Chuspa – Naiguata - 64 km
The stretch between Chuspa and Naiguata was barely 65 kilometres and was
initially surprising and innocent-looking, and the day started promising. Soon,
however, the path started climbing and I wheezed my way up the near-vertical
inclines through the thick and dense forest.
In hot and humid weather, the road climbed hill upon hill, only to descend sharply
to the ocean and then lead straight up the mountain once more. If not so stunning,
one could’ve had a severe sense of humour failure. However, while challenging
biking, the views were spectacular. This was, after all, Venezuela’s Caribbean Coast.
When authorities make grooves in the road surface to prevent vehicles from sliding
when going up or down, it’s steep! Even cars and motorbikes had difficulty
encountering these hills. A man having his car towed away burst out laughing when
he saw us wrestling our bikes up the same hill his vehicle couldn’t. All in all, it was
a tough day, and on top of that, I had three flat tyres, and Ernest two! Crawling
into Naiguata, people were astounded to learn where we came from. The coastal
route was clearly not the one taken by the majority.
Being carnival week, stacks of people were out enjoying the holidays, and it was
fun camping on the beach amongst other holidaymakers. Music was going full-blast
through the night, and I thought it amazing that a car battery could last that long.
The music resembled the battle of the bands as each group had its music.