ooh, me sweaty nads !!

As we knew we wouldn't have a very long journey today we weren't in a hurry to set off. Instead of doing essential maintenance like get my rear wheel fixed we headed off after breakfast to spend two hours in an internet café so we could update our blogs! Much more important. We even hassled them to open up - they weren't open at the time it said on the door, so we asked at the Chinese restaurant next door if they could open up, as they owned the internet café as well.

After two hours of blogging we felt a little peckish, and the smell of the Chinese lunch buffet from next door was getting too much, so we had a lunch .

We started to leave town about 2 pm, having had a quick look at the harbour, and then I spotted a bike shop. He was too busy to fix the spoke there and then, so I bought one and a spoke adjuster to do it myself later on.

The sun was shining on first hour of our journey . We had been told by Stephan's aunt Margereta that this area was known as the sunshine coast, and we were beginning to see why. The coastal wind was holding the nasty black rain clouds inland (thank you wind) as we cycled in glorious sunshine, but at the same time the wind was doing it's best to slow us down (damn you wind!)

We could see dark clouds ahead of us too after a while, full of lightening. Not good. We soon started to get a little bit wet from the rain, but somehow we were only on the edge of the shower, so whilst it wasn't exactly pleasant, it wasn't the worst we'd experienced by a long way.

After only about half and hour or so in the rain we had made it to Trosa. It seems like a very well to do little place with lots of character. A bit like a smaller version of the Hamptons in New York , but much smaller .

I started to take apart my back wheel after we arrived at the hostel , to fix the spokes . Borrowed Ben's bike to go to the local shop to buy yet another new spoke - two had gone by now! - and attempted to fix my back wheel.

In theory I knew how to replace spokes, in practice I hadn't done it in over 20 years and I didn't have the tools necessary . Back to the bike shop again with all the bits of my wheel - as Ben predicted I would have to, although he doesn't know how to fix spokes at all - so the young guy in there could fix it for me. If it had been the front wheel I could have done it myself , but I'd have been very slow. The guy in the shop put it in a frame and very quickly sorted the problem. He didn't even charge me. (probably thinking - look at this guy in all the cycling gear and he hasn't got a clue!)

Any road up, the back wheel is now tickety boo, so a less wobbly ride for me.

It is very much a sailing community round here, the hostel we are staying in is a sailing centre. I'm sure it's all a very happening place in the summer, but it's all a bit quiet at the moment. We had a nice meal in a mainly empty restaurant - I had some very nice fish, perch - served by a very pretty young waitress, who Ben insulted by saying she sounded Australian. When they closed we went on to the not very lively sportsbar, had a few more beers, and Ben ordered a pear cider, which he didn't like, but I thought it was quite nice.

# posted by neil @ 9:20 am