Friday, 13th April 2007

To: Dedza

Beautiful, beautiful day. The road from Lilongwe to Dedza, which is on the way to Blantyre, makes great bike riding. A bit hilly, but not mountainous. I have two photos here, to show the view on that road.

Got started a bit late, after a buffet breakfast at the Lilongwe Hotel. That, plus several rest stops during the day, made me a bit pressed for time by the end of the day. Finally, with only about 10 km to go before Dedza, I decided that I wasn't going to make it before dark, because I was about to start what looked to be a long climb. That could take an hour, I thought, and I only have about 45 minutes of daylight left. So, I pulled over to hitch a ride. Two kids across the road were selling avacados and potatoes. They were very sweet boys. Of course, they started off with, "Give me money." All introductions have to start off that way. I think they learn it in school. The teacher says, "When you see a mzungu, you are supposed to say 'Give me money.' Now, let's practice." And all the school kids say, "GIVA MEA MONEY, TEACHA!"

But after they realized they weren't getting any money out of our relationship, they didn't seem to mind and were still very charming. A few cars went by, but they were not big enough to take my bike. The boys could see I was getting edgy because it was getting late and I didn't want to be out there after dark. One of the boys said, "Don't worry, madam. A truck will come to take you." I smiled at him. A few minutes later, a pick-up truck stopped. Both boys ran across the road to help me run my bags and bike down to the pick-up and put them in the back. As we were driving off, they waved, "Bye-bye!"

Slept at the Dedza Pottery and Lodge place. They make beautiful pottery and they also have a beautiful lodge there. I highly recommend it for anybody passing through that area.

--------------------- TODAY ----------------- TOTAL
Cycled -------------- 76 km (48 mi) ----------- 4,477 km (2,805 mi)
Lift ----------------- 10 km (6 mi) ------------ 2,480 km (1,656 mi)
Total --------------- 86 km (54 mi) ----------- 6,957 km (4,461 mi)
In Saddle ----------- 6 hours 36 min ---------- 296 hours 16 min
Ascended ----------- 2,178 feet ---------------- 79,188 feet