Laser internet café, Bilbao 09-09-06
One pass to another
Bordeaux to San Sebastien
(4 cycle days; 343km; 2696m)
Gradignan to Parentis-en-Born (78km; 114m)
Parentis-en-Born to Soustons (99km; 169m)
Soustons to Sare (94km; 912m)
Sare to Igeldo - San Sebastian, Spain (73km; 1501m)
Buzzed Off
Bordeaux to Parentis (78km;
114m) is easy going; long, straight and flat and had it not been for the
campsite lying well out of Parentis itself, we would have been sitting in front of the tent well before 3.30pm. The trip is nothing really out of the ordinary except a very large pine forest industry, an overwhelming number of resorts and 4-star campgrounds dotting the
lake and coastal regions. Campsite prices are consequently
not very good value for cyclists. In fact, if Noah rocked
up with his ark, he would be charged the same price.
Naturally there would be a surcharge for all the animals.
The event of the day however, is cycling
in the vicinity of a hornets nest...
Tip of the month: the only way to carry the loo-paper
An Ozzie friend once told me about this toilet paper trick and I'm sure that
most backpackers already know the secret. At first, I thought she was totally
mad and that removing the inside carton roll wouldn't make any difference to
its bulk and ease of packing in the travel bag.
But there you go,
I was horribly wrong and for those
of you that have never tried it: it's a
great way to cart toilet paper around the
world with you. What's more, if you put
it inside a ziploc bag, you've got yourself
a nifty little dispenser too.
Instructions
could not be easier:
Take cardboard roll out of the
middle (can be a slight perseverance
task, depending on the brand).
Flatten the roll, making sure the middle
piece of paper is sticking out, place
in sealable plastic bag and voilá.
You will never need to get the loo
paper out of the bag again. Pretty
handy considering some of the grotty
toilets there are in this world. Anyone who's camped or travelled
on a budget will know exactly the
benefit of that.
Bordeaux (France) - Peniche (Portugal)
Kilometres: 1533 kilometers and 990 meters
Riding days: 21
Alti meters: 13666 metres
Weather: what can we say... a few days
in northern Spain and one or two around Porto
were dry. All the others we had rain and
plenty of it...
Best accommodation: Riaño,
because of the view and the very friendly
staff
Special thanks to:
Mirko Schrijvershof for his support at the Rabobank • Alfredo at Laser internet café for his
friendliness • Rodrigo at Servicio Automaçion Novinar
near Léon for fixing our electricity supply
and the nice conversation • Pascal & Annie for the Martini and nibbles
when we most needed them (in Bragança rain).
Looking forward to the photos ! • The Tax Office in Holland who is still supporting
us financially, although we are long gone :-)
Breakdowns:
06: tent pole
08: flat tyre (Son)
12: tent pole
12: cooking pot handle
18: flat tyre (Ali)
18: loose wire solar connector
22: eyelet for rear pannier (Ali)
