Chepo – Unknown settlement – 60 Kilometres ^41
Woken by Mr Singh, who invited us to breakfast, didn’t come as a surprise. After
scurrying across the road, we had a good old chat while enjoying his complimentary
breakfast.
No sooner had we departed than it started bucketing down, forcing us to take
shelter until the worst had passed. To our surprise, the paved section ended
abruptly, and the ride became a battle along a muddy, gravelly path until, finally, a
paved road reappeared.
Finally, at around 5 p.m., we reached a settlement where pitching the tents was at
a cantina. I can assure you no cantina has ever made peaceful camping. The music
blared until late in the evening and people were understandably noisy. I could only
hope no one would fall on the tent. Covered in mud, but with no privacy to wash, I
crawled in, muddy feet and all, humming ‘There are days like this’.
Unknown settlement - Torti – 38 Kilometres
One went through stages of things breaking. This must’ve been the tent-pole-
breaking stage, as in one night, both Ernest and I suffered broken tent poles.
Luckily, duct tape, cable ties and the odd hacksaw blade came in handy. Following a
late start, the route led past unmapped hamlets featuring thatched huts and
indigenous people going about their daily tasks. I, however, found the amount of
deforestation in the area alarming.
Upon arriving at Torti, Ernest spotted a hotel. The price was reasonable, and I
desperately needed a shower and booked in. The room came with hot water, which
made it an excellent opportunity to do laundry. Torti was an area where farmers still
travelled by horseback, hence it was the place to find the iconic saddle makers, who
made magnificent, decorative saddles.