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A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.
Lao Tzu

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81

Bad day

I wish I could remember what the name of this town on the horizon is, I think it was Villebois-Lavalette.  It was getting hillier and hotter again and I'd run out of water.  The landscape is wide with big long hills, nice in descent but harder work getting up them, especially in the sun.

I got to the town but everything seemed closed, all except a small tabac in the centre, just opposite a nice looking chambre d'hote.  I went in, looking hot and sweaty and asked, in my nicest French, if the lady might fill my water bottle for me. 

She replied: 'no'.

I was stunned, I simply thanked her, wished a nice day, and left.  I later found the tourist office, who were as nice as pie and filled my water bottle and gave me instructions about nearby campsites - that there were none in the direction I was going, at least for some distance.  They were also amazed that anyone could be so rude and heartless.

Still, I suppose if you've never walked any distance, or travelled in any other way than in a car, you might not realise how important water is.  It's probably a modern variant on 'let them eat cake'.

82

Big Skies

It was now about half four and since I'd started about half six, after almost ten hours on the bike I was getting a little weary.  But, my goodness, the landscape was uplifting.

There was no sign of any campsite but I did bump into a couple of cyclists, who turned out to be English.  One of them, who lived about 5km away, offered to let me camp on their lawn, an offer I was very grateful for.  However, it was 5km back the way I'd cycled and I just couldn't bear the thought of re-climbing those same hills and then doing the same again tomorrow, so I thanked him profusely but peddled on.  I was resolved to just wild-camp.