October 2, 2010
Route BR293 day 2: What's in an omen?
This morning so far has been cloudy and therefore cold proving the omen of a red evening sky wrong but there are some holes and the sun makes an occasional warming glimpse so perhaps it's too early in the day to judge.
I've just arrived at he outskirts of a place called Pinhero Machado. I've checked the map and according to it it's another 80km to the town of Bage. There maybe places on the way with services, it's hard to say from a circle on a map what a place will have so I've decided not to risk it and instead buy what I need for the day here.
Like other villages in Brazil I've encountered so far the streets are rough cobble stones so slow and bumpy to ride on. People stopped what they were doing as I past and looked at me. While I's at the petrol station filling up on water there were gauchos riding leisurely along the street. I bough what I needed which wasn't must, a bottle of coke and a packet of biscuits,at the petrol station too as it was still quite a bit to go on those rough cobbles to where there were shops. While there the pump attendant looked with interest at my bike then talked to me but the only words I understood are travel and what country do I come from. I answered in Spanish hoping to participate as best I could.
The road onwards climbed quite a bit to a summit. Down below in the valley ahead was a great plume of white smoke like a great fire. At this point where the road began to descend the shoulder ended and there was a climbing lane on the opposite side. It was a frightening experience the extra speed of descending and the usual deep concrete storm drain at the side of the road which I'd to keep close to as the cars which came regularly came very fast. Soon I saw the cause of the smoke ahead the chimneys and grey concrete hulk of a cement factory. A blot on an otherwise pleasant landscape.
One of the real pluses I've discovered so far in Brazil are the buffet restaurants at service stations. Today I came upon one at noon which was good timing as it's lunch time. It was full of people both seated eating or moving around the hot plate loading their plates with meat, salad and cooked vegetables which there were a wide selection of. I needed a good meal today as I'd only a sandwich and polenta the day before. I'd lamb, a sausage, cauliflower, carrots, potatoe salad and beetroot salad which was well appreciated by my depleted system. Then it is weighted at the counter as it's on a per kilo price. My price was 11 reals or in the region of 5 Euro, plus another 5 reals or 2.5 Euro for the beer. The beer isn't bad too if you avoid a certain brand which is similar to Budwhotsit, a beer without fizz.
The afternoon was quite uneventful. I was to stop at three to eat the biscuits and drink coke but I pushed on to near four just before reaching the town of Bage, covering by then 83km. I didn't need to enter the town as it was a few kilometres away off the main road and I knew I'd pass through another major town for supplies tomorrow around midday anyway. The only other happening was a guy on a mountainbike rode up to me as I rode on from the turn-off for Bage. He spoke slowly and clearly so I could make out some of what he's saying and he understood a little Spanish so he understood some of my replies. Nevertheless it was a limited conversation. The red evening sky omen was partly right as the cloud cleared in the afternoon and it was a fine day till sunset. Tonight as I write I'm well hidden behind the boundary fence of a pine forest. To get in here I'd to lift the wire gate and drag the bike underneath which was for the few minutes it took to do in full view of the road but the cars go so fast I don't think they'd notice detail at the side of the road.
Today's ride: 105 km (65 miles)
Total: 3,248 km (2,017 miles)
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