25.04.2010

After waiting all day, and going between checking at the window and tidying our room, finally, at 2:30pm, we saw Lou and Lynn arriving at our Motel on their Kawasaki motor bikes . Lynn was waving madly from the traffic light, Lou had already gone through. He took off his helmet and I gave him a big warm hug, he was cold from the ride, and sucked in all my warmth. Lynn gave up on the filter light and came straight on onto the motel complex, stood the bike on the stand and excitedly embraced us with a huge smile. Gee, it was good to see them again. It had been two months since we parted in Ecuador, Lou and Lynn choosing to go on to Columbia, while Des and I organized shipping our bikes, by air, to Panama, Central America. Such a lot had happened to the four of us, we couldn't stop talking for the rest of the day. The worst story Lynn told, was about how she ran into Lou with the motorbike at a traffic light. Lou had stopped on amber, and Lynn was unable to brake hard enough to avoid Lou’s bike. Her cruise peg smashed into Lou’s left pannier case and made a big tear in it. It was the pannier with Lou’s computer inside it. Luckily both Lou and Lynn managed to maintain their balance and stay on their bikes, but it was a very shaky business. Fortunately, the gash had not reached the computer, and it was unharmed. It was lucky Lou had the pannier on the bike, otherwise it would have been his leg with the gash in it.

As it was, the weather was lousy and it was good to be inside. I had promised Lou and Lynn bangers and mash when we last spoke on the phone, so I had to set to and start preparing.

Our little camp stove, together with the motel microwave, coped with the meat and three veg admirably and to finish the meal we had peeled mandarins with apple sauce (no ice cream, unfortunately). With a few red wines under the belt, Lou and Lynn headed for their own room, quite happy with the events of their day, and the comfort and low cost of the motel.