Day 565
Leaving paradise
Well the guests bloggers, AKA my sister Liz and nephew Jed, have gone home. After months of looking forward to seeing them both and a real break off the bikes in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, it’s over. Sad doesn’t cover it.
So, in theory the day after they departed, we should have been heading for them there hills. However due to all the fun and margaritas over Christmas we had forgotten to book our yellow fever vaccine. Our guy in the UK thought we didn’t need it, but to get into Australia after cycling through South America, turns out we do. With the help of José, the doctor at a drop-in clinic we found a hospital in PV that could provide the vaccination, however they only had one shot and so we needed to wait another 2 days in paradise, not a difficult choice. We had to leave our apartment but found a great place near the hospital and relaxed by the sea and the pool. Our jab was given by a specialist in childhood illnesses, so not only did we not feel a thing we got a lollypop too, great service.
We also found time to pop into a bike shop, Black Rock Cycles, and the two guys there, German and Axel, were really great. The shop carried pretty much everything we needed, and they even gave us some spares for free too. Super grateful. At the hotel we bumped into a lovely couple on a motorbike who presented me with a new mascot to replace Zac, who I lost in Wales. El Pato (The Duck) is already getting lots of attention. Not to be outdone, Tom found a new mascot for his bike too
So finally, we were off. Paul and Chris who we had met at Warmshowers hosts Claudia and Oscar's had warned us it would be tough but hey, we’re @debsandtom, when the going gets tough the tough get going! Except we were feeling far from tough. A combination of three weeks off the bikes with soft living, both of us with a cold, the side effects of the vaccination and for Tom, the icing on the cake, a broken rib. Caused by slipping whilst trying to trap a cockroach in the bathroom, dramatic stuff!
As soon as I started pedalling I knew, my legs felt as if they were cycling in a vat of treacle and we hadn’t even started on the hills. After a few flat miles the first hill of the day, just 24 miles and 6,500 feet of climbing. Normally a doable challenge today it was one hill too far. We rode two thirds of it before sheer exhaustion forced us to wildcamp on a small track besides the road. I simply was falling asleep on the bike, Tom wasn’t any better. I slept a solid 12 hours and though not 100%, the treacle was a little thinner this morning. Tom wasn’t so good. No sleep from the rib pain, plus the head cold meant he was in a bad way. We should have stayed longer in paradise. It was a start-stop ride but finally after nearly 3 hours we reached the top of the last 2,200 feet of the 24 mile climb. Common sense finally prevailed and we decided to find a cheap hotel and rest. The road was almost flat and we were soon settled into our hotel in Mascota. It was the Day of the Kings and Wizards celebrations but we were too exhausted to stop and watch the activities, we needed to sleep.
