Oh Mother Nature, you're quite the joker! Our final days in Europe were accompanied by some extreme weather. The first day heading north was a scorcher. Sunshine is glorious but too much can be an issue. I started to suffer from heat exhaustion and had to sleep off some dizziness as soon as the tent was up. The next day was even hotter but we were ready for it, bringing extra water, riding in the shade where possible and resting along the way - we even dumped water on our heads to cool off in the afternoon. In this part of France the wind will either be from the north or from the sea, according to the daughter of the couple running the campsite we found just outside of Quissac. The north wind can barrel down at up to 100 km/hr, but we were lucky as the wind was coming up from the Mediterranean, gentle and at our backs while the road wound gradually into the Cevenne foothills. Climbing can be hard but one is often rewarded with a vista that cannot be related in pictures or video. Such was the case heading to our destination. The mountains off to the north, rolling hills left and right, the vineyards, lots of clear blue sky, barely a car on the road, birdsong... I have been blown away more than a few times as we crest a climb or turn a corner and often enough I try to capture the moment in video but sometimes you just have to live it.
We arrived in St-Jean-de-Maruejols-et-Avegnan with fair weather and took the day to get familiar with our surroundings. The house is beautifully renovated, the bed is uber-comfy, and the all-important bakery is just down the road. This little nook belongs in a travel magazine. It has been a well-enjoyed but stormy stay with torrential rain, thunder and lightening off and on for days; quasi-apocalyptic! Thought I might have to build an ark. A few of the local campsites were flooded out, campers evacuated by helicopter.
We caught a break in the weather one day and took off for a little tour of the area, riding out to Lussan, another walled medieval city that carries on to this day. The ride back was stunningly scenic, a quiet country road through rolling hillside and mountain backdrop with a meandering descent into the valley. The bikes were barely in the garage when Thor decided to ring out his tunic on St-Jean-de-M&A before resuming his thundering which lasted well into the evening.
At last the rain let up and we ventured out to make acquaintance with the notorious Mont Ventoux of Tour de France fame. Well-rested and with good weather finally in store we headed east to a campground in Bedoin, right at the base of the mountain. Upon check-in we were not informed of the outdoor wedding reception being held there that night, complete with live band and cheesy DJ. It finished at 2:06 am (how do I know this?). So, on 5 hours rough sleep after a solid 104km ride just to get there, we grabbed some breakfast and went for it. The radio tower at the summit was not visible due to clouds. I haven't climbed like that in a while, nor has Leigh for that matter. It was exponentially epic. Mont Ventoux is arguably the toughest climb of Le Tour. Starting off we were pumped just to be doing this. We pedalled for over two hours following the same path travelled by some of the great all-star cyclists, the hill constantly pulling us backwards. Towards the top the views are other-worldly. The photos show this fairly well. The summit was a full-on social gathering of over 100 people, cyclists, motorcyclists, hikers, and tourists alike. Vendors sold a variety of snacks and wares. But it was cold at 1912 metres above sea-level so we didn't hang around. The decent was fabulous, although a little tricky - top speed 71 kph. We stopped part way down to let the rims cool down (from braking). All said and done it was a 50 km loop back to the campsite. Our trip back to St-Jean-de-M&A involved a solid cross wind from the North (40-60kph) that pushed us around quite a bit. Luckily it subsided in the afternoon as we finished up a 260 km round trip jaunt up 'The Beast of Provence'.
So now head into a very different experience: South-East Asia. This part of the world was not on our original 'go to' list. It seemed a little too foreign with too many unknowns and plenty of other places to visit that were more, shall we say, comfortable but the idea of an extended stop-over wasn't entirely ruled out. Upon inquiring about vaccinations (back home last March) we were informed that recommended coverage for rural parts of South East Asia would be $500 each. The doctor was kind enough to leave us alone for a few minutes to discuss it! "OK we're in" and so it was decided. Not only are we going to check it out, we're going to tour it proper for three months. The adventure continues.
Thanks again Jon and Becky for letting us stay in your little bit of French paradise.