September 20, 2010
Montevideo to Punta del Este.: Happy days.
Sun 19th Sep. Montevideo to near bello Horizonte. 76km
It's a wonder I don't have any hangover today having drank a good bottle of Uruguayan red wine and two litre bottles of beer last night. It was Saturday night so there was live music in the hostel. The musicians were from the University. The music weird. It was improvised sound something like early Pink Floyd. I sat there drinking my beer reflecting on the week gone and the week to come while looking to be enjoying the music. I just wanted to sit and be alone, but a woman sat next me talking but Is only half listening. She said something about wanting to dance but there wasn't any music to dance to.
Today is a late start as breakfast in the hostel only begins at eight thirty and there's always that your stuff gets so disorganized when staying in a place more than one night. My laundry was still on the roof and I thought that I wasn't going to be able to unlock the door as I tried and tried to turn the key in the lock without it budging. However I gave the door a good heave and it flew open. It had not been locked. Stupid me!
Today I will be cycling East or North East not sure where to but out of the city in the general direction of Brazil. I laid the map out upon the breakfast table and looking at it thought, em, cannot decide should I follow the coast or cycle inland. Inland I looked along route 8. 'Ah that's interesting. A town called Trienta Tres (33)' I though, 'isn't that the 33 who secured Uruguayan independents' My Knowledge of the local history is vague but after the Spanish were defeated in America Uruguay was part of Argentina but there was conflict with the Portuguese that owned Brazil as the borders had not yet been fully defined. I don't know the detail and in any case I'm getting off the subject so I'll leave it there. The alternate is to follow the coast which looks to be the most logical way but perhaps the road will be too busy. I'll wait and see.
The cycle out of the city was for a change pleasant and quite scenic as it was along the waterfront the whole way. It being a Sunday there were no commercial vehicles on the road. There were lots of cyclists including a bunch that sprinted past on shiny light racing bikes. Is soon to find out that it was the city marathon and the road ahead was closed to vehicles for the runners which numbered in the thousands all strung out along one side of the dual carriage-way. The slower competitors coming in the opposite direction on the other side were more bunched up. I cycled along side the runners as there was the whole road but further on I'd to mount the pavement as there were too many spectators on the road leading in to the finish-line where the commentator jubilantly announced the numbers of those crossing the line
The road ahead followed the beach towards nice leafy neighbourhoods. The nice South America of effluents. I've seen the ugly too. It could've well been the French riviera here. I like cycling here as the road is good everything is clean and tidy but most of all personal safety isn't an issue
The road wasn't good the whole day though as there was a short section where it was narrow single carriage-way without a shoulder and this part was pretty frightening as there was oncoming traffic and passing traffic constantly. I take my hat off to the driver who didn't slow as he past me just as I'd to swerve out to avoid a big pot hole on the inside. He could see or if he had been paying attention he would've seen that the road was rough and pot holed and the cyclist would probably move out to avoid a hole. I often wonder at drivers like this who drive by without slowing within inches of me. What are they thinking?
I'd lunch on the beach then in the afternoon at a road junction while waiting for the lights to change there were entertainers with uni-cycles and jugglers that usually perform ahead of the stop line but were now relaxing at the side of the road. One of the jugglers had quite an old bike and looked at mine which is quite new. He asked did I like his bike, 'it's an antique' 'And my bike is new' I say back. I think he may have been trying to sell it to me. It was the same old story of the western traveler apparently having lots of money. I didn't wait to inquire what year or anything as it looked a pretty ordinary old street bike to me and was happy when the lights went green.
With the exception of that few kilometres of narrow single carriage-way the road was a wide dual carriage-way the whole way with wide shoulder. A motorcycle tourist passed with a yellow number plate and a GB badge waved. I have not seen many other travelers in a long time perhaps that is about to change. I shared the shoulder with two women mountainbikers for a while before seeing a place amongs leafy scrubs to camp.
Mon 20th Sep. Near Bello Horizonte to Punta del Este. 70km.
This morning there was allot of condensation. The outside of the sleeping bag was wet and there were small puddles in the creases on top of the panniers. It was a sunny humid morning. There was the buzz from men using grass strimmers on the wide grass verges and that sweet smell of freshly cut grass. I could've cycle for an hour more yesterday evening as there was lots of woodland on either side which was unfenced so easy to gain access.
A hill called Pan de azucar (sugar loft) which I first saw ahead yesterday evening I passed mid-morning. I's feeling glad I'd chosen this road as there was lots of woodland and if it kept on like this it would be better than anything I would've expected. Uruguay has been such a surprise with good roads and very nice scenery. However I's getting hungry and that's one down side to the country the longer distance between service stations. I'd two oranges left over from yesterday so I made do with them for an eleven o clock stop. Twenty minutes after setting off again I reach a small place with a shop where I bought bread and things. Setting of from the shop I'd just to find a nice place for a pick-nick lunch which wasn't difficult as there was lots of woodland without a fence along the road.
When I think about things I'll miss about Uruguay alfarjores would be one of them. I never quite liked the alfarjores in Argentina were they're just another biscuit. Here though they're amazing, soft cake like filled with the Dulce de Leche which is also more supperior in Uruguay.
It was only another 15km to Punta del Este and I cycled part of it with Alejandro a local physical education teacher. As he was interested in my tour he said he too would like to make a cycle tour of South America but never has the time but he had cycled North from Uruguay to Rio once and told me allot of useful information about Brazil including the road along the coast to Rio has a good shoulder.
I passed a camping site a long way before reaching the city, it turned out to be the only camping site so this evening I've booked into another hostel. There's nothing much to say about Punta del Este apart from it's a holiday resort and so a place to pass through.
Today's ride: 146 km (91 miles)
Total: 2,350 km (1,459 miles)
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