Higuerote – Chuspa - 40 km
The modem I bought was faulty which required returning to the computer shop.
Solving the problem involved downloading a program. I returned to the guesthouse,
packed up and on departing collected the laptop.
As a result, the time was past 11h00 before getting underway, in a westerly
direction. Soon the path deteriorated and later vanished altogether. The track
became muddy and offered no bridges across rivers. Luckily, the rivers were small,
and one could walk the bikes across. But, unknowingly, the worst was still to come.
Cars and motorbikes wisely turned around, leaving only 4-wheel drive vehicles and
us. This should’ve been enough to make any logical person follow suit. Still, we
weren’t rational and persevered along an almost impassable track.
I became utterly bogged down at one stage as the sinking mud sucked me and the
bicycle in. Dragging the bike, my feet pulled out the sandals which then
disappeared into the sinking mud. After spending time retrieving the sandals, I
proceeded barefoot through the slippery mess.
Slinking into Chuspa was past 16h00, and searching for lodging made it even more
tricky as Chuspa was a teeny seaside settlement in the midst of celebrating carnival
week. The village was packed and the rooms full. People were in a festive mood and
all wanted to help find lodging. Finally, with holidaymakers’ help, we located a
lovely guesthouse with five bedrooms around a tiny, pleasant courtyard.