After a long day at the border between Paraguay and Brazil, there’s not much time to get far into Brazil. First, the battery died in the morning, then again right in Ciudad del Este, at the busy border between the countries, the “Friendship Bridge.” We don’t notice much of a friendship, as the people around us sense an opportunity to cash in on our misery.

I bought a new battery, but the reason for the enormous overnight electricity consumption hasn’t been discovered yet. In the city of Foz do Iguaçu, we plan to stock up on cash and SIM cards, just like we did two years ago, but are thwarted by broken or stubborn ATMs and intermittent telecommunications systems. Exhausted from the exertion, we drive to the nearby Balneário Ipiranga recreation area to spend the night.

Thanks to the rain, there’s nothing going on at this large picnic area. But the next morning, the weekend begins, and as we get up and I find a small bar with bad coffee, the first fully loaded cars are already arriving. Entire extended families are already setting up camp at the lake for at least a whole day and reserving one of the many barbecue spots.

Meanwhile, I’m testing whether Dusty will start with his new battery. But Dusty remains silent. Something has been draining the power, even though I was meticulous about turning every switch in the cockpit to off. Luckily, we quickly find someone to help us jump-start the car.

My jumper cables are worth their weight in gold.

The day isn’t particularly eventful. We have at least 750 kilometers to travel to the coast. The route runs through agricultural land and is heavily trafficked, as it is the fastest connection between the major cities of southern Brazil and Paraguay, Chile, northern Argentina, and Bolivia and southern Peru.

So we drive, and drive, and drive. We take a few breaks for Leon so he can get some exercise, but it’s only in the evening that we can truly let loose. We reach a small guesthouse that even has room for a camper van. A giant fake chicken next to many live ones particularly pleases Leon.

New morning, new luck. Is the battery dead again? No! The car starts! It was the refrigerator. This time I unplugged the appliance from the living room, since there was nothing else left. So the last electrician who touched Dusty messed everything up again. Once again, a tradesman in South America caused more trouble than he helped. Now I have to find a way to block the flow of electricity from the living unit to the car unit.

My joy is only partial. I skip breakfast because I must have eaten something wrong the day before. I haven’t slept and feel miserable. Even though the weather is nice, and I’ve found the problem with the dead battery.

The refrigerator was the problem!

We pass Cascavel and think about our last stay in the city. This time we don’t stop, but continue our journey through a landscape that reminds me of the German Eifel.

We stop for lunch along the way. Naturally, we find a buffet everywhere. It’s convenient and inexpensive.

We drive for an hour until we reach Guarapuava. It’s Sunday, everyone is at church, and the streets of the town are deserted. There’s no one to be seen. But that will change later.

Leon can play a little in the playground of the park in front of the Cathedral Nossa Senhora de Belem, from which singing and the smell of incense emanate.

In the “historic center,” there’s nothing interesting to see besides the church. We make a quick stop at the Lago de las Lágrimas (Lake of Tears). The lake and the park are very beautiful, but not worth staying here long. We’re getting hungry.

It’s lunchtime, and we’re looking for a restaurant. We’ve barely sat down when Brazilians stream in, dressed in fine suits and low-cut dresses. Next to them, we look like beggars.

As we saw last time in Brazil, every Sunday is a day when people get ready as if for a wedding.

Here you’ll find the finest Brazil has to offer, but I can’t eat anything. It’s a real tragedy. Leon and Sara enjoy their food, then we head off again, leaving the otherwise boring city.

Just outside the city, we happen upon an exciting waterfall, which also seems to be the city’s greatest attraction. Then we drive, and drive, and drive.

The landscape resembles the German Eifel, except that the green and yellow fields are not rapeseed, but soy. Then, every now and then, a large industrial facility rises up where the soy is processed.

At least here and there, there are some spots where the last remnants of rainforest remain. These jungle cells seem very out of place in the industrial agricultural landscape of soy.

At least here and there, there are some spots where the last remnants of rainforest remain. These jungle cells seem very out of place in the industrial agricultural landscape of soy.

In the evening, we reach our last accommodation before Curitiba. We’re only an hour away from the city. On the map, we found a campsite in the German colony “Wilmarsum.” There, you’ll find the “Bauernhaus,” which welcomes guests with German cuisine.

The place is very clean and there are lots of animals, which Leon is happy to see. There’s also a biker meetup going on here. Leon and I are both happy about all the motorcycles.

Before sunset, a small black snake sneaks up to us. The snake disappears into the grass, but we take a photo and show it to a farm worker. She immediately alerts a few other people, and they search the tall grass with pitchforks, but they don’t find anything.

It seems that it was not a harmless grass snake.

Otherwise, we’re only plagued by mosquitoes and sand flies. It’ll be cold and rainy at night. Tomorrow we’ll reach Curitiba.