The second day of cycling across South America and I awake to snow and a little fox playing close to my tent.  I catch myself calling on the fox as I would a wee cute puppy and give myself a shake.

When it snows in Scotland it’s absolutely ‘baltic’ but here it doesn’t seem so cold.  Having spent many winters cycling in Scotland, it’s a surreal experience pedalling in the snow without my hands, feet and face wanting to fall off.

Not making much progress into the head wind I wonder what I’m doing.  I could easily be back in Scotland, spending my days in comfort instead of this struggle.  I pass a sign.  50 PESOS SET MENU.

That’s the equivalent of £2.44 for a 3 course meal!  OMG!  I’m standing at the waitresses counter making the universal sign for eating.  She speaks back to me in Spanish.  I understand nothing.  I repeat the eating motion but again she speaks back in Spanish.  I understand nothing.  There is a queue forming behind me and I feel like the foreign idiot that I am.  I give up and take my place at a table waiting to see what happens.

Sure enough a three course meal of soup, rice and pudding is promptly served and all together.  Which is service perfection for a hungry cyclist.  Eating a 3 course meal for £2.44 is similar to winning the lottery for a long distance cyclist and my world makes sense again.  I am exactly where I should be in life.

Cycling on from Tolhuin I see directions for a supermarket.  The idea of chocolate takes control of my handlebars and I turn direction.

I arrive to find the supermarkets closed for lunch.  I have two hours to wait because leaving without chocolate is not an option.  My bivy bag is brought out and I lie down on the concrete to have a siesta in between shopping trolleys and front doors.  I wake up as people arrive and jump up to get my chocolate amidst many a strange look.

On my way out a young couple wave me down.  They tell me they are cyclists from France and explain about a bakery here in Tolhuin which has free accommodation for cycle tourers.  Wow.  I’m so in!

Tolhuin Panaderia is a big busy bakery with lots of staff and customers.  On arriving to the front of the queue I point to my helmet and make the universal sign for sleeping.  Making a hand shape pillow close to my face.  The woman understands and motions for me to wait.  A tall fair haired man returns.  Sebastion, a 37 year old cyclist from Germany, who after 3 years of cycling the world is ‘taking a break’ by working in the bakery.  It amuses me how long distance cyclists ‘take a break’ by finding a job when everyone else in the world is taking a their break to get away from work.

Sebastion shows me to a room with bunk beds and a communal area.  I have a bed, Wi-Fi, cakes and a dog.  Luxury!

You never know what’s going to happen as the sun rises each day.   A string of random unexpected experiences making life one big surprise.  I like not knowing.  It forces me to be in the moment.  Maybe meditation would be an easier way than cycling around the world.

WBG xxx