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Published: November 17th 2008
I feel shame and sadness in equal parts when I admit that this will be the 1st and only cycling blog of our trip...
I was so looking forward to cycle the world!!... reading other cyclists' blogs I made a romantic and naive idea of live on the road... but experience has taught me that I am not as strong... maybe it was the heat, maybe the spiders, maybe the noises at night, but after 200 kms I had to retire from the race...
It all started 5 days ago when, full of energy and as exited as a couple of teenagers on their first date, we set off from our
Couchsurfing hosts, D. and J., and we started pedaling heading south. It was so hot that, at 1pm, I was exhausted and we had to pitch the tent and rest the whole afternoon... that was the 1st free camping night and my 1st sleepless night...
Next morning, I had my 1st, of many, anxiety attacks, thinking about the agony from the day before. But, live brings you surprises and the 2nd day was much better than the 1st one, as it wasn't so windy and it didn't
rain... but it didn't matter how much sun screen we rubbed on, we ended up with sun burnt arms (and I didn't want to get a "cyclist tan"), but much happier than the previous day. But, we spent the night in a park and, even Dax was very relaxed because he has done it before (well, and because he's very relaxed anyway!!) I spent, once again, a sleepless night...
So, on the 3rd day, I woke up tired and with no will power, even though I felt less anxious because I enjoyed the ride the day before... but I wasn't going to enjoy that one... we had to stop a few hours at midday because of the heat was too much and we stopped to see a children motocross competition: from little boys who were more interested in getting muddy that the race itslef and who could barely hold the motorbikes, to the new
cool generation all dress the same way, I repeat
all: caps that were too big for their heads, hanging trousers and socks stretched to the limit, like a German tourist in Mallorca and white glasses... showing "lot of personality"... but we had a good time
and, after 3 hours, we decided it was time to get back on the bikes... it wasn't 2 hours later when I collapsed on the grass, eating nuts to get some energy to get up again... my Charming prince convinced a farmer to let us pitch the tent in his property... where I had the 3rd night from hell: we went to sleep at about 7.30 pm, to get up at 5 am and pedal for a few hours before the day got too hot again; I woke up the 1st time at 11 pm because someone was playing really loud music, then because I imagined steps outside the tent, then because I heard an animal making strange noises on the other side of the river (and this is true, even Dax got up to check it out, so strange it sounded!!), and even because I smelled burning!!! (and that wasn't true!!)... when I woke up at 4 am, I changed the alarm at 6 am instead of 5, to get some rest...
But the cows had different plans and they came to inspect our tent at 5.15 am, so we had to get up... i moved one of
the bags and a GIGANTIC spider came out and I started screaming and crying a bit hysterically because THAT WAS TOO MUCH!!, under "normal" circumstances I wouldn't mind that much to share the tent with a spider, but I had barely any sleep for the previous 3 nights and I was tired and irritated and I wanted to go home to have a bad and read on the sofa...
But, of course I didn't go home, but I climbed on the bike and started pedaling again, under a scorching sun (at 7.30 am!!) and with no water, as there wasn't any where we camped; after 6 kms, we found a woman who gave us water and told us we were on the wrong direction, she showed us the right road and told us it was a "bit steep" and we may have to push... when we got to the road I wanted to die!!, it was so steep that I couldn't even push my bike and Dax (bless him!!) had to push his with one hand and help me with the other... after 3 kms up hill, he even had to take one of my bags and carry it
on his shoulders (have I got the best husband or what??)...
I had been crying for 3 hours and, finally, we had a talk about whether or not to keep going... well, actually, I threw myself on the floor saying that I didn't want to ride any more... and that was the moment when (
I) decided the end of our cycling adventure...
At least we left the mountain behind and, after 4 kms in an endless plain, without a single tree and with a sun so strong that we kept pouring water over our heads and necks but it was evaporated before it touched us, we got to
Murwillumbah where we wanted to get a train back to our home with D. and J. but, to our surprise, the only way out was by bus and they didn't take bikes on them... fortunately, we found the kindest bus driver in the country who, not only allowed us to put the bikes in the bus, but because we didn't have enough money, charged us as "elderly" and was explaining all the sights along the way... basically sugar cane!!
And so we got to
Tweed Heads where, after 4
thanks for the blanket, mum!! / gracias por la manta, mama!!
check out my super tanned arms but white face and legs!!... cyclist fashion / ojo con mis brazos super bronceados pero piernas y cara blancas!!... a la moda ciclistadays riding, we had a well deserved shower and slept on a bed...
I know some of you are thinking "I knew it"... well,
I didn't know it, and I really thought I was going to last more than 4 days but, as I said, life brings you surprises and I learnt that I am not as strong as I thought... the worse bit was to see Dax's face, as he was enjoying all that "freedom"...
I reached a point when I was so anxious and stressed that I didn't want to travel any more and only wanted to go back home but, fortunately, I calmed down and we decided to travel in a different way, by bus ot train like "normal people" and try to enjoy it as much as we can... but both of us are very disappointed, specially Dax and, for a while I thought he will ask for the ring back but, instead, he understood that it was too hard for me, that, at least, I tried and that we didn't come here to suffer, but to have a good time...
The best: have tried something new
The worse: have failed on
it
Como lo intente y falle
Siento pena y verguenza a partes iguales al admitir que este sera el primero y unico blog ciclista de nuestro viaje...
Que ganas tenia de recorrer el mundo en bici!!... leyendo los blogs de otros ciclistas me habia hecho una idea, un poco romantica e inocente, de la vida en la carretera... pero la experiencia me ha demostrado que yo no soy tan fuerte... quiza fuera el calor, quiza las aranhas, quiza los ruidos nocturnos, pero despues de 200 kms, me tuve que retirar de la carrera...
Todo empezo hace poco mas de 5 dias, cuando, llenos de energia y nerviosos como quiceanheros en su primera cita, dejamos la casa de nuestros
Couchsurfing anfitriones, D. y J., y nos pusimos a dar pedales rumbo al sur. Hacia tanto calor que a la 1 pm yo ya no podia mas y tuvimos que montar la tienda y descansar toda la tarde... esa fue la primera noche de acampada libre y mi primera noche de no dormir y de oir ruditos extranhos que sonaban a pisadas asesinas...
Al dia siguiente, me dio el primer ataque de ansiedad
de lo que seria una larga coleccion de ellos pensando en la agonia que habia sido el dia anterior. Pero, la vida te da sorpresas, sorpresas te da la vida y el segundo dia fue mucho mejor que el primero ya que, ni hacia tanto viento ni llovia... pero por mucha proteccion solar que nos pusimos, acabamos con los brazos quemados (y yo queria evitar a toda costa el tener un "bronceado de ciclista"), pero mucho mas felices que el dia anterior. Sin embargo, pasamos la noche en un parque y, aunque Dax estaba tranquilisimo porque el ya habia dormido en parques antes (bueno, y porque el es tranquilisimo de todas formas!!) yo pase, otra vez, una noche malisima casi sin dormir...
Asi que, el tercer dia, me levante cansada y sin ganas de hacer nada, aunque ya no tenia tanta ansiedad por lo que me esperaba en la carretera ya que el dia anterior habia sido bueno... pero ese no lo iba a ser... tuvimos que parar unas horas al mediodia porque el calor era INSOPORTABLE, y paramos a ver una competicion de chavales haciendo motocross: desde chiquillos de 5 anhos que estaban mas interesados en jugar con
banana for the brain / platano para el cerebro
they are not space warriors, they are motorbike riders!! / no son guerreros espaciales, son moteros!! el barro que en las carreras y que apenas podian con las motos, a la nueva generacion de
guays, todos vestidos iguales, repito,
todos: gorras tipo beisbol demasiado grandes para sus cabezas, pantalones caidos, calcetines estirados a mas no poder tipo turista aleman en Mallorca y gafas de pasta blanca... demostrando "mucha personalidad"... pero nos lo pasamos bastante bien y, despues de 3 horas alli, decidimos seguir nuestro camino... no pasaron ni 2 horas antes de que yo me tirara en la hierba, completamente agotada, comiendo nueces a punhados para poder recuperar un poco de energia y levantarme otra vez... mi principe azul consiguio que un granjero nos dejara montar la tienda en su terreno... y alli pase la tercena noche infernal: nos acostamos sobre las 7.30 pm, para poder levantarnos a las 5 am y hacer unos kms antes de que hiciera demasiado calor; me desperte la 1a vez a las 11 pm porque alguien puso musica altisima y sonaba como un concierto al aire libre, luego porque me imagine pisadas al lado de la tienda, porque habia un animal aullando y grunhendo al otro lado del rio (y esto es cierto porque Dax se levanto para ver lo
que era!!) e incluso porque me imagine que olia a quemado!! (lo cual no era verdad!!)... Cuando me desperte a las 4 am, decidi cambiar el despertador para las 6 am en vez de las 5, para descansar un poco...
Pero las vacas tenian otras ideas y se pusieron a olfatear nuestra tienda a las 5.15 am, con lo cual, nos tuvimos que levantar... al mover una de las bolsas, salio una aranha GIGANTE de ella y me puse a chillar y llorar como una histerica porque era lo que me faltaba!!!, en circunstancias "normales" no me hubiera importado compartir la tienda con una aranha, pero casi no habia dormida en las 3 ultimas noches y estaba cansada e irritada y me queria ir a mi casa a darme un banho y leer en el sofa...
Por supuesto, no me fui a casa, sino que me monte en la bici y pedaleamos otra vez, bajo un sol ardiente (a las 7.30 am!!) y sin agua, porque en donde acampamos no habia donde llenar las botellas!!; despues de 6 kms, encontramos a una senhora que nos dio agua y nos dijo que ibamos en la direccion equivocada, nos ensenho
la carretera que teniamos que cojer y nos aviso de que era un "poco empinada"... cuando llegamos a la carretera yo me queria morir!!, era tan empinada que no podia ni empujar la bici y el pobre de Dax tenia que empujar la suya con una mano y ayudarme a mi con la otra mano... despues de mas de 3 kms cuesta arriba, incluso tuvo que cojer una de mis bolsas y llevarla en su bici para que yo me pudiera mover (tengo el mejor marido del mundo o que??)...
Yo llevaba 3 horas llorando y, por fin, hablamos de seguir o no seguir... bueno, mas bien, yo me tire al suelo y chille perjurando que no iba a andar un solo dia mas en bici... y ese fue el momento en que (
yo) decidi el final de nuestra aventura ciclista...
Por fin dejamos atras la montanha y, despues de 4 kms en una llanura enorme, sin un solo arbol y con tanto sol que nos teniamos que echar agua por la cabeza y cuello y se evaporaba antes de tocarnos, llegamos a
Murwillumbah donde ibamos q coger un tren de vuelta a nuestro hogar con D. y
J., pero, para nuestra sorpresa, el unico modo de salir de esa ciudad era en bus y no podiamos llevar las bicis en ellos... pero, por fortuna, encontramos al conductor de buses mas amable del pais, que no solo nos dejo meter las bicis en el bus, sino que, como no nos llegaba el dinero para pagar el billete, nos cobro como si fueramos pensionista y nos fue explicando lo que ibamos viendo por el camino... basicamente canha de azucar!!...
Asi llegamos a
Tweed Heads, donde, despues de 4 dias pedaleando, nos dimos una merecida ducha y dormimos en una cama...
Se que algunos de vosotros estareis pensando "yo ya lo sabia"... pues
yo no lo sabia y, de verdad, pensaba que iba a ser capaz de durar mas de 4 dias... pero la vida te da sorpresas y yo he aprendido que no soy tan fuerte como pensaba... lo peor de todo era ver la cara de tristeza de Dax, ya que el se lo estaba pasando muy bien con toda esa "libertad"...
Llego un momento en el que, estaba tan nerviosa y agobiada que no queria viajar mas y queria volver a casa pero, por
fortuna, me calme un poco y decidimos, simplemente, enfocar el viaje de otra manera y viajar en tren y bus como la gente "normal" e intentar pasarnoslo tan bien como podamos de todas maneras... pero los dos estamos muy decepcionados, sobre todo Dax y, durante un rato, me temia que me iba a pedir que le devolviera el anillo... pero, en lugar de eso, entendio perfectamente que me estaba costando demasiado, que por lo menos lo intente y que no hemos venido hasta aqui para sufrir sino a pasarnoslo bien...
Lo mejor: haber intentado algo nuevo
Lo peor: haber fallado...
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Maritxu Manterola
non-member comment
Saludos
Hola Deni y Dax, Deni, I really felt for you after reading your last blog as I could imagine how hard it must have been for you and because of the decision you two made in the end. But remember, at least you've tried it so don't be sad and enjoy the rest of the trip! I spoke to Aimar last week and he said he wanted to go and see you guys in Malasya...lucky you... No news here, we're all fine and enjoying the horrible, wet weather (he,he). Going to SS for Christmas where hopefully, Rosa and Ramon might join me for a few days there and maybe Ivan and Roci as well! Bueno chicos, mucho animo y un abrazo muy pero que muy fuerte. Maria