Day 591 3rd March 2018
20 miles (Cambaquara to Pauba) Average speed 8.1 mph Top speed 39 mph
A tough day even though a short one.
I got up at 7.30 and had tea and chocolate biscuits for brekkie while chatting to a guy from São Paulo.
I really had a tough night. I woke up covered in sweat and everything was soaked as much from the inside of the tent as from the night’s rain on the outside. I got up and went to sit by the toilets for a while to cool down. I packed up slowly in the heat to try to dry my washing in the sun before leaving at 11.
I was really annoyed that I’d left my sunglasses by the pool and was struggling without them. I made it to the ferry but not before stopping at a sunglasses store where they wanted to charge me 159reias for a new pair. I got the free ferry after filling up with cold water in the waiting room and then sat in the shade during the crossing after being told off for sitting at the front with my bike.
That is the third time in as many days that I’ve been misbehaving. Firstly was when I cycled through a condo by the beach and a security guard sent me out and the second was when I was told off by another guard in a shopping centre. I really should behave!
On the other side I cycled through town and found a shop to buy new fake Oakley glasses for 20 reais and then hit the first of the day’s many hills. I found a padoria to have a great burger before taking on the next. They were steep today and I found it rough on the legs. The next section was full of good scenery climbing over the cliff tops and overlooking the sea. At the bottom of one the hills I found a basic campsite right on the beach.
It was small but I got a pitch beside a Range Rover and most of the cars came from São Paulo for the weekend. I put up the tent as it clouded over and went in search of a supermarket to buy lunch. After lunch I took a walk along the beach and had a swim.
Then I had a shower and went to the nearby restaurant, which was closed, so as there was nowhere else I went to the one on the beach, which thankfully was open for steak. I went to a bar on the way back and played pool with the locals. It turned out to be a late night getting back at 1 am.
The campsite was silent and I had no trouble getting to sleep.
I woke up after an hour sweating again and had been attacked by those mosquitoes – again!
Camping mazinho 45 reais.