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With a little rough stretch , after 15 km I arrived at my destination the day in the city Santa Elena.Soon I was received by the money changers wanting to exchange my dollars per bolivars , but first I searched in a deal . Ali swapped more than $ 1,000 (one thousand reias ) and in exchange got 430 bolivars for each real. Recalling that the money is used Bolivares in Venezuela since 1823 to the present day . Then I went looking for a police headquarters to ask for his help so I can spend the night as well as in Brazil , and I confess that I was scared to be denied The support I am a foreigner, but I could cry a little until they indicate to me the other companies of police during my time in country. But I could not stay there , then they took me by car to the police immigration where I was allowed to pitch my tent for the 14th time in the courtyard where the cars were smashed. I tried to convince the guard to let me take a bath, but he gave the excuse that there were no showers, and suggested I take a bath in the river the next day when they go away. I found it very strange and naughty this idea, but the harsh reality that time was that I was already on the second night without showering . I went back to my tent there and spend a good night sleep .
In the morning, dismantled the tent and went to buy my morning coffee in a bakery , where he also bought the map State of Gran Sabana. Then I saw that he was entering a forest reserve called Parque CanaimaWith over 300 km of green area in a straight line and without much urbanization, only a few points of tourist stops with campground and trade. After lunch , hit the road , or rather on the pedal.
As I was leaving , I passed by three cars with family and then turned around and gave me something to drink (beer and water) , three very nice families who wished me luck and recorded the meeting. Not forgetting that I was there I met a very small mosquito, with names of mosquitos , which increased the number of bites to 67 , and the opportunity , I asked them why we did not see a mosquito flying, make noise and not land on me, only felt the sting , which was not feeble pro size. In the 46 km of the odometer , stopped for a rest and drink water from a bridge over the river and there Jasperi took five more mosquito bites piun , accumulating 72 bites. Going 15 miles ahead, the police found a post on immigration, had to stop and show passports. At that time , I found going to a Brazilian Boa Vista with his family, he was already living in Venezuela for more than five years and bought me some stickers I used to have a snack in a small coffee shop there. As there was no drinking water, I was forced to drink three sodas average with two cheese pies (450 Bolivars = about a real), I learned also another name for the mosquito piun which was renamed puripuri and won eight more bites (80 bites ).
In the morning I photographed the camp with many barracks , which they call here the carp of different models and sizes , mine was there in the middle and I preparing to hit the road. I stand on the pedal , I found the signpost for the next camps (Photo), and planned to sleep in Kamoiran about 80 km from San Pacheco. 14.85 km in the odometer stopped to rest and do a quick snack at ten o'clock (photo).
and they parted down south and I lived north ( tape). In the 30 km of the odometer , a family of tourists from Venezuela, that they went through before giving me a holler , enjoying the holiday of the week santa coming south of the country in search adventures on the side of nature. Indians were in a hut making your lunch, it was already 12:00 pm, then they called me to lunch with them.
In the back recorded the beautiful image of me walking by low vegetation and also in a deserted Indian hut , an unforgettable thrill .
They told me there was a small village 5 km away and that I could buy water. After 20 minutes of riding , I reached the town of Salto Kama and bought two liters of water, chocolate and bread. Here in Venezuela , mainly food prices cost to less than half compared to Brazil and some products come with the price on the package. Now for my communication with the Venezuelan is not being difficult , they are quite understandable and teach me to speak your language. A little more later had a few more houses of Indians , so-called civilized Indians , who communicate directly with the white man. In order to arrive to San Rafael Kamo , but I understand that the camp was 4 km further on, called the abduction of Kamoiran with restaurant , snack bars and gas station, but would have to pay 500 Bolivars to pitch my tent , then other people told me that a little bit behind is a place where you can spend the night the river without paying anything. Then I turned round and soon found the river 1 km away with many stalls and beautiful people . It is very beautiful these places , filled with drinking water , waterfalls and mountains. It was cold that night, so I tried to set my right under the 16th time and sleep . I made my dinner on milk , bread, prune , and canned sardines .
Dismantled the tent and went to the station to take my breakfast. I ate some crayons , I juice and chatted with tourists who bought my stickers helping to pay for lunch. The rear tire of the bike was half empty, so I decided to fill the spot in post and had a pleasant surprise to find that family with whom I made my last lunch. They stopped to buy supplies and film to photograph and so I could record that last moment together. Returning to the road, the wind in the first two days was against , Now come on my side. At 29.90 km , was stopped by Venezuelans in front of the army barracks to meet me. They knocked pictures, gave me a cold apple juice and wished a happy journey. Walking over 4 km had lunch in a restaurant ( photo) at the beginning of a climb and there ate and drank enough to say , because the food was well fed , two cups of orange juice in large, roasted chicken , rice , pasta , salad and a chocolate that cost me only 1140 Bolivars (U $ 2.50 ). Just ahead there is a monument to the Soldier Pioneer. The 10 km stretch of the restaurant got into the closed forest, without urbanization or stopping points. On that day but the wind being in my favor, after passing the guard house of the National Guard , found by the way the call Sierra de la Virgin and 19 km of pure slope, an emotion that makes the heart beat and relaxing , is not it ? After the long descent , I had some ups and downs , yet easy to ride , and soon found the Piedra de la Virgin ( photo), a huge wall right next to a curve to the right downhill with about 3 degrees. So I stopped, because there was a stall selling souvenirs and image of the Virgin Mary , who according to history, it was seen that place 32 years ago by a woman (1964), have been killed and more than 50 truck drivers who failed to brake because of the sharp curve and slammed straight into the wall of stone . 10 miles away found the city of Las Claritas 88 km on the highway and also the bike, what and where the Canaima National Park ends. I stopped and made a snack , I ate a pierro caliente (hot dog ) with water papelón with limon it tastes like sugar cane juice . The final the day was to come , and decided to pitch my tent when I passed through the region to put a bridge, so I thought I could get there. I asked two ladies who were passing by the road and they said it would be dangerous because I would run the risk of being assaulted . They advised me to stay at a hotel nearby , so I agreed to follow them. We found the hotel called the center of the city , paid 1000 bolivars and 19:30 hrs I was already installed in my room. I went to bathe and not I could close the bathroom door, and finally, reached a citizen who called the shower beside causing lacked water in my well at that time that I was all soapy. As the day was not as tiring, went to a bar hotel to see what was happening and had the opportunity to see the Venezuelan dance to their tradition. After that scene, I went to my room and when I lay in bed , the mattress almost went down. The heat was present, but the fan too. Woke up at 07:00 hrs , took my lunch and back to the road. It was Good Friday and met at the bus stop two Swiss adventurers had found in the tour bus that did Manaus to Boa Vista. They spoke a little Spanish , were already two months traveling through northern Brazil to Venezuela coming and were eager to catch a bus to travel to follow , but it was a holiday and the way was to try a ride. Then I say the biggest drawback in traveling to foot , having to depend on transport, besides having to carry all the luggage in the back. I talked with them a little and took a bye , for my own transportation is . Soon , they came for me to ride in the wagon driver of a truck shaking his hand. In the 36 km of the odometer , I went through an indigenous area , with 10 km in length, but did not see anyone naked, only children . Lunch time was coming and could find no restaurants , only a few bodegas selling soda and snacks . I had walked over 70 km and only found a bodega in the Community of St. Joseph , so I had to buy four bottles of orange juice and a bag of potato chips to fool the stomach (480 Bolivars ).
They also gave me a book talking about his country and one flag of Venezuela, the name of the person responsible is called Dona Gelênia, Who treated me as his hijo (son ). I met a nice Brazilian lady who lives here more than 25 years , married to a Venezuelan , and I pointed to another Brazilian who has a farm later so I can sleep in your home, but fate made me put up the tent for the 17th time at km 11 ( score) in a bodega, (Fundo de la expectancy ), being sold by the lady and her daughters that I met that afternoon. They sympathized with me , so let me spend the night there, but soon had to go to church and I was alone. I ate my dinner and I fell asleep. I woke up like 7:30 pm to talk with the muchachas (girls ) , I waited a bit but they still they had agreed and had to go without saying goodbye . Now more at ease, was entering the urban area and thus able to sleep at some police headquarters , but walked many miles without urbanization. I found another post of National Police to 38 km , but did not have to show their passport and not stop. The stretch was nearly without urbanization, made my lunch in a restaurant inside a post and went traveling. At 85 km the odometer , the left pedal started to loosen the screw and the worst is that I had no key to tighten, it my neighbor Camp Kamoiran passed me by stopping me for saludar ( pay ) giving me two beers , so I asked a help but he had no key and could not give me a ride to the city. And now ? The way was to go slowly until you find some help, but found nothing and after 10 km I arrived in the city of El Callao. There were some muchachas the roundabout access to the city along with a motorcycle cop cars stopping to help in a campaign that does not currently remember. I asked for assistance to police and he was kind enough to go to the barracks to get the key push the pedal and already telling the captain of my arrival so I could sleep there. He returned with the key in which I used to push the pedal and also confirming that I could spend the night at police headquarters . I thanked him for his very help and drove me to my destination the day. Once there I presented my schedule with the stamps of Police of Brazil, the headquarters of Santa Elena and everything worked. I took a bath and relaxed the cops very kind, gave me a dinner with rice, frijoles (beans ), pollo (chicken ), bread and a glass of orange juice. The night was hot, but they got a fan just for me , and slept on the floor of the sergeant in my sleeping bag. The other day , I ate my morning snack and got the stamp of the post, snapped a photo with the police at around 07:00 hrs, thank him for his generosity and foot the pedal. The road greeted me with many ups and downs , but with enough homes and wineries , not forgetting that I've been that day more than 120 km . The 17 km of El Callao, passed for another watch tower of the National Guard within a city Guasipaté call , and stopped to return a little liquid , taking five glasses of orange juice and three pastelitos ( pastries ) and spent only 740 Bolivars . At 59.40 km had lunch in a restaurant in the isolated home of a family that has served me a Morcoi Stew with rice , and I curious , I asked what it was , so he brought a live turtle showing that it was the Morcoi . So that was nice because I was hungry, but when I saw the tortoise was eating slowly and without much pleasure over This dish cost me 800 bolivars.
That night I attended an event between two teenagers who were caught fighting on the street and their situation was not good , they wanted to fight in front of the police and the reason I did not know. I tried to go to sleep in a bed and a soft room with air conditioning I gave in and goodbye to them. One of the policemen asked me borrow the Walkman that Paula gave me there in spirit, could not say no, but he returned before I sleep . The other day I hit a shot with a police and with the rest of the class to record the moment , and follow road. From now on I do not have details of the trip, nor the photos and map of the bicycle to the city of Barcelona where I lost my tape recorder with tape. The story I tell when you get there . Good for what I can remember , on the morning of April 8 , comes out soon temprano (early ), the day was blue and without road or mountain climbs and descents. The road gave me a landscape full of cashew feet , and of course from eating splurge .
Lunch time was coming and was in the city of San Felix. I stopped to buy some stationery and envelopes in two young people questioned me about where I was coming from and where were going, then I said, I go to Brazil and the United States. At the same moment the girl said: Yum! No te creo . And they went out while I explain what was happening.
After lunch , the boy asked me to arrange the exchange of your bike , and with a little luck realized making the adjustment . The conversation was great but it was time to go. We recorded our meeting and the guy followed me with his bike to exit the city. I thanked him very kindly by his family and pedaled to the km 50 where I set my tent on the road by police as 18 . today I cycled 122 km in seven hours .
The police were very kind to me by allowing me to bathe and were impressed with my courage in traveling to the United States . I let the bike down a ladder and when I returned from the bathroom there were many police around her impressed with the equipment they carried , asking things about the trip and then they invited me to lunch. I accepted with great pleasure , of course. They took me to the cafeteria, and the funny thing is a cook who came to bring me lunch and at the same moment a policeman came bringing me another lunch. Then I found myself faced with two meals, and the policeman asked me if I wanted to eat them. Guess what I told him ? That's right , go down here that I like both. I thanked much for the support and from there follow the same journey. After this scene pedaled quickly to get to the gas station where I set up my tent for the 19th time. I bought my lunch at night there and tried to sleep. There were Venezuela over there surrounding me and asking about the trip. Until I was afraid of them wanting rob me that night, but thank God , the night was silent except the sound of some chickens that walked saçaricando . pedaled on that day a total of 124 km in seven hours.
I arrived in town at 12:45 hrs and the only two things that I did, was spend a little anger at the unwillingness of police to meet me and stamp of the company registering my passage through the city, but food is good , nothing. When was leaving , I stopped by a journalist who requested an interview for your paper. The way was looking for a restaurant to kill hunger. In this restaurant , I met a Brazilian who lives long in the country and not think of returning to homeland loved. I do not remember exactly what he did , just remember he was kind enough to buy me lunch. I thanked him very much and it was worth it to ease off that I got the police of El Tigre. I ate a lot and even bought in a bakery , Powdered milk , bread and plenty of fluids. pedaled to the Dali city Anaco and got the support of the police letting sleep in the barracks. Before arriving , I registered a card giving the indication of it, and I was dancing a vanerão torn to scare away evil. I slept in the room of soldiers along the chain where they were the outside the law. On the 11th made the official record of the image in front of police headquarters , and I was eager to know the city of Barcelona, which resembles the last Olympics in 1992 . Once I found a card mileage, hit a photo and had lunch in the city of San Mateo but this time I lost no time in seeking the barracks to win a lunch, ate at a gas station on the road.
I was waiting for the repair and felt a ruckus in the chair, was the recorder, then took from his pocket and placed on top of another chair next to me while reading a magazine. The tennis was finished and got up to see the cobbler has not charged me the service. I was very happy and left quickly to find a police headquarters , but halfway I realized I had forgotten the tape recorder in shoe store, I got a fright but I do not care much because I had hope that the shoemakers had saved for me and has also spent six o'clock and they should have gone away. Walking down the avenue I asked where he might find the information of the police headquarters and soon found the street where a police captain was sitting on a wall, then stopped to talk to him and ask for your help. I told him I wanted to sleep and he showed me the nearest hotel , but explained that I was traveling and could spend the night in the barracks . The captain said the hardest thing was to sleep in a police barracks . At that moment I realized their fear about myself , but I had a gun in my hand , the agenda with the stamps of the police and wherever I have your letter of recommendation from Lt. Col. Hilario . Then he got to know better who he was talking and I indicated where he was quartered and with whom to speak to authorize me to get there. I arrived at the gate of the same, talked with police and was easy to walk forward. forwarded to me to a room where there was a conversation with a lieutenant Civil and he asked me to wait my answer. They were 40 minutes long and I dying to sleep. When he met me , he was asking me about the trip, about my life , quiz read my letter from the police see my passport and as not enough, he forced me to show all my luggage . My intention at that time was to go there and pitch my tent somewhere. To conclude the day he put me to sleep in the women's bathroom and closed the door , and the way was put my sleeping bag on the floor for the night there, do not know whether to laugh or cry with rage. By early morning , 06:00 hrs , the same lieutenant came to give me a good day saying I had 30 minutes to leave before the captain arrived. Without the right breakfast , I took that time to wash my clothes in the bathroom sink of the men , as had already left to soak overnight. Before long , the commander arrived at the bathroom and caught me washing my underwear , wondering what I was doing in the barracks, then told the situation, but he did not want to know the conversation , he ordered me to stop washing clothes and go away. devarinho I was picking up my things and he gave the back, quickly finished washing clothes. Got the stamp of the company of police and tried to go to the shoe store to find my recorder. Once there I had to wait almost an hour to open , and I had two bad surprises, the shoemakers who came first in the morning , were not the same as yesterday afternoon , they said they did not know the recorder nor the match . And now what do I do ? decided to wait until the cobblers that I attended that day arrived April 11 . The day was awful , I had no motivation to talk to anyone, photo not hit anything and even when I went to lunch , the restaurant was one of the most expensive and the food was poor for the price . After lunch I found a nice ice cream parlor a Venezuelan who is passionate about and that Brazil had their first child born recently and put your name Romáriobebeto in tribute to their strike duo of our football squad which gave us the Tetra in 1994 . I told them about the recorder, and he knew both the shoe store , said they are Turks and that they could be lying about disappearance of it and no one in town likes them. After that I returned the shoe store and there they were . I asked politely if they had seen my tape recorder that possibly left over there on the chair . They answered me no, but said details the scene of yesterday, that when I pick up tennis , I forgot on the chair . Because of that they were offended thinking I was accusing them of having picked up the recorder and did not give me more attention. After all that I felt in loss of skin over a burner and this time made a big hole . With this I learned one thing: " Never leave anything on top of nothing ' because one day you can forget your car keys , home , work, or any object that is carrying in his hand, upon some counter -trade , over the public telephone on the floor, park bench , etc. and you could have an irreparable loss. The luck I had another tape recorder with me . I thought of that journey continues through the afternoon , but did not see success . I decided to spend another night on the town and decided to put the clothes she had washed the police to dry grass in a plaza where I watched a shooting contest or something causing the release of the launch of a brand of cigarettes. Lots of beautiful people , but the attraction of the festival was not good for health or pro pocket. Walking through the city , found a radio and television repair , I used to have a walkman that was missing in maintaining a tornillo (screw) in the head . Mr nice and electronics was not charged me for the service, so I jumped and asked him about information where I could find a cheap hotel to sleep , because I had no moral right to return to the same police where I spent last night. I went in his statement but the hotel was crowded because it cost only 1,000 Bolivars and had to go looking for other hotels. I found some but the price was over 2000 bolivars and tried to go in search of others. I knew a boy who rode a bike and he took me to a house in a nice gentlemen who were drinking beer at the door , so I asked where they could find a hotel and they taught the boy who took me in two hotels of 1,500 Bolivars but were full. We returned to the house of lords and talking, I was invited to sleep in her house , I accepted right away, but something strange began happening. First they asked me 500 bolivars to buy a bottle of tequila ( liquor ) and as I had not exchanged a memorandum of 1000 and it knew they were half drunk. One guy was buying tequila , you told me that he would return the change and was taking a bath when another boy who was introduced to me , began to tinker on the bike, i realized it was getting a cold . Therein came the wife of one of them, and when he saw me , started saying that I do not discuss there and wanted me to go . The husband even tried to convince her but nothing done. When I was leaving the house , the boy arrived with two bottles of tequila and my return was 500 bolivars of pro beleléu . The funny thing was that when she knew it was me who bought the liquor , tried to convince me to spend the night there. At that time the League is what I most wanted to regain my change and fade away, came to argue with the guy who bought the tequila and he I threatened him with assault. I realized that day was blowing against the wind and sand in the face. Then I tried to give the foot just before the circus caught fire and I turned to eat barbecue with tequila bought with my money. It was very late and hope find a hotel with vacancies was little . I stopped at the penultimate hotel and the guard was checking vague, and it stopped the night to complete a drunk near me and began pestering me with his words that I did not understand, was only recorded it in my head tell me : ' escuichta , escuichta , escuuuuuichta ..... ' The guard took almost 15 minutes to tell me that there was no place . With this was the end of the trail and had to pay 5000 bolivars to spend the night in a 3 star hotel without the right to breakfast because the kitchen was under renovation . That day April 11, 1996 was marked as the worst day of any trip and had three losses, financial loss, mental and social wear . I woke up at 07:00 hrs, and what I most wanted was to forget the day yesterday and I was like crazy trying to vanish in the city. I still lost a little but soon found the exit heading north. cyclists met on the road seven seniors walking 30 km / h all together , I waved and disappeared into the infinite road . I thought to myself , since I lost a day, and arrive in Caracas I would take three days , I have to try and cover the 300 km that are missing in two days . So do not bother to stop a lot not to lose time. The day was not so difficult, the route was flat so I stopped less and walked more . At 28 km found a gas station or something where ships docked . And in the 59 km of the odometer , I could not stop photographing a tree with leaves but no fruits on the roadside , looked more like our foot jaboticaba in Brazil, but did not want to taste that fruit. The coastal landscape was with many sights until I get to my stop to rest in the city of Cúpira at 17:55 hrs after cycling 148 km . I went to find the police headquarters and unlike Barcelona, the cops were honored to meet me by serving me a nice dinner. Nothing like a day after another . As there was no vacancy in the dorms , placed me in the office of sergeant with the right mattress and fan. My shower was a bucket of water with a mug because there was no water in the showers and no doors in the bathrooms and women police officers walked by without bothering too much.
Already in 120 km passed through the first tunnel on the route of the trip (photo ), very dark and no lights, no problems but spent nearly 1 km long, passing beneath a mountain.
Except that they said I could crash with the trip right there, because I was coming around the slums and could have big chances of being mugged. I realized they actually wanted to help me and I accepted the ride, put the bike on top of the truck and they left me some (near ) Chacao police , the better equipped of Venezuela. The night fell and I went to the Plaza Altamira where was the police barracks and three floors below ground. I was lucky to be well received by them and without ceremony , took me to the bedroom. The nightmare was in the bathroom, only one of the three showers worked, and the queue was not the most attractive. Nightmare on Elm Street 2 was in the toilet which also had only one and In addition , the walls that separate the private from the public place was too high and you could almost see the buttocks of the subject sitting on the toilet . What a situation! After those scenes back to the dorm and tried to relax by writing a summary of the trip to send to Brazil via fax. pedaled far 7771.8 km in 594 hours 07 minutes and 35 seconds. I have 305 liters of water and spent R $ 1,457.47 . On the 15th I went to the Embassy of Panama to get the visa, then took a bus in front of the Plaza . Once there I learned that we Brazilians have free passage without a visa as well as panameña with Brazil . In the afternoon I went to look the Embassy of Brazil to make a proxy to my sister about the inheritance left by my mother to me and then would trade my 280 000 Bolivars per dollar , but Venezuela was undergoing some changes such as the 500% increase in price Gasoline and no one could buy U.S. dollars . My luck is that the next day I met a person appointed by the Embassy of Brazil that sold me $ 452 for my 280 000 bolivars , but lost $ 30 in exchange for money. Alright I still had the luck to change. I just left some bolivars for me to eat some delicious hot dogs prepared by a gentleman in the Plaza Altamira in the night , he had many customers from all social classes and was a pleasure to see him do without rest because people kept arriving to buy. I stayed three nights and two days in Caracas and won two of the Chacao police keyrings Company and a pen. In addition to one that took me to the police cambarão for me to see the training of dogs police, many nice indeed.
DE CARACAS TO PANAMA : To go to Panama would have to go to the airport in La Guaira to Caracas 40 km , then programmed to wake up at 06:00 hrs on the 17th in order to give time to catch the only daily flight to 10:45 hrs.
On the way we heard a radio broadcaster and an interesting contest asks the listener to choose him the questions: What? What ? Who? Where? or When ? If you guess the answer would win prizes like T-shirts or tickets to a late night show . Arriving at the airport , we took the bike from the trunk but I forgot my famous horn and she went off with him. I entered the airport with the bike all the people were assembled looking at me. When I buy the ticket and she wanted me to also buy the return ticket , but I explained to her that I would not return and would continue to ride my bicycle to the United States. She was still not understand and did not want to sell me the passage until I explained the situation more calmly . I paid $ 282 by pass, $ 5 tarjeta by tourism and 4 by the rate of loading. The famine was present and changed my last bolivars for five dollars so I can make a snack. At the entrance to the boarding , the officer searched my fanny pack , suspicious of my camera and had to beat a picture of me to make sure if there were no drugs. The plane took off at 10:55 hrs and posed in Panama City AS12 : 48 hrs but I learned that here is an hour less then passed to 11:48 hrs and I am two hours to memnos in relation to GMT .
OF PANAMA TO SAN JOSE (Costa Rica) : Well , now comes in many details and go straight to the point, because now more detalhaes travel only in the book . Once I landed , I filled the tires of the bike and tried to look for the consulates of Costa Rica and Nicaragua to get the visa to enter that country . When I arrived , both were already feichados and decided to play a game of tennis at the club he had seen on the road. After losing a tennis match , I find a police headquarters to spend the night.
But God always puts his angel to protect us and before we came across the street , I stopped by the captain of the barracks wondering what I was doing. I explained my situation and told him I was asking for aid from the police in the releção accommodation and then the captain offered me accommodation in the same barracks where the lieutenant had denied me . He told me to climb the stairs with the bike to the office of the barracks and called that same lieutenant ordered him to stay with me to the room of the officers and serve dinner. Before leaving the captain , asked him if he could stay here another night if needed and it allowed me no problems and also wrote in my schedule, a request for aid to other barracks where it would pass. On 18 April , Thursday , I left my luggage at the barracks and went to the Embassy of Costa Rica and Nicaragua where I paid $ 45 dollars for two visas. Here in Panama the currency is the Balboa which was branded as equal value for the dollar since 1903, but not I saw none of Balboa currency because in 1941 the Panamanian money stopped being manufactured and used my dollars to go shopping. Back in the barracks, I ventured on a tour bus around town. Passport stamped for the next two countries to cross, I said goodbye to the gentle and also Captain Lieutenant thank him for the support. But before they called the Journal Reuters for me to give an interview and thus disclose the trip as well as my sponsors .
The wind was against and mountainous stretch , but part of the adventure. According to the 111 days of my project, I would sleep in the city of Penonome and after cycling 88 km , there arrived in this city. I found the Police Station and gently after showing my schedule with the stamp of the barracks in the capital, they gave me a place where I sleep.
The next day was 76 km up and down until Call where he also managed to support the police. That day April 21 was also difficult to ride , lots of wind against the morning was already filled with many climbs. And to help punctured the rear tire to 24 km of cycling, was a nightmare having to disassemble the entire luggage and I had no reservations cameras . The day was warm , the water was low and one of the rare times after lunch , I came to stop in the middle of a climb anything nice to sleep a long 40 minutes under a shadow . Again to my dismay , stuck tire again at km 62.20 of the odometer , and for not booking camera had to do the repair on time, and guess what was it? After five kilometers stopped at five holes and fixed the three cameras reservations and bought some ice for by the water tank.
I was a little scared responding to him: What sign? " Then he said that here in Panama bicycles are considered as a transport vehicle, and it is necessary papers , board and all. The moment I looked around me to see it through any bike with a plate and then I saw the same plate with two motorcycles. I answered him that I was crossing the country to come to Costa Rica and so following travel to the United States . But he did not want to know the conversation , said he would have hold my bike until I get the card it would take three days . Then I thought to myself : I 'm fried ... I tried to show the agenda with the stamp of the police in the capital , letters of recommendation and also said that in Panama City they I was told nothing about it. So soon as the police told me that police in the capital does not comply with the law. Only after all of that with my humility and simplicity could convince him to let me continue the trip without problems. When I got get rid of that situation , I felt like a bird that escaped from the cage , what a relief . Today I cycled 102 km and came to the city of Santiago which also was attended by police. On the day 22 was a bit calmer after the cycled 122 km in 9 hours and 23 minutes , I arrived in the city of San Felix at police headquarters . It remained 130 km to the border , but decided to stop 30 km before and sleep in the police station in the city of Bugaba Concepcion.Here I show that 80% of my luggage to the police suspicious but okay. In the morning I left early and then a cyclist Panamanian accompanied me for over 20 km until we reached the border with Costa Rica at around 0800 hrs . Stamp I left Panama and had to wait for another hour to the border of Costa Rica to open because there was an hour less in releção to Panama.
After my entry stamped in Costa Rica, swapped a few dollars per Colones , the local currency, first by the 201. In the sequel, Kelly was the first city where I spent the 16 km of the border, and there I took information that would be worth I deviate from the Pan American highway and go cut cross the path of Death Mountain with an altitude of 3.491m .
I looked behind and I looked ahead and saw no one , then boarded with the bike in the back of the truck and went. Brandas On Water , I left you the friendly and the kids have come to welcome me with the dogs. pedaled Dali until Paso Real where I found only 10 houses and a football field. Tomei information could pitch my tent for the twentieth time right there on the football field and spent the night here . The next day , the mountain was increasingly present, but I learned that even was not at the foot of the mountain that day and cycled 90 km until you reach the town of San Sidro to top of the mountain indeed. Here I set up my tent by the 21 time in the courtyard of rural police also stamped my schedule , registering my time there. I asked the police as missing to the top of the mountain, and they told me they were only 48 km , but were 48 km long and I did not get there in one day. The Mountain of Death was waiting for me , but I was determined to climb without accepting ride. Around noon, I had cycled only 15 km and stopped at a restaurant and had lunch there . From then on , I had to put my shirt due to the cold and started taking many fogs . I had two holes and tire feared that the air pressure had an influence on it.
April 27 was the day I rode higher, and after 19 km I reached the top of the mountain and had lunch in a restaurant that was there. Well, now it was my turn to go down and legs for those who want you my friend. The fog was strong and a light rain falling . I had three more holes on the tire and my stock of patches was over , now what? All that saw me to come down and I tubeless tire and no . He had fallen only 5 km and the way it was calling for a ride and a nice gentleman stopped and drove me 26 km to the next town called El Empalme . There he bought more and more patch a spare tire . I was a little wet from the rain I took, but the only help I got was my arm tent by 22 th time in the courtyard of the rural police without the right to bathe. It was the worst night of the trip was cold, my clothes were all mohada and could not sleep .
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