Now that is what I was waiting for!!!!!!!! What a day, yesterday I was tired, grumpy and not sure why I am doing this, but all I needed was a day like to today to shoot the lights out. The little town we rode into last night, slipping and sliding around on the wet cobble stone roads, turned out to be a little gem. And the new latest best friend (the one with his wife who sat like a statue around the tight twisty mountain pass when they were overtaking Pie, (that does not happen often,) turned out to be a bit of a “Rock Star” and gave a little show after dinner, by singing a local Mexican Classical song. You should go to my Instagram Posts of today and have a look, its at “johanfleischer” on Instagram, (I am still to stupid to post video’s on this Blog as I have to 1st upload onto YouTube and then post a link………….all Greek to me.

Sadly our three latest friends left us after very passionate and long good-bye, so only the 7 of us rode away at 7h30.

This morning I packed my bike and then went for a stroll in the little village and watched the village wake-up, start sweeping the streets, drop kids off at creche, I was greeted friendly by everyone. Next to our little B&B was a Gym with its music going at full tilt, and everyone stopping to come and say hello where we were packing the bikes, or take a selfie with me, I am starting to feel like a celebrity.

 

 

 

Our little B&B was an old building they converted, but it was built in the same way as the rest of the town’s buildings, all the entrances are on the street and then there is courtyard at the back, this one was enclosed under a roof.

We drove through the little village and I thought we were lost, you could smell the moms grilling the kids breakfast tortillas, hear the place waking up, and then the little road became our road for about the 1st 100km. A small country lane, sometimes becoming a gravel road as the tar has given up a long time ago.

We entered a settlement, so no buildings, just a school and houses, and 2 little “restaurants” with happy smiling dogs around, all fat, with chickens in the road, and several horses tied to a rope next to the road where the greenest grass grows, no shops, no fuel, no nothing. I smelt the “restaurant” before I saw it, with wood smoke and the smell of breakfast in the air, actually breakfast tacos. But our leaders rode past, probable not wanting to stop at such an informal spot. I chased after the two leaders, (always two in front of the pack so one can stop at any turn we have to make and direct us, and always a sweeper at the back. The number 2 guy then catches up with the group once we all have turned and takes back position 2. position 1 is the navigator, he talks to number 2 and 7 about road conditions ahead, he phones ahead and then discuss options with number 2 and 7. number 3 to 6 are just relaxing, having fun, (the of us that are the remaining guys out of a group of 7 keeps our position, I am at 3, then comes Milsy and then Rocky, but sadly Pie is becoming a bit of a problem, (he has started behaving like Theuns, and is probably preparing doc and the guys to what is awaiting them.) so Pie Koekemoer is moving between positions 3 and 6. I chased the leaders down and asked them to make a U-Turn and we stopped for breakfast and coffee at a local street vendor.

 

Note how they put the plastic bag over the plate for hygiene:

The corn Tortillas were slapped into shape by granny, then the daughter grilled them on the steel iron on the wood fire while daughter made more coffee in the pot boiling on their fire. The tortillas were filled with different fillings, egg and onion, and chilly, or Sausage mince in oil with chilli or pork stew with potatoes………with chilli.

I took a video of this, it is also on Instagram, have a look.

Mamma told us that we were the 1st tourist that rode through their settlement and took more video’s of us than we could take of her.

Then we crossed another mountain, more Twisties, climbing from 80m above sea-level to 800m above, and then down again on the other side, in a rhythm, our whole little group together.

Then we dropped into a very dry basin, like Death Valley, with hundreds of Joshua Trees. Then another mountain to cross, then a section (for more than an hour) riding through Sugar Cane fields, on secondary roads, going through many little settlements, all protected against speedsters with vicious speed-bumps.

And then we were in and out of the mountains, then busier bigger roads with stretches in-between going through areas with many shady trees, trimmed in the shape of tunnels by trucks.

As the heat ticked-up so did the traffic, we went from a cool 10 degrees this morning to a sizzling 41 degrees. We stopped at local vendors selling Jamaica, a local cool drink made of a flower, then boiled like tea, cooled down and sugar is added. This lady also sold Taco’s from her cooler boxes. Her daughter operated the little cash-box.

 

 

And tomorrow I will tell you if this concoction had me working on my fitness through the night. This is the flower, or seed:

Then we hit some serious Road Works, we were stuck behind trucks, with several Stop & Go’s, with no air-flow through our jackets air-vents, and no shade, my bike temp hit 41 degrees, so when we stoped for ice-cream number 2 we all dipped out riding jackets in a drum of water before setting off, only to find another section of road-works where we managed to get the water in our jackets to boil.

And then it was all behind us, the road opened up and the fun-was-on. We stopped for traditional sorbet, made of fruits at a road-side area that sells hand made dresses, ceramics, and several places that sells plants and flowers as it is Spring here right now.

 

 

We had a short day but found the Ruins we wanted to visit closed, so we decided to not continue the further 88km we had planned and rather sleep here, then visit the ruins tomorrow, but only opening at 9h00, plus the extra distance we did not do today, we might have to “pull finger” tomorrow. We are deep into the mountains. I am told many Film Stars has visited here, so tomorrow we will see how special it iOS and I will report further.

 

 

 

Later all.

Fleisch