River World: part two

I can hear the high chipping of night insects now and feel like writing a bit more, bless the absence of Corazon Music. I found the stereo system in this place and did the very Wayman thing of quietly turning the thing down.

Also, we had a delicious dinner of beans and rice and flavorful soup. Beans have been impossible to find here--you'd be surprised, right!--because the main portion of every meal is usually some animal substance. But food goes by region, and we are now entering the Bean Region (Antigua), apparently.

In a life of riding like this, the basic events of eating and sleeping are now pleasures as dear as a birthday party to a small child. Every time I eat. Every night I lay down. Who knew so much bliss could come from things so simple?

So pulling over roadside and buying cold coconuts with straws dipped in them, the most replenishing and delicious thing. A crowd of small children gathered to gape at us and our bikes as we sipped.

Tomorrow begins the third main chapter of our ride: The Final Climb. Chapter 1 was riding along the ocean coast, Chapter 2 was the dry hot inland region with cattle farming and banana plantations. Chapter 3 now is the mountain climb up to Medellin, our final destination; the road on the map is a rick-rack squiggle.

A striking transformation happened today a few kilometers outside of Tarazà: the swinging saloon door West of cattle and dusty spreads of grass transformed into the verdant jungle. Huge leaves clambering up the cliffs just roadside, the valley wide enough to contain just river and road, tempering the heat. Little bright houses abutted the road, backed up against the river.

The place was Truck Washing Town, where giant hoses were set up along the road, spraying pumped river water in massive arcing sweeps. Trucks were stopped roadside and soapy men scrubbed away. I gleefully pedaled under a few of the sprinklers myself.

The feeling of the ride changed at this point too, I could feel a heavy dense peace settling, now out of direct sun and around all those leaves.

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