Driving into Curuzu Cuatia, Argentina I was still a little shaken up from having the gun pointed in my face. I decided that the best thing to do was to use the internet and write my parents and motorcycle buddies to let them know what happened before I made any report. In the internet cafe a man came up and introduced himself and asked me about my trip. His name was Eduardo Longo and he was member of the local motorcycle club "The Coyotes."
We talked for a bit and he asked me where I was staying and I told him that I was camping. Eduardo offered to let me stay at his house and I kindly accepted right away which maybe seemed a bit awkward but I was scared of corrupt police officers looking for me. We agreed to meet in an hour so that I could finish my internet. An hour later Eduardo showed up with a very modified 250cc Harley looking type motorcycle. It was interesting to see all of the gadgets he had on his bike music player, sirens, lights, skull with lights in its eyes, etc.
Eduardo had a very nice family. There was Norma his wife and 2 daughters Erika and Kathleen. They offered me tea, milk, or mate and were happy that I chose Mate. We ate a nice dinner and I told Eduardo about my problem with the police and he said that it would be best to wait and talk to his English speaking friends the next day. That night I slept like a rock and I was very thankful that I was in a safe place for the night after the incident earlier.
We talked to the friends of Eduardo the next day and they told me that the best thing to do was to make a report with the Federal Police in Posadas (because I was going to Paragauy). Eduardo´s friends were very nice. It was a large family who lived on a military base and the father and mother both spoke English. The mother had lived in Texas when she was a child so her English was very good. The father and one of the sons have a rock band and their music sounds pretty good. The name of the group is Rompan Fila and you can find a video of them on youtube.
Eduardo made a really good 'asado´ (like barbeque but cooked on a different sort of grill). Argentinians really know how to make good meat. I think they are probably the best at it in the world but I have never been to Europe, Asia, or Africa. Before lunch I studied Spanish while Eduardo´s daughters studied English. They thought my Spanish responses to questions in my workbook were funny. They had a Spanish/English dictionary and it was nice to look up words I did not know again.
Eduardo helped me work on my bike and we got it pretty shiny after a couple of hours. He knew a journalist who came and interviewed me about my experience with the police. The next day Eduardo had to go to work early so I woke up early too and got ready to leave for Paraguay. We drank some mate and I thanked Eduardo very much for all of his help and than set off on my motorcycle.
BTW (for motorcyclists): If you will be passing through Curuzu Cuatia and want to contact Eduardo you can reach him at motogrupoloscoyotes@hotmail.com Tel (03774) 423727 or Cell (03774) 15637709.
This is great stuff, Geoff! Like I said before...You Da Man, Geoff! What a cool experience this must have all been for you...what an adventure! I'm reading through your writings, and thought I'd add a comment to let you know how much I appreciate them! You've done a great job with your journal website!
Posted by: Bohemian Biker | October 10, 2008 at 09:57 AM