Friday 25th April 2025 Zapotillo to Puyango
Getting into the refried beans and rice now, it’s really quite nice, might make it my favourite, little cafe we were in did not serve beer, little chat, all sorted, me up the road for a six pack. Bingo getting sick of eating all my meat bits, that doesn’t sound to good, meant the chicken stuff they keep putting on my plate.

On the walk home went past a glorious bakery, had to go in for pudding, so much to choose from so decided to have two each, one for pudding then the other for breakfast, that didn’t work just ate them both, few creepy crawly things in the room, would be devastated if they ate them. Dead right looked like Bingo slept in a nest of cockroaches last night, he woke up with a massive one scuttling around him, not great.

Breakfast and out as quickly as possible, only 40 odd miles planned for today, mainly up hill, well 40 of them are , then 2 downhill , we will see. Just get the bike rolling, lovely countryside, green hills, probably mountains, with lots sugar plantations as we glide up the mountainside, keeping a look out for all the wildlife, getting a lot more abundant now, makes it all good fun, especially when you start climbing. We soon hit the climbs, all good at a low altitude so bring them on, nothing really steep, just go on an on, bit of cloud cover, so not to hot, just spinning the legs. Looking around massive spider just ambling across the road, have to take a picture, looks like a Huntsman spider from Australia, its a long way from home if it is! pretty cool though, said my farewells and we both went on are way, with a nod of the head.

Same all morning looking at the lovely green landscape, though the road is now littered with landslide debris, think we would have struggled to get through a couple of weeks ago, must have been over 20 landslides, where they have just cleared half the road, pretty leary if they happen when you are cycling through.

We stopped at a little junction for a bit of lunch and had to make a decision, stay on the route or head north, with not much on it for quite a while (40 odd miles), with no beer in the decision making it was a no brainer, just carry on what can go wrong! Filled up with egg and chips for me and chicken soup for Bingo of we go, all good bit of a mistake went past a little shop should have got some more chocolate, but hey ho, hopefully will be another shop soon, no such luck on that front. Though the landslides are getting more frequent, not much traffic which is good, as we slip and slide across them, few times we had to wait and let the opposing traffic come through. Right in the middle of nowhere we come across a Motel sign, have a quick look inside, not one of the places we want to stay in, will leave it at that, ladies of the night etc. So we carry on, great ride, looking out for places to camp or stay, eyes peeled, me thinking I will get another oasis, you could not write it, as we swept past a bend, could hear music coming from below on the river side, both pulled over, lets try it. Big steep decline, so I walked down, met the guy at the restaurant asked him if he did rooms, he said he has one if we want it, sure did, within 10 minutes was sitting at a table with a beer and a little room all sorted, at a big riverside restaurant with swimming pools and play areas, only us and another large family there.

Had a lovely meal at the restaurant just as a tropical storm started, rain coming down like stair rods, then a power cut, so we retired to our little room, least we are dry, good job we are not camping. Very early night now.