Walking like John Wayne & the modern backpacker

It's amazing what 40kms in the saddle will do to you. 4 hours on fire trails (i.e. wide enough for a 4x4, but heavily rugged terrain) on continuous rises and descents, left me with some very tired legs. Not to mention an interesting walking stride after not having cycled a bike in over 4 months :)

Still though, a great day with some wild jumps and some adventures off the track into the forest. Myself and Chris' cycling styles suited each other well also: he's way more powerful on the short steep stuff and crazier on the really fast descents, but I can keep going forever on a gradual incline (of which there was lots) so we were able to drag each other along when needed.
How to recover from exertion? 1 hour spent jumping between a jacuzzi, sauna and a cold shower :) Best 2 euros I've ever spent ;)

Today is now a rest day, that is, sitting in cafés sipping coffees making the most of their wall sockets to charge up the modern day travellers hardware: walkmans, cameras, and laptops.
It's pretty incredible how much electricity we're dependant on! Between 6 of us we have:
2 laptops
6 cameras
8 walkmans (two are being used to back up people's photos and not for music)
16 rechargeable battery for headtorches

Unfortunately, my poor solar panel (the Solio) can only handle the USB devices and that's when it can get any sun which is pretty rare for a full day at present. Along with the plug converter for the car, you can just about survive without a proper wall socket (although we have to be continuously careful that we don't flatten the car battery – again ;). Roll on a larger (and more efficient) solar panel or mini-wind generator so that we can avoid having to use the electricity grid! I've looked at Silva's new panel but not sure it's up to the task (I think the Solio outputs as much power). The search continues – and on that note, if anyone hears of one, please let me know!