Manase to Vaisala

Today's ride was 40km, although we were not sure how accurate that distance was given the discrepancies of the previous days. We google mapped the villages, and it said 75km, but then we realised it was using another town (not the one we were in). The guestimate was 42-45km. We knew there was a hill, and I had in my mind something like the twisted road that goes through the Kangaroo Valley. I was psyched and sugared and banana'd up and I reckoned I would make it to the top.

15km we still had not really started climbing, and thought it must have been overrated.

I cannot tell you when the hills started, it was like a slow and steady ascent that creeped up on you. We stopped for coconuts at around 25km, convinced that was it. Then had an immediate climb into the next climb (even on the plateaus I was in my smallest cog at the front). At 30km, and after some fairly solid climbing, we took photos of ourselves as champions at the “top”. Even then it was another 5km or so before we em barked on what you could accurately describe as “downhill”. By then you have been climbing for 15km, and legs, lungs, and spirit is completely obliterated.

Only one more village until our hotel, and the ground jutted up for a steep and grueling final hill, just to wipe us out. I was pretty happy to have stayed on my bike the whole way, and towed Evie as well. We maintained a steady 15km/hr pace, which is a bit slower than our 20km/hr of previous days. Having said that, including breaks, our speed was about the same. We must have rested less!!

We had occasional bike trouble today, but one of the silver lining's to our bike mechanic pulling out (not very many of these), is that we have learned to take care of stuff on our own. We are even starting to look like we belong on a bike, with out set-up looking good, and our style too!!

Sally is officially our Queen of the Hills, and Di is Downhill Champion. And I have to thank Jen for drafting me the first 10-15km, I think I buggered her out though ;-)

Little bit of drama with our bags going to the wrong hotel, but that was all taken care of before we realised what happened!

We have our own hotel rooms, complete with shower and air conditioning (but curiously no hot water jug). There is a tropical reef only a few metres from shore, so I am bummed that my “underwater” camera has given up the ghost! Even sitting in the same today, there were little fluro fish darting about the place.

Still no-one mucking about in the wind. It is unbelievable, that a place with such consistent, and honking winds, has absolutely no boats!