Day 517 – Coruripe to Japoate

Day 517                                                             19th December

65 miles (Coruripe to Japoate)  Average speed 11.9 mph Top speed 98mph  ??

A tough day mechanically.

I was awake at 3 am listening to Micky Flanagan on the BBC app. I got up at at 8.15 for a good brekkie even though some was more like a dinner; egg, sausages in tomato sauce, mince meat with veg, Danish pastries, water melon and lots of coffee. I went to a supermarket to buy lunch of cheese and ham and rolls and set off at 10.45. I found the main road easily and after a big climb, which negated my shower, the road was flatter. After just 35 minutes I noticed a familiar noise from the rear rack: I’d lost a screw and stopped to try and fix it but the thread was damaged.

I had parked up in the shade of a palm tree but probably the only only one that stank of pee which didn’t help with my work. I removed the two rear panniers and found a nut and bolt at the bottom of one of them and managed to do a temporary fix, but I think the frame will need to be re tapped soon. The nut and longer bolt meant I couldn’t use top gear, but this was OK as long I remembered! The road then returned to being more ups and downs but the shoulder was still good and I made good progress. I had a rest after 20 miles in a shelter made for selling goods.

Then I pushed on for another ten miles to get to the ferry and stopped to buy food for dinner in case I wild camped and a large 2 litre bottle of Sprite. There was only one ferry running so it was a bit of a wait, which gave me the chance to have lunch with some very strange one clawed crabs and a very skinny cat.

The crabs weren’t interested in my ham but the cat devoured quite a bit! She needed it! Eventually the ferry arrived and two cars, a motorbike and I boarded. It was an incredible journey that I would imagine was a bit like going through the Everglades with some stunning scenery and fantastic colourful plants and birds.  As I left the ferry I realised I hadn’t paid but nobody asked me for money so I carried on.

At the other end I bought some more water and hoped to take the coast road, it turned out to be a sandy track with lots of lorries so I headed north in the hope of finding a wild camp, but it was all fenced off private land. I got to a forest marked on the map, but there was no way in and lots of dead animals, even a whole cow, so I carried on. I was tempted by a bar next to a cement works which had a table and picnic area, that was too busy with workers and too noisy. So I aimed for the next forest, but by now it was dark. I stopped at a motel, though I got the feeling it was more of a brothel; one I saw earlier in the week charged by the hour, so I think I’ll give them a miss. I continued into the dark having fixed my back light and went in search of a gas station 2 miles away.

It didn’t have any space for camping but the friendly guy told me of a pousada in town. Although it was uphill all the way the thought of a bed gave me the strength to get there.
I checked in and although the room was small I didn’t mind as I just needed a shower. I locked the bike in the driveway and then went in search of food. There wasn’t much around, the pizza place had finished serving. I needed food but the only place was a bar in the market where I ordered two burgers and a beer.

It took forever as he served lots of people picking up take away and when I’d finished my beer, I had to ask him again as he seemed to have forgotten about my order. Back at the hotel I shooed a pair of very large cockroaches out of my room and tried to get some sleep.

Pasouda aguaro 20 reais

Shower ensuite a tv that doesn’t work  and two of the biggest cockroaches I’ve ever seen but a bed is exactly what I needed!