The day began with disappointment. Our friends Ed and Stu, having spent the majority of the day previous fixing their mototaxi, suffered another breakdown first thing. They were very honourable about it and urged us to continue rather than lose any more time waiting with them. So we bid them a farewell and continued off in a small convoy of two - myself (Rich) & Chris, with Jon & Meg.
From that early disappointment the day really picked up quickly, delivering our first dose of "roads of death". These were jaw dropping and stomach lurching; stunning mountainside tracks with drops of thousands and thousands of feet just inches away. It is an experience unparallelled, and a landscape that is so immmense.
We drove the roads very carefully indeed - especially since you become accustomed to it after the first couple of hours. They are absolutely mindblowing though.
The early evening saw us having a great encounter with mountain police. We shared a joke and gave out some Villa souvenirs. Chris even managed to convince on of the policemen to give him his cap - which he sported proudly for days afterwards.
After good progress during the day, we hit the worst road imaginable, in torrential rain. Pot holes everywhere and very very slow indeed. This resulted in a late night scramble towards civilisation, with us slippign and sliding around in the mud for the last 30km or so as we sought food and shelter for the night. With Jon flagging in the other mototaxi, I hopped on and drove the last section, with a very nervous Meg as my passenger. It is amazing how trust is so critical on these trips. Meg knew I was being careful, but felt nowhere near as easy as she would with Jon doing the driving. The sense of responsibility was great - and I was very pleased to deliver her to Mayocc in one piece.
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