To: Mbeya
Another beautiful cycling day. The biggest piece of news is that ... I rode through an entire town in the morning ... without stopping! I think that's a first on this trip! Riding through a town without stopping?! That's unheard of! I did it because I knew the lunch truck was waiting for me and I felt guilty making it wait even longer, as I was already the last person.
This reminds me. I will be leaving the official tour in Lilongwe, Malawi, about 1 week from now. It has been great. Everybody is super nice. But I just need more freedom, and I don't like feeling guilty about it all the time. So, from Lilongwe, I will head to southern Malawi, to see old friends. Then, instead of continuing south, I'm going to head back north, back through Tanzania (but parts that we didn't go through this time), and over to Uganda... and back home to Entebbe! That should take me about 6 weeks, which is just perfect because that's when I agreed to be back to work.
Rode the afternoon with Rachel, Duncan, and Alan. Alan is a new rider from Canada, who joined us in Nairobi. We did a LOT of climbing after lunch, but it was fun! Also, about half-way up, we found the best coke stop ever - ice cold cokes!
In the evening, played Texas Hold Em poker with some of the gang in the lounge of the hotel grounds where we are camping. That was fun because the stakes were low. I had many fixes, where I'd go all-in with somebody, have the upper hand by a longshot, and then they'd get one of only 3 "outs" that they needed. It happened many times, no big deal. It was fun - we played till about 10:00 p.m.
--------------------- TODAY ------------------- TOTAL
Cycled -------------- 97 km (61 mi) ------------- 4,081 km (2,558 mi)
Sagged ---------------- 0 -------------------------- 2,257 km (1,517 mi)
Total ---------------- 97 km (61 mi) ------------- 6,338 km (4,075 mi)
In Saddle ------------ 6 hours 32 min ------------ 259 hours 17 min
Ascended ------------ 3,800 feet ----------------- 66,895 feet
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, 27th March 2007
To: Another Bush Camp in Tanzania
Nice cycling day. Very beautiful scenery. This part of Africa gets enough water, so the scenery is green and lush. Kept seeing beautiful hills, maybe you could call them mountains, in the distance. That was nice, too.
Nothing special from a cultural "meet the people" point of view, but a good day. Lots of descending after lunch, which was super cool!
------------------ TODAY ----------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 134 km (81 mi) --------- 3,984 km (2,497 mi)
Sagged ------------- 0 ----------------------- 2,257 km (1,517 mi)
Total ------------- 134 km (81 mi) --------- 6,241 km (4,004 mi)
Ascended --------- 3,600 feet -------------- 63,095 feet
Nice cycling day. Very beautiful scenery. This part of Africa gets enough water, so the scenery is green and lush. Kept seeing beautiful hills, maybe you could call them mountains, in the distance. That was nice, too.
Nothing special from a cultural "meet the people" point of view, but a good day. Lots of descending after lunch, which was super cool!
------------------ TODAY ----------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 134 km (81 mi) --------- 3,984 km (2,497 mi)
Sagged ------------- 0 ----------------------- 2,257 km (1,517 mi)
Total ------------- 134 km (81 mi) --------- 6,241 km (4,004 mi)
Ascended --------- 3,600 feet -------------- 63,095 feet
Monday, 26th March 2007
To: Bush Camp in Tanzania
Left Iringa very late today - 12:30. Had things to do in the morning. One was to buy a watch. When I traded my watch for Creato's bracelet a few days back, I wasn't really thinking about the consequences, e.g., the fact that it's nice to know what time it is. Got the trashiest, trashiest, very very very fake gold watch you've ever seen in your entire life! Bought it from one of those guys who sells trinkets from a board at bus stations. I'm going to take a picture of it and send it to you at our next stop - in Mzuzu, Malawi. When I put it on, another bystander looked admiringly and said, "Yes, that is nice." I just laughed ... and bought it.
------------------ TODAY --------------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 33 km (21 mi) --------------- 3,850 km (2,416 mi)
Sagged ----------- 67 km (42 mi) --------------- 2,257 km (1,517 mi)
Total ------------- 100 km (63 mi) ------------- 6,107 km (3,933 mi)
In Saddle --------- 2 hours 30 min ------------- 245 hours 56 min
Ascended --------- 1,000 feet ------------------ 59,495 feet
Left Iringa very late today - 12:30. Had things to do in the morning. One was to buy a watch. When I traded my watch for Creato's bracelet a few days back, I wasn't really thinking about the consequences, e.g., the fact that it's nice to know what time it is. Got the trashiest, trashiest, very very very fake gold watch you've ever seen in your entire life! Bought it from one of those guys who sells trinkets from a board at bus stations. I'm going to take a picture of it and send it to you at our next stop - in Mzuzu, Malawi. When I put it on, another bystander looked admiringly and said, "Yes, that is nice." I just laughed ... and bought it.
------------------ TODAY --------------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 33 km (21 mi) --------------- 3,850 km (2,416 mi)
Sagged ----------- 67 km (42 mi) --------------- 2,257 km (1,517 mi)
Total ------------- 100 km (63 mi) ------------- 6,107 km (3,933 mi)
In Saddle --------- 2 hours 30 min ------------- 245 hours 56 min
Ascended --------- 1,000 feet ------------------ 59,495 feet
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sunday, 25th March 2007
Iringa - Rest Day
Rest day in Iringa today. Yeeaahhhh!! Last night, I tried to convince Eva to become an expedition rider for this next section. Then, I'd sign up as a racer and, with no competition, would win! I told her I wanted an award and that it wasn't fair that she was getting all the awards and that I was just trying to do her a favour because I was worried her head was getting too big and, "You don't want your head to be too big, do you?" I asked her. I thought I had her convinced, but when we went to tell Duncan that Eva wants to change her status to expedition rider, she changed her mind. Fine. She can get all the awards. They are silly things, anyway. (Maybe I'll just steal one from her. Tee hee.)
So, how has my day been? GREAT! Wonderful breakfast with Sean, Tiffany, Ruth, Donna, and Trina. Big breakfast, complete with milkshakes all around! It was great. Then, spent most of the remainder of the day in this here internet cafe, where I am currently sitting. Here is a picture of us who are here. That empty seat is mine. The people, clockwise, are: my chair, George, Tiffany, Trina, Donna, and Sean.
And voila! Am up to date again! Hadn't updated since Marsabit. Sorry about that.
As a reminder. If you want to post a comment, you can now do so, without registering.
Cheerio.
Rest day in Iringa today. Yeeaahhhh!! Last night, I tried to convince Eva to become an expedition rider for this next section. Then, I'd sign up as a racer and, with no competition, would win! I told her I wanted an award and that it wasn't fair that she was getting all the awards and that I was just trying to do her a favour because I was worried her head was getting too big and, "You don't want your head to be too big, do you?" I asked her. I thought I had her convinced, but when we went to tell Duncan that Eva wants to change her status to expedition rider, she changed her mind. Fine. She can get all the awards. They are silly things, anyway. (Maybe I'll just steal one from her. Tee hee.)
So, how has my day been? GREAT! Wonderful breakfast with Sean, Tiffany, Ruth, Donna, and Trina. Big breakfast, complete with milkshakes all around! It was great. Then, spent most of the remainder of the day in this here internet cafe, where I am currently sitting. Here is a picture of us who are here. That empty seat is mine. The people, clockwise, are: my chair, George, Tiffany, Trina, Donna, and Sean.And voila! Am up to date again! Hadn't updated since Marsabit. Sorry about that.
As a reminder. If you want to post a comment, you can now do so, without registering.
Cheerio.
Saturday, 24th March 2007
To: Iringa
Wonderful biking today. Rode the whole day with Ruth. We left camp very early, so that by the time we got to the top of the long morning climb (25 km climb), we were there in time to have sodas and chips with some of our fellows who had been there already for a long time! It was a long, but not steep and beautiful climb in the morning!
I really like riding with Ruth. We had a lot of giggles, especially in the afternoon, observing the love birds who were following us and never wanted to catch up with us. One time we looked back and they were not far behind. Another time, we looked back and they had fallen further behind. This really made us giggle. How could anybody lose ground when following ME?! Giggle giggle.
It is a shame that Ruth is a sectional rider. Today was her last riding day. I'll be back on my own again.
--------------------- TODAY --------------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------- 80 km (50 mi) ------------ 3,817 km (2,395 mi)
Sagged --------------- 0 ---------------------------- 2,190 km (1,475 mi)
Total --------------- 80 km (50 mi) ------------ 6,007 km (3,860 mi)
In Saddle ---------- 6 hours 30 min ----------- 243 hours 26 min
Ascended --------- 3,000 feet ----------------- 58,495 feet
Wonderful biking today. Rode the whole day with Ruth. We left camp very early, so that by the time we got to the top of the long morning climb (25 km climb), we were there in time to have sodas and chips with some of our fellows who had been there already for a long time! It was a long, but not steep and beautiful climb in the morning!
I really like riding with Ruth. We had a lot of giggles, especially in the afternoon, observing the love birds who were following us and never wanted to catch up with us. One time we looked back and they were not far behind. Another time, we looked back and they had fallen further behind. This really made us giggle. How could anybody lose ground when following ME?! Giggle giggle.
It is a shame that Ruth is a sectional rider. Today was her last riding day. I'll be back on my own again.
--------------------- TODAY --------------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------- 80 km (50 mi) ------------ 3,817 km (2,395 mi)
Sagged --------------- 0 ---------------------------- 2,190 km (1,475 mi)
Total --------------- 80 km (50 mi) ------------ 6,007 km (3,860 mi)
In Saddle ---------- 6 hours 30 min ----------- 243 hours 26 min
Ascended --------- 3,000 feet ----------------- 58,495 feet
Friday, 23rd March 2007
To: Tanzania Bush Camp 03
This was a long and tiring day. The morning was lovely, as I rode with Ruth, a sectional rider from Vancouver. We chatted quite a bit and I really liked riding with her. Didn't feel any pressure to hurry up. Had the GREATEST chapati stop, after about 30 km from leaving camp! Many of our fellows were also there. The lady was making fresh chapatis, as we waited. Delicious. Had 2. Could have had 3, but managed to stop at 2!
We were the last to lunch and were both quite tired. Ruth decided to get on the truck. I tried to pursuade her otherwise, by saying, "Just think about it. Eat lunch and then make your decision." But she laughed and said, 
"I'm getting on the truck." Bummer. Oh well. I decided to ride. There were only 45 km left to go. It was very hot and the road was rough, but I figured if I stopped in the shade and rested lots, I could make that distance. So, I rode the whole afternoon alone. I actually misjudged my stops and ended up getting to camp a bit later than I should have. Arrived at 6:10 p.m.
"I'm getting on the truck." Bummer. Oh well. I decided to ride. There were only 45 km left to go. It was very hot and the road was rough, but I figured if I stopped in the shade and rested lots, I could make that distance. So, I rode the whole afternoon alone. I actually misjudged my stops and ended up getting to camp a bit later than I should have. Arrived at 6:10 p.m.I forgot, yesterday, to post this picture. It is a picture of us at camp last night, eating supper. Do you see all those Tanzanian kids in the background? Most of them are even sitting down, as though they have really come to see a show. I felt like giving them some popcorn.
----------------- TODAY ------------------ TOTAL
Cycled --------- 96 km (60 mi) --------- 3,737 km (2,345 mi)
Sagged ----------- 0 ------------------------ 2,190 km (1,475 mi)
Total ----------- 96 km (60 mi) --------- 5,927 km (3,820 mi)
In Saddle ------ 7 hours ----------------- 236 hours 56 min
Ascended ------ 1,600 feet -------------- 55,495 feet
Thursday, 22nd March 2007
To: Tanzania Bush Camp 02
Left Dodoma in a somewhat fowl mood for silly reasons. Was peddling very slowly and decided I was going to peddle at that speed the whole day. But then Rachel caught up with me. The next thing you know, we were riding along, chatting, my fowl mood went away, and I even sped up (slightly). She is really, really cool, that Rachel is. Can lift a person's spirits.
After about 30 km, we came to a small town that I had already seen on my map the night before in Dodoma and had already planned to stop at. It cracked Rachel up that I was already planning my stops, the night before! So, anyway, we stopped in the town and Rachel 
found us a great place to get some milk tea. We sat down and were enjoying our power bars and milk tea when a man came by and showed Rachel that her tire was flat! Well, at least if you're going to have a flat, this isn't a bad place to have it. The man wanted to fix the flat for Rachel. I (being typical me) told Rachel she should go ahead and let him do it for a small fee. But she didn't want to do that. So, she started fixing her flat and a large crowd gathered around, to watch the mzungu (white person) fix her flat tire. It was funny, so I took out my camera to get a picture of the crowd watching Rachel fix her flat. But as soon as I got the camera out, they all stepped back! I guess they thought I only wanted a picture of Rachel! No! I wanted a picture of them, watching Rachel! So, by the time I managed to snap the picture, they were down to only 3 on-lookers.
found us a great place to get some milk tea. We sat down and were enjoying our power bars and milk tea when a man came by and showed Rachel that her tire was flat! Well, at least if you're going to have a flat, this isn't a bad place to have it. The man wanted to fix the flat for Rachel. I (being typical me) told Rachel she should go ahead and let him do it for a small fee. But she didn't want to do that. So, she started fixing her flat and a large crowd gathered around, to watch the mzungu (white person) fix her flat tire. It was funny, so I took out my camera to get a picture of the crowd watching Rachel fix her flat. But as soon as I got the camera out, they all stepped back! I guess they thought I only wanted a picture of Rachel! No! I wanted a picture of them, watching Rachel! So, by the time I managed to snap the picture, they were down to only 3 on-lookers.We then rode the rest of the way to lunch. I was hoping we were going to ride the whole day together, but when we got to lunch, duty called for her. She had to go back and look for Sarah, whom they thought was lost. (It turned out later that she wasn't lost - she was already in camp!)
So, I rode most of the rest of the way alone. The trio of Phil, Nels, and Wendy were riding behind me, as sweepers. After about 15 km, I came to a village and naturally pulled in for a coke and a break. This is funny. As usual, the children crowded around, to watch me drink. (How exciting!) So, they were watching me, ho dee ho. But after about 15 minutes, they all all-of-a-sudden jumped up and ran off! I thought, "Wow! Where are they running off too? Something more exciting than watching me drink a coke?!" But slowly they all came back and one of the adults told me that 3 of my friends had just ridden by. That was Phil, Nels, and Wendy!
About 15 km more, I caught up with the trio at another coke stop, and we rode the rest of the way to camp together.
--------------------- TODAY ----------------- TOTAL
Cycled -------------90 km (56 mi) --------- 3,641 km (2,285 mi)
Sagged ---------------- 0------------------------ 2,190 km (1,475 mi)
Total --------------- 90 km (56 mi) ---------- 5,831 km (3,760 mi)
In Saddle ---------- 5 hours 45 min --------- 229 hours 56 min
Ascended ---------- 800 feet ----------------- 53,895 feet
Wednesday, 21st March 2007
To: Dodoma
Super great morning! This is the morning when I met a Masai named Creato and traded my watch for one of his bracelets, and was even given permission to take half a picture of him! The Masai do not like their pictures taken! Whenever I ask, they always say "no". I suppose I don't blame them. Tourists are probably forever snapping cameras in their faces. It would probably get on my nerves, too.
I was riding along at a fairly slow pace because the road seemed a bit rough to me. Within a short time, everybody had passed me and I was back there alone, except for Jack who was behind me, riding sweep. We rode and rode and there were no villages. It was very pretty, but I like villages! After about 25 km on that road with no villages, I finally just sat down on a stone and ate an orange. Didn't sit long, though, before taking off again. Road about 15 more km and came to Creato's village! I rode into town and asked if there was anywhere I could get a cold coke. Was directed to this place where I sat down. Also sitting down were 2 Masais, one of whom, I later came to know, was Creato. I didn't talk with them at first, just smiled and nodded. I figure they get enough people gawking at them. But there were some cute kids watching me. So, I finally started to try talking with the kids. I said, "Hello, my friend, what is your name?" The kid then got shy and hid behind a pillar. This made Creato chuckle. Whenever the kid peeped his head from around the pillar, I'd say, "My friend, what is your name?" Eventually, Creato was talking to his fellow Masai buddy and saying, "My friend." I 
smiled at him and tried to translate "my friend" into Swahili, but I think I failed because he looked confused. But then he asked me, "My name is?" which I understood to mean, "What is your name?" I said, "My name is Leigh Anne. What is your name." He said, "Creato."
So, as long as he'd started the conversation, I wasn't going to let it die. I started admiring his jewelry, of which he had a LOT, and asking him questions about it. I examined the ankle bracelets shown in this photo very closely. I couldn't figure out how you get them off so I asked him (with pantomimes). He showed me that you CAN'T get them off! The only way is to take the jewelry apart. I asked, "You sleep with this?" He smiled and said, "Yes." I said, "You bath with this?" He smiled and said, "Yes." Another customer sitting at the same place was chuckling at our conversation. I was wearing my heart rate monitor, but Creato didn't know what it was. He thought it was a watch. He asked if he could have it. So, I had to show him that, in fact, it was monitoring my heart rate. I showed him by jumping up and down and he could then see the heart rate number go up. He thought that was super cool and wanted to try it, so I put the monitor on him and showed him his heart rate. By now, a small crowd of about 15-20 people were gathering. Not wanting every single person to try the heart rate monitor, I put it back on me.
Then, I showed him my real watch. He took off one of his very dangley bracelets and handed it to me. I tried it on and smiled a lot because I liked it! So, I took off my real watch and handed it to him. Despite the fact that it's a woman's watch, he put it on and seemed quite pleased. So we shook on the deal. We'd made a trade!
Then, finally, after we'd been chatting like this for about 30 minutes, I thought that we had a repore going so he might agree to let me take his picture. I took out my camera and asked. He was very very nice and smiled, but wagged his finger and said, "No." I was disappointed. I then asked if I could just take a picture of his feet, to remember that jewelry. He hesitated, but then he smiled and stuck his legs out for me to take their picture. And here is the picture of half a Masai!
I then left town, and eventually Jack caught up to me again, but he was very very sick. In fact, he seemed VERY sick. I was quite worried about him. I'm not the speediest person in the world, but I kept suggesting that he just sit or lie in the shade and let me go get the truck to come and get him. He kept refusing, but when we were just a few km from the truck, he finally said, "O.k.," and sat down. I tried to hussle as fast as I could but I was going uphill on rough road, and I was already tired. Nonetheless, I got to the truck within about 10-15 minutes and Thor was on top, tieing down bikes. I said, "Jack is sick. Can we go back and get him?" Thor said, "O.k.," but continued tieing bikes. After a few minutes, I said, "Jack is not far back, but he is really sick. Can we go get him now?" Thor said, "We'll go just now, now." But he continued tieing bikes. After another few minutes, I suggested that I would ride back down, just to let him know how close he was. He was only about 2 km back, albeit on a hill. Thor didn't like that idea because he wanted to tie my bike on the roof. So, I just sat down, feeling very edgy about Jack back there, puking and barfing and lieing on the road, waiting for the truck. I sat next to Beth (from Vancouver) and whispered, "I kind of wish we could go back right NOW, but I guess I've made that point, haven't I?" She said, "Yes, you have. I think they'll go soon." But then, Jack showed up, looking very tired but o.k. We all got in the truck and had a very, very long and bumpy ride into Dodoma. There were a lot of us sagging today - 17 bikes were put on top of that truck! Thor said that was a record!
--------------------- TODAY ---------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------- 64 km (40 mi) ------- 3,551 km (2,229 mi)
Sagged ------------- 76 km (48 mi) ------- 2,190 km (1,475 mi)
Total --------------- 140 km (88 mi) ------ 5,741 km (3,704 mi)
In Saddle ---------- 4 hours 50 min ------ 224 hours 12 min
Ascended --------- 1,500 feet ------------- 53,095 feet
Tuesday, 20th March 2007
To: Bush Camp Tanzania 01 (In Karema village, just past Kondoa)
This morning, I caught an early bus toward Kondoa. I boarded it at 7:30 a.m. I knew I'd miss our group, even though they were only 10-15 km away, because they all leave by 7:30. So, I was headed to Kondoa to meet them. But boy was I wrong about missing them. When we got about 15 km outside of Babati (which took over an hour, because of the muddy road condition), I heard somebody on the bus say "African Routes". I thought, "What? That's our tour group!" So, I looked out the window and saw our trucks and several of our people! It was a joyous moment. I felt like I was seeing my family!
My next sight was the one in this picture. THIS is why Jack had told me last night that there was no way I could miss them! Everybody was stuck in the mud, nobody was moving. In this picture, you can see the people trying to clear away a pathway for that truck to get through. We were just waiting. Just sitting there. Apparently, they'd been sitting there since the night before. So, I got off our bus and walked up to Janet and said, "Hey! Fancy meeting you here!" And she said, "Aaahh!" and gave me a big hug. Even after I arrived, we ended up stuck behind that mud for about 2 hours. I got my stuff off the bus, though, and put it on one of our African Routes trucks.
Total ------------------- 92 km (58 mi) ------------ 5,601 km (3,616 mi)
This morning, I caught an early bus toward Kondoa. I boarded it at 7:30 a.m. I knew I'd miss our group, even though they were only 10-15 km away, because they all leave by 7:30. So, I was headed to Kondoa to meet them. But boy was I wrong about missing them. When we got about 15 km outside of Babati (which took over an hour, because of the muddy road condition), I heard somebody on the bus say "African Routes". I thought, "What? That's our tour group!" So, I looked out the window and saw our trucks and several of our people! It was a joyous moment. I felt like I was seeing my family!
My next sight was the one in this picture. THIS is why Jack had told me last night that there was no way I could miss them! Everybody was stuck in the mud, nobody was moving. In this picture, you can see the people trying to clear away a pathway for that truck to get through. We were just waiting. Just sitting there. Apparently, they'd been sitting there since the night before. So, I got off our bus and walked up to Janet and said, "Hey! Fancy meeting you here!" And she said, "Aaahh!" and gave me a big hug. Even after I arrived, we ended up stuck behind that mud for about 2 hours. I got my stuff off the bus, though, and put it on one of our African Routes trucks.When we finally got through, I was on Thor's truck with Vivian, Sarah (who was terribly sick), Dean (also sick), and David. Funnily enough (and kind of sad, I thought, it made me feel bad), one of them said to me, "Did you like your bus ride?" I said, "Yes, it was fine. The people were friendly." He said, "Why didn't you just stay on the bus, then, rather than come with us." I didn't know how to answer that so I just sat there.
When we finally made it to Karema village, it turns out that one of the women I'd met earlier on the bus was from that village! I'd chatted with her on the bus and given her some water, so we had become a bit friendly. When we showed up in Karema, she came up to me and said, "Hi." I said, "Oh! Do you live here?" She said, "This is my home," with a big smile. It turns out that she was a primary school teacher there.
Tonight, Adrie and Nels had their bikes stolen. We ended up getting them back but had to pay for it. Long day for everybody, especially the staff.
------------------------- TODAY ------------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------------ 0 -------------------------- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ----------------- 92 km (58 mi) ----------- 2,114 km (1,427 mi)Total ------------------- 92 km (58 mi) ------------ 5,601 km (3,616 mi)
Monday, 19th March 2007
To: Babati
Annett's bus left at 4:00 today. I caught a bus at 2:00 to go to Babati, which I thought might be close to where my friends were. It was a fun bus ride, and we got to Babati at 6:00. I hadn't seen my friends' bush camp before Babati, so figured they must be somewhere after Babati. So, I rang them on the satalite phone number they'd given me. Jack told me they were only about 10-15 km past Babati. I was worried I might miss them again (remembering the Marsabit-Arther's Post incident) because I thought it might be dark by the time I got there. I suggested to Jack that maybe I'll stay in Babati and come early in the morning. Jack was just telling me that there is no possible way I could miss them, and at that point, the person whose phone I was using ran out of air time.
So, I went outside to negotiate a taxi to take me. As I was negotiating the taxi, it started to rain. My thought was, "Hmmm. Spend a lot of money on a taxi in order to go spend the night at a bush camp in the rain... Or, sleep in that really nice looking lodge right across the road over there." So, anyway, opted for the nice lodge. I was very happy for my choice for 2 reasons:
(1) In the middle of the night, I could hear it pouring down rain and there was even thunder and lightening.
(2) In Babati town, there is a lake. In that lake, one of the Babati locals told me, live hippopotamuses! Later in the evening, when it wasn't raining, I wandered over there and saw a grazing hippo! That was neat! Unfortunately, I'd left my camera in my room.
------------------- TODAY ---------------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------ 0 ----------------------------- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ------------ 90 km (56 mi) ------------- 2,022 km (1,369 mi)
Total -------------- 90 km (56 mi) ------------- 5,509 km (3,558 mi)
Annett's bus left at 4:00 today. I caught a bus at 2:00 to go to Babati, which I thought might be close to where my friends were. It was a fun bus ride, and we got to Babati at 6:00. I hadn't seen my friends' bush camp before Babati, so figured they must be somewhere after Babati. So, I rang them on the satalite phone number they'd given me. Jack told me they were only about 10-15 km past Babati. I was worried I might miss them again (remembering the Marsabit-Arther's Post incident) because I thought it might be dark by the time I got there. I suggested to Jack that maybe I'll stay in Babati and come early in the morning. Jack was just telling me that there is no possible way I could miss them, and at that point, the person whose phone I was using ran out of air time.
So, I went outside to negotiate a taxi to take me. As I was negotiating the taxi, it started to rain. My thought was, "Hmmm. Spend a lot of money on a taxi in order to go spend the night at a bush camp in the rain... Or, sleep in that really nice looking lodge right across the road over there." So, anyway, opted for the nice lodge. I was very happy for my choice for 2 reasons:
(1) In the middle of the night, I could hear it pouring down rain and there was even thunder and lightening.
(2) In Babati town, there is a lake. In that lake, one of the Babati locals told me, live hippopotamuses! Later in the evening, when it wasn't raining, I wandered over there and saw a grazing hippo! That was neat! Unfortunately, I'd left my camera in my room.
------------------- TODAY ---------------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------ 0 ----------------------------- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ------------ 90 km (56 mi) ------------- 2,022 km (1,369 mi)
Total -------------- 90 km (56 mi) ------------- 5,509 km (3,558 mi)
Sunday, 18th March 2007
Arusha
Yesterday, Annett tried to get her bus ticket back to Uganda, but the bus was full for today. So, she can't leave until tomorrow. So, of course, I'm also staying until tomorrow. The rest of my friends, however, left Arusha today.
For the past 3 days, there have been clouds covering Mt. Kilimanjaro. Annett really wanted to see Mt. Kilimanjaro, but we could never see it. So, today, we thought, "That does it! Let's take the minibus to Moshi (a town about 20 km from Mt. Kilimanjaro). We'll be sure to see it there!" When we got off the bus in Moshi, some people came up to us, asking if we wanted a taxi. I said, "No, thank you." But they started to get pushy and crowd around, saying, "Taxi, madam? Taxi, madam?" Immediately, my guard went up at this, so I went to put my hands in my pockets to prevent pick-pocketing. As I did it, I saw another hand in my pocket! My instant reaction was to SCREAM bloody-murder! The hand came out of the pocket fast, but I couldn't see whose it was because there were several people crowding around us. My head darted around and I said, "WHOSE HAND WAS IN MY POCKET!" And Annett, who was just behind me, said, "That one," pointing to somebody. So, I checked his hands, he had nothing, and I checked my pockets, everything was there. But the scream seemed to have done it because the crowding men (boys, really) parted and Annett and I walked out of the minibus-park.
Later, when we were relaxed and having a beer together, we had some good laughs over the incident. Annett said, "You should have seen him when you screamed. He looked scared." I laughed and said, "Good! He should be scared!" I then said, "Wouldn't it be great if we went back there and robbed them, using their own crowding and pushing scheme?" Annett laughed and said, "Yeah."
... But, alas, even from Moshi, we still couldn't see Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was very cloudy and overcast. Not to be defeated, however, we decided to take a taxi to the very base of the mountain. Which we did. When we were negotiating with the taxi driver, he said, "Let me understand correctly. You just want to go to the bottom of
the mountain, and then turn around and come back again?" We said, "That's right." So, he took us. Annett was happy because there was a lot of matooke growing and she said, "I've heard that the Chaka people who live around here are like the Baganda and eat a lot of matooke. Now I'm seeing it with my own eyes." When we got to the base of the mountain, we could really hardly see anything because it was overcast, but at least we were *on the mountain*! And here is a picture to prove it!
---------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 0 -------------------- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ----------- 100 km (63 mi) ------ 1,932 km (1,313 mi)
Total ------------- 100 km (63 mi) ------ 5,419 km (3,502 mi)
Yesterday, Annett tried to get her bus ticket back to Uganda, but the bus was full for today. So, she can't leave until tomorrow. So, of course, I'm also staying until tomorrow. The rest of my friends, however, left Arusha today.
For the past 3 days, there have been clouds covering Mt. Kilimanjaro. Annett really wanted to see Mt. Kilimanjaro, but we could never see it. So, today, we thought, "That does it! Let's take the minibus to Moshi (a town about 20 km from Mt. Kilimanjaro). We'll be sure to see it there!" When we got off the bus in Moshi, some people came up to us, asking if we wanted a taxi. I said, "No, thank you." But they started to get pushy and crowd around, saying, "Taxi, madam? Taxi, madam?" Immediately, my guard went up at this, so I went to put my hands in my pockets to prevent pick-pocketing. As I did it, I saw another hand in my pocket! My instant reaction was to SCREAM bloody-murder! The hand came out of the pocket fast, but I couldn't see whose it was because there were several people crowding around us. My head darted around and I said, "WHOSE HAND WAS IN MY POCKET!" And Annett, who was just behind me, said, "That one," pointing to somebody. So, I checked his hands, he had nothing, and I checked my pockets, everything was there. But the scream seemed to have done it because the crowding men (boys, really) parted and Annett and I walked out of the minibus-park.
Later, when we were relaxed and having a beer together, we had some good laughs over the incident. Annett said, "You should have seen him when you screamed. He looked scared." I laughed and said, "Good! He should be scared!" I then said, "Wouldn't it be great if we went back there and robbed them, using their own crowding and pushing scheme?" Annett laughed and said, "Yeah."
... But, alas, even from Moshi, we still couldn't see Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was very cloudy and overcast. Not to be defeated, however, we decided to take a taxi to the very base of the mountain. Which we did. When we were negotiating with the taxi driver, he said, "Let me understand correctly. You just want to go to the bottom of
the mountain, and then turn around and come back again?" We said, "That's right." So, he took us. Annett was happy because there was a lot of matooke growing and she said, "I've heard that the Chaka people who live around here are like the Baganda and eat a lot of matooke. Now I'm seeing it with my own eyes." When we got to the base of the mountain, we could really hardly see anything because it was overcast, but at least we were *on the mountain*! And here is a picture to prove it!---------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 0 -------------------- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ----------- 100 km (63 mi) ------ 1,932 km (1,313 mi)
Total ------------- 100 km (63 mi) ------ 5,419 km (3,502 mi)
Thurs-Sat, 15th-17th March 2007
Arusha - Rest Days
We got 3 whole rest days in Arusha! This was so that people could go off and do safaris and things. Annett and I just hung out, spent time in beer gardens, talked, and had a nice time. The three main places that we hung out at were the Galaxy Club, the Police Mess, and the Masai Camp. The gang was staying at Masai Camp. One day, while I was playing a game of pool at the Police Mess, Patrick Woodburn called. That was great, but also felt strange. Like a voice from another world! Nice.
We got 3 whole rest days in Arusha! This was so that people could go off and do safaris and things. Annett and I just hung out, spent time in beer gardens, talked, and had a nice time. The three main places that we hung out at were the Galaxy Club, the Police Mess, and the Masai Camp. The gang was staying at Masai Camp. One day, while I was playing a game of pool at the Police Mess, Patrick Woodburn called. That was great, but also felt strange. Like a voice from another world! Nice.
Wednesday, 14th March 2007
To: Arusha
Hung out at the Tanzanian border for a long time (about an hour and a half), together with many of my fellow cyclists, waiting for them to process our visas. Then, made it through and got to Arusha by 11:30. Was worried that I was late, but it turns out that I still had to wait another hour and a half. Annett arrived at 1:00.
Good day.
--------------- TODAY ----------------- TOTAL
Cycled ---------- 0 ---------------------- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ---------- 130 km (81 mi) -------- 1,832 km (1,250 mi)
Total ------------ 130 km (81 mi) -------- 5,319 km (3,439 mi)
Hung out at the Tanzanian border for a long time (about an hour and a half), together with many of my fellow cyclists, waiting for them to process our visas. Then, made it through and got to Arusha by 11:30. Was worried that I was late, but it turns out that I still had to wait another hour and a half. Annett arrived at 1:00.
Good day.
--------------- TODAY ----------------- TOTAL
Cycled ---------- 0 ---------------------- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ---------- 130 km (81 mi) -------- 1,832 km (1,250 mi)
Total ------------ 130 km (81 mi) -------- 5,319 km (3,439 mi)
Tuesday, 13th March 2007
To: Camp Kenya 04 (3 km from Tanzania border)
Woo hooooo! Did a miles century today - 100 miles in a day! That's the first time I've done that on this trip. Felt great. In fact, I think that's probably the first time I've ever done that in Africa. I've done it in America and Europe, where the days are longer, but never in Africa. So, that felt really good!
Rode by myself most of the day. The 3 new sectional riders from Vancouver (Trina, Donna, and Ruth) caught up with me and we rode together for a little while in the morning. But then they went on and I didn't see them again until camp. I had several stops today, but nothing spectacular happened, from a cultural point of view. For me, the 100-mile day was super cool, though! Rode with Jack (who was sweeping) for the last 50 km (35 miles) or so. I like chatting with him sometimes.
I am very excited because tomorrow I am taking the bus to Arusha in order to be there in time to meet Annett, who is due to arrive at 10:00 a.m. Very happy to be seeing her. Yippeeee!!
---------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled --------- 163 km (102 mi) ----- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ---------- 0 --------------------- 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total ----------- 163 km (102 mi) ----- 5,189 km (3,358 mi)
In Saddle ------- 8 hours -------------- 219 hours 22 min
Ascended ------- 1,100 feet ------------ 51,595 feet
Woo hooooo! Did a miles century today - 100 miles in a day! That's the first time I've done that on this trip. Felt great. In fact, I think that's probably the first time I've ever done that in Africa. I've done it in America and Europe, where the days are longer, but never in Africa. So, that felt really good!
Rode by myself most of the day. The 3 new sectional riders from Vancouver (Trina, Donna, and Ruth) caught up with me and we rode together for a little while in the morning. But then they went on and I didn't see them again until camp. I had several stops today, but nothing spectacular happened, from a cultural point of view. For me, the 100-mile day was super cool, though! Rode with Jack (who was sweeping) for the last 50 km (35 miles) or so. I like chatting with him sometimes.
I am very excited because tomorrow I am taking the bus to Arusha in order to be there in time to meet Annett, who is due to arrive at 10:00 a.m. Very happy to be seeing her. Yippeeee!!
---------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled --------- 163 km (102 mi) ----- 3,487 km (2,189 mi)
Sagged ---------- 0 --------------------- 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total ----------- 163 km (102 mi) ----- 5,189 km (3,358 mi)
In Saddle ------- 8 hours -------------- 219 hours 22 min
Ascended ------- 1,100 feet ------------ 51,595 feet
Monday, 12th March 2007
Nairobi - Rest Day
Had a big western style breakfast this morning in town with Shawn, Gunther, George, Jan, and 2 of the new riders - Tiffany and (Sigfried?). After that, though, I was completely broke. Completely. I had exactly 20 shillings on me. So, I had to go off and find a bank.
That was a bit of an adventure, trying to move around Nairobi with no money. I talked with a parking attendant at the mall where we had eaten and asked where a Barclays bank was. He started showing me how to get a taxi. I said, "No, I'm walking. I have no money." He said, "Oh," and paused to think. "It is a bit far," he said. I said, "I have no choice." He said, "Hmm. Do you have 20 shillings?" I said, "Yes," so he very kindly and thoroughly, with detail, wrote down the directions on how to get to another mall, by matatu. When I arrived at the bank, finally, it was a "Prestige Members Only" branch, so they didn't want to help me. I had to put on my sweetest "please help me" face and explain that I had just spent my last 20 shillings and didn't even have enough money to go to another branch. In the end, the bank teller directed me to the bank manager, who talked with me in his office and ... I walked out with some money! Do you remember a few days ago when I wrote that one of the greatest feelings ever was to recover your strength after you have become completely, completely exhausted? Well, another great feeling is to have some money in your pocket after you have been completely, completely broke.
So, I spent the whole rest of the day in this great mall, which is where I am still sitting, even now, at 8:00 p.m.. Wow! This place is great! It has everything! It has bookshops and coffee shops and camera shops (yes, I bought a replacement camera!), and even a bike shop where I got some lube, and internet cafe. Everything! I could live here! Haha.
Update: I got back to our camp at about 9:30 p.m. and found Miles, Elaine, and Rachel, having a drink. I joined them. I don't know why, but I
was in a very loving mood and was loving everybody. It kept cracking Rachel up. Apparently, they had had a very long and busy day. The staff really works hard.
And I leave you with a picture of Eva at the camp in Nairobi. My first picture on the new camera.
Had a big western style breakfast this morning in town with Shawn, Gunther, George, Jan, and 2 of the new riders - Tiffany and (Sigfried?). After that, though, I was completely broke. Completely. I had exactly 20 shillings on me. So, I had to go off and find a bank.
That was a bit of an adventure, trying to move around Nairobi with no money. I talked with a parking attendant at the mall where we had eaten and asked where a Barclays bank was. He started showing me how to get a taxi. I said, "No, I'm walking. I have no money." He said, "Oh," and paused to think. "It is a bit far," he said. I said, "I have no choice." He said, "Hmm. Do you have 20 shillings?" I said, "Yes," so he very kindly and thoroughly, with detail, wrote down the directions on how to get to another mall, by matatu. When I arrived at the bank, finally, it was a "Prestige Members Only" branch, so they didn't want to help me. I had to put on my sweetest "please help me" face and explain that I had just spent my last 20 shillings and didn't even have enough money to go to another branch. In the end, the bank teller directed me to the bank manager, who talked with me in his office and ... I walked out with some money! Do you remember a few days ago when I wrote that one of the greatest feelings ever was to recover your strength after you have become completely, completely exhausted? Well, another great feeling is to have some money in your pocket after you have been completely, completely broke.
So, I spent the whole rest of the day in this great mall, which is where I am still sitting, even now, at 8:00 p.m.. Wow! This place is great! It has everything! It has bookshops and coffee shops and camera shops (yes, I bought a replacement camera!), and even a bike shop where I got some lube, and internet cafe. Everything! I could live here! Haha.
Update: I got back to our camp at about 9:30 p.m. and found Miles, Elaine, and Rachel, having a drink. I joined them. I don't know why, but I
was in a very loving mood and was loving everybody. It kept cracking Rachel up. Apparently, they had had a very long and busy day. The staff really works hard.And I leave you with a picture of Eva at the camp in Nairobi. My first picture on the new camera.
Sunday, 11th March 2007
To: Nairobi
Oh, how can I describe this morning? It was beautiful beyond words. I woke up very very early and left camp at the first crack of light - 6:00 a.m. This is because we were told in last night's rider meeting that we had to make it to the point where we would begin the convoy into Nairobi, by 11:00. That was 60 km away.
As I rode the first 3 km from camp out to the main road, Kenya was still asleep. There were no people around, but - how can I describe it with justice? The beautiful light and shadows on the trees, the rooster crowing, the distant sound of a dog barking. This is Africa, folks, the part of Africa that I know and love. It is in my blood now, I can't get it out. It is a dream, God blessed Africa.
By the time I reached the main road, it was about 6:20 a.m. and Kenya was beginning to wake up. As I rode along, seeing the sun begin to rise over the savannah-like landscape, people started to dot the road and country. Walking. On the move. Going places. Smiling at me, as I rode by, with their perfectly white and straight teeth. Such beautiful people. I think Bantus are the most physically beautiful people in the whole world. I'm not talking about all Africans. I mean Bantus, specifically. Their beautiful teeth is just a start. Then comes the hips, the muscular bodies, and that wonderful color. Bantu people certainly are blessed with good looks.
By about 8:00, I became aware that it was Sunday, when I heard accapella singing in the distance and knew that it was coming from a church. Beautiful accapella singing, with African rhythm and enthusiasm. When I finally got near enough, I saw the little church that it was coming from, and as I rode by, I peered through the open doors and saw that the church was packed to the brim with joyous people, singing and praising.
Then, shortly after passing the church, I heard a familiar squeaking and creaking sound. I looked behind, and there was a Kenyan, catching up to me on his bike. Soon, he overtook me, with a big smile. That was it! The race was on! This was a familiar situation for me, I've been in it many times before, in Uganda. So I picked up my pace. We were on a hill, and I knew that my only hope for passing him would be if the hill got so steep that he had to get off and walk. After all, he only has 1 gear on his bike, while I have 24. Other handicaps in my favour included the fact that his bike is rusty, he has no peddles (peddling only on the little bars that protrude where the peddles should be), and he was carrying a load of 2 crates of empty beer bottles. Perfect odds! Made us just about evenly matched! I was never able to overtake him on the uphill, but on the downhill, watch out! I zoomed past him, with a big smile. We continued on like that for quite a while, him passing me with laughter on the ups, and me passing him with laughter on the downs. After a while, we both tired and so rode side by side, with the usual conversation. "Where are you going?" etc. After having ridden together for about an hour, we came to a small town and he said, "I have arrived." So we bid farewell, as he branched off, and I continued on.
At exactly 11:00, I made it to the meeting point for the 45 km convoy, and I left Africa for a while. I often feel like when I am with my Tour d'Afrique friends, I am no longer in Africa. It is very o.k., though, they are a very nice bunch of people in their own right. The convoy got started and for the next few hours, we were riding in a tight bunch, over hills and into Nairobi. A police car and the car carrying the filming people (they're making a documentary) was up front, followed by all the cyclists, and finally Thor and his truck in the rear. Everybody was working together in a nice team, to get us safely to the camp in Nairobi. As always, I was the slowest going up the hills, but people told me to go up front and set the pace. At one point, Jack helped to boost me up a hill by putting his hand gently on my back and pushing. At another point, Adrie did the same thing. Finally, at another hill, Jan did it. Most hills, however, I was on my own. Adrie was very sweet when he said, "Don't worry about it, Leigh Anne. This is teamwork." When we still had about 10 km to go, I had completely run out of water. Eva then stepped in by swapping her full water bottle for my empty one. Very nice group of people I am travelling with.
At about 1:30 in the afternoon, we made it. Welcome to Nairobi!
------------------ TODAY ---------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 104 km (65 mi) -------- 3,324 km (2,087 mi)
Sagged ------------ 0 --------------------- 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total ------------- 104 km (65 mi) -------- 5,024 km (3,256 mi)
In Saddle --------- 6 hours ---------------- 211 hours 22 min
Ascended --------- 3,800 feet ------------- 50,495 feet
Oh, how can I describe this morning? It was beautiful beyond words. I woke up very very early and left camp at the first crack of light - 6:00 a.m. This is because we were told in last night's rider meeting that we had to make it to the point where we would begin the convoy into Nairobi, by 11:00. That was 60 km away.
As I rode the first 3 km from camp out to the main road, Kenya was still asleep. There were no people around, but - how can I describe it with justice? The beautiful light and shadows on the trees, the rooster crowing, the distant sound of a dog barking. This is Africa, folks, the part of Africa that I know and love. It is in my blood now, I can't get it out. It is a dream, God blessed Africa.
By the time I reached the main road, it was about 6:20 a.m. and Kenya was beginning to wake up. As I rode along, seeing the sun begin to rise over the savannah-like landscape, people started to dot the road and country. Walking. On the move. Going places. Smiling at me, as I rode by, with their perfectly white and straight teeth. Such beautiful people. I think Bantus are the most physically beautiful people in the whole world. I'm not talking about all Africans. I mean Bantus, specifically. Their beautiful teeth is just a start. Then comes the hips, the muscular bodies, and that wonderful color. Bantu people certainly are blessed with good looks.
By about 8:00, I became aware that it was Sunday, when I heard accapella singing in the distance and knew that it was coming from a church. Beautiful accapella singing, with African rhythm and enthusiasm. When I finally got near enough, I saw the little church that it was coming from, and as I rode by, I peered through the open doors and saw that the church was packed to the brim with joyous people, singing and praising.
Then, shortly after passing the church, I heard a familiar squeaking and creaking sound. I looked behind, and there was a Kenyan, catching up to me on his bike. Soon, he overtook me, with a big smile. That was it! The race was on! This was a familiar situation for me, I've been in it many times before, in Uganda. So I picked up my pace. We were on a hill, and I knew that my only hope for passing him would be if the hill got so steep that he had to get off and walk. After all, he only has 1 gear on his bike, while I have 24. Other handicaps in my favour included the fact that his bike is rusty, he has no peddles (peddling only on the little bars that protrude where the peddles should be), and he was carrying a load of 2 crates of empty beer bottles. Perfect odds! Made us just about evenly matched! I was never able to overtake him on the uphill, but on the downhill, watch out! I zoomed past him, with a big smile. We continued on like that for quite a while, him passing me with laughter on the ups, and me passing him with laughter on the downs. After a while, we both tired and so rode side by side, with the usual conversation. "Where are you going?" etc. After having ridden together for about an hour, we came to a small town and he said, "I have arrived." So we bid farewell, as he branched off, and I continued on.
At exactly 11:00, I made it to the meeting point for the 45 km convoy, and I left Africa for a while. I often feel like when I am with my Tour d'Afrique friends, I am no longer in Africa. It is very o.k., though, they are a very nice bunch of people in their own right. The convoy got started and for the next few hours, we were riding in a tight bunch, over hills and into Nairobi. A police car and the car carrying the filming people (they're making a documentary) was up front, followed by all the cyclists, and finally Thor and his truck in the rear. Everybody was working together in a nice team, to get us safely to the camp in Nairobi. As always, I was the slowest going up the hills, but people told me to go up front and set the pace. At one point, Jack helped to boost me up a hill by putting his hand gently on my back and pushing. At another point, Adrie did the same thing. Finally, at another hill, Jan did it. Most hills, however, I was on my own. Adrie was very sweet when he said, "Don't worry about it, Leigh Anne. This is teamwork." When we still had about 10 km to go, I had completely run out of water. Eva then stepped in by swapping her full water bottle for my empty one. Very nice group of people I am travelling with.
At about 1:30 in the afternoon, we made it. Welcome to Nairobi!
------------------ TODAY ---------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 104 km (65 mi) -------- 3,324 km (2,087 mi)
Sagged ------------ 0 --------------------- 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total ------------- 104 km (65 mi) -------- 5,024 km (3,256 mi)
In Saddle --------- 6 hours ---------------- 211 hours 22 min
Ascended --------- 3,800 feet ------------- 50,495 feet
Saturday, 10th March 2007
To: Camp Ke03 (The River Rafting place by the river)
The best part of the day was a 3-hour stop, after lunch, in the town of Karatina. I rolled into town, and it was a big town. I looked around for a place to sit and have a "little break". After looking around a bit, I asked somebody, "Where is a good place to sit and have a drink?" So, he pointed me to a GREAT place! I sat outside in the courtyard of this bar-ish place. They were roasting meat outside. This is the Africa that I love. I am in Bantu-land! Roasting meat, people sitting at a table near mine, drinking beers and having a good time. Next thing you know, those people at that table invited me to join them.
"You can't sit by yourself. No, you just can't. Come!" By the time this offer was made, I'd only just sat down and pulled out my novel to read a bit. So I smiled, shrugged, and said, "Sure, o.k.!" Ended up sitting with them for several hours. They were 4 men and 2 women. With me, that made 3 women. Just enjoying their Saturday afternoon in great style. Lots and lots of beers. I was drinking coke because I knew I still had to ride my bike about 30 km sometime that afternoon, to get to camp. But every time they ordered another round, they'd say, "You want a beer this time?" I'd say, "No," and explain why not. At one point, they were saying, "Don't worry about it. We'll drive you there." I laughed and said, "No, no. Don't worry, I'm fine. I love coke!" These are the kind of moments when I think to myself that if I were just footloose and fancy free, and didn't have to worry about getting to the right spot to meet up with the group, then I probably would have ended up just booking a room in Karatina and partied with these folks all night! As it was, however, we had a nice few hours together, and then I got on my bike and rode to camp.
Well, not quite. I rode about 20 km to a quiet but nice looking lodge by the side of the road. It was still only 4:00. On that road, I knew I could do the remaining 10 km in about 30 minutes, so what was the rush? So, I pulled over one more time. Had a beer (only 10 km to go) and some peanuts and read a bit. Very, very, very peaceful feeling.
Then, I scurried to camp, and arrived there at 5:30. Very nice setting, on a river. And we had pork chops for dinner! GREAT dinner tonight!
------------------ TODAY ---------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 115 km (72 mi) --------- 3,220 km (2,022 mi)
Sagged ------------ 0 ---------------------- 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total ------------- 115 km (72 mi) --------- 4,922 km (3,191 mi)
In Saddle --------- 6 hours 30 min --------- 205 hours 22 min
Ascended --------- 1,800 feet -------------- 46,695 feet
The best part of the day was a 3-hour stop, after lunch, in the town of Karatina. I rolled into town, and it was a big town. I looked around for a place to sit and have a "little break". After looking around a bit, I asked somebody, "Where is a good place to sit and have a drink?" So, he pointed me to a GREAT place! I sat outside in the courtyard of this bar-ish place. They were roasting meat outside. This is the Africa that I love. I am in Bantu-land! Roasting meat, people sitting at a table near mine, drinking beers and having a good time. Next thing you know, those people at that table invited me to join them.
"You can't sit by yourself. No, you just can't. Come!" By the time this offer was made, I'd only just sat down and pulled out my novel to read a bit. So I smiled, shrugged, and said, "Sure, o.k.!" Ended up sitting with them for several hours. They were 4 men and 2 women. With me, that made 3 women. Just enjoying their Saturday afternoon in great style. Lots and lots of beers. I was drinking coke because I knew I still had to ride my bike about 30 km sometime that afternoon, to get to camp. But every time they ordered another round, they'd say, "You want a beer this time?" I'd say, "No," and explain why not. At one point, they were saying, "Don't worry about it. We'll drive you there." I laughed and said, "No, no. Don't worry, I'm fine. I love coke!" These are the kind of moments when I think to myself that if I were just footloose and fancy free, and didn't have to worry about getting to the right spot to meet up with the group, then I probably would have ended up just booking a room in Karatina and partied with these folks all night! As it was, however, we had a nice few hours together, and then I got on my bike and rode to camp.
Well, not quite. I rode about 20 km to a quiet but nice looking lodge by the side of the road. It was still only 4:00. On that road, I knew I could do the remaining 10 km in about 30 minutes, so what was the rush? So, I pulled over one more time. Had a beer (only 10 km to go) and some peanuts and read a bit. Very, very, very peaceful feeling.
Then, I scurried to camp, and arrived there at 5:30. Very nice setting, on a river. And we had pork chops for dinner! GREAT dinner tonight!
------------------ TODAY ---------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 115 km (72 mi) --------- 3,220 km (2,022 mi)
Sagged ------------ 0 ---------------------- 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total ------------- 115 km (72 mi) --------- 4,922 km (3,191 mi)
In Saddle --------- 6 hours 30 min --------- 205 hours 22 min
Ascended --------- 1,800 feet -------------- 46,695 feet
Friday, 9th March 2007
To: Nanyuki - Nairobi 59,056 ascent
Back on the bike! Great ride! Rode with Rachel, who was riding sweep, and Darryl, who just likes to take it slowly sometimes. We left camp, turned right, and started going up. And up. And up. Not too steep, but just UP. Allll the way to lunch, and even a little beyond lunch. Our camp at Isiolo was at an elevation of 4,200 feet. At one point today, we reached 8,300 feet! It felt awesome! At our 2nd rest stop, I was chatting with a Kenyan man, while Rachel and Darryl were looking at curios. He asked me, "So, you 3 are riding together?" I said, "Yes. Well, that one (pointing to Rachel) is not allowed to pass me." He asked why not. I just said, "Because those are the rules. She's not allowed to pass the last rider." For some reason, he thought that was funny. He said, "And you are the last rider?" I said, "Yep." I left that rest spot about 15 minutes before Rachel and Darryl, and when they later caught up with me, Rachel asked me what I was talking to that man about. I had to rack my brain because I honestly didn't remember. I thought we'd had a "nothing" conversation. But Rachel said, "He warned me, when we were leaving, that I was not allowed to pass you!" I said, "Oh, that's right! I might have said that!" We both laughed.
Finally, we made it to what we thought was the top of the hill. I thought we were moving right along. O.k., not speeding. But moving right along. At our 3rd rest, which we thought was the top of the hill, Rachel called the lunch truck to tell them where we were. I heard her say, "We're coming, but we're just moving very, very slowly." That made me laugh because here I'd thought we were hussling right along.
After lunch, we climbed a bit more, and then doowwwwwnnnnn, allll the way to our glorious camp spot on the grounds of a great hotel in Nanyuki - with a swimming pool!
---------------- TODAY ------------- TOTAL
Cycled --------- 75 km (48 mi) ------- 3,105 km (1,950 mi)
Sagged ---------- 0 ------------------- 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total ------------ 75 km (48 mi) ------ 4,807 km (3,119 mi)
In Saddle -------- 7 hours ------------- 198 hours 52 min
Ascended -------- 4,200 feet ---------- 44,895 feet
Back on the bike! Great ride! Rode with Rachel, who was riding sweep, and Darryl, who just likes to take it slowly sometimes. We left camp, turned right, and started going up. And up. And up. Not too steep, but just UP. Allll the way to lunch, and even a little beyond lunch. Our camp at Isiolo was at an elevation of 4,200 feet. At one point today, we reached 8,300 feet! It felt awesome! At our 2nd rest stop, I was chatting with a Kenyan man, while Rachel and Darryl were looking at curios. He asked me, "So, you 3 are riding together?" I said, "Yes. Well, that one (pointing to Rachel) is not allowed to pass me." He asked why not. I just said, "Because those are the rules. She's not allowed to pass the last rider." For some reason, he thought that was funny. He said, "And you are the last rider?" I said, "Yep." I left that rest spot about 15 minutes before Rachel and Darryl, and when they later caught up with me, Rachel asked me what I was talking to that man about. I had to rack my brain because I honestly didn't remember. I thought we'd had a "nothing" conversation. But Rachel said, "He warned me, when we were leaving, that I was not allowed to pass you!" I said, "Oh, that's right! I might have said that!" We both laughed.
Finally, we made it to what we thought was the top of the hill. I thought we were moving right along. O.k., not speeding. But moving right along. At our 3rd rest, which we thought was the top of the hill, Rachel called the lunch truck to tell them where we were. I heard her say, "We're coming, but we're just moving very, very slowly." That made me laugh because here I'd thought we were hussling right along.
After lunch, we climbed a bit more, and then doowwwwwnnnnn, allll the way to our glorious camp spot on the grounds of a great hotel in Nanyuki - with a swimming pool!
---------------- TODAY ------------- TOTAL
Cycled --------- 75 km (48 mi) ------- 3,105 km (1,950 mi)
Sagged ---------- 0 ------------------- 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total ------------ 75 km (48 mi) ------ 4,807 km (3,119 mi)
In Saddle -------- 7 hours ------------- 198 hours 52 min
Ascended -------- 4,200 feet ---------- 44,895 feet
Thursday, 8th March 2007
To: Just past Isiolo
... And the saga of yesterday continues.
I slept fitfully a few hours in this shack that was called a lodge. At 6:30, I was up and back out on the road. I wanted to get a message to my friends, to let them know where I was. I was pretty sure they were worrying, naturally, since I'd told them that I'd meet up with them the night before and then they'd never heard anything from me. So, I wrote a note and flagged down a passing car, going the direction of my group. I explained to the driver that he'd see some trucks and a LOT of bicycles and bazungu driving, and could he please give them the message. He said "O.k." and off he went.
At that time, the little rinky-dink nothing town of Archer's Post was waking up. People were out, sweeping the dirt in front of their shops. It used to always crack me up the way Africans all like to sweep dirt. It doesn't crack me up anymore, though, I have to admit that it looks nice when the dirt is swept in nice neat lines. So, I sat down, outside a restaurant, and started drinking tea and waiting for my friends to come through. They came through by 8:00 and told me that, yes, they'd received the message. Apparently, Rachel thought it was very hilarious that I'd communicated through a message sent down the road with a passing vehicle. I thought it was completely natural.
We then all made it to our camp for the night, which was on the grounds of a neat lodge, just past Isiolo. Most people got in early, so we sat around the bar, having some beers and chatting most of the afternoon.
------------------ TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------- 0 -------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ------------- 80 km (50 mi) ------ 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total -------------- 80 km (50 mi) ------- 4,732 km (3,071 mi)
... And the saga of yesterday continues.
I slept fitfully a few hours in this shack that was called a lodge. At 6:30, I was up and back out on the road. I wanted to get a message to my friends, to let them know where I was. I was pretty sure they were worrying, naturally, since I'd told them that I'd meet up with them the night before and then they'd never heard anything from me. So, I wrote a note and flagged down a passing car, going the direction of my group. I explained to the driver that he'd see some trucks and a LOT of bicycles and bazungu driving, and could he please give them the message. He said "O.k." and off he went.
At that time, the little rinky-dink nothing town of Archer's Post was waking up. People were out, sweeping the dirt in front of their shops. It used to always crack me up the way Africans all like to sweep dirt. It doesn't crack me up anymore, though, I have to admit that it looks nice when the dirt is swept in nice neat lines. So, I sat down, outside a restaurant, and started drinking tea and waiting for my friends to come through. They came through by 8:00 and told me that, yes, they'd received the message. Apparently, Rachel thought it was very hilarious that I'd communicated through a message sent down the road with a passing vehicle. I thought it was completely natural.
We then all made it to our camp for the night, which was on the grounds of a neat lodge, just past Isiolo. Most people got in early, so we sat around the bar, having some beers and chatting most of the afternoon.
------------------ TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------- 0 -------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ------------- 80 km (50 mi) ------ 1,702 km (1,169 mi)
Total -------------- 80 km (50 mi) ------- 4,732 km (3,071 mi)
Wednesday, 7th March 2007
To: Archer's Post
Oh my God, what an adventure! So, yesterday, everybody in Marsabit town was telling me that I have to start early if I want to find a lift, heading in the direction of my friends. I tried to start early, but the Italian priest that I'd met yesterday said that he was going to Nairobi, leaving this morning, and I could ride with him. When I went back to the church this morning, however, he'd changed plans and is leaving tomorrow! Under normal circumstances, I would have thought, "O.k., no problem - another day in Marsabit." The only problem, however, is that I had told the Tour d'Afrique leaders that I would catch them up today! Now, if I didn't catch them up, they'd wonder where the heck I was!
So, starting at 11:00, I was on the road, looking for transport. There are no busses. Most people ride on top of big long-haul trucks. Yes, you read that right - ON TOP! It looks very scary. They could fall off! I did NOT want to climb up on top of one of those things. People told me I would have to - that's the only transport around here. But I said, "I CAN'T! I'll DIE!" So, after about an hour, I did find a lift with a private car that was going about 50 km down the road. They asked me where I was headed, and I told them I was headed about 160-170 km down the road. They asked, "What village?" I said, "I don't know. My friends will be out there somewhere, bush camping." They then said that they were only going about 50 km. I said, "That's o.k. 50 down. 110 to go." They smiled and let me hop in. It was quite an interesting ride, really, because it was with a water engineer and his driver. This water engineer was working for an NGO and he was stopping at schools along the way. Interesting because, from the main road, you don't even see or notice these schools. To get to one of them, we had to wiggle our car through a village, and I am just positive that that village had not seen a white person come through there, ever. It was just a village, in the middle of the rocky desert area. The mud houses were interesting, because they were round. I'm used to square ones.
So, after about an hour and a half, we finally made it the 50 km to the village where the engineer's final destination was. So, I hopped out and there was a little roadside "restaurant" there, so I got a soda and started waiting for my next lift. It was very, very hot. The owner of the "restaurant" told me that my friends had all stopped there yesterday. I was hot on their tails! I waited and waited. After about half an hour, a truck came by, but wouldn't stop when I tried to wave it down. After another half an hour, a small 4-wheel-drive vehicle came by, but again wouldn't stop. I was getting worried that I wouldn't reach my friends in their bush camp before dark because by now, it was already 2:30. I decided I might have better luck getting the next vehicle to stop if I walked a bit out of town. So, under the glare of the sun, I grabbed my bag and walked about 1/2 km outside of town. I then started to wait... and wait ... and wait. No vehicles. Not even one. I was hot, and getting thirsty. I finally decided to hike back into town and continue waiting there, and just at that time - a truck came by! They stopped!! I got in. It was now 3:30. "Yippeeee!" I thought, "I may make it to my friends before dark."
But then we started to move and I realized within minutes that we would never make it to my friend's bush camp before dark. On those bumpy, rough, dirt, currogated roads, that truck was moving about 10-15 km an hour! I am NOT exaggerating! I got in the truck at 3:30 in the afternoon. We finally made it to Archer's Point, about 150 km down the road - at 2:30 a.m.!! My trucker friends were very friendly, though they spoke very little English. They did manage to tell me that they were Somali's. They told me this when I told them that we had come through Ethiopia. They said "Ethiopia - bad." I guess the Somalis don't like Ethiopians too much! At about 7:30 p.m., we stopped for dinner in a village/town called Lisaimis. The owner of the restaurant said that my friends had all come through there and stopped for cokes this afternoon! Hot on their tails, I thought! Nicely, the Somalis bought my dinner for me - some meat stew/rice thing. By 10:00, after we'd travelled about 25 km (only) from Lisaimis, I started trying to look out, in the dark, for the tents and vehicles of our group. But by about 12:00 midnight, I was sure we must have passed them in the night. So I tried to sleep. Hahahahaha. Bump, bump, bump. By 2:30, exhausted, we arrived at Archer's Post, a rinky-dink little nothing town. I told my trucker Somali friends that I'd like to get out there because I was sure I had already passed my group in the night. They were worried about just leaving me there, in the middle of the night, so they got out with me and made sure I had a place to sleep, before they left again. Very nice.
---------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 0 ------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ----------- 85 km (53 mi) ---- 1,625 km (1,119 mi)
Total ------------- 85 km (53 mi) ------ 4,655 km (3,021 mi)
Oh my God, what an adventure! So, yesterday, everybody in Marsabit town was telling me that I have to start early if I want to find a lift, heading in the direction of my friends. I tried to start early, but the Italian priest that I'd met yesterday said that he was going to Nairobi, leaving this morning, and I could ride with him. When I went back to the church this morning, however, he'd changed plans and is leaving tomorrow! Under normal circumstances, I would have thought, "O.k., no problem - another day in Marsabit." The only problem, however, is that I had told the Tour d'Afrique leaders that I would catch them up today! Now, if I didn't catch them up, they'd wonder where the heck I was!
So, starting at 11:00, I was on the road, looking for transport. There are no busses. Most people ride on top of big long-haul trucks. Yes, you read that right - ON TOP! It looks very scary. They could fall off! I did NOT want to climb up on top of one of those things. People told me I would have to - that's the only transport around here. But I said, "I CAN'T! I'll DIE!" So, after about an hour, I did find a lift with a private car that was going about 50 km down the road. They asked me where I was headed, and I told them I was headed about 160-170 km down the road. They asked, "What village?" I said, "I don't know. My friends will be out there somewhere, bush camping." They then said that they were only going about 50 km. I said, "That's o.k. 50 down. 110 to go." They smiled and let me hop in. It was quite an interesting ride, really, because it was with a water engineer and his driver. This water engineer was working for an NGO and he was stopping at schools along the way. Interesting because, from the main road, you don't even see or notice these schools. To get to one of them, we had to wiggle our car through a village, and I am just positive that that village had not seen a white person come through there, ever. It was just a village, in the middle of the rocky desert area. The mud houses were interesting, because they were round. I'm used to square ones.
So, after about an hour and a half, we finally made it the 50 km to the village where the engineer's final destination was. So, I hopped out and there was a little roadside "restaurant" there, so I got a soda and started waiting for my next lift. It was very, very hot. The owner of the "restaurant" told me that my friends had all stopped there yesterday. I was hot on their tails! I waited and waited. After about half an hour, a truck came by, but wouldn't stop when I tried to wave it down. After another half an hour, a small 4-wheel-drive vehicle came by, but again wouldn't stop. I was getting worried that I wouldn't reach my friends in their bush camp before dark because by now, it was already 2:30. I decided I might have better luck getting the next vehicle to stop if I walked a bit out of town. So, under the glare of the sun, I grabbed my bag and walked about 1/2 km outside of town. I then started to wait... and wait ... and wait. No vehicles. Not even one. I was hot, and getting thirsty. I finally decided to hike back into town and continue waiting there, and just at that time - a truck came by! They stopped!! I got in. It was now 3:30. "Yippeeee!" I thought, "I may make it to my friends before dark."
But then we started to move and I realized within minutes that we would never make it to my friend's bush camp before dark. On those bumpy, rough, dirt, currogated roads, that truck was moving about 10-15 km an hour! I am NOT exaggerating! I got in the truck at 3:30 in the afternoon. We finally made it to Archer's Point, about 150 km down the road - at 2:30 a.m.!! My trucker friends were very friendly, though they spoke very little English. They did manage to tell me that they were Somali's. They told me this when I told them that we had come through Ethiopia. They said "Ethiopia - bad." I guess the Somalis don't like Ethiopians too much! At about 7:30 p.m., we stopped for dinner in a village/town called Lisaimis. The owner of the restaurant said that my friends had all come through there and stopped for cokes this afternoon! Hot on their tails, I thought! Nicely, the Somalis bought my dinner for me - some meat stew/rice thing. By 10:00, after we'd travelled about 25 km (only) from Lisaimis, I started trying to look out, in the dark, for the tents and vehicles of our group. But by about 12:00 midnight, I was sure we must have passed them in the night. So I tried to sleep. Hahahahaha. Bump, bump, bump. By 2:30, exhausted, we arrived at Archer's Post, a rinky-dink little nothing town. I told my trucker Somali friends that I'd like to get out there because I was sure I had already passed my group in the night. They were worried about just leaving me there, in the middle of the night, so they got out with me and made sure I had a place to sleep, before they left again. Very nice.
---------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 0 ------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ----------- 85 km (53 mi) ---- 1,625 km (1,119 mi)
Total ------------- 85 km (53 mi) ------ 4,655 km (3,021 mi)
Tuesday, 6th March 2007
Marsabit - Stayed
I first want to say that I think I've changed my settings on this site - you can now post comments without registering first! (I think. I hope. Let me know if it works.)
My friends moved on today. Not me. I hope to catch up with them tomorrow. They are bush camping, so I'll just have to guess about how far to go to find them.
Had a great morning. Finally walked up to that church way up there at the top of a big ol' hill. Met the priest who is Italian. I then went for a ... guess what? .... A run! It was spectacular! I haven't run in a year or so. Followed little paths until, eventually, I was way out of town. It was so beautiful. But then I remembered that people have cautioned me about the bandits around here, so I decided to come back. Didn't run into any bandits. Just desert and an occasional tree.
---------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled ---------- 0 -------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ---------- 80 km (50 mi) ------ 1,540 km (1,066 mi)
Total ------------80 km (50 mi) ------- 4,570 km (2,968 mi)
I first want to say that I think I've changed my settings on this site - you can now post comments without registering first! (I think. I hope. Let me know if it works.)
My friends moved on today. Not me. I hope to catch up with them tomorrow. They are bush camping, so I'll just have to guess about how far to go to find them.
Had a great morning. Finally walked up to that church way up there at the top of a big ol' hill. Met the priest who is Italian. I then went for a ... guess what? .... A run! It was spectacular! I haven't run in a year or so. Followed little paths until, eventually, I was way out of town. It was so beautiful. But then I remembered that people have cautioned me about the bandits around here, so I decided to come back. Didn't run into any bandits. Just desert and an occasional tree.
---------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled ---------- 0 -------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ---------- 80 km (50 mi) ------ 1,540 km (1,066 mi)
Total ------------80 km (50 mi) ------- 4,570 km (2,968 mi)
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Monday, 5th March 2007
Marsabit - Rest Day
Do you want to know what is one of the absolutely completely best feelings in the whole world? I'm going to try to describe it.
Imagine you are riding your bike. Riding along. And going, going, going, for a very, very, very long time. Ride, ride, ride, cycle, cycle, cycle, peddle, peddle, peddle. You become tired, but keep going. All morning long. Then, into the afternoon. By this time, you are very tired. You'd like to stop, but (a) you're worried about time, and have to make it to camp before dark, and/or (b) you're riding with the sweep and don't want to suggest AGAIN that you stop! So, you just keep going. Your human battery and energy seems to be drained, at this point, down to about 20%. You've been riding all day, for hours and hours. Then, you come across a hill. That's it. Starting up that long hill, after already being on the road all day long, your "strength" battery goes down to 15%, 10%, 5%, 4%... Finally, just a few percent above zero, you pull over, stop, lie down, and close your eyes. You're so tired that even the effort of opening your eyes seems like a lot, even if you know (for example) that a father/son/spear trio are watching you.
NOW, here is the part that is one of the best feelings in the whole world. You start to feel your energy returning. You can actually FEEL it coming back, as you are lying there. It's like your battery has been plugged in and it's now recharging. It is an amazing, amazing feeling. I recommend trying it sometime. The only hitch, of course, with this great great feeling, is that you can't get it unless you are in the state that I've just described. And you can't get into that state unless you've ridden ALL DAY LONG, and are very, very, very tired and weak feeling. It's kind of a hassle to get yourself into that state - but if you *do*! Then, the reviving part is out of this world.
We are now in Marsabit, all of us. My friends caught up yesterday. Marsabit is a nice haven, in the middle of nowhere. I've been exploring the whole town. Sadly, however, two neighboring tribes are feuding. Occasionally, they kill each other. A member of one killed a member of the other about 3 days ago, so that murder has been the talk of the town ever since I got here. The surface reason for the murder had to do with somebody stealing somebody else's water. But the real, underlying, reason, I understand, is much more deep.
Do you want to know what is one of the absolutely completely best feelings in the whole world? I'm going to try to describe it.
Imagine you are riding your bike. Riding along. And going, going, going, for a very, very, very long time. Ride, ride, ride, cycle, cycle, cycle, peddle, peddle, peddle. You become tired, but keep going. All morning long. Then, into the afternoon. By this time, you are very tired. You'd like to stop, but (a) you're worried about time, and have to make it to camp before dark, and/or (b) you're riding with the sweep and don't want to suggest AGAIN that you stop! So, you just keep going. Your human battery and energy seems to be drained, at this point, down to about 20%. You've been riding all day, for hours and hours. Then, you come across a hill. That's it. Starting up that long hill, after already being on the road all day long, your "strength" battery goes down to 15%, 10%, 5%, 4%... Finally, just a few percent above zero, you pull over, stop, lie down, and close your eyes. You're so tired that even the effort of opening your eyes seems like a lot, even if you know (for example) that a father/son/spear trio are watching you.
NOW, here is the part that is one of the best feelings in the whole world. You start to feel your energy returning. You can actually FEEL it coming back, as you are lying there. It's like your battery has been plugged in and it's now recharging. It is an amazing, amazing feeling. I recommend trying it sometime. The only hitch, of course, with this great great feeling, is that you can't get it unless you are in the state that I've just described. And you can't get into that state unless you've ridden ALL DAY LONG, and are very, very, very tired and weak feeling. It's kind of a hassle to get yourself into that state - but if you *do*! Then, the reviving part is out of this world.
We are now in Marsabit, all of us. My friends caught up yesterday. Marsabit is a nice haven, in the middle of nowhere. I've been exploring the whole town. Sadly, however, two neighboring tribes are feuding. Occasionally, they kill each other. A member of one killed a member of the other about 3 days ago, so that murder has been the talk of the town ever since I got here. The surface reason for the murder had to do with somebody stealing somebody else's water. But the real, underlying, reason, I understand, is much more deep.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Sunday, 4th March 2007
Rest Day (for me) - Marsabit
Not much to report, except that I saw some of the early riders come in. Apparently, a brutal day! Adrie and Gunther's faces were caked with mud!
Also, confirmed today that Annett will be visiting in Arusha - super cool! Three days! We may go up in a hot air balloon to see the animals in Serengeti or Ngoro Ngoro. Maybe. She's afraid of heights, but that seems like a minor detail.
Finally, spent several hours in the evening in a neat shop, where they couldn't manage to give me tea without sugar. By the end, I was becoming quite friendly with the server, who kept bringing me tea WITH sugar. It became a joke. Later, he wanted to ask the kitchen to prepare some unusual dish for me. I said, "Are you kidding? You've been a complete failure at the request of tea without sugar. Now we want some unusual dish?" He laughed. Later, he and I went out and had a beer and nyama choma (meat). He said, "I know why you like beer. There's no sugar." I said, "That's right!" (Even though there is sugar in beer, but that seems like a minor detail to the story.)
And I leave you with another random picture. This one was taken last year, when I went to Burundi with the people in the car - Ali, John Paul, and Annett. I promise to get a new camera in Nairobi so that my photos become relevant again.
--------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled --------- 0 -------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged --------- 85 km (53 mi) ------- 1,460 km (1,016 mi)
Total ---------- 85 km (53 mi) -------- 4,490 km (2,918 mi)
Not much to report, except that I saw some of the early riders come in. Apparently, a brutal day! Adrie and Gunther's faces were caked with mud!
Also, confirmed today that Annett will be visiting in Arusha - super cool! Three days! We may go up in a hot air balloon to see the animals in Serengeti or Ngoro Ngoro. Maybe. She's afraid of heights, but that seems like a minor detail.
Finally, spent several hours in the evening in a neat shop, where they couldn't manage to give me tea without sugar. By the end, I was becoming quite friendly with the server, who kept bringing me tea WITH sugar. It became a joke. Later, he wanted to ask the kitchen to prepare some unusual dish for me. I said, "Are you kidding? You've been a complete failure at the request of tea without sugar. Now we want some unusual dish?" He laughed. Later, he and I went out and had a beer and nyama choma (meat). He said, "I know why you like beer. There's no sugar." I said, "That's right!" (Even though there is sugar in beer, but that seems like a minor detail to the story.)
And I leave you with another random picture. This one was taken last year, when I went to Burundi with the people in the car - Ali, John Paul, and Annett. I promise to get a new camera in Nairobi so that my photos become relevant again.
--------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled --------- 0 -------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged --------- 85 km (53 mi) ------- 1,460 km (1,016 mi)
Total ---------- 85 km (53 mi) -------- 4,490 km (2,918 mi)
Saturday, 3rd March 2007
To: Marsabit
Ooooohhhhh! Too cute! Got a lift with some government officials, working for something like "arid relief" (it's a desert up here in northern Kenya). Anyway, as we were rolling along, heading toward Marsabit, we saw 1 momma ostrich, 1 daddy ostrich, and 14 little baby ostriches! I've never seen such a sight! My government friends said that those babies couldn't be more than a week old. We drove real slowly past because the ostriches were on the road. One of the adults was making lots of protective gestures for the babies. Lifted its wings off the back, pranced around the road, craned its neck back and forth, looked like it would resort to charging the car if we tried to harm the babies.
As we passed, I said, "Way to go, momma! You protect your babies!" One of my government friends said, "That's not the momma. It's the daddy." I said, "Really? That's unusual. Usually, it's the momma that protects." Two of my friends laughed and one said, "The momma only protects when there's no real danger. When it gets serious, the daddy steps forward." This sounded so much like something John Wayne might say that it made me laugh. It also got us onto the topic of lions and which lion parent protects the offspring. One of them said, "The father." I said, "Ha! The father sleeps all day and does nothing. The mother does everything, including protecting the babies. One of my government friends came to my side and said he thought I was right, but the other one still wasn't convinced.
So, I've had a nice day. Now sitting in a little garden. Have to pee because I've had about 32 cups of tea. After that, may head across the road where I hear music and a version of pool (with an L-shaped table).
-------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------- 0 --------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ------- 87 km (54 mi) ---------1,375 km (963 mi)
Total -------- 87 km (54 mi) --------- 4,405 km (2,865 mi)
Ooooohhhhh! Too cute! Got a lift with some government officials, working for something like "arid relief" (it's a desert up here in northern Kenya). Anyway, as we were rolling along, heading toward Marsabit, we saw 1 momma ostrich, 1 daddy ostrich, and 14 little baby ostriches! I've never seen such a sight! My government friends said that those babies couldn't be more than a week old. We drove real slowly past because the ostriches were on the road. One of the adults was making lots of protective gestures for the babies. Lifted its wings off the back, pranced around the road, craned its neck back and forth, looked like it would resort to charging the car if we tried to harm the babies.
As we passed, I said, "Way to go, momma! You protect your babies!" One of my government friends said, "That's not the momma. It's the daddy." I said, "Really? That's unusual. Usually, it's the momma that protects." Two of my friends laughed and one said, "The momma only protects when there's no real danger. When it gets serious, the daddy steps forward." This sounded so much like something John Wayne might say that it made me laugh. It also got us onto the topic of lions and which lion parent protects the offspring. One of them said, "The father." I said, "Ha! The father sleeps all day and does nothing. The mother does everything, including protecting the babies. One of my government friends came to my side and said he thought I was right, but the other one still wasn't convinced.
So, I've had a nice day. Now sitting in a little garden. Have to pee because I've had about 32 cups of tea. After that, may head across the road where I hear music and a version of pool (with an L-shaped table).
-------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------- 0 --------------------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ------- 87 km (54 mi) ---------1,375 km (963 mi)
Total -------- 87 km (54 mi) --------- 4,405 km (2,865 mi)
Friday, 2nd March 2007
To: Camp Kenya #1 (near Sololo)
Nice morning ride. Rode with Young Sean most of the morning, for the first time. Also, nice evening ride into Sololo village where I met some friendly men chewing chat. Otherwise, hot! Too hot! Reached 112 degrees farenheit today!
Have decided that tomorrow I'm going to skip riding on these rough, bumpy roads, in heat, and go straight to Marsabit, by whatever means of transport I can find. My friends can catch me there the following day.
Thought about it and decided that the only reason to ride this strecth of rough road (through bandit territory, with police escorts) was pride. Luckily for me, however, I am in a very fortunate position. I established early on, day 2 of this trip, back in Egypt, that I have no pride. This stroke of good fortune is what is allowing me, with no internal struggles, to skip this stretch of road and go straight to Marsabit. Yippeeeee!
--------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled -------- 61 km (38 mi) --------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ------- 19 km (12 mi) ---------- 1,282 km (909 mi)
Total --------- 80 km (50 mi) --------- 4,313 km (2,811 mi)
Nice morning ride. Rode with Young Sean most of the morning, for the first time. Also, nice evening ride into Sololo village where I met some friendly men chewing chat. Otherwise, hot! Too hot! Reached 112 degrees farenheit today!
Have decided that tomorrow I'm going to skip riding on these rough, bumpy roads, in heat, and go straight to Marsabit, by whatever means of transport I can find. My friends can catch me there the following day.
Thought about it and decided that the only reason to ride this strecth of rough road (through bandit territory, with police escorts) was pride. Luckily for me, however, I am in a very fortunate position. I established early on, day 2 of this trip, back in Egypt, that I have no pride. This stroke of good fortune is what is allowing me, with no internal struggles, to skip this stretch of road and go straight to Marsabit. Yippeeeee!
--------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled -------- 61 km (38 mi) --------- 3,030 km (1,902 mi)
Sagged ------- 19 km (12 mi) ---------- 1,282 km (909 mi)
Total --------- 80 km (50 mi) --------- 4,313 km (2,811 mi)
Thursday, 1st March 2007
To: Moyale, Kenya
Left camp early in the hopes of spotting wildlife. What with all the spears around, figured they must use them for something. Hey! Wildlife! I thought. Didn't see any, though, until much later, when riding and chatting with Vivian (from Canada). We see 2 little dik-diks (small antelope)! Cool!
Today, we arrived in Kenya. Bye-bye, Ethiopia. Moyale is a neat border town. Amazing contrast just crossing the border, Ethiopia to Kenya. For example, on the Ethiopian side, they have Ethiopian music. Cross the border, go up the hill, and 100 meters away, on the Kenyan side, they have reggae.
Just for fun, have decide3d to keep track of exchange rates:
$1 = 69 Kenyan shillings (got 65.5 at the border)
$1 = 8.8 Ethiopian birr (got 8.0 at the border)
$1 = 210 Sudanese dinar (got 200 at the border)
$1 = 5 Egyptian pounds (I think, if I remember right)
At our campsite, just on the Kenyan side of the border, there were 2 tame ostriches. Neat! Also, 2 more people started sharing a tent tonight. I've been thinking about starting a gossip column, but have decided against it (even though it is quite juicy - tee hee).
------------------ TODAY ------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 84 km (53 mi) ------- 2,969 km (1,849 mi)
Sagged ----------- 0 --------------------- 1,264 km (897 mi)
Total ------------- 84 km (53 mi) ------- 4,233 km (2,746 mi)
In Saddle -------- 5 hours 51 min ------- 187 hours 22 min
Ascended -------- 1,216 feet ------------ 40,695 feet
Left camp early in the hopes of spotting wildlife. What with all the spears around, figured they must use them for something. Hey! Wildlife! I thought. Didn't see any, though, until much later, when riding and chatting with Vivian (from Canada). We see 2 little dik-diks (small antelope)! Cool!
Today, we arrived in Kenya. Bye-bye, Ethiopia. Moyale is a neat border town. Amazing contrast just crossing the border, Ethiopia to Kenya. For example, on the Ethiopian side, they have Ethiopian music. Cross the border, go up the hill, and 100 meters away, on the Kenyan side, they have reggae.
Just for fun, have decide3d to keep track of exchange rates:
$1 = 69 Kenyan shillings (got 65.5 at the border)
$1 = 8.8 Ethiopian birr (got 8.0 at the border)
$1 = 210 Sudanese dinar (got 200 at the border)
$1 = 5 Egyptian pounds (I think, if I remember right)
At our campsite, just on the Kenyan side of the border, there were 2 tame ostriches. Neat! Also, 2 more people started sharing a tent tonight. I've been thinking about starting a gossip column, but have decided against it (even though it is quite juicy - tee hee).
------------------ TODAY ------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----------- 84 km (53 mi) ------- 2,969 km (1,849 mi)
Sagged ----------- 0 --------------------- 1,264 km (897 mi)
Total ------------- 84 km (53 mi) ------- 4,233 km (2,746 mi)
In Saddle -------- 5 hours 51 min ------- 187 hours 22 min
Ascended -------- 1,216 feet ------------ 40,695 feet
Wednesday, 28th Feb 2007
To: Camp Ethiopia #10 (past Mega)
you?" No answer. Another coughing sound. So, I opened my eyes and that's when I saw a father and his son, and the son had a spear. I just smiled, pantomimed that I was tired, and closed my eyes again. I could feel the continued presense of the father and son, but it didn't bother me. After about 5 more minutes, I felt like enough energy had drained back into me, so I took my arm away from my eyes and opened them again. Sure enough, there were the father/son duo, just standing there, looking at me. So, I stood up with a bound of energy, smiled, and pantomimed to the son what I hoped to convey was, "Can I throw your spear?" He seemed to understand because he handed it to me. I threw it, quite clumsily, which made the duo snicker. I then asked the boy to throw it and he threw it like a pro! Cool!
Finally made it to camp. Coincidentally, Duncan made it to camp at the same time. We were there by 6:00, just in time for rider meeting, and we gave each other big high-fives for a nice ride!
------------ TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----- 128 km (80 mi) ------ 2,885 km (1,796 mi)
Sagged ----- 0 --------------------- 1,264 km (897 mi)
Total ------- 128 km (80 mi) ------ 4,149 km (2,693 mi)
In Saddle --- 8 hours 40 min ------ 181 hours 31 min
Ascended --- 2,581 feet ----------- 39,479 feet
To the left is a random photo, having nothing to do with this trip. From somewhere near 
Kapchorwa, Uganda. I thought it was very funny. Apparently, only decent and beautiful ladies could drink at the advertised saloon. Ugandans like to call their hair salons "saloons". It always cracks me up.
But back to the trip.
Babboons in the morning! About 20. There they were, just crossing the road. Super neat and made me think that we are getting close to another part of Africa!Also, another great story. At the top of one long hill in the morning, came across 4 men and 2 spears. It was a long hill and it was that time of day when my friends all start to pass me. Which they did. Lots of "Good morning, Leigh Anne!" "Good morning!" "Hi!" "Hi!" So, there I was, toodling along, and finally, finally, I crested the hill. It hadn't been a steep hill, but looonnggg - several kilometers. As I crested the hill, that's when I came across the 4 men wearing traditional cloth, and 2 of them porting spears. (I don't know if "porting" is a word, but just imagine that it is.) It was very funny because they teased me about my pokey speed. With a lot of pantomimes, they showed me that my friends were going "fast"! And they rotated their hands in a "fast" way, to pantomime riding a bike. "But you!" they said. "Sloowww." And they pantomimed slow. One of them, holding a spear in one hand, even rotated his leg around in a very big slow cirlce, to show how slowly I was going. This really cracked me up, so I really laughed and said I was in no hurry! These are the kind of interactions that I just adore. It was probably only a 20 second interaction, but when was the last time you had spear-bearing men
teasing you about your bicycle speed?
Rode with Duncan after lunch. He's very nice. In Dubuluk, I convinced him to take a side adventure to go see a "singing well". The friends that I'd met in wonderful Yabelo had said that I must see the "singing well" in Dubuluk. Well, this well may have been super cool, but it was
way off the road. Had to walk over rubble and sand to finally find it. Then, when we found it, what it appeared to be was a long downward slope, leading to a water source at the bottom. Apparently, it is called a "singing well" because, when the community comes to get their
water, they work as a team, relaying the water out, and singing the whole while. However, when Duncan and I wanted to walk down, the "guard" wouldn't let us unless we paid. Yet, we saw Ethiopians walking in with narry a problem or a word of payment. Furthermore, the guard
wanted a LOT- 200 birr (that's about $40), just to walk in the well. So, Duncan and I said, "Oh, that's alright," and walked away. But we were followed. One young man asked me, "How much do you want to pay?" I said, "Nothing. I want to go for free" He said, "Oh, no, no, no." I said, "Do you go for free?" He said, "Yes." I laughed and said, "You free. Me free." He also laughed, but said, "Me poor. You rich." Well, what can I say? I wasn't going to pay. I wanted to see something natural, not something commercial. However, for the remainder of the day, Duncan and I joked about our little adventure down to the singing well, where we saw nothing.
you?" No answer. Another coughing sound. So, I opened my eyes and that's when I saw a father and his son, and the son had a spear. I just smiled, pantomimed that I was tired, and closed my eyes again. I could feel the continued presense of the father and son, but it didn't bother me. After about 5 more minutes, I felt like enough energy had drained back into me, so I took my arm away from my eyes and opened them again. Sure enough, there were the father/son duo, just standing there, looking at me. So, I stood up with a bound of energy, smiled, and pantomimed to the son what I hoped to convey was, "Can I throw your spear?" He seemed to understand because he handed it to me. I threw it, quite clumsily, which made the duo snicker. I then asked the boy to throw it and he threw it like a pro! Cool!
Finally made it to camp. Coincidentally, Duncan made it to camp at the same time. We were there by 6:00, just in time for rider meeting, and we gave each other big high-fives for a nice ride!
------------ TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled ----- 128 km (80 mi) ------ 2,885 km (1,796 mi)
Sagged ----- 0 --------------------- 1,264 km (897 mi)
Total ------- 128 km (80 mi) ------ 4,149 km (2,693 mi)
In Saddle --- 8 hours 40 min ------ 181 hours 31 min
Ascended --- 2,581 feet ----------- 39,479 feet
Tuesday, 27th Feb 2007
Rest Day - Yabelo
Hitched a ride with a UN vehicle the 5 km to Yabelo town. Several of my fellow cyclists have expressed that they thought Yabelo was a dumphole, but I love Yabelo! May move there one day!
Sat for hours at a little cafe! Everybody was super friendly. The female server wanted me to take her with me, until I told her I lived in Uganda. That brought about a discussion of whether Ugandan lifestyle (by "lifestyle", I think they meant "standard of living") is similar to that in Ethiopia. (I think so? Hard to tell - very different.) The owner was a bit of an old geezer who I think wanted to "marry" me - but it was o.k. He wasn't too offensive and even a bit funny. Met my *3rd* Ashenaffi - must be a popular name in Ethiopia!
... And now for the best part. The musical kid! Ended up tipping him in honour of Mom who always wanted to "support the arts" and one time bought from a kid what I thought was a very poor drawing of our tour truck in Africa - that was about 15 years ago. Anyway, this musical
kid came walking by our cafe with his little mini-sized stringed instrument, the traditional Ethiopian kind. I posted a picture of one when I talked about that nightclub in Bahir Dar. When he came by, the owner asked him something, which I assume was "Can you play?" The kid
nodded and started to play. He seemed to be making up words as he went and apparently he was quite funny. At the end of each verse, everybody roared with laughter! So I went ahead and laughed too, even though I hadn't a clue what I was laughing about. After some time, the owner
tipped the kid, and one of the women asked him to play for the visitor. That would be me. So, he agreed, and came over to stand in front of me and play. He asked somebody my name, and all I could hear him singing, once in a while, was "Leigh Aaannnne." I guess he continued to be funny, though, because people laughed. After, I asked Ashenaffi what he was saying, but Ashenaffi just said that he was "praising me." O.k. So I and a few others tipped him. What a special, delightful,
and unexpected treat!
After the kid left, I noticed that it was 11:00 on a Tuesday. I asked Ashenaffi, who was the only one who spoke a bit of English, "Why isn't the kid in school?" Ashenaffi just said, "Oh, that one won't learn. Many are like that." O.k. I suppose if you have some musical talent, you don't need to "learn".
The next little adventure at the little cafe was to try some chat. Chat is a legalised drug in Ethiopia, and I've been seeing everybody chewing it for the past 2 weeks. And you know me. If "everybody's" doing it, then so am I. Just like a little sheep. So, one of the women there offered me some, and showed me how to pick off the best leaves to chew. I put a bunch in my mouth. YUCK! That stuff is bitter! Sour! YUCK! In fact, it tastes an awful lot like eating leaves! Oh, that's right - it IS eating leaves! So, I made a very sourpuss face, which made the women laugh, and they offered me a bit of sugar. "To sweeten it." So, I took a bit of sugar, but it only barely helped. Putting raw sugar in mouth was just about as bad as putting leaves in my mouth. So, after chewing it, I sat there to see if I'd feel anything. Nope. Nothing. No wonder this stuff is legal. It's a big hoax.
After several hours, I left the little cafe and wandered about, and came across Adrie (from Netherlands) who'd just had a haircut. Told him I was looking for a horse and buggy ride back to the motel where we were camping and asked, would he like to come along? But it turns out
that he was waiting for Eva (Netherlands) and George (Netherlands), so he didn't come.
So, wandered about some more, continuing to ask everybody with a horse and buggy if they could take me to my motel. The all kept refusing, saying that they only operate "within Yabelo". Our motel grounds are about 5 km outside of town. However, while walking, I came across some
folks playing cards! Yippeee! Turns out they were playing a game called "cush". It's a bit like gin rummy, but not really. So they taught me the rules and I played with them for about an hour. I love Yabelo!
Finally, I said my "good bye's" and wandered off again. I was on a mission - find a horse and buggy ride back to camp. Everybody kept suggesting, "Why not take the regular bus? It's only 1 birr." To which I kept responding, "But a regular bus is boring. I'm hoping to go back by horse." Finally, I did find somebody who agreed. I had to pay a whopping 15 birr, but that's only $2. Fun ride!
Hey! Just thought of something exciting! Maybe, when I come back to Ethiopia for the millenium, I can visit Yabelo again! Woo hooo!
Hitched a ride with a UN vehicle the 5 km to Yabelo town. Several of my fellow cyclists have expressed that they thought Yabelo was a dumphole, but I love Yabelo! May move there one day!
Sat for hours at a little cafe! Everybody was super friendly. The female server wanted me to take her with me, until I told her I lived in Uganda. That brought about a discussion of whether Ugandan lifestyle (by "lifestyle", I think they meant "standard of living") is similar to that in Ethiopia. (I think so? Hard to tell - very different.) The owner was a bit of an old geezer who I think wanted to "marry" me - but it was o.k. He wasn't too offensive and even a bit funny. Met my *3rd* Ashenaffi - must be a popular name in Ethiopia!
... And now for the best part. The musical kid! Ended up tipping him in honour of Mom who always wanted to "support the arts" and one time bought from a kid what I thought was a very poor drawing of our tour truck in Africa - that was about 15 years ago. Anyway, this musical
kid came walking by our cafe with his little mini-sized stringed instrument, the traditional Ethiopian kind. I posted a picture of one when I talked about that nightclub in Bahir Dar. When he came by, the owner asked him something, which I assume was "Can you play?" The kid
nodded and started to play. He seemed to be making up words as he went and apparently he was quite funny. At the end of each verse, everybody roared with laughter! So I went ahead and laughed too, even though I hadn't a clue what I was laughing about. After some time, the owner
tipped the kid, and one of the women asked him to play for the visitor. That would be me. So, he agreed, and came over to stand in front of me and play. He asked somebody my name, and all I could hear him singing, once in a while, was "Leigh Aaannnne." I guess he continued to be funny, though, because people laughed. After, I asked Ashenaffi what he was saying, but Ashenaffi just said that he was "praising me." O.k. So I and a few others tipped him. What a special, delightful,
and unexpected treat!
After the kid left, I noticed that it was 11:00 on a Tuesday. I asked Ashenaffi, who was the only one who spoke a bit of English, "Why isn't the kid in school?" Ashenaffi just said, "Oh, that one won't learn. Many are like that." O.k. I suppose if you have some musical talent, you don't need to "learn".
The next little adventure at the little cafe was to try some chat. Chat is a legalised drug in Ethiopia, and I've been seeing everybody chewing it for the past 2 weeks. And you know me. If "everybody's" doing it, then so am I. Just like a little sheep. So, one of the women there offered me some, and showed me how to pick off the best leaves to chew. I put a bunch in my mouth. YUCK! That stuff is bitter! Sour! YUCK! In fact, it tastes an awful lot like eating leaves! Oh, that's right - it IS eating leaves! So, I made a very sourpuss face, which made the women laugh, and they offered me a bit of sugar. "To sweeten it." So, I took a bit of sugar, but it only barely helped. Putting raw sugar in mouth was just about as bad as putting leaves in my mouth. So, after chewing it, I sat there to see if I'd feel anything. Nope. Nothing. No wonder this stuff is legal. It's a big hoax.
After several hours, I left the little cafe and wandered about, and came across Adrie (from Netherlands) who'd just had a haircut. Told him I was looking for a horse and buggy ride back to the motel where we were camping and asked, would he like to come along? But it turns out
that he was waiting for Eva (Netherlands) and George (Netherlands), so he didn't come.
So, wandered about some more, continuing to ask everybody with a horse and buggy if they could take me to my motel. The all kept refusing, saying that they only operate "within Yabelo". Our motel grounds are about 5 km outside of town. However, while walking, I came across some
folks playing cards! Yippeee! Turns out they were playing a game called "cush". It's a bit like gin rummy, but not really. So they taught me the rules and I played with them for about an hour. I love Yabelo!
Finally, I said my "good bye's" and wandered off again. I was on a mission - find a horse and buggy ride back to camp. Everybody kept suggesting, "Why not take the regular bus? It's only 1 birr." To which I kept responding, "But a regular bus is boring. I'm hoping to go back by horse." Finally, I did find somebody who agreed. I had to pay a whopping 15 birr, but that's only $2. Fun ride!
Hey! Just thought of something exciting! Maybe, when I come back to Ethiopia for the millenium, I can visit Yabelo again! Woo hooo!
Monday, 26th Feb 2007
To: Yabelo
Wow. Very hard day. Can't exactly say "great", just very hard. Was happy to have done it. I ascended more today than on any other day on the trip, and spent more time in the saddle today than on any other day so far. Between 6:45 a.m., when I left camp, and 5:15 p.m., when arrived Yabelo, I spent 8 hours 43 min peddling! Yeeee gad! Didn't go unnoticed either. Rode with Rachel from lunch onward. When we arrived at the motel grounds in Yabelo, where we were to camp, I saw some of our friends sitting at a table. I just leaned my bike against a tree, said, "I'm going no further," and took a seat. They laughed and said, "Good job." Eva (from Netherlands) kindly offered me a coke and, more importantly, went to get the waiter to get it for me, so I wouldn't have to move.
After about 30 minutes, I'd regained enough engery (barely) to go deal with my tent and things. In fact, I tried to get a room in the motel, but it was already full. However, while trying to get the room a neat thing happened. A nice man walked into reception. It turns out, his name is (... oh, shoot, these Ethiopian names are so foreign to me and hard to remember, but I remember it means "light" in English - something like Bruha, or Boonpa, or Boonpu,...). Anyway, turns out he works for CARE-Ethiopia! My friends may remember that I used to work for CARE-Sudan. So, that commonality got us to chatting and next thing you know, he offered, "Sorry there are no rooms. After you organize your tent, if you would like to use my shower, you are welcome." Yippeeee! Great news! I said, "Thank you! Thank you!" and shook his hand. I wanted to hug and kiss him, but thought that might be going a bit too far.
Sadly, after setting my tent, bathing, and eating, I was already almost completely drained of energy (after today's ride). So, managed to sit and talk with "Light" for only half an hour. Asked him lots of questions about the people we saw today, whose facial features and dress is very different from what we've seen in other parts of Ethiopia. I told him these people were particularly friendly, the children didn't throw stones as I'd experienced in other parts of Ethiopia, and that I love the beautiful dresses and beads that the women wear. Fortunately, these were all the right things to say because in the end, he said that these people were members of his ethnic group. (I was a bit surprised by that because he seemed more light-skinned than the ones I was describing.) The people, he said, are called Oromo and they are different from the Amhara that predominate in NW Ethiopia and from whom the national language (Amharic) comes. Both Oromo and Amhara are ethnic groups. I asked, "Do you mean tribes?" He said, "No. Within the Oromo, there are many tribes. For example, I am Borana. That is, Oromo-Borana. There are many other tribes as well." O.k., I think I get it. It's like the Bantus have many tribes, e.g., Chewas, Baganda, etc.
Well, would have loved to talk with him for several hous, but was just to exhausted! Went to bed at 8:00!
Update: Am now sitting (the next day) at a little cafe in Yabelo town. Asked the other customers what is the Ethiopian name that means "light". It is Branu. That's his name - Branu. He may write - gave him my e-mail address (the yahoo one).
And now I leave you with a random picture, taken one day in Sudan. It's at the lunch stop. That's Duncan, who injured his foot, and Elaine is nursing him.
--------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled -------- 123 km (77 mi) ------- 2,757 km (1,716 mi)
Sagged -------- 0 ---------------------- 1,264 km (897 mi)
Total ---------- 123 km (77 mi) ------- 4,021 km (2,613 mi)
In Saddle ----- 8 hours 43 min -------- 172 hours 51 min
Ascended ----- 3,655 feet ------------- 36,898 feet
Wow. Very hard day. Can't exactly say "great", just very hard. Was happy to have done it. I ascended more today than on any other day on the trip, and spent more time in the saddle today than on any other day so far. Between 6:45 a.m., when I left camp, and 5:15 p.m., when arrived Yabelo, I spent 8 hours 43 min peddling! Yeeee gad! Didn't go unnoticed either. Rode with Rachel from lunch onward. When we arrived at the motel grounds in Yabelo, where we were to camp, I saw some of our friends sitting at a table. I just leaned my bike against a tree, said, "I'm going no further," and took a seat. They laughed and said, "Good job." Eva (from Netherlands) kindly offered me a coke and, more importantly, went to get the waiter to get it for me, so I wouldn't have to move.
After about 30 minutes, I'd regained enough engery (barely) to go deal with my tent and things. In fact, I tried to get a room in the motel, but it was already full. However, while trying to get the room a neat thing happened. A nice man walked into reception. It turns out, his name is (... oh, shoot, these Ethiopian names are so foreign to me and hard to remember, but I remember it means "light" in English - something like Bruha, or Boonpa, or Boonpu,...). Anyway, turns out he works for CARE-Ethiopia! My friends may remember that I used to work for CARE-Sudan. So, that commonality got us to chatting and next thing you know, he offered, "Sorry there are no rooms. After you organize your tent, if you would like to use my shower, you are welcome." Yippeeee! Great news! I said, "Thank you! Thank you!" and shook his hand. I wanted to hug and kiss him, but thought that might be going a bit too far.
Sadly, after setting my tent, bathing, and eating, I was already almost completely drained of energy (after today's ride). So, managed to sit and talk with "Light" for only half an hour. Asked him lots of questions about the people we saw today, whose facial features and dress is very different from what we've seen in other parts of Ethiopia. I told him these people were particularly friendly, the children didn't throw stones as I'd experienced in other parts of Ethiopia, and that I love the beautiful dresses and beads that the women wear. Fortunately, these were all the right things to say because in the end, he said that these people were members of his ethnic group. (I was a bit surprised by that because he seemed more light-skinned than the ones I was describing.) The people, he said, are called Oromo and they are different from the Amhara that predominate in NW Ethiopia and from whom the national language (Amharic) comes. Both Oromo and Amhara are ethnic groups. I asked, "Do you mean tribes?" He said, "No. Within the Oromo, there are many tribes. For example, I am Borana. That is, Oromo-Borana. There are many other tribes as well." O.k., I think I get it. It's like the Bantus have many tribes, e.g., Chewas, Baganda, etc.
Well, would have loved to talk with him for several hous, but was just to exhausted! Went to bed at 8:00!
And now I leave you with a random picture, taken one day in Sudan. It's at the lunch stop. That's Duncan, who injured his foot, and Elaine is nursing him.
--------------- TODAY -------------- TOTAL
Cycled -------- 123 km (77 mi) ------- 2,757 km (1,716 mi)
Sagged -------- 0 ---------------------- 1,264 km (897 mi)
Total ---------- 123 km (77 mi) ------- 4,021 km (2,613 mi)
In Saddle ----- 8 hours 43 min -------- 172 hours 51 min
Ascended ----- 3,655 feet ------------- 36,898 feet
Sunday, 25th Feb 2007
To: Camp Ethiopia #9
This is the day that a boy rode a cow, I was stampeded by a mob of 50 children and a horse, and I took a walk into the village after reaching camp. Would have been a nice day for a camera but oh well.
First was the boy on a cow. I was riding along at a very slow pace. Up, up, up. When I looked to my right and saw... one boy on a horse, a donkey, 2 cows, and one boy on a cow. I continued riding for about 1 second before my brain registered what I just saw and I thought, "Wait a minute!" Looked over again and, sure enough, ... 1 boy on a cow! He was on the cow, holding the neck. Don't know how he was steering the darn thing!
I then moved along, at a slow pace. Up, up, up. Then, stopped at a village. Went in a bar-type place and had a coke. Many, many children, and I mean MANY, were crowding around the doorway, trying to get a good look at the white lady (who was doing nothing other than sitting on a bench and drinking a coke). Every once in a while, an adult would come along and want to get in the bar so he would and shoo the kids away. This was nice because then sunlight could come in the door. After about 15 minutes, I got up to leave. This is when the stampede occurred. The moment I stepped out the door, the kids swarmed around me - swoosh! I could barely walk. I saw the horse and didn't worry too much about it. The kids had me surrounded, and the horse was between the kids and the road. A man was leading the horse on a rope. All of a sudden, the horse got spooked and started rearing up and the man couldn't control it. The horse reared and then backed into the kids, who struggled to get away, opening a space for the horse to back into my bike which I was pushing on my side. I couldn't move because from the road to the bar we had: rearing horse with a man holding a rope around the horses neck, bike, me, and then mobs of kids. Couldn't move. The horse looked like it was going to fall over - my direction! After a few seconds, the horse managed to settle down (slightly) and I and the mobs of kids moved en-masse slightly away from it. At THIS point, the adults finally got annoyed and started yelling at the kids who moved away from me and let me walk. I don't think the annoyance stemmed from the kids not allowing me to move. I think it stemmed from them being worried that the kids would get hurt by the horse!
I then rode the rest of the way to camp. Since I had hitched a lift (with an Ethiopian trucker!) part of the way up the hills today, I got to camp too early - 3:00. Don't like getting there that early because I'd rather be out on the road, experiencing things. Happily, however, there was a village about 1 km from camp. So, I decided to stroll on up there...
Thought I might find a nice, quiet, peaceful place to read. Haha, what a joke! I first walked past the football pitch, where kids were playing. Some of them then started following me. We saw some ornate gravestones. In many ways, Ethiopia reminds me of France, with all the Christian icons - Virgin Marys and things - all over the place. Tried to ask the kids who was buried in the graves, but they either didn't know or didn't understand my question. Anyway, picked up more kids at that point. Then it started to rain, so I ducked into a building that turned out to be a grain shelter. No kids allowed. The kids had to stand out in the rain, while about 12 adults including myself, were inside. Might have felt sorry for the kids except for this: They could have just gone home! But no! They'd rather crowd around the door, getting wet, in order to get a better glimpse of the white lady inside. After a few minutes, the rain stopped so I went back outside and the kids followed me into the village.
When I got to the village, I looked around for a beautiful garden to read (haha), but instead found a very crowded local bar. Above the bar was a nice looking balcony. I was wishing I could go up there, but couldn't. Went inside and squeezed past several people to find a place to sit. While squeezing past people, an old lady kissed my hand. A young gentleman told me that she was "just drunk", but I didn't care. Got to chalk up one more Ethiopian kiss! Sat down and noticed that everybody was drinking some kind of local brew, which I later discovered was called "yellow". I know that the culturally correct thing to do would have been to take some of that. But it looked terrible! They were just drinking it out of plastic pitchers. Reminded me of chibuku from Malawi (which I did actually used to drink). But ... just couldn't bring myself to order one, so asked instead for an ordinary beer in a bottle. Turns out that the young gentleman sitting next to me was the owner of the place. I asked him where he lived and he said, "Upstairs." Wow! What a stroke of luck! Visions of balcony started dancing through my head. I said, "Do you mind if we go up there?" He said, "You want to go up?" I said, "Yes." He said, "O.k.," and led me out the back of the bar and up some rickedy old stairs to where he lived, with his wife, child, parents, and sister.
We then walked out onto the balcony and sat there for more than 2 hours. How nice! It was beautiful up there - you could see the whole valley! Of course, the whole darn village was interested in the "visitor" and many, many people (including adults) were standing down on the road, looking up at us on the balcony. Made me feel a bit like the Pope, and thought I should give a speech, but didn't. The young man's name was Matheo. At first, it was just me and him up there. But then his wife and baby came out... then mom ... then uncle (brother to mom) ... then dad came home from farming and joined us ... then another uncle (brother to dad). Within 30 minutes or so, we were having a whole little party up there on that balcony! Nobody but Matheo could speak any English at all. Matheo's English was just so-so, but he was trying his darndest to do the translating. I think an awful lot got lost in translation, but that's o.k. Matheo's uncle kept suggesting that I take Matheo to America. To which I kept laughing and saying, "What about the wife and new baby?" But nobody seemed to care about the wife and new baby - just take Matheo. (Side point: Rick Steves, by the way, is talking out his butt when he says, "Americans would be surprised at how few people care about going to America.")
At one point, I noticed that the dad had been missing for about 15 minutes. I asked Matheo, "Where is your dad?" He pointed down to the street. The dad was going about, telling all his friends about his visitor. Matheo said, "He is very proud to have you as a visitor." All in all, they had offered me no less than 3 beers and 1 pepsi, before I finally said, "I really, really have to get back to camp. It is getting dark." They told me not to worry about it, that they would walk me back. To which I had to reply, "Yes, but my friends will worry and wonder where I am."
So, we started walking back to camp. Immediately, the kids joined in. It was so cute. You could see that they were vying for "best position", so that they could be the one to walk right next to me and hold my hand. Got back to camp at 7:00, having missed dinner, but I didn't care. It turns out that they HAD gotten worried, by the way. Shanny, Rachel, and Addis had come up to the village looking for me, but by the time they came up, I was already crossing the field back to camp. Felt bad about making people worry, but that's life.
------------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------ 31 km (19 mi) --------- 2,634 km (1,639 mi)
Sagged ----------- 72 km (45 mi) ---------- 1,264 km (897 mi)
Total ------------- 103 km (64 mi) --------- 3,898 km (2,536 mi)
In Saddle -------- 2 hours 50 min ---------- 164 hours 8 min
Ascended -------- 1,571 feet ---------------- 33,243 feet
This is the day that a boy rode a cow, I was stampeded by a mob of 50 children and a horse, and I took a walk into the village after reaching camp. Would have been a nice day for a camera but oh well.
First was the boy on a cow. I was riding along at a very slow pace. Up, up, up. When I looked to my right and saw... one boy on a horse, a donkey, 2 cows, and one boy on a cow. I continued riding for about 1 second before my brain registered what I just saw and I thought, "Wait a minute!" Looked over again and, sure enough, ... 1 boy on a cow! He was on the cow, holding the neck. Don't know how he was steering the darn thing!
I then moved along, at a slow pace. Up, up, up. Then, stopped at a village. Went in a bar-type place and had a coke. Many, many children, and I mean MANY, were crowding around the doorway, trying to get a good look at the white lady (who was doing nothing other than sitting on a bench and drinking a coke). Every once in a while, an adult would come along and want to get in the bar so he would and shoo the kids away. This was nice because then sunlight could come in the door. After about 15 minutes, I got up to leave. This is when the stampede occurred. The moment I stepped out the door, the kids swarmed around me - swoosh! I could barely walk. I saw the horse and didn't worry too much about it. The kids had me surrounded, and the horse was between the kids and the road. A man was leading the horse on a rope. All of a sudden, the horse got spooked and started rearing up and the man couldn't control it. The horse reared and then backed into the kids, who struggled to get away, opening a space for the horse to back into my bike which I was pushing on my side. I couldn't move because from the road to the bar we had: rearing horse with a man holding a rope around the horses neck, bike, me, and then mobs of kids. Couldn't move. The horse looked like it was going to fall over - my direction! After a few seconds, the horse managed to settle down (slightly) and I and the mobs of kids moved en-masse slightly away from it. At THIS point, the adults finally got annoyed and started yelling at the kids who moved away from me and let me walk. I don't think the annoyance stemmed from the kids not allowing me to move. I think it stemmed from them being worried that the kids would get hurt by the horse!
I then rode the rest of the way to camp. Since I had hitched a lift (with an Ethiopian trucker!) part of the way up the hills today, I got to camp too early - 3:00. Don't like getting there that early because I'd rather be out on the road, experiencing things. Happily, however, there was a village about 1 km from camp. So, I decided to stroll on up there...
Thought I might find a nice, quiet, peaceful place to read. Haha, what a joke! I first walked past the football pitch, where kids were playing. Some of them then started following me. We saw some ornate gravestones. In many ways, Ethiopia reminds me of France, with all the Christian icons - Virgin Marys and things - all over the place. Tried to ask the kids who was buried in the graves, but they either didn't know or didn't understand my question. Anyway, picked up more kids at that point. Then it started to rain, so I ducked into a building that turned out to be a grain shelter. No kids allowed. The kids had to stand out in the rain, while about 12 adults including myself, were inside. Might have felt sorry for the kids except for this: They could have just gone home! But no! They'd rather crowd around the door, getting wet, in order to get a better glimpse of the white lady inside. After a few minutes, the rain stopped so I went back outside and the kids followed me into the village.
When I got to the village, I looked around for a beautiful garden to read (haha), but instead found a very crowded local bar. Above the bar was a nice looking balcony. I was wishing I could go up there, but couldn't. Went inside and squeezed past several people to find a place to sit. While squeezing past people, an old lady kissed my hand. A young gentleman told me that she was "just drunk", but I didn't care. Got to chalk up one more Ethiopian kiss! Sat down and noticed that everybody was drinking some kind of local brew, which I later discovered was called "yellow". I know that the culturally correct thing to do would have been to take some of that. But it looked terrible! They were just drinking it out of plastic pitchers. Reminded me of chibuku from Malawi (which I did actually used to drink). But ... just couldn't bring myself to order one, so asked instead for an ordinary beer in a bottle. Turns out that the young gentleman sitting next to me was the owner of the place. I asked him where he lived and he said, "Upstairs." Wow! What a stroke of luck! Visions of balcony started dancing through my head. I said, "Do you mind if we go up there?" He said, "You want to go up?" I said, "Yes." He said, "O.k.," and led me out the back of the bar and up some rickedy old stairs to where he lived, with his wife, child, parents, and sister.
We then walked out onto the balcony and sat there for more than 2 hours. How nice! It was beautiful up there - you could see the whole valley! Of course, the whole darn village was interested in the "visitor" and many, many people (including adults) were standing down on the road, looking up at us on the balcony. Made me feel a bit like the Pope, and thought I should give a speech, but didn't. The young man's name was Matheo. At first, it was just me and him up there. But then his wife and baby came out... then mom ... then uncle (brother to mom) ... then dad came home from farming and joined us ... then another uncle (brother to dad). Within 30 minutes or so, we were having a whole little party up there on that balcony! Nobody but Matheo could speak any English at all. Matheo's English was just so-so, but he was trying his darndest to do the translating. I think an awful lot got lost in translation, but that's o.k. Matheo's uncle kept suggesting that I take Matheo to America. To which I kept laughing and saying, "What about the wife and new baby?" But nobody seemed to care about the wife and new baby - just take Matheo. (Side point: Rick Steves, by the way, is talking out his butt when he says, "Americans would be surprised at how few people care about going to America.")
At one point, I noticed that the dad had been missing for about 15 minutes. I asked Matheo, "Where is your dad?" He pointed down to the street. The dad was going about, telling all his friends about his visitor. Matheo said, "He is very proud to have you as a visitor." All in all, they had offered me no less than 3 beers and 1 pepsi, before I finally said, "I really, really have to get back to camp. It is getting dark." They told me not to worry about it, that they would walk me back. To which I had to reply, "Yes, but my friends will worry and wonder where I am."
So, we started walking back to camp. Immediately, the kids joined in. It was so cute. You could see that they were vying for "best position", so that they could be the one to walk right next to me and hold my hand. Got back to camp at 7:00, having missed dinner, but I didn't care. It turns out that they HAD gotten worried, by the way. Shanny, Rachel, and Addis had come up to the village looking for me, but by the time they came up, I was already crossing the field back to camp. Felt bad about making people worry, but that's life.
------------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------------ 31 km (19 mi) --------- 2,634 km (1,639 mi)
Sagged ----------- 72 km (45 mi) ---------- 1,264 km (897 mi)
Total ------------- 103 km (64 mi) --------- 3,898 km (2,536 mi)
In Saddle -------- 2 hours 50 min ---------- 164 hours 8 min
Ascended -------- 1,571 feet ---------------- 33,243 feet
Saturday, 24th Feb 2007
To: Camp Ethiopia #8
Many people claimed to have had a hard time sleeping last night. Some weekend partying revellers camped next to us, had loud music, and laughed/talked a lot. Fortunately, I've become a bit Africanized, which means oblivious to nighttime noises. Slept just fine.
==
The day was nice. Seemed very hilly, especially after lunch, so I'm tired. Fortunately, my fellow friends confirmed that they thought it was hilly and hard too.
==
The thing of note is that I rode through the apparently Rastafarian capital of the world (or just of Ethiopia?) - Sheshemene. I have to say that I was disappointed:
(a) Nobody offered to sell me any marijuana. Isn't this the Rastafarian capital of the world?
(b) I saw a few - but only a few - people in dredlocks. Was expecting the whole darn town to look like Lucky Dube or something.
==
Added 2 modes to my transport across Africa! Local bus in Ethiopia. And Ethiopian donkey cart. Will again defer to Judge Chas - does Ethiopian donkey cart count as a separate mode from Sudanese donkey cart?
==
The local bus ride was fun. Stopped a LOT. Quite a discussion when it stopped for me about whether they even wanted to take me - I'm sure the bike looked like a hassle to them. But...they eventually agreed, and on I went with bike in tow. They kept asking where I was going and I forgot the name of the Sheshemene town, so I kept saying Rasta, or Rastaman, or Rastafarian. They had no idea what I was talking about. If Sheshemene is the Rastafarian capital of the 
world, shouldn't they have known that? So, I just kept motioning, "keep going - further," until we came to Sheshemene - and then I recognized the name and said, "Here!" The bus driver said, "Enough?" And I said, "Yes, enough," and happily got off, ready to be offered some marijuana. Mind you, I didn't even want any marijuana, I only wanted to be offered it.
world, shouldn't they have known that? So, I just kept motioning, "keep going - further," until we came to Sheshemene - and then I recognized the name and said, "Here!" The bus driver said, "Enough?" And I said, "Yes, enough," and happily got off, ready to be offered some marijuana. Mind you, I didn't even want any marijuana, I only wanted to be offered it.==
Since we don't get any more photos until I get a new camera (Nairobi?), I've decided to just start throwing in some photos of earlier in the trip, to keep up our interest. This is one of a rider meeting, in Khartoum.
------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled ------ 98 km (61 mi) -------- 2,603 km (1,620 mi)
Sagged ------ 30 km (18 mi) -------- 1,192 km (852 mi)
Total -------- 128 km (79 mi) ------- 3,795 km (2,472 mi)
Total -------- 128 km (79 mi) ------- 3,795 km (2,472 mi)
In Saddle ---- 6 hours 35 min ------- 161 hours 18 min
Ascended ---- 2,358 feet ------------ 31,642 feet
Friday, 23rd Feb 2007
To: Camp Ethiopia #7 (Resort on Lake Langano)
Nice day. Nothing special, other than the horse cart ride after lunch. I'd been seeing the horse carts, they are used as taxis. Tried to get a picture of an Ethiopian taxi park (horses and their carts) today, but my camera isn't working. Sadly, may not be able to get any more photos till Nairobi, when I can replace the camera, or fix it. That's in another 2 weeks.
So, today I decided to get a ride on a horse cart, so that I could add it to my list of transportation modes across Africa. Horse cart in Ethiopia - tick! Guess what my horse cart driver's name was? Ashenaffi! I told him I knew another Ashenaffi - the one who had taken me to the traditional music club in Bahir Dar.
By the way, apparently, the Ethiopian millenium is coming up this year - in 4 or 5 months or so. Ashenaffi from Bahir Dar suggested I come back for it because it is supposedly going to be a great party and lots and lots of fun, with huge festivities all over the country. In case you didn't know (which you probably did), Ethiopia is on a different calendar. They are on the Julian calendar, while the rest of us are on the Gregorian calendar. I'm not completely sure what that means, except that they have 13 months and they are not in year 2007. They are in some other year, which I've forgotten. So, their millenium is coming up! I may come if I can get a week or so off work by that time. I love Ethiopia and would love to explore it some more. I know, I know, currently on 4 months off work, haven't even gone back yet, and already planning the next leave. Hmmm.
Started reading a fascinating novel called "The Sign and the Seal - A Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant." It's the one I bought in Addis at the extortionist price! There is a legend/theory that the Ark of the Covenant, described in Exodus of the Bible, was stolen from Jerusalem by the son of the Queen of Sheba, and has been residing for some 3,000 years in a place called Axum, in northwest Ethiopia. That's what the book is about.
Tonight we are sleeping on the grounds of a nice resort, on the shores of Lake Langano.
Transport modes to date:
Bus - Egypt
Boat - Egypt to Sudan
Tour Truck - Sudan and Ethiopia
Donkey Cart - Sudan
Long-Haul truck - Sudan and Ethiopia
Tractor - Ethiopia
Horse cart - Ethiopia
Foot - Ethiopia
Bike - Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia
----------------- TODAY ------------------ TOTAL
Cycled ---------- 105 km (65 mi) ---------- 2,505 km (1,559 mi)
Sagged (horse)--- 6 km (4 mi) ------------- 1,162 km (834 mi)
Total ------------ 111 km (69 mi) ---------- 3,667 km (2,393 mi)
In Saddle -------- 6 hours 1 min ----------- 154 hours 43 min
Ascended -------- 741 feet ----------------- 29,314 feet
Nice day. Nothing special, other than the horse cart ride after lunch. I'd been seeing the horse carts, they are used as taxis. Tried to get a picture of an Ethiopian taxi park (horses and their carts) today, but my camera isn't working. Sadly, may not be able to get any more photos till Nairobi, when I can replace the camera, or fix it. That's in another 2 weeks.
So, today I decided to get a ride on a horse cart, so that I could add it to my list of transportation modes across Africa. Horse cart in Ethiopia - tick! Guess what my horse cart driver's name was? Ashenaffi! I told him I knew another Ashenaffi - the one who had taken me to the traditional music club in Bahir Dar.
By the way, apparently, the Ethiopian millenium is coming up this year - in 4 or 5 months or so. Ashenaffi from Bahir Dar suggested I come back for it because it is supposedly going to be a great party and lots and lots of fun, with huge festivities all over the country. In case you didn't know (which you probably did), Ethiopia is on a different calendar. They are on the Julian calendar, while the rest of us are on the Gregorian calendar. I'm not completely sure what that means, except that they have 13 months and they are not in year 2007. They are in some other year, which I've forgotten. So, their millenium is coming up! I may come if I can get a week or so off work by that time. I love Ethiopia and would love to explore it some more. I know, I know, currently on 4 months off work, haven't even gone back yet, and already planning the next leave. Hmmm.
Started reading a fascinating novel called "The Sign and the Seal - A Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant." It's the one I bought in Addis at the extortionist price! There is a legend/theory that the Ark of the Covenant, described in Exodus of the Bible, was stolen from Jerusalem by the son of the Queen of Sheba, and has been residing for some 3,000 years in a place called Axum, in northwest Ethiopia. That's what the book is about.
Tonight we are sleeping on the grounds of a nice resort, on the shores of Lake Langano.
Transport modes to date:
Bus - Egypt
Boat - Egypt to Sudan
Tour Truck - Sudan and Ethiopia
Donkey Cart - Sudan
Long-Haul truck - Sudan and Ethiopia
Tractor - Ethiopia
Horse cart - Ethiopia
Foot - Ethiopia
Bike - Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia
----------------- TODAY ------------------ TOTAL
Cycled ---------- 105 km (65 mi) ---------- 2,505 km (1,559 mi)
Sagged (horse)--- 6 km (4 mi) ------------- 1,162 km (834 mi)
Total ------------ 111 km (69 mi) ---------- 3,667 km (2,393 mi)
In Saddle -------- 6 hours 1 min ----------- 154 hours 43 min
Ascended -------- 741 feet ----------------- 29,314 feet
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Thursday, 22nd Feb 2007
To: Ethiopian Camp #6 (by Lake Koka)
Nice cycling day, but got to camp too early (2:30) and was bored. Will definitely stop more tomorrow.
Guess what? There are Maribou Storks around Lake Koka!! I thought Maribou Storks could
only be found in Uganda. Cool! Here is a picture as proof, even though it's a terrible picture because my camera is about to go on the blinks. Looks like I've been taking lessons from Abbabu, what with the cut-off head and all.
----------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled --------- 100 km (64 mi) -------- 2,400 km (1,494 mi)
Sagged -------- 0 ------------------------ 1,156 km (830 mi)
Total ---------- 100 km (64 mi) --------- 3,556 km (2,324 mi)
In Saddle ------ 5 hours 1 min ----------- 148 hours 42 min
Ascended ------ 423 feet ---------------- 28,573 feet
Nice cycling day, but got to camp too early (2:30) and was bored. Will definitely stop more tomorrow.
Guess what? There are Maribou Storks around Lake Koka!! I thought Maribou Storks could
only be found in Uganda. Cool! Here is a picture as proof, even though it's a terrible picture because my camera is about to go on the blinks. Looks like I've been taking lessons from Abbabu, what with the cut-off head and all.----------------- TODAY --------------- TOTAL
Cycled --------- 100 km (64 mi) -------- 2,400 km (1,494 mi)
Sagged -------- 0 ------------------------ 1,156 km (830 mi)
Total ---------- 100 km (64 mi) --------- 3,556 km (2,324 mi)
In Saddle ------ 5 hours 1 min ----------- 148 hours 42 min
Ascended ------ 423 feet ---------------- 28,573 feet
Wednesday, 21st Feb 2007
Addis Ababa - Rest Day
Addis Ababa is a big bustling city of about 7.4 million people. All in all, though, not too bad as far as big cities go. Together with Sintai, one of the young men I'd met in the bar last night, walked about 3 miles to a big bike shop. Met the bike repair man, who is now giving my bike a good once over, including putting on new tires that arrived in the mail from my dear brother! Yeeahhh! (Yes, OF COURSE, I could have put the darn tires on myself. I don't want to hear about it! Finding the bike shop was a neat way to explore Addis.)
Twas one of the longest 3 miles I've ever walked, especially after beers and wine of yesterday. Probably would have been o.k. if fellow-cyclist Yan hadn't offered me the wine last night - all his fault. On the way to the shop, I kept asking Sintai, "Are we almost there?" and he'd laugh and say, "I told you we should take the mini-bus, but you wanted to walk." I said, "Last night, it sounded like a great idea." At one point, when we were almost at the shop (but I didn't know that), my aching head couldn't stand anymore so I suggested to Sintai that we sit at a little sidewalk cafe and have a coke. That's when I told him that when I got back to the hotel last night, Jan had offered me the wine. Sintai said, "Oh no! Beer and then wine! No, no, no, no!" I laughed and said, "Yes, I know." He said, "I thought you were going to bed." I said, "That was the plan, but I got waylayed." Haha.
At least a nice thing happened on our walk - another Ethiopian kiss. This time from a street book vendor, whose name I have forgotten. I wanted to buy a novel from him because I finally found one that takes place in Ethiopia. But he wanted the equivalent of $17 for it! A used paperback book! So we talked and talked about the price. He finally came down to 140 Birr (abut $16). I wanted to pay about $5, and even thought THAT was a lot! We talked and talked so long that we were becoming friends, and Sintai was on the side, being amused. I finally said, "Please, please, I really want that book, but you just want too much! Please sell it for 40 Birr ($5)." He said, "My friend, I can't. I will lose money." I smiled and said, "Think of it as a gift." He smiled. I said, "Do you know what a gift is?" He said, "Yes, yes," but the only gift he gave me was a kiss on the hand and an, "I'm sorry, I can't. Maybe tomorrow." So we parted ways without making the deal, but no hard feelings and I think everybody was happy. He did sell me (for $2) a little pamphlet of short stories by an Ethiopian writer.
Update (wrote this part at night):
Later in the afternoon, Sintai and I went all the way back to the bike shop to pick up the bike. (This time, we took the mini-bus, even though by this time I had pretty much recovered and
was feeling fine.) Wow! I was very happy! My bike mechanic friend did a great job - the bike looked like new! Here is a picture of him, his shop, my bike, and that's Sintai on the left with the white t-shirt.
Sintai and I then walked once again all the way back to the hotel. Why did we walk? After thinking about it all day, I decided that I *really* wanted that book, so wanted to pass the book vendor again. Sadly, when we got to his shop, he had gone. A neighbor vendor, however, had the same book and sold it to me for 150 Birr. I told him it was highway robbery, but I said it with a smile. That's capitalism, I guess. Supply and demand. It was a bummer, though, because if I was going to pay that extortionist price, I at least wanted to give the business to my friend, the kisser. So it was a shame that he was gone.
Addis Ababa is a big bustling city of about 7.4 million people. All in all, though, not too bad as far as big cities go. Together with Sintai, one of the young men I'd met in the bar last night, walked about 3 miles to a big bike shop. Met the bike repair man, who is now giving my bike a good once over, including putting on new tires that arrived in the mail from my dear brother! Yeeahhh! (Yes, OF COURSE, I could have put the darn tires on myself. I don't want to hear about it! Finding the bike shop was a neat way to explore Addis.)
Twas one of the longest 3 miles I've ever walked, especially after beers and wine of yesterday. Probably would have been o.k. if fellow-cyclist Yan hadn't offered me the wine last night - all his fault. On the way to the shop, I kept asking Sintai, "Are we almost there?" and he'd laugh and say, "I told you we should take the mini-bus, but you wanted to walk." I said, "Last night, it sounded like a great idea." At one point, when we were almost at the shop (but I didn't know that), my aching head couldn't stand anymore so I suggested to Sintai that we sit at a little sidewalk cafe and have a coke. That's when I told him that when I got back to the hotel last night, Jan had offered me the wine. Sintai said, "Oh no! Beer and then wine! No, no, no, no!" I laughed and said, "Yes, I know." He said, "I thought you were going to bed." I said, "That was the plan, but I got waylayed." Haha.
At least a nice thing happened on our walk - another Ethiopian kiss. This time from a street book vendor, whose name I have forgotten. I wanted to buy a novel from him because I finally found one that takes place in Ethiopia. But he wanted the equivalent of $17 for it! A used paperback book! So we talked and talked about the price. He finally came down to 140 Birr (abut $16). I wanted to pay about $5, and even thought THAT was a lot! We talked and talked so long that we were becoming friends, and Sintai was on the side, being amused. I finally said, "Please, please, I really want that book, but you just want too much! Please sell it for 40 Birr ($5)." He said, "My friend, I can't. I will lose money." I smiled and said, "Think of it as a gift." He smiled. I said, "Do you know what a gift is?" He said, "Yes, yes," but the only gift he gave me was a kiss on the hand and an, "I'm sorry, I can't. Maybe tomorrow." So we parted ways without making the deal, but no hard feelings and I think everybody was happy. He did sell me (for $2) a little pamphlet of short stories by an Ethiopian writer.
Update (wrote this part at night):
Later in the afternoon, Sintai and I went all the way back to the bike shop to pick up the bike. (This time, we took the mini-bus, even though by this time I had pretty much recovered and
was feeling fine.) Wow! I was very happy! My bike mechanic friend did a great job - the bike looked like new! Here is a picture of him, his shop, my bike, and that's Sintai on the left with the white t-shirt.Sintai and I then walked once again all the way back to the hotel. Why did we walk? After thinking about it all day, I decided that I *really* wanted that book, so wanted to pass the book vendor again. Sadly, when we got to his shop, he had gone. A neighbor vendor, however, had the same book and sold it to me for 150 Birr. I told him it was highway robbery, but I said it with a smile. That's capitalism, I guess. Supply and demand. It was a bummer, though, because if I was going to pay that extortionist price, I at least wanted to give the business to my friend, the kisser. So it was a shame that he was gone.
Tuesday, 20th Feb 2007
To: Addis Ababa
If Sudan is the land of sand and prayers, then Ethiopia is the land of horses, donkeys, and kisses. First of all, they love their horses, at least in this region, north of Addis Ababa. They use them for everything. They have "horse taxis" in every little town we come to, taxiing people around in horse carriages. They use them to haul stuff on horse carts. And they ride them. They also
like to decorate their horses. I've seen so many beautifully decorated horses. At first, I thought this must be for some special event, like a wedding. However, Addis, an Ethiopian cyclist with us, said that they just like to decorate them for no reason, the way we like to decorate cars sometimes. On the way to "The Gorge" the other day, I finally got a good picture of a finely decorated horse. The rider was very proud and pleased that I wanted his photo. Here it is.
If they are not hauling stuff, using horses, then it's donkeys they use.
Those poor little fellers are often loaded, and I mean LOADED with stuff! Here are a few examples.
Not everybody can afford donkeys, I suppose, in which case they carry the stuff themselves. Curiously, the women always carry their heavy loads on their backs. Yeeek! They're going to have back problems by the age of 22. Why don't they carry it on their heads, the way Ugandans do, I wonder? That seems more sensible. In fact, I've taken to carrying heavy loads on my head myself sometimes. It's quite comfortable. I usually get a few stares when I do this in the States, where people aren't used to seeing it - but I don't care. (I get stares when I take money
notes out of my bra too, another technique I've learned in Africa - haha.) One time, I was carrying some heavy framed batiques on my head through airports. I was carrying the batiques back to my dissertation committee members, as gifts, and they were heavy! I got quite a few stares as I walked my way through Heathrow and O'Hare airports, and a few people even commented. No problem. Ah, but I digress (this had nothing to do with Africa, did it?) The point is, why do the Ethiopian women destroy their backs by carrying their stuff that way? Here is an example.
When not riding horses or carrying huge quantities of things, the Ethiopians like to kiss. On the hand or arm. My first experience of this was the little girl that I wrote about the other day, but that wasn't the last experience. Yesterday, in the town of the thieving youth, an old woman kissed me multiple times on my hand and arm. It felt a bit strange, but I suppose she was apologizing for the incident. Then, tonight in Addis Ababa, I found myself in a bar, talking with two youngish men. It was pretty fun, as we talked about nothing, blah blah blah, and laughed quite a bit. It reminded me of my Peace Corps days. I used to go to bars night after night and talk about nothing. Actually, back in those days, we used to talk about apartheid in South Africa. Night after night after night. Exact same conversation, exact same points of view from the exact same cast characters. And nobody, not even me, ever tired of it. So, anyway, tonight, when leaving this little bar in Addis Ababa, the two young men walked me to my hotel (all of about 300 meters from the bar) and kissed me on the hand! What's with all the kissing in Ethiopia? Kind of a nice cultural thing, though, I could get used to it!
By the way, I decided not to ride today because we had to be in a big hurry. Last night at the rider meeting, we were told that we had to be at the point where the convoy starts by 2:00, no later. That was going to be at about the 65 mile mark. I thought, "By 2:00? Geez, I'm going to have to hussle along!" I then thought about just riding to lunch and then getting on the truck, but even then I'd have to hussle. All that hurrying was stressing me out, so at the last minute this morning, after I'd already gotten dressed and was ready to ride, I changed my mind. Decided that if I just got a lift to Addis Ababa, then I wouldn't have to be all stressed out with all that "hurry up" stuff.
------------------ TODAY ----------------- TOTAL
Cycled----------- 0 ------------------------- 2,300 km (1,430 mi)
Sagged ---------- 114 km (71 mi) ----------- 1,156 km (830 mi)
Total ------------ 114 km (71 mi) ----------- 3,456 km (2,260 mi)
If Sudan is the land of sand and prayers, then Ethiopia is the land of horses, donkeys, and kisses. First of all, they love their horses, at least in this region, north of Addis Ababa. They use them for everything. They have "horse taxis" in every little town we come to, taxiing people around in horse carriages. They use them to haul stuff on horse carts. And they ride them. They also
like to decorate their horses. I've seen so many beautifully decorated horses. At first, I thought this must be for some special event, like a wedding. However, Addis, an Ethiopian cyclist with us, said that they just like to decorate them for no reason, the way we like to decorate cars sometimes. On the way to "The Gorge" the other day, I finally got a good picture of a finely decorated horse. The rider was very proud and pleased that I wanted his photo. Here it is.If they are not hauling stuff, using horses, then it's donkeys they use.
Those poor little fellers are often loaded, and I mean LOADED with stuff! Here are a few examples.
Not everybody can afford donkeys, I suppose, in which case they carry the stuff themselves. Curiously, the women always carry their heavy loads on their backs. Yeeek! They're going to have back problems by the age of 22. Why don't they carry it on their heads, the way Ugandans do, I wonder? That seems more sensible. In fact, I've taken to carrying heavy loads on my head myself sometimes. It's quite comfortable. I usually get a few stares when I do this in the States, where people aren't used to seeing it - but I don't care. (I get stares when I take money
notes out of my bra too, another technique I've learned in Africa - haha.) One time, I was carrying some heavy framed batiques on my head through airports. I was carrying the batiques back to my dissertation committee members, as gifts, and they were heavy! I got quite a few stares as I walked my way through Heathrow and O'Hare airports, and a few people even commented. No problem. Ah, but I digress (this had nothing to do with Africa, did it?) The point is, why do the Ethiopian women destroy their backs by carrying their stuff that way? Here is an example.When not riding horses or carrying huge quantities of things, the Ethiopians like to kiss. On the hand or arm. My first experience of this was the little girl that I wrote about the other day, but that wasn't the last experience. Yesterday, in the town of the thieving youth, an old woman kissed me multiple times on my hand and arm. It felt a bit strange, but I suppose she was apologizing for the incident. Then, tonight in Addis Ababa, I found myself in a bar, talking with two youngish men. It was pretty fun, as we talked about nothing, blah blah blah, and laughed quite a bit. It reminded me of my Peace Corps days. I used to go to bars night after night and talk about nothing. Actually, back in those days, we used to talk about apartheid in South Africa. Night after night after night. Exact same conversation, exact same points of view from the exact same cast characters. And nobody, not even me, ever tired of it. So, anyway, tonight, when leaving this little bar in Addis Ababa, the two young men walked me to my hotel (all of about 300 meters from the bar) and kissed me on the hand! What's with all the kissing in Ethiopia? Kind of a nice cultural thing, though, I could get used to it!
By the way, I decided not to ride today because we had to be in a big hurry. Last night at the rider meeting, we were told that we had to be at the point where the convoy starts by 2:00, no later. That was going to be at about the 65 mile mark. I thought, "By 2:00? Geez, I'm going to have to hussle along!" I then thought about just riding to lunch and then getting on the truck, but even then I'd have to hussle. All that hurrying was stressing me out, so at the last minute this morning, after I'd already gotten dressed and was ready to ride, I changed my mind. Decided that if I just got a lift to Addis Ababa, then I wouldn't have to be all stressed out with all that "hurry up" stuff.
------------------ TODAY ----------------- TOTAL
Cycled----------- 0 ------------------------- 2,300 km (1,430 mi)
Sagged ---------- 114 km (71 mi) ----------- 1,156 km (830 mi)
Total ------------ 114 km (71 mi) ----------- 3,456 km (2,260 mi)
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