hotels but all rather expensive and I was not getting a great feel from the place and I had a plan B which was Rio Grande so pulled the plug on Pelotas but I first checked out the beach to see if I could find affordable digs there. Nope there was not much going on there either so onwards and forward to Rio Grande. So no Candy festival in Pelotas but there was the festival of the sea in Rio Grande, which made finding accommodation for Daisy and I nigh on impossible. Tried loads either too pricy or full or no safe parking. So what was supposed to be an easy relaxing day was turning into a pain in the ass. Eventually I decided to pull the plug on Rio Grande and head for Cassino the next town down the coast. All of the above had taking a lot of time and it was getting dark. On my way into Cassino I spotted a campsite but I first wanted to try and get a bed for the night in Cassino but no joy there either so back to the campsite and I am putting my tent up in the dark.

So my original plan had failed and I am back under canvas it has been a while. I went back to Cassino for my dinner a nice Lomito sandwich and then back to my tent with my kindle for the rest of the evening.

Was passing what looked like a modern block of flats but on closer inspection turned out to be a multi-storey graveyard!