Against my friends advice I headed out on the mountain road, a narrow, misty highway of doom. But… everyone was driving well and giving me lots of space even those large buses would stop behind me and wait to pass. Although hearing one slam on the breaks behind you would give youa mini heart attack
My solution was “the negociator” which stands about 10cm further out than my wide handlebars but gives people an idea of where I am.
Initially I was very keen on going up to camp at one of these radio towers but at over 3300m+, it would have been a rather chilly experience.
The Kenda tire was about done. Sidewall peeling off at various points. I only had it on the front for 40 or so days. The surly extraterrestrial, only 30 days old was nearly worn out too. I’ll need to see what I can get in town but sadly the descend from 3300m to 300 would be at greatly reduced speed.
I snuck around a fence and camped on an old road bed at 1700m, in fears of the heat that dropping to the town will bring.
The dirt road I initially wanted to take was not really an option with my tire situation.
The only MTB tire was a 2.35″ Downhill Monkey. I had a tough time getting it on the rim even with the metal tire levers the shop gave me. Sidewall read “puncture protection”, this better work because the only way the tire is comig off the rim in the absence of a big screwdriver is by being cut.
The few minutes I spent on the bigger highway out of town made up my mind about which way to go. A dirt road snaked its way up and down hills as the clouds approached.
I found shelter in a bar with surprisingly affordable food and even wifi. It poured for 3 hours outside.
low and behold – the BANANA bike, comes with a 30-pack of beers!
A littlemuddy, a little steep but 100% rad, the road was some of the best. I snuck onto a coffee plantation and asked a guy digging up some Yuca if i can camp. He said no, because of mosquitoes and pointed to the lake nearby. The intense sound of frogs would have made it a super chill campsite but I retreated a kilometer back to camp.
In the morning I got greeted by a guy with a chainsaw, here to cut some trees. Apparently they burn everything every 8 years.
Rise and shine… rise and shine!
My entry to the big road was marked by seeing some roadies getting chased by a semi. That kind of set the tone for the say… it was hot but there were barely any hills.
And when you only have sunshine, you gotta make your own rainbows. Looking into the endless pineapple plantations and getting a shower everytime the stream comes my way. No better way to beat the heat.
it doesnt look hot but believe me, it is!
As evening approached it was clear that camping without some serious acrobatics over fences and up hills will not be possible. I asked some people off the road if I can pitch my tent. They even pulled out an extension cord so i can charge my stuff, the kid fetched me some bananas from the nearby tree and they watched me with interest as I took selfies with my new 5 meter selfie stick and prepared dinner. They later opened the door to the house and said i can sleep inside.
bringing the selfie game to a whole new level!
“What is that?” I asked.
“Its in Panama,” the man had spent time working in louisiana and spoke good english.
Hmmmm…. that’s where I go next then.
