That night we had apparently agreed to be on the road before the others met for breakfast. But by the time Paul and I saw daylight, everyone else had finished breakfast and gathered in the parking lot for last minute adjustments. Then they started loading their bikes onto the vans as we rode off bleary-eyed into the sunrise. Wouldn't you know, when the vans drove past us about five miles up the road, we were already seeking shade. Stories of our struggle were to be the source of great humor throughout the day.
Bottled water is consumed and available in every village.
Not because of a purification problem, but more of a distribution issue. At maybe 25 cents for a 1.5 liter bottle this was not Perrier. Infact, it's bottled from a crystal clear mountain lake on the island. A Blackburn Bomber cage should be standard equipment here. As we rode into our first village we were greeted by an ancient widow and her neighbor.