from Valga to Tündre lake

Breakfast with Katri.
It was nice to sleep between sheets again although I didn’t hear the birds. Funny how city people go to the countryside for holidays and people from the forest come to town.
Katri has managed to book me a hairdresser appointment. Again less to carry.
I pack and leave towards Tõrva. Before Hummuli I turn to a gravel road that goes to Jeti. Nothing much happens except a customs car driving past with an enormous dust cloud and a hare running over the road. Almost no houses, some forest has been taken away.
Together with a thunder cloud I arrive at Lasa lake. There’s a RMK campsite. It appears that RMK has built many campsites at the lakes here and put up signs with cyclist’s picture pointing to these.
At the lake is a car, two women in different age and a dog. We agree right away that their dog does not bother me and they are not bothered when I go swimming without swimwear. Lake is shallow with a hard bottom, water warm except in places where there are springs or where the dog has been mixing the lower cold water with warm surface water. The dog is crazy about water and playing.
Finished water activities it’s time for some snacks. Just when I have these out it starts to rain. The women escape with the dog and car. I have already put raingear on the luggage and myself and sit in the middle of the covered table, thinking I’m clever. It rains horizontally on me. The other shore of the lake is soon not visible anymore. When I start to get hit with hail I grab the snacks and escape to toilet. So I have a toilet picnic looking out of the tiny window to see what happens outside. Hail is as big as peas, above my head roars thunder. Soon thunder leaves noisily towards Valga. Lake steams as if boiling. The other shore is again hidden. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Water is very warm now.
After a bit of drying I try if I can get to Tündre lake before next rain. Incessant quiet thunder accompanies me, dark clouds are all around. But sun shines and jacket gets dry. I finally get a photo of a hare.
When I get to Tündre campsite it is again very loud above and I have just about time to jump into the lake before rain. Also here is a car and a couple is busy with their rubber boat so they don’t pay any attention to me. There’s a good shelter where I move in together with my bike despite the half-cut watermelon that waits there. I don’t understand if the couple is coming or leaving but then they gather the watermelon and go just when the sun comes out. I wash my feet and socks that got sandy before. Then sit on the wooden platform with my toes in the sun, birds sing around me, a cockoo’s call echoes on the lake. Water is clear and still except for some minor flicker created by the water striders. Idyllic.
Later I read what Naipaul has to say about India (An Area of Darkness). At dinnertime it thunders and rains again.
Looking at the map I try to guess where I’ll be the next few days. Looks like Pärnu on Saturday.
Distance 48 km.
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from Lõunatipu to Valga
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from Tündre lake to Sandra forest hut

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