It’s already noon when we leave Porto Figueira, so we don’t drive far to get lunch. The town of Porto Camargo is located near a mighty bridge over which we have to cross the Paraná River.

The place doesn’t look small on the map, but access is via a very hilly dirt road. We reach the river and a restaurant right on the beach. Brazilian feeling sets in immediately.

Palm trees, water, music and lots of happy people with different skin colors sit together and drink and eat. People look at us curiously but in a friendly manner, and a couple of particularly good-humored men immediately ask me where we’re from.

Since no one speaks English, we help out with Spanish, which a few people speak. German? Oh dear, 7:1. And immediately everyone takes Leon into their hearts. Sara also makes amused faces because she tries to feed Leon and at the same time keeps jumping on the chair because two cats are begging for food.

We cross a long bridge that spans the Paraná River and the islands in between and we get a sense of jungle feeling again as we see wild green landscapes to our left and right. Unfortunately, that doesn’t last long. We are approaching the industrial city of Dourados.