[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pLDVxi0Xq8A/VTIunfPL2kI/AAAAAAAAoOI/yQcam97tVrM/s144-c-o/IMG_1913.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139020497994373698″ caption=”…he is cooking right besides an almost fresh cowpad! The lee of the tent was more important” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1913.JPG” ]

trip days left: 32
straight distance left: 630,6 km
Pos: here
Loc: Canal Sao Goncalo
Acc: tent
Dist: 36,1 km
Start: 6:05 End: 15:30

I got an escort again, this time double! Double in all – in persons, in the kayak, in the days. A two-days escort in a double kayak by Antonio and Guillherme. This time I was clever to set the rules before the day started-paddling *with* me means side by side most of the time, not rushing ahead…and the boys behaved perfectly! Despite they spoke very little English and I very little Portuguese, our communication about the interesting and important things were working, and the rest of the time the guys chatted between each other.All major kayaking questions were discussed or explained, and my spare paddle, the same one as my main, I borrowed out permanently. They were not that much bored in a too much lightweight double kayak propelled by two strong guys, as they were carrying camp gear as well, even in two large deck bags on top of their double kayak.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A66icO5w9-E/VTIuNIi2MtI/AAAAAAAAoOI/8F7q8CFbmRU/s144-c-o/IMG_1894.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139020045226226386″ caption=”Antonio and Guillherme head to the railway bridges at the Canal Sao Goncales behind Pelotas. You can lift the middle part” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1894.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zihBU_lVLns/VTIuDjObigI/AAAAAAAAoOI/F_Wx4Y_ToEg/s144-c-o/IMG_1886.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139019880589658626″ caption=”My escort for two days on the deep big Canal Sao Goncales-Antonio and Guillherme” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1886.JPG” ]

The guys could make breaks on the water as much as they liked to being in a double kayak, and I made more breaks than usual on the shore with getting out of the kayak. This is what I was much more used to – paddling all day 10 hours without breaks on the beach, just stopping on the water. And as we had some unfriendly headwind between 12-15knots and quite some counter current, paddling was relatively tough today. We were changing sides ever so often to find some wind shelter after each bend of the canal, which is really rather a wide canal with big boats than the small nice and friendly connection rivers I paddled on the small lagoons.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xX8YNiaJSag/VTIuTOFE4BI/AAAAAAAAoOI/lIIXqkE3Wj4/s144-c-o/IMG_1898.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139020149791186962″ caption=”Some kind of insects are growing inside this cone” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1898.JPG” ]

A small weir with a very low descent but with strong counter current flooding through some narrow gates we preferred to carry around with little effort. Not sure if I may have tried and made it to paddle this one upstream being just by myself. Downstream the guys will go the next day themselves through the weir.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xX8YNiaJSag/VTIuTOFE4BI/AAAAAAAAoOI/lIIXqkE3Wj4/s144-c-o/IMG_1898.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139020149791186962″ caption=”Some kind of insects are growing inside this cone” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1898.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NjyPTxxcMQE/VTIuFwtoG-I/AAAAAAAAoOI/JE6sLiuH5bM/s144-c-o/IMG_1892.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139019918569905122″ caption=”You wish to have them here in the Canal Sao Goncales…” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1892.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h980wULLaC0/VTIuGqs9BcI/AAAAAAAAoOI/f7iUVLNmuAI/s144-c-o/IMG_1891.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139019934136337858″ caption=”You wish to have them here in the Canal Sao Goncales…” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1891.JPG” ]

The headwind did not really go much down, and when there came a long section without the very high reed grass wind shelter we decided to call it a day on a good high dry meadow with short grass, after barely half of the canal length. Each person had his own tent, but the guys were happy to live and cook outside. I rather lived and cook inside hating any kind of biting bugs or spraying the body with repellent.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rPdF4Jd60Ys/VTIuc9yUiGI/AAAAAAAAoOI/Zgen26GV8Rg/s144-c-o/IMG_1906.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139020317216245858″ caption=”Quite a romantic view with gauchos and their cow herd!” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1906.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_z_3MmXyqdo/VTIub9QVfYI/AAAAAAAAoOI/W2ZoN2J2MYI/s144-c-o/IMG_1905.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139020299893833090″ caption=”Gauchos chasing their cows back to their facienda” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1905.JPG” ]

Five gauchos on horses came along driving a cowherd to the next farm hut. It looked (the cows) and especially sounded (the gauchos) very much like wild nature’s and wild men’s life…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SawrO5q4aGU/VTIuneltS5I/AAAAAAAAoOI/14hU-LeC8Ik/s144-c-o/IMG_1909.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139020497820404626″ caption=”Guillherme is cooking ourdoors…” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1909.JPG” ]

When dusk came with the many mosquitoes, my tough outdoor living escort guys preferred also to jump into their tent shelter, with an additional tarp over both of their tents against possible rain. It took a while until I heard them stopping hitting on the bugs inside their tents…mine was already bug-free all afternoon… 🙂