From Barcelona to Tehran: Day 33

Day 33: Hard-working Beetles or Cannibal Grasshoppers; From Astakos to Agios Vasileious in Greece

June 1, 2012; Distance covered today: 101 Km; Total: 2366 Km

It was a very humid night. Regardless, everything else went well. 

first thing in the morning, I had 9 Km of climbing. It was very hot so it was a little challenging at the beginning, but when I saw some beetles working so hard trying to roll their food into their nest, I got encouraged. They were sort of funny too. They would roll the food using their strong hind legs.

Then, on the same road, I saw some grasshoppers, or I think they were grasshoppers, lining on the side of the road, lots of them. First, I was wondering why they like to be on the side of the road instead of in the bush where the food is. My question was answered in a few minutes when I saw them feeding on the other grasshopper’s carcasses who had been run over by cars! 

Cannibal grasshoppers

"Oh! My cousin's just run over; there it goes my breakfast".

I thought about these grasshoppers a lot, for the rest of the day. They wait on the side of the road until one of them is run over by a car so that they could eat it?! I was wondering if some of us, human beings, act somehow the same toward our fellow human beings in a rather similar situation. In a situation where we take advantage of other people’s financial demise, for example, in a short run, oblivious to the fact that WE, ourselves, might be the next person to go down. I might be wrong. I couldn’t find cases. Do you? Let me know.

I passed though some really poor areas in Greece. It was a replica of the villages in the north of Iran; narrow roads with no lining or shoulders, deserted half built houses on the side of the road, local market where farmers can sell their stuff, etc. I then reached to Rio where I had to cross a fantastic looking bridge. It was really amazing. 

Finally some Nice View

Beautiful Coastline

The View of the Bridge and the town from afar

The Bridge

After the bridge, I biked for another 20 Km to get to a campground by the beach. I checked in, had a shower, cooked dinner (Spaghetti as usual), and went to bed.