Mamanguape – Natal (By bus) ^121
Using public transport isn’t something I like to do, but at times there is no other
choice. In the morning a bus took us to Natal, where I was sure one could find a
place to fix Amanda’s bike. Thank goodness, the town had a decent bicycle shop
where they fixed the bicycle as best they could. Afterwards, we continued to the
beach to locate accommodation.
Once again, Amanda tried contacting her bank as she had no PIN for her new bank
card. They assured us they would phone us in the morning, but nothing happened,
and we stayed an additional day. In the meantime, we had our visas extended, and
were granted a further 45 days stay.
Natal – Touros - 93 km
Natal was a big and busy town and, while trying to find a minor road, I took a
wrong turn and landed on a dirt road seemingly going nowhere. Our path
eventually spat us out on the intended route thirty kilometres further. However, the
rest of the way was perfect: on a good road accompanied by a tailwind.
All would’ve remained perfect if not for Amanda having a puncture four kilometres
from Touros. It wasn’t a big problem, but Amanda expected a major disaster as
she’d had endless bicycle trouble. Instead, Touros turned out a charming fishing
hamlet offering a lovely square where villagers gathered in the evening to watch
public TV. Kids played ball on the beach and others nibbled on street food.