Day 60 - Sick Beds, Solo Rides and a Very Bad Burrito

Day 60 didn’t start well.

It was a rough night. Everyone was sick except me, which meant a lot of getting up and down, Nurofen, water, and settling people back to sleep. Kia did most of the comforting even though she wasn’t well herself, and I tried to fill the gaps where I could. It’s hard watching everyone feel awful at once, especially when there’s not much you can do except be present.

By morning, the house was quiet in that flat, run-down way that only sickness brings. No one was keen on breakfast. Kia and I headed down first, and eventually Maddie and Emmett joined us, but they didn’t eat much at all. Maddie didn’t touch her breakfast, which says everything. They didn’t finish their juices and didn’t hang around long before heading back to bed.

Back in the room, everyone settled into recovery mode. Beds, blankets, rest. I pulled out the work laptop and checked in on things I’d nudged last week. A few emails had come through, which was actually nice. One of the guys wanted a catch-up, so we chatted for a bit while others cruised past and said hello. There was also a quote to review and a client response that needed to go back to drafting with some changes.

All up, about two hours of work. Just enough to feel useful without tipping into stress. I was pretty happy with that.

By late morning, it was clear the plan for the day was no plan at all. Kia and the kids were content to rest, so around 11 I grabbed one of the bikes and headed out.

I’m really glad I did.

This place is beautiful. Dead flat roads winding between lakes and towering limestone mountains that just erupt out of the ground. Quiet country lanes, tourists cruising on bikes, boats gliding past, people walking slowly with cameras or coffees in hand. It’s touristy, no doubt, but there’s still something special about it.

The town itself has a bit of everything. Hostels, pubs, markets, food stalls, coffee shops, places to sit and watch the world roll by. Crepes, juices, bánh mì, smoothies. It’s easy to imagine spending days here doing very little at all.

I rode for about forty minutes before thinking about lunch. The kids wanted fruit and Kia had mentioned a granola bowl from the place we’d got the grab food the night before. I tracked it down, right on the edge of a lake, just outside the main town. Proper European vibe. The kind of spot you want to sit at for hours. I grabbed a coffee while I waited and made a mental note to bring everyone back when they’re feeling better.

Finding fruit took longer than expected. Plenty of juice places, plenty of fruit on display, but not many selling it individually. Eventually I found a small fruit stand out the front of a minimart and grabbed mango and pineapple for the kids.

Back at the accommodation, everyone was still in bed. I charged my phone, they picked at their lunch, and once things were settled again, I headed back out.

More riding. More wandering. More awe at the landscape. I think I covered close to 25 kilometres by the time I eventually stopped at a craft brewery. I sat down, had a beer, and just slowed right down. It wasn’t cheap. About the same as home, to be fair. Delicious though. I eyed off a t-shirt but couldn’t quite justify the price.

I sat there for a while, working on Substack, researching, thinking about life and what’s next, and trying to find people who feel aligned with the same pace and values. It felt good to be still.

After that, I rode back into town and found another spot with craft beer right on the main street. I didn’t even really drink much. Mostly just sat, watched people, and let the day pass.

Around five, Kia called. Everyone was getting hungry. Maddie wanted Mexican, but the place she’d spotted was too far out to ride to, so I grabbed some fruit and water and headed back. We ended up ordering dinner through Grab, which turned out to be a lesson in reading reviews before ordering.

The food was awful. Properly awful. Saucy, weird-tasting meat, super sweet tortillas that made everything taste wrong before you’d even taken a bite. Kia managed a chicken burrito. I ate mine and some chips. The kids couldn’t even finish one between them. Afterward, I checked the reviews and every single one said the same thing.

Lesson learned.

After that, it was showers and bed for everyone. I’ve been doing my best to avoid too much close contact, not out of selfishness, but strategy. If I get sick now, everyone will recover just in time for me to go down, and we’ll lose our window to explore properly. I’d rather keep functioning so I can support everyone through this and get us moving again once they’re better.

So that was Day 60.

A rest day for Kia and the kids. An unexpected adventure day for me. Not our best day, but not a write-off either. Maddie already looks much better, which is encouraging. Kia and Emmett might take a little longer, but we’re getting there.

Plenty of lessons. Plenty of patience required. And a reminder that sometimes travel isn’t about ticking things off. It’s about adapting, slowing down, and finding your own rhythm when plans fall apart.