Off on my bike : Itaobim to Governador Valadores

Rio Jequitinhonha, just South of Itaobim.

I follow a river valley out of Itaobim, sadly this doesn't mean flat, the road climbs up and down the side of the valley, makes for hard work.  One good thing, seems to be less traffic here, not sure where the lorries have gone but I don't miss them.  Rather scenic too, if it were a bit less up and down this might even be an enjoyable ride.

After Itaobim, which seemed to be all about mangoes, I'm now getting into 'pedras preciosas' country, as I pedal through my stop for tonight, Catuji, there are many roadside stalls selling bits of crystal.  Don't think I want any more weight to be honest.  I notice this is also a region with granite and marble quarries, seems to have been a theme of this trip, there were some on Lanzarote too...  More buffet food, then I find a bar and some locals willing to tolerate my attempts at the language... have I seen many snakes, one asks - hmm, only lots of dead ones.  So many dead animals...

Padre Paraiso.

Onwards, the weather has improved, blue skies and hot work up and down more hills, the road following one valley and then another via a series of passes.  Green country here, farms fill the valley bottoms, stands of bamboo line the route, and for a while there are people growing trees and shrubs for sale, it's like riding through a garden.  Destination today, Itambacuri, a little off the main road, nice to see a town that isn't all about the needs of truckers.  It's market day, seems a thriving place, many stalls, I consider trying to get a new spoke but can't face trying to explain my requirement in Portuguese.  I do manage to order a burger, like much of the food in these parts it has milho - maize - in it.

Sheltering from the sun under some bamboo.

Seems flatter next day, I power along, then after lunch there is something of a hill but I manage, then as I zoom down the far side I hear a loud twanging noise, ulp, yes another spoke gone.  Two on the same side, with just one between them, if that goes too the wheel may just collapse... I carry on, trying to avoid any bumps, and am very relieved to reach Governador Valadores.  Even better there is a bike shop near my hotel, they have spokes... but, hmm, of course the broken ones are next to the gears, so I'd need a special tool to remove them before fitting new spokes.  Well, thankfully I meet Carlos, an English speaking(!) mechanic who fits not just two, but an entire set of spokes, thirty reais parts and labour.  Would cost ten times that in England.  My hotel's nice too, free food this evening, something rather like couscous, largely consisting of milho I suspect.  They even have a drink made from it, it's not unlike fruit juice.

Not quite as common as Beetles, but there were still lots of them.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.