Bequimao – Santa Helena - 94 km ^151
I slept so well, Amanda had to wake me for breakfast. A cloud cover made it
comfortable biking as we biked past tiny settlements exceedingly wild-west in style.
The countryside also became increasingly watery, revealing the odd water buffalo,
something not seen further south.
The road wasn’t great, but we managed all right. Traffic was more careful of
cyclists, which was good as the shoulder vanished occasionally.
Santa Helena – Gov. Nunes Freire - 74 km
By morning, Amanda decided to hop on a bus as she wasn’t feeling well. I was off
like a rocket, partly due to a strong tailwind and partly due to our staple of rice and
beans. The way was reasonably flat, providing comfortable riding, but it was poorly
maintained and revealed potholes the size of small craters. However, it acted as an
effective speed control as cars and trucks snaked along trying to avoid the worst.
Cycling into Gov. Nunes Freire, I looked around but couldn’t find my sister
anywhere. I became increasingly worried as there continued to be no sign of her.
Finally, I booked into a visible hotel and hoped she would spot it on her way into
town.
Amanda soon arrived in a pick-up truck. Unable to find a bus in Santa Helena, she
biked forty kilometres and then flagged down a ride. She seemed chuffed with
herself, despite still not feeling 100%.