Slideshow Details

I thought I had the invitation attached but it is trickier than I thought….maybe I can't blame all my technology challenges on Africa and should just admit to user error!

Here's what is happening:

Wednesday, June 26, 7:00 - 8:30

at RIDLEYS CYCLE OKOTOKS
14 Crystalridge Drive

please RSVP to okotoksinfo@ridleys.com by June

Come and See Our Photos!

See below for details on our slideshow/talk Wednesday, June 26 at the brand new Ridleys store in Okotoks!

Cairo to Cape Town and Back Home Again

After a couple of weeks back in Okotoks, it seems time for some final reflections on our adventure in Africa.  To start off, a few numbers:

-over 11,000 kilometres cycled

-89 cycling days

-28 rest days (we needed every one of them!)

-4 transit days (bus, ferry)

-77 nights of camping

-43 non-camping nights in accommodation ranging from icky hotel rooms to a luxury safari tent

It is wonderful to be back home with family and friends nearby but I feel kind of...restless, so it must be time to plan another trip!  Deciding to sign up for the TDA gave me the challenge of a lifetime and I was glad to find myself able to persevere through the 121 days and enjoy 99.9% of my time in Africa.  I guess life is like that; not every moment is wonderful but the bad ones make the good ones that much more appreciated.  Travelling by bike through the 10 countries gave me a new understanding of the realities of life for many people less lucky than I.  We live lives of privilege here due to little more than the good luck of being born in Canada. Despite their sometimes precarious circumstances, the people we met were generally kind, courteous and interested in us.  Some time and distance has even mellowed my perception of the children of Ethiopia, but I may not go back there anytime soon.  I hope to return to Africa one day, to spend more time in the places that truly enthralled us and and to delve a little deeper into understanding the infuriating complexity of a vibrant, noisy, dusty and very real continent.

We have been asked to participate in the grand opening celebrations of Ridley's Cycle in Okotoks with a few photos and stories of the Tour d'Afrique - I will post the details here when I have them.

Staying BUSY in Cape Town

The fun has not stopped even though our bikes are stripped down and in their cardboard travelling boxes; now we're onto a different kind of fun!

After our Table Mountain day our friend Bridget, from South Africa, kindly took us on a driving tour of this gorgeous area.  She has a brand new VW van so a bunch of us piled in and we drove down to the Cape of Good Hope.  It was another amazing blue sky and sunshine day, starting with a nice coffee/pastry stop, then onto Boulder Beach to see the African PENGUINS! They are about knee high and absolutely adorable.  We oohed and aaahed over their cuteness for quite a while, then carried on to the Cape.  The views were incredible and after our 15 minute walk up to the lighthouse, we decided we needed sustenance (again) so off to the restaurant we went, perched on the edge of a cliff, and enjoyed a fine meal and of course more South African wine while taking in the immense panorama.  Very good food is the standard here, everywhere it seems!

Yesterday we were off to wine country and headed out towards Paarl and Stellenbosch.  Along the way, our tour guide took us to a monument which celebrates the existence and success of the Afrikaans language.  It is a pretty interesting evolution combining several European languages, some Arabic, and some African languages, all blended into a language that works and is the first language of most South Africans.  Then it was wine time!  We went to a beautiful wine farm and did a wine and cheese tasting, then moved on to the restaurant for yet another amazing meal.  After that, we were on our way to Stellenbosch and our guide, who had talked to us a lot about apartheid and Nelson Mandela's influence drove us to the prison farm where Mandela had spent his last 18 months of imprisonment.  He talked to the people at the gate who told him "no, you can't just show up and see where Mandela was, you need an appointment". Well, before we knew it, we had a senior prison official squeezing into the car with us, directing us through the prison farm all the way to the house where Mandela stayed.  It will one day be a museum but for now the public is not allowed access.  Except for us!  We were allowed in, saw the whole house, heard some stories from the guard and took a few photos of the ourselves sitting at the dining room table where Mandela and deKlerk discussed the future of South Africa!  

Today, we are going to Robben Island, another prison, where Mandela spent 20 years.  It is a cool, foggy day which will no doubt add to the atmosphere.

CAPE TOWN!!!!

"We're going to Cape Town

I must be mad, four months gone,

Cycling my bike in the African sun"

...from the clever song written by one of the riders, we all had it running through our brains as we rode the final kilometres into Kaapstad (working on my Afrikaans) yesterday, the immensity of Table Mountain looming ever larger as we rode.  We rode about 65 km to a stunningly gorgeous beach where we took photos of us holding up our bikes, and waited for the police to arrive to escort us  the final 30 km into the city.  Wow, did that last 30 km ever go fast!  How can it all be over already?  

We rode into the busy waterfront area, under the finish line banner to a warm welcome - there was a crowd gathered in the bright sunshine cheering us on, a band playing happy music and then the festivities commenced.  It was a bit like being at one of Selena's gymnastics competitions; we marched onto the amphitheatre stage organized by country, carrying a big flag.  A few speeches, full tour riders were presented medals, EFI riders got their medals (hurray for Wayne!) race winners recognized, one last bike donation,lots of thanks expressed and that was it!

Then...a short ride up the street to the hotel, and we really knew it was over when we went to the truck to clean out our lockers.  No more standing at the bottom of the truck steps waiting for the people with adjacent lockers to get out of the way, no more burrowing into the very back of the locker to get an elusive item that we had decided we wouldn't need, no more staggering down those truck steps carrying a full load of camping gear after riding 150 km or so.  

More later....our hotel room looks like a bomb went off and we must get somewhat organized before we head out into another brilliantly sunny day to tackle Table Mountain!  Check out the TDA website for finish line photos, and maybe even photos from last night's party!

Me and the Atlantic!

Country number 10!

We have arrived in South Africa, a trouble-free border crossing over the Orange River (another disappointment - it is NOT orange!) and we were pinching ourselves, hardly believing we were actually here. We have had some long days though, like yesterday's ride of 162 km, including 26 km of nasty gravel/sand/washboard. But, we persevere and keep on riding, riding, riding. This country is very empty, huge big tracts of land with nothing apparently here other than scrubby brush, but something important must be out there as both roadsides are fenced with serious looking fences.

There is a distinct European feel here, the landscape, the people and the tidy farms and homes. We are into wine growing areas (yay!) including one huge project where desert sand was being turned into agricultural land, for growing grapes. Now if that isn't a good use of the desert, I don't know what is!

Yesterday's ride ended at the ocean, but it was hard to see until I was actually almost at camp because of the thick fog. It was amazing camping mere metres away from the pounding surf and we are at another camp on the beach tonight and again tomorrow. Tomorrow is our second last riding day and I can't tell you how excited I am about the day after that - the ride into Cape Town!

Sent from my iPad

N is for.....NAKED? In Namibia?

The rumours are true....maybe it is old news by now on Facebook but breaking news on the blog...yesterday was the day! Yes, it was the famous TDA Naked Mile, participated in by a very good percentage of the riders, including the 2 contributors to this blog.

The morning ride was 15 km to the start of a 30 km time trial, with lunch at 45 km. This was a ridiculously short day by TDA standards but just how it worked out with camp locations and rest days. The idea was for the guys to head out as a group together after lunch, with the ladies to follow a discreet time after. However, one rider ( NOT named Wayne) just couldn't wait and did the time trial naked, with his rider number strategically placed. After that inspiring ride, how could the rest of us not join in the fun? We rode about 10 km in total, after posing for pictures, with "Tour d'Afrique 2013" spelled out on our lower backs, one letter per girl! You will have to guess which letter I am if you find the photos on Facebook, or you can wait for our own photos to come home with us! Not much traffic on this unpaved section but most vehicles going by did slow down and wee got lots of honks and waves and smiles.

Namibia is incredible! This morning we went out to the dunes about 60 km away from here, they were breathtaking in the dawn light. We climbed up , slid down, walked around on the dry lake beds and took in the gorgeousness. Now we digesting an immense lunch and working up the energy to walk back through the heat to the campground. Back on the road tomorrow for 5 more days of gravel before we hit the border.

Sent from my iPad

German California, aka Namibia

We are in our ninth of ten countries, Namibia!  We crossed the border back on the 207 km day, right at the end of the day, then rode the last kilometre into camp.  We were surprised to come into a very civilized campground with lovely green grass, hot showers, and flush toilets - wow!  Plus a store which still has Wayne talking about how easy it was to buy our usual stash of cookies, chocolate bars and chips ( why am I not gaining weight??), pay in Botswana currency and get change in Namibian currency!  Just like that!  Plus the clerk knew how to make change and figure out the different currencies with ease.  It has been surprising to see how lacking in basic arithmetic skills some shopkeepers are but I guess that may be an indication of education levels affecting literacy and numeracy.

But back to German California....we feel we have left what we've come to think of as the "real" Africa behind - riding into Windhoek yesterday was weird, it is clean, orderly, hilly, green with lots of flowers and palm trees, and all the street signs and business signs are in German.  European, yet tropical.  Sort of African, but not at all chaotic.  One thing that has not changed though is the drivers, do they ever go fast.  The speed limit on the 2 lane highway with absolutely no shoulder is 120 km/hr.  That was true even back on the Elephant Highway when running into one of those big boys could definitely slow you down.  We have learned to keep a sharp eye on oncoming traffic and an ear tuned to what is happening behind us and are always prepared to hit the grass on the roadside if need be, and sometimes we do just to be on the safe side.  Windhoek is very western and we are all noticing the difference.  Last night we went out to celebrate a TDA friend's 60 th birthday at a fantastic restaurant with giant steaks, lots of red wine and excellent service.  What a treat!  Today we have tires to change ( actually, I have my camp valet working on that chore right now) then we will visit the good bike shop here, the first we have come to on the tour so Wayne can restock his supply of tubes.  He keeps saying he wants to do a blog entry about his flat tire woes but he hasn't got around to it yet.  Too busy patching tubes, I guess.  

We head off into dirt road country tomorrow, into the Kalahari and lots of sand!  Three days of that, then a rest day, then five more days, another rest day and a final five day push into Cape Town!  

Fwd: Stunning Victoria Falls!

We have reached what is a huge TDA milestone...back in January when we started on this odyssey, Victoria Falls seemed such a distant goal yet here we are!  We are somewhere around 8750 kilometres in so we are by no means near the end but we all feel like we are closing in, gradually, on the big goal of reaching Cape Town.  But that is tomorrow; today we are lounging by the pool and enjoying our second rest day here.  

The day we arrived, we rode a quick152 kms (compared to the previous day's 185 kms), then showered up and attended the bike donation ceremony.  It was quite heart-warming to be part of, so thanks to any of you who made a donation to the Tour d'Afrique Foundation; it has all come full circle!  Fifty bicycles were donated here, to local schools.  The schools then make the bikes available to any students who need help covering the very long distances in order to just get to school - some have to go as far as 20 km one way.  Students from one school put on a little skit about a brother and sister wanting money from their father for transport to school, he could not give it to them as food, clothing and shelter used up all his earnings.  The brother had to carry his little sister to school, he ended up getting to school late and so tired he was falling asleep in class.  So the school gave him the use of the bike and it all had a happy ending.  One older girl spoke about the difference having the use of the school bicycle made to her, it kept her attending when she otherwise might not, and a letter from grateful parents saying much the same thing.  I disagree with a lot of aid programs, for a lot of reasons, but this small-scale project really seems to be simple and successful.  We also attended one in Arusha, Tanzania, where the thirty bikes donated went to health care workers, mostly of whom care for families and individuals coping with AIDS.

After the ceremony we jumped right onto the dinner cruise on the Zambezi - what a mighty river!  We saw several hippos and a magnificent sunset, all while sipping gin and tonic - how very colonial!

Yesterday we went into the national park here on the Zambia side of the Zambezi River to see the falls in all their thundering splendour.  Right now the water level is extremely high so there is an unbelievably immense roaring fury of water tumbling over the precipice.  There is a walkway along the cliff side facing the falls, which we walked the length of, getting utterly drenched in the process - I could barely see, the spray was so relentless!  Then we hung out for a while at the Bungee Cafe watching several TDAers doing the thrill-seeking thing.  For some reason, natural splendour is not enough here and it has become an adventure hotspot, with micro lite flights, helicopter rides, bungee jumping, gorge swing, zip line etc being the big draws here.  Anyone who did fundraising as part of their TDA trip was given an excursion voucher - I got a gorge slide, which is the same as a zip line, and Wayne got a river cruise.  Well, we had already paid for our river cruises, so I gave Wayne my slide voucher and he gave his cruise one away.  Sandy received a gorge swing, which after watching yesterday, I think would be more of a thrill than bungee jumping.  Today, they went for their thrills, and Sandy's was definitely the most exciting!  I found it exciting enough watching them all, I felt no need to hurl myself Ito the void from the middle of the bridge!  Life is thrilling enough, I think!  I did take the opportunity to hop on the scale where they calculate whatever they need to know for the bungee jump and am now a svelte 124.5 lbs!  I may need a belt or some suspenders for my cycling shorts soon....

Today our plan was to walk over the bridge for lunch in Zimbabwe...we had planned ahead for this by buying a double entry visa when we entered Zambia several days ago.  However, when we got there, the price was a ridiculous $75 per person for Canadians (what do the Zimbabweans have against us??) just to go into the country, then it would be $30 each to go into the national park on that side, so we decided plan B would be lunch next door to our campground/hotel at a swanky new hotel.  So our money stayed in Zambia, sorry about that, Zimbabwe!  After lunch, we were back to reality, setting up our tent in the grass as the hotel room we had  been in was not available for our last night here.  The camping area is very nice, but it is almost creepy how many monkeys there are...and they steal everything not nailed down.  As we set up our tent we were entertained by a dozen or so of them playing around two nearby tents, they had figured out how to get into the vestibules so the whole tent was squirming when they ran around between the tent and the rain fly.  Then they would launch themselves out of a tree onto a tent, bounce like it was a trampoline then scamper off.  Hilarious to watch but what a nuisance.  Everything is zipped up tight but apparently they have zippers figured out too...!

So, on to country number eight tomorrow, Botswana.  Apparently there is a ferry to cross a river and it is where there are four countries adjoining one another.  The section is called the Elephant Highway, I hope it lives up to its name!  Other than that, we have heard it is notable for the monotony; a long straight road, a never-changing horizon and a tunnel of tall elephant grass to ride through.  I am hoping for tailwinds as we have some very long days coming up, including the record setting 208 km day!

B is for Botswana and...

(We are actually in Namibia now but it has been a few days so here's a quick summary of our time in Botswana!)

...so does Boring, and Boils and Beans. Yes, after the initial excitement of the Elephant Highway, and seeing those magnificent elephants, the thrill factor went waaaay down and the riding became boring. In order to get us through this land of endless straight flat roads somewhat quickly, we were riding very long distances, on top of many other very long days in Zambia and Malawi. This led to boils. Stop reading right here if you are at all squeamish! I won't go into too much gruesome detail, and I probably don't have to tell you where exactly the boils are located, but I will say it involves the part of the anatomy which comes into regular contact with the bicycle seat. Big ouch. A big ouch that lasts and lasts, especially if you keep getting in contact with that bicycle seat. So although Wayne has been touching it out, I have been wimping it out and cut back a bit on the distances. So in the last 5 days I rode an easy 100 kms for each of 2 days, then we did the EPIC 207 km day, then the last two days I have ridden to camp from the lunch truck, both about 80 km days. I don't know if that is enough...but we have a rest day tomorrow so maybe I'll be ready for the 8 days of offroad riding coming up in the Kalahari Desert. We were all pretty excited to finish the 207 km day, that is the farthest I have ever ridden in a day!

Oh yes, beans. I just threw that in there because it starts with B and that was our dinner the night before the long day. Interestingly, everyone who set off hoping to finish the 207 km day did finish - maybe the beans should get some credit?

Sent from my iPad

Fwd: Stunning Victoria Falls!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Patricia Gaudet
Date: Friday, April 19, 2013
Subject: Stunning Victoria Falls!
To: "pagaudet.gaol" <pagaudet.gaol@blogger.com>


We have reached what is a huge TDA milestone...back in January when we started on this odyssey, Victoria Falls seemed such a distant goal yet here we are!  We are somewhere around 8750 kilometres in so we are by no means near the end but we all feel like we are closing in, gradually, on the big goal of reaching Cape Town.  But that is tomorrow; today we are lounging by the pool and enjoying our second rest day here.  

The day we arrived, we rode a quick152 kms (compared to the previous day's 185 kms), then showered up and attended the bike donation ceremony.  It was quite heart-warming to be part of, so thanks to any of you who made a donation to the Tour d'Afrique Foundation; it has all come full circle!  Fifty bicycles were donated here, to local schools.  The schools then make the bikes available to any students who need help covering the very long distances in order to just get to school - some have to go as far as 20 km one way.  Students from one school put on a little skit about a brother and sister wanting money from their father for transport to school, he could not give it to them as food, clothing and shelter used up all his earnings.  The brother had to carry his little sister to school, he ended up getting to school late and so tired he was falling asleep in class.  So the school gave him the use of the bike and it all had a happy ending.  One older girl spoke about the difference having the use of the school bicycle made to her, it kept her attending when she otherwise might not, and a letter from grateful parents saying much the same thing.  I disagree with a lot of aid programs, for a lot of reasons, but this small-scale project really seems to be simple and successful.  We also attended one in Arusha, Tanzania, where the thirty bikes donated went to health care workers, mostly of whom care for families and individuals coping with AIDS.

After the ceremony we jumped right onto the dinner cruise on the Zambezi - what a mighty river!  We saw several hippos and a magnificent sunset, all while sipping gin and tonic - how very colonial!

Yesterday we went into the national park here on the Zambia side of the Zambezi River to see the falls in all their thundering splendour.  Right now the water level is extremely high so there is an unbelievably immense roaring fury of water tumbling over the precipice.  There is a walkway along the cliff side facing the falls, which we walked the length of, getting utterly drenched in the process - I could barely see, the spray was so relentless!  Then we hung out for a while at the Bungee Cafe watching several TDAers doing the thrill-seeking thing.  For some reason, natural splendour is not enough here and it has become an adventure hotspot, with micro lite flights, helicopter rides, bungee jumping, gorge swing, zip line etc being the big draws here.  Anyone who did fundraising as part of their TDA trip was given an excursion voucher - I got a gorge slide, which is the same as a zip line, and Wayne got a river cruise.  Well, we had already paid for our river cruises, so I gave Wayne my slide voucher and he gave his cruise one away.  Sandy received a gorge swing, which after watching yesterday, I think would be more of a thrill than bungee jumping.  Today, they went for their thrills, and Sandy's was definitely the most exciting!  I found it exciting enough watching them all, I felt no need to hurl myself Ito the void from the middle of the bridge!  Life is thrilling enough, I think!  I did take the opportunity to hop on the scale where they calculate whatever they need to know for the bungee jump and am now a svelte 124.5 lbs!  I may need a belt or some suspenders for my cycling shorts soon....

Today our plan was to walk over the bridge for lunch in Zimbabwe...we had planned ahead for this by buying a double entry visa when we entered Zambia several days ago.  However, when we got there, the price was a ridiculous $75 per person for Canadians (what do the Zimbabweans have against us??) just to go into the country, then it would be $30 each to go into the national park on that side, so we decided plan B would be lunch next door to our campground/hotel at a swanky new hotel.  So our money stayed in Zambia, sorry about that, Zimbabwe!  After lunch, we were back to reality, setting up our tent in the grass as the hotel room we had  been in was not available for our last night here.  The camping area is very nice, but it is almost creepy how many monkeys there are...and they steal everything not nailed down.  As we set up our tent we were entertained by a dozen or so of them playing around two nearby tents, they had figured out how to get into the vestibules so the whole tent was squirming when they ran around between the tent and the rain fly.  Then they would launch themselves out of a tree onto a tent, bounce like it was a trampoline then scamper off.  Hilarious to watch but what a nuisance.  Everything is zipped up tight but apparently they have zippers figured out too...!

So, on to country number eight tomorrow, Botswana.  Apparently there is a ferry to cross a river and it is where there are four countries adjoining one another.  The section is called the Elephant Highway, I hope it lives up to its name!  Other than that, we have heard it is notable for the monotony; a long straight road, a never-changing horizon and a tunnel of tall elephant grass to ride through.  I am hoping for tailwinds as we have some very long days coming up, including the record setting 208 km day!

Safe in Botswana, happy not to be in Boston

What a bizarre turn of events in Boston, how tragic and incomprehensible. Our first real brush with TV news in months at the nice lodge/campground we stayed at on Tuesday and that was what we saw as a developing story. Thanks to you who took time to let us know that no one we know was caught up in the attack directly.

Botswana has been a land of contrasts; we went from the excitement of riding along the Elephant Highway to despairing over the loooong distances over flat and, well, boring terrain into a relentless headwind. But back to those elephants! Day one on the highway had me on high alert scanning the undergrowth for patches of grey.....there we're none that were elephants, but I did see one rhino! Day two I was determined to find me an elephant, but it took until after lunch, when Sandy and I saw a magnificent bull cross the highway about 300 metres ahead of us. Not long after, I saw 2 more, then a few minutes later, a group of 3. They are really big when you ride by them on your bike! Although all but the first were eating, I have no doubt they were very aware of my presence so I just slowed down to admire them. We now are getting into a dry area so that might be it for elephants. However, a few days ago the camp we stayed at offered river cruises so we decided to give it a try....did we ever see elephants! There are between 160,000 to 180,000 elephants in Botswana, and they do like their water fresh and clean so the cruise on the river gave us the opportunity to see literally hundreds of them, along with loads of hippos! The guide was excellent and took the pontoon boat up close to the various groups so we had great viewing opportunities.

Next task is to redo the blog post from Victoria Falls which got lost in cyberspace somewhere.....

Sent from my iPad

Here's those photos.....

Internet hocus pocus...somehow the photos did not send so I will try again...

The "riot" photo is kind of pinkish because our camera was in its death throes, and coming up with weird colours and exposure effects.  I also included a photo of a typical bike, with a typical load of bags of charcoal, each bag weighs 50 kg!  No more whining about the weight of an extra water bottle....

Zambezi Zone

We are in Zambia! After passing through a reasonably fast border crossing, we rode down a fabulous long hill into a biggish town about 30 km away where we stopped for the usual new currency at an ATM and found a great grocery store next door with a very nice cafe attached. So after using the ATM which actually worked the first time, meaning we did not have to try 4 other banks for a machine our cards would work in, we went for a real cappuccino. Plus we did a little shopping so I had half a can of Pringles and a ginger beer. The store had a sign welcoming the TDA to town - a nice touch and many of the riders ended up stopping there.

The next day was "interesting", to say the least! I arrived at lunch to find a big crowd of riders hanging out in the grass. Everyone had to hold up there as in the next town there was some unrest. The information we had involved a witch doctor, a ritualistic murder a couple of weeks ago which the police were not handling to the satisfaction of some of the citizenry and there you have it, it's a riot! Eventually, things had settled down enough, the looting had stopped, the mob was dispersed and we were good to go. Ciaran decided we would ride in a convoy through the town, so away we went. We were met by a police vehicle which led us through the actual town, until they stopped and up ahead we could see a big crowd and lots of black smoke on the road ahead. So maybe the riot had not been totally calmed down....we waited for a bit behind the police truck, eying the ragtag group aboard, they looked like civilians who had been invited on, wearing this and that, but they all seemed to have a big riot helmet on. It was a little alarming when the shooting started but it was warning shots fired into the air. That is how we proceeded down the road, behind the truck, the warning shots continuing and any locals near the road wasted no time fleeing into the adjacent fields as the truck approached. The army was out in full force, standing at intervals along the roadside, looking intimidating with full uniforms and nasty looking guns complete with bayonets. We passed the burning tires, source of all the black smoke and beside them on the edge of the road were 4 or 5 guys who must have been suspects. I didn't see, but some of them tried to escape as our convoy passed, perhaps thinking the police would not dare fire at them if they were among all us mzungu. Eventually, we rode out of what was perceived to be the trouble area, the truck pulled over and we all pedalled past, back into the ordinary type of riding we are used to.

We camped at a lovely spot by a river with a great view across to Mozambique - we don't go there but it looks gorgeously green, just like Zambia! The riding has been so nice but wow, are the days ever long! In the last 5 days we've done 172 kms, 176 kms and 160 km, with slightly shorter distances the other days. The legs are fine pedalling that much but my rear end is happy about today being a rest day. I think there a a lot of others feeling the same kind of pain!

Wayne just went to the ATM here at the mall....this is a typical Africa experience..at the first ATM he wanted 2000 kwachas, but the transaction was denied. He tried the machine beside it, and pushed the button for the largest withdrawal possible which on this machine was 4000, and the machine processed the transaction with no problem!

Last night we were treated royally...Alan, a friend on the tour with us has a friend living here in Lusaka who invited Alan and his brother to stay with them for the rest day, and said bring along about 10 of your friends for a BBQ. Luckily, we were included in that elite group and did we ever get taken care of! They picked us up, drove us to their home where we sat in the lovely garden by the pool and soaked up a bunch of beer, wine and homemade lemonade. Then our hosts started cooking, warning us they had bought lots of meat and we were expected to do some serious eating! I am almost embarrassed by how much food we went through, but this guy had done a section of the TDA in a past year so he totally understood the type of appetites he would be up against. We did not disappoint them.

Today we are meeting a friend of Selena's who is here in Zambia for several weeks looking after a group of student nurses from UBC. It will be interesting to hear about her Zambia experiences, this is her third year he so I think she likes it here!

First photo: Sandy and Wayne using the ATMs in Zambia that really worked!
Second photo: we weren't supposed to take any pictures so I will only say this "might" be what the unrest looked like...
Third photo: the sign in the grocery store

Photos and more from Malawi

Photo 1:Wayne doing his best to ride a local's lightly loaded bike.  Like many places in the world, here the bikes are work vehicles, used as pickup trucks, taxis, delivery vans for all kinds of stuff...I feel like a spoiled kid sometimes, riding my bike for nothing more than recreation!  No wonder we get stared at everywhere we go....

Photo 2:  beautiful Lake Malawi in the early morning drizzly mist we rode through, 

Photo 3:  a local giving Wayne's bike a try with the much-loved lunch truck in the background.  The two most welcome sights on any riding day are the lunch truck with Noah's delicious buffet of ingredients awaiting us, and the orange finish line flag marking the day's camping spot and the end of the ride.

Photo 4: bicycle taxis in Malawi, complete with registration plates and passenger seats.  We even saw one advertising "airport service" to the nearby airport...can you imagine getting off a plane, asking for a taxi and realizing you'd be getting on a bicycle with a guy somehow managing to also pack your luggage on, probably on his head or something then he'd ride with one hand on the handlebars and the other holding his cell phone to his ear!

Photo 5:  our friend Ali trying out a hand-cranked wheelchair kind of bike...we've seen a few of these around!

This is our last day in Malawi, tomorrow we are back on our bikes to head west into Zambia, would it be too much to hope for a tailwind?  We've had crosswinds from the east which swirled into headwinds, so just maybe we will get a nice push from behind!  There seems to be a post-mid-trip malaise going around...lots of riders taking a bit of a break from the tour for a few days and rejoining later.  Injuries have taken a bit of a toll as well, I hope we continue to be fortunate with our health.  

Wayne and I went to a wildlife sanctuary/rescue area today.  It was so beautiful to walk through the shady forest ; now we know what we've been riding beside looks like on the inside.  We had a guide who showed us all the animals (except for the elusive leopard! ) then we struck off on our own down the trails (walk at your own risk and watch out for the nesting crocodiles!) eventually the trail we chose turned into a big metal sewer pipe then a catwalk over top of it which we had to walk over because Wayne saw monkeys at the far end....then we decided to turn back and get back to civilization.  

It is noticeably more Western here, which on one hand is convenient for rest days but it doesn't feel quite like the "real" Africa we have been experiencing for the last 3 months.  On to Zambia!

The World Wide Web isn't

...world wide, that is!  We have been in the back of beyond a lot of the time but even when we are not Internet access is rare.  So it has been a while and there is LOTS to catch up on in the blog.  It seems like our stay at the fancy lodge at Ngorongoro was a very long time ago; since then, we had 8 days in a row of riding, 6 of them on unpaved "roads".  I will either attach or send separately the   photos of the big trucks and buses wallowing in the mud, which is what we were doing too!  Tough riding, but I actually kind of liked it!  Yes, pavement girl has a touch of mud girl, it seems!  Once you just realize you can't possibly get any wetter or muddier, it makes everything easier.  The rain poured down, the mud squelched up and my biggest worry was that either the lunch truck or the dinner truck would not be able to get through the mud or past the mired vehicles strewn all over and then what would I do with no lunch, no dinner and no tent??  But the amazing drivers are old hands at rainy season driving and all was well, I did not miss a meal and we had our tent to protect us from the downpour overnight.

I have never seen it rain like it does here!  The best part is, you don't get cold and it doesn't seem to ever be a lashing wind-driven kind of rain, then once it stops, you eventually dry because the sun is HOT.  But the humidity is a bit of an factor now, so instead of nice dry tents every morning like it was all the way from Egypt through Ethiopia, we now have to bundle up a soggy tent, fly and ground sheet every morning.  Dew magically appears at dusk, unless it is already raining.  All the moisture kind of adds to the aroma around camp, so I am glad we now have a couple of days off in Lilongwe, Malawi to properly wash some of our well used cycling clothes!

So far, my favorite country to cycle through has been Tanzania.  The land is gorgeous and so varied...nice rolling hills, fun climbs, great long downhills and lovely people.  Our last day in Tanzania was the best - a good climb out of town, then a 20 km downhill through a million banana plants and acres and acres of tea plantations.  Then it flattened out and we were at the Malawi border.  As soon as we crossed the border the temperature seemed to go up about 10 degrees and the humidity might have doubled, if that is possible.  Fortunately, our camp was on Lake Malawi, which just seemed cooler.  Fun fact:  ( although I have not verified this, the guy on the beach trying to sell us hand carved keychains wouldn't lie to me, would he?) Lake Malawi is known as the calendar lake...it is 365 kms long, 52 kms wide and has 12 rivers draining into it.

This was a very short section, we now have 2 rest days here in Lilongwe, then when we start riding on Wednesday, we cross into Zambia.  Today is Easter Sunday, and when we arrived at our hotel and were quaffing a well earned beer, one of our group indignantly noted "Easter here is all about RELIGION, not chocolate!"  But I had ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert so that filled the chocolate requirement for now.  Wayne and I are still diligently working on fattening up - we are a lean and sinewy pair, someone told me today I would have to see about putting some pleats in Wayne's bike shorts to take up the excess material.  We're still healthy and riding every kilometre though which we feel lucky about, quite a few riders are fighting persistent stomach bugs.  I hope that continues

Photo 1: St Patricks Day fun, the three of us on a local's bike, one requirement for the scavenger hunt

Photo 2:  a bit of mud, this was the very first day with mud and it was mild compared with what came later...

Photo 3:  traffic stuck on the muddy road, and this is a MAIN road!

Photo 4:  me in Tanzania, after a ridiculously long day of getting pounded to pieces on rough roads, but I made it.  Sandy and I thought the hard part was over here, hence the big smile, but there was still about 25 kms of smaller climbs left...

It's Greater in the Crater!

Photo 1 - Lazy Lions

Photo 2 - Hyena Chilling

Photo 3 - Rare sighting of Two Headed Rhino

Photo 3 - Zebra Family

Well today is the day Trish is trusting me with the blog. I will attempt to be as eloquent as she can be.

We last rode on Tuesday. It was a challenging day as we had a morning of head wind as we rode into what seemed to be an optical illusion all morning. All of the terrain looked flat but it was a gradual uphill to lunch at 70km. After lunch we went over the shoulder of     Mount Meru then down into the city of Arusha Tanzania. Arusha is at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro but we have yet to spot the monster as it is shrouded in clouds most of the time. We have had a three day break  here & have taken the opportunity to visit the Serena Resort Lodge at Ngorongoro crater. This is a sister property to the Serena Tent Camp near Nanyuki Kenya. We have enjoyed our stay here immensely, the rooms are first rate & all perch on the rim of the crater so this morning we watched the sunrise in bed through the wall to wall windows in our room. At 8:00 we ventured out on a safari into the crater. We enjoyed the entire day watching the wildlife our excellent guide found for us. We had a a box lunch at a hippo watering hole that even included hippos, though they are mostly under water it was neat to watch them surface for air as they went about their business in the pond. The crater itself is quite a sight. We are sitting about 600m above the floor but can easily see the entire 260 sq km area from the hotel. The crater is a micro ecosystem of sorts. It is the result of an eruption millions of years ago that levelled the mountain that was estimated to be over 6000m. At that height it would rival Kilimanjaro as the highest mountain in Africa. As a result the depression that remained attracted a variety of wildlife over the years. The animals are not trapped inside the crater but instead choose to live here as all of their needs, other than the small gene pool are accommodated within its confines. In about 1970 the government relocated the Masai people that herded in the area & limited access to the crater to protect the rhino population. It has been a challenge as poachers continue to take animals when they are able. As a result there are not many maybe only 20 left.  The diversity of other animals is staggering. We were treated to 14 lions, 5 rhinos (one two headed as the picture will attest to), hyenas, jackals, a lake full of flamingos, hundreds of cape buffalo & zebras. The list goes on with birds & even a small cat called a serval. All in all a fantastic experience we will treasure for years to come. 

Rainy season is just around the corner, we have had a few practice showers that are amazing to watch. Trish was pretty cold coming in last Monday as she managed to get caught by the deluge. I was in a bit earlier so I managed to get the tent up prior to our first blast. Sandy had a few flats so she came in a little later & somehow missed all of the action. We will be going out for eight days straight of off road so have changed to fatter tires. I imagine our next day off will be well deserved after such along stretch.

Yet another rest day

Okay, we HAVE been doing some cycling, yesterday was 112 km and the day before 157 km along with another border crossing, this time into Tanzania, but I want to clarify in case you may be thinking all we do is take rest days....that extra 5 days bussing and resting in Kenya due to the election makes this 3 days of rest seem especially decadent!  But we are making the best of it and this time we are pampering ourselves with a stay on the rim of Ngorongoro crater - it is absolutely amazing!  A vast expanse of green, 260 square kilometres of pristine Africa, except for the roads we will travel on tomorrow on our safari.  Every species of animal in East Africa can be found in the crater, so it is full of life! 

Tanzania is lovely, very much like the southern part of Kenya.  It looks like you could plant anything here and it would grow and flourish.  We are deep in the heart of Masai country, it is pretty cool to be cycling along and see them in their traditional dress along the side of the road then realizing some are talking on their cell phones!  Our guide/driver told us there are about 25000 Masai, and each man can own about 200 cattle so there are fat cattle everywhere too.

We are now past the halfway point on this journey, we figure about 5500 kilometres of cycling and it has been interesting to watch the sectional riders who joined us in Nairobi get into the groove.  The poor things started with the two days mentioned above, and our first late afternoon in camp we experienced our first rain.  Unfortunately, I ended up out in the worst of the monsoon and when I rode splashily into camp I was pretty sure I had could not have been more drenched.  Right when I got there, the wind picked up, ripped some branches out of the trees which landed on tents, luckily the tents were unoccupied and not damaged, just very wet.  Fortunately, my thoughtful camp valet was waiting for me with a dry-ish towel so I peeled off some of the wet layers then watched the rest of the storm from one of the camp shelters.  Oh that's another thing, these sectional riders may feel overwhelmed but at least they get actual campgrounds with toilets, showers which might even be warm and grass! to pitch tents on.  They will figure things out though,  just as we did in the beginning.

There's a crater for me to look out at, so more later!

Nairobi

We arrived in Nairobi today, but not on our bikes, unfortunately.  As of last night when we went to bed, the plan was to ride 50 km, have lunch, then put the bikes and us on trucks and drive into Nairobi.  However, at camp breakfast, our fearless leader Ciaran announced we would not be riding at all, due to the election results being announced at 11:00 am today.  That made for a potentially volatile situation in the TDAs eyes so they decided to err on the  side of caution and not let us ride.  Probably the right decision, but we will be happy to get back to "normal" riding schedule after tomorrow which is a scheduled rest day.

Things were very quiet as we drove in, lots and lots of businesses closed up tight, which can't be normal on a Saturday.  The vote results (all of a sudden I am interested in Kenya politics) were very close, the leader had a slim 50.07 % of the total...he needed 50% so no doubt the other guy will be asking for a recount or filing some kind of protest.  But all the red shirted supporters of Kenyatta are happily celebrating regardless.  I am celebrating with a hair appointment tomorrow morning!  And right now I am continuing in my weight gain endeavor, my dinner was a delicious blue cheeseburger with fries, and I am now finishing off a big slab of cheesecake at the cafe next door, using the good wi-if here at the very Western style mall conveniently located about a 10 minute walk from camp.

I left Wayne at camp, to deal with the contents of our two lockers in case it rains.  The rainy season is due to start next week ( I am amazed they can predict it so precisely but every day for the past week the clouds have been building up more and more) so we didn't want to both be at the mall, oblivious to the weather with everything we own strewn all over the grass.  Everyone with a locker on the right side of the bus had to empty lockers today so they can re-weld the frame holding the lockers.  Something about it coming loose on the corrugated roads!

I left Wayne at the camp

Heaven on earth!

I have lost quite a bit of weight in the last couple of months with all the pedalling we've done...but in the last 24 hours I have been making a concerted effort to put it all back on. Two days ago while we were shopping in Nanyuki, we passed a chemist's shop with a big scale out front, so Sandy and I decided to blow the five shillings each and see how much we weighed. I was down about 13 pounds to 127, which explains why I now look like a scrawny, bony 12 year old. With wrinkles, and I won't even go into what my hair looks like.

However, this lodge stay may transform me! Yesterday's lunch and dinner were sumptuous and breakfast this morning started with bananas in chocolate sauce and a mimosa to tide me over until the eggs and bacon and grilled tomato arrived. All of us TDAers made a serious dent in the cheese board, having been cheese deprived for much too long.

All this was after the best shower so far in Africa...in our tent! Hot AND cold running water, the abundant shower water disappeared quickly down a drain instead of going all over the floor, the toilet flushes and has a seat! And there are TWO rolls of toilet paper, fluffy white towels and even that rarest of amenities, facecloths!

Yesterday afternoon's game drive was beyond incredible. I was thrilled with what we saw...I don't think I can adequately describe what we saw - there was so much. Black rhinos, white rhinos, elephants, giraffes, lions, impalas, gazelles, jackals, baboons, Cape buffalo....the list goes on. Our South African friend Bridget tells us we don't know how lucky we are to have seen so much on one drive. Our guide was fantastic.

So all in all, I am a happy girl! Tomorrow, we get back on the bikes for 2 days ride to Nairobi, another rest day, 2 more days ride to Arusha in Tanzania, with 3 days off where we might just do this whole safari experience again!

Sent from my iPad

Photos from the watering hole

The giraffe having a drink, zebras at the watering hole and our palace of a tent.  And as a bonus, this is what Wayne looked like for the equator party last night...just visualize the broomstick he borrowed from the doorman in his hand for a "spear".

Living the good life at the Sweetwater Lodge

Bike ride? What bike ride? Just leave me here, with my luxury tent, busy watering hole just down the path and a gourmet lunch which has left me wondering how I will be able to waddle over to the jeep in a bit here to go for our late afternoon game drive. And I thought our Nanyuki hotel was luxurious!

The only thing our accommodations have in common with the little backpacking tent we set up every night on the road is the walls are fabric. The bathroom is tiled, there is hot and cold running water, power, robes and slippers, you get the idea...this is nicer than nearly every hotel room I have ever stayed in.

We've been here about 4 hours and have seen hundreds of animals....lots of deer family representatives - Thompsons gazelle, waterbuck, impala, loads of birds including a huge stork (no baby slung in its beak, so much for that myth), zebras including one baby one, lots of warthogs including a very comical little baby and, and, a GIRAFFE! Amazing, I am quite enchanted with all this and to top it off, there is Mt Kenya resplendent in the background.

Photos to follow...



Sent from my iPad

Photos

First photo - Wayne entertaining us in the breakfast line

Second photo - fixer upper special at a comfort stop on the bus ride

Third photo - election rally...all the orange t shirts supporting the same candidate

Fourth photo - the view from the bus, day 2

Fifth photo - whenever the bus stopped, the opportunities for shopping started!

Equator party tonight!

We are 3 km from the equator here in Nanyuki, so today we are thinking a trip to the actual spot is in order. We will retest our equator skills in egg balancing, arm strength and view the coreolis effect, just like in Ecuador. Tonight there is a TDA equator party, so I have to think of a suitable costume - Wayne says he has an idea in mind for himself, I have cautioned him it is NOT naked cycling day yet!

Tomorrow we are venturing out to a lodge for an indulgent overnight stay in a big fancy tent and some game viewing. One of our group is there right now and had to come back to this hotel to pick up something he had forgotten and raved about the wildlife he had seen already so we should be able to check off a few of the big 5!

The day before yesterday on the bus, I was thrilled when we spotted our first ELEPHANTS! They were magnificent, huge, healthy looking specimens, amazing tusks, and looking as happy as could be in their wilderness home. We also saw an ostrich, ground hornbills (both huge birds) and one zebra but it was dead so I am not counting it officially.

Results are coming in for the election, we went out last night into the town for some food and all was peaceful, although we hear that has not been the case everywhere in Kenya. We'll see what the next few days bring.

Sent from my iPad

Wayne has not lost his sense of humor!

In Kenya!

....and as someone said today, the UN may have left due to potential election unrest, but the TDA is here! I don't know if that is true about the UN, but the possibility of trouble meant we covered 500+ kilometres by bus (and this was NOT a Red Arrow coach, the AC was most of the windows opened, but then the dust came in, more than half the distance was on "roads" which were corrugated, deep sand, full of holes or all that together) but now we are in a very charming town called Nanyuki where we will chill for 5 days to catch up with the schedule, then, we hope, continue on our bikes. We were bussed through that northern Kenya section, with armed military guys on each vehicle for protection, to avoid issues which may have been made worse by the election, which is today. Our first bus day we saw some huge rallies in what seemed to be small towns, there is a real feeling of this election mattering very much to everyone so I think it is good we are out of the northern region.

I tried writing some draft posts but they never did get sent so I will catch up on what is new. First, a correction, we are done 2 of 8 sections, not 6. We are now doing "Meltdown Madness", so called due to 1. the unrelentingly bumpy lava rock which I am pretty happy we didn't have to ride through, 2. The heat with no chance of shade all day long, and 3. the fact that some riders have a meltdown due to the above. Even though we didn't have to ride it, I did manage to get ahead of myself and have a meltdown back on one our last days in Ethiopia. Yes, those infuriating children finally wore me down, and there I was, walking my bike along the road, a pathetic sight, sobbing pitifully - I had reached my breaking point. Just one too many stones hitting the target and yelling wasn't making me feel better any more. I had begun the day feeling tired and crabby and looking back I am sure I was dehydrated as it was one of those nights where we were lying in the tent, sweating buckets, hoping for any little bit of breeze which never did blow.

I managed to make it to lunch, but had no appetite so I wasn't too surprised when about an hour and a half into the afternoon ride I could feel myself starting to fade. I got slower and slower and finally told Sandy, that's it, I am done for today. I knew I just didn't have it in me to tackle the long hill or the unpaved section coming up. So we sat in the shade and waited for the lunch truck and that is it, no EFI for me, but the funny thing is, once I decided not to go on, EFI didn't matter any more. I was hyper aware of EFI while I still had it, but now that I don't I haven't given it a thought. About 5 minutes after we arrived at camp on the lunch truck, I puked up the large bottle of water I had just glugged down and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening horizontally. After all that, I gave myself the day off the next day and had the experience of riding the dinner truck to camp along with a few other invalids. I felt much better after my day off and have been perfectly fine ever since. I think it was dehydration and heat exhaustion...lots of days it gets into the 40's in the afternoon so oral rehydration salts have become my new essential.

More from Addis

The welcome ceremony was very nice...coffee, popcorn, goodies and beverages.   We sat with some of our Zimbabwean staff and gleaned some useful knowledge about where and when to do safaris, tours, etc.  They are such kind guys, so patient and helpful with all of us, and like any tour like this, kind of like parents to us all, constantly cleaning up after us, doing the thinking for us, making sure food is ready when we need it and generally eliminating the need for us to think about anything other than pedalling our bikes.

As I was doing our laundry this morning, and bear in mind this was in the rather grubby bathtub in our room, with some Zahra soap powder in a box that looks like a Tide box, under a trickle of water, I did remind myself that at least I was not like the woman I saw the other day, getting off a super-crowded bus with 2 big yellow plastic containers of what was probably water.  Then she would have to heat it, then get started on the laundry.  Our clothes were absolutely filthy!  I am so thankful I have a washer and dryer at home to do all that dirty work for me.  It took all morning with that minimal water pressure but I got it done.  Then I spread it all out on the hedges in front of our room, just like we see the locals doing in the villages.  That Ethiopian sun dries things in no time flat!

Somehow, as luck would have it, there is a wedding going on here at the golf course tonight, so it may be a short night of sleep.  Good thing we slept a solid 12 hours last night!  We'll just have to rock out to the African beat we can hear now to fall asleep....

First photo:  at the Blue Nile Falls near Bahir Dar ( only a one hour drive away on a verrrrry bumpy road)

Second photo:  one of Wayne's soccer balls being put to good use

Third photo:  the toughest climb of the tour...the Blue Nile Gorge, 1500 metres of uphill climbing

Fourth photo:  Trish and Sandy with the sprawl of Addis Ababa in the background, about to start the bike convoy down.

Where are you go?

This is one of the phrases we hear over and over on the people-filled roads of Ethiopia.  Less popular are the three year olds shouting "money" or "pen" in a whiny, demanding voice with an outstretched hand.  Least popular of all are the kids, young and old who throw stones at us.  Yes, Ethiopia is a trying, beautiful, vast and perplexing place to be.  It is the country we spend the longest amount of time in and everyone is feeling quite tested by the experience.  One of the riders told us that in the 1500s, the Portuguese were greeted by stone throwing Ethiopians when they travelled into this country.  Mind you, they may have been trying to invade or something, and we are not, but nevertheless, who are we to argue with centuries of Ethiopian tradition?  Wayne and I have been lucky so far with stone throwers but I have lost it a couple of times, getting off my bike and screeching at the little darlings.  They just laugh and run away but some days I just need to vent.  

Despite having to be constantly vigilant about what is coming next on the very busy roads - people everywhere, walking on the roads, along with donkeys, horses, donkey carts, crossing herds of cows and goats - there is always lots of action - there is still time to look around at this stunningly gorgeous country.  The rolling hills go on and on forever, like endless foothills.  We reached the highest point on the TDA a couple of days ago, at somewhere around 2500 metres, so surely that means it will all be downhill now?  That night and the next one were unbelievable cold!  We were a pathetic, shivering bunch huddled around the coffee urn at 630 in the morning at about plus 4, and none of us were prepared for the temperature having been lulled into thinking it was HOT there because of the afternoon temperature of plus 34 or so.  The other milestone we have reached is completing the second of the six sections.  

This last section was called The Gorge, the main feature of it being the descent, then climb out of the Blue Nile Gorge.  This was so beautiful to ride up to in the days leading up to Gorge day, it looked very much like the Grand Canyon, just a bit more spread out.  The descent into the Gorge took me about half an hour, riding the brakes all the way ( My brakes sound like a donkey braying when I brake, left right left right hee haw hee haw....hmm, do you think I have been out in the sun too much?).  Then it was over the massive concrete bridge, then the up started.  Oh yes, so did the time trial.  Yes, not only was there 20 kilometres of constant uphill, we were being timed!  Of course, the time trial was optional, but I was curious about how long it would take me.  I finished eighth of the women and Wayne finished tenth of the men, so that almost sounds like I beat him, right?  However, it took him just over 2 hours and me just a hair over 3.  It was a brutal test, but we got it done.

Yesterday we rolled into Addis Ababa, convoy-style and are enjoying a rest day at the very nice Addis Ababa Golf Course, complete with hotel rooms, a bar, dining room and green grass for those who are camping ( we are not).  In addition to still being EFI, I believe we are also EFH, as in Every Fabulous Hotel!  It is such a pleasure to be able to spread our filthy gear out, wash our clothes and selves, sort through things and kind of get reset for the next several days.  

More later, the hotel is hosting a welcome reception for us so I am off to check it out!

The photo is of a bus at the top of the hill above Addis, where we began the convoy down into the city.  The bus was packed with people, the goat was tied "safely" atop the bus and must have had a hair raising ride - those buses really move!

Ethiopia photos

First photo - 2 happy cyclists!

Second photo - our Ethiopian fan club watching as we set up our tent, they are well- behaved and staying behind the " magic red rope"

In case any of you are wondering and have been checking the race results, I am no longer "racing" so no longer timing in and out.  Just not my thing and I figured I did not need one more thing to do in the mornings when every moment is focused on getting on the bikes right after breakfast.  However, I AM still EFI!  Yes, Every Fabulous Inch ( substitute appropriate word beginning with f depending on the day) of the route so far has been covered by me under my own power.  We are over 3000 km in and one quarter done, we shall see how long I can keep it up.  Wayne is EFI as well!

Just another Ethiopian rest day!

Well here we are chilling out in the elegant lobby bar of our hotel in Bahir Dar, on Lake Tana enjoying a nice cold beer.  The last 2 days of riding have been absolutely stellar!  Some fun climbing, speedy descents, incredible scenery and moderate temperatures - finally.  Yesterday was my favorite day so far; rolling hills, a few higher passes to go over, some amazing rock formations, roundish African mountains covered with lush green vegetation and our first MONKEYS!  The only thing missing was our pal Sandy, who was miserably sick with some nasty stomach bug.  She is much better today, but still opted to ride the truck which was a wise decision.  Today's ride was a short, fun 60 km cruise into Bahir Dar, tomorrow is our rest day here, so it is smart to take it easy in preparation for the next 5 days riding into Addis Ababa.  There are things to do here, but we may just relax (again!) tomorrow.  The beautiful waterfall is just a trickle right now ( wrong time of year, which makes sense, as it is the dry season) and the lake cruises to the monasteries sound like a long time in the sun in an open boat.  Hanging out by the lake, which is right across the street sounds appealing to me!

We went for coffee (Ethiopia is where coffee first came from!) after we arrived here, then for a market visit.  Wayne was on a quest for a hammer for pounding in our tent pegs.  Lots of our fellow campers have rubber hammers but we need a metal one for our tent pegs.  For some reason, all the plumbing stores on the road to the market were open but none of the tool shops were, but would be later in the day.  Then, we picked up a fixer kind of guy who led us to the tool section of the actual market where we found the best hammer - handmade from reclaimed metal of some kind.  Wayne also had a brilliant idea - he bought 2 inexpensive soccer balls so we can make friends with the small army of children at our campsites.  What the staff do is put up the "Magic Rope", a red string and short stakes which magically becomes the impenetrable perimeter wall between camp and the rest of the world.  So as we set up our tents, we have a huge audience of children watching our every move. They are very good, although we are cautioned not to leave stuff lying around which would be a temptation.  One soccer ball will be left at each campsite if we can get this idea to catch on with the other riders.  The African guys who are part of the staff though this was a very good plan and suggested whistles would be good as well, as they will stop and listen if someone blows a whistle to get their attention.  So now we can stretch our legs with a bit of soccer after our rides!  On the way home from the market, we stopped for a delicious juice - I had avocado, pineapple and mango, served in 3 colourful layers - delicious!

More from Gondar, Ethiopia

I think we are as ready as possible to tackle the next part of the ride.  It has been wonderful having 2 rest days, time to do the usual chores of laundry, bike maintainance, blogging, etc.  Today we had 2 delicious meals at a great place just an eventful tuktuk ride down the hill!  At lunch, by chance and then we returned for dinner after deciding our hotel was far too busy hosting a big wedding to take care of us for dinner.  We sampled an Ethiopian specialty, lamb tibes on injera bread at lunch - delicious although challenging to eat with only hands, no utensils, just injera bread.  Very tasty!

Tomorrow we ride toward Lake Tana, source of the delicious tilapia I had for dinner tonight and I would think riding beside a lake should be fairly level, right?  Then there is an magnificent waterfall from the lake and we have time to visit one of the monasteries located on the many islands in the lake.  This country keeps on amazing us and tempting us to return already.

We heard a lot about the stone throwing children in the villages of Ethiopia and I decided to deal with this potential menace with a huge grin on my face and a lot of waving and calling out hello.  So far, this has seemed to work, although some of the riders have not been quite so lucky.  A lot have had big stones thrown at them or their bikes, some have been pushed around while riding uphill and some have been whacked with sticks.  We must be so foreign to these kids in the little villages, flying by with our bright clothing, slick bicycles and weird helmets and sunglasses.  No wonder they throw rocks!  I hope my technique continues to work.

Time to get back on riding day schedule and get to bed!

Photos from Sudan

First photo, a lot of what was loaded, 

by hand, onto the ferry.  Huge loads - bales of wire, washing machines, heavy crates, and it took hours for it all to get packed in somewhere.  No machinery necessary, just human strength!

Second photo, our bikes safely herded together on the top deck of the ferry.  Note the full lifeboats - no there was no emergency, they are just used as extra passenger space.  How practical, eh?  We felt lucky to have a "first class" cabin....

Third photo, our friend Francine models the best outfit for bug infestations.  The bugs were horrendous, but the Sudanese are okay with them as they pollinate the date trees and bug season doe not last long.  Of course it was over as soon as I blew 10 Sudanese pounds on a bug net for my head.

Fourth photo,  the evil thorns that reduced a few riders to bad language tears or both on the second day of off road.  They are vicious and were everywhere.  The best tool was a leatherman to pull the thorn ends out of our tires.  Some riders had 8-10 flats, I had none - yay!  Very trying day between the endless washboard, loose gravel and injured riders.

Fifth photo, me thoroughly enjoying a donkey shower.  Okay, actually this one was a tractor shower but the one the next night was definitely transported to camp via donkey.  That was the night of no sleep...the nearby village had some huge menagerie of animals in residence so all night long there was a cacophony of donkeys braying, dogs barking, roosters crowing and camels saying whatever camels say.  It was incredibly noisy, we don't know how the villagers ever get any rest!

Last photo, Sandy and I close to camp, right by the " welcome to our area" sign the local tourism board had put up.  Yes, Sudan has a Tourism department!

More to come, but first I have to charge my iPad! Thanks for all the comments!

Salaam from Ethiopia

Two countries down, eight to go!  It turns out our special insurance to even travel to Sudan was not needed, and it is not nearly as ominous a place to visit as that requirement might suggest.  We found the people to be gracious, welcoming and kind.  There is a lot of emptiness in Sudan; evidently long ago as the Ethiopians expanded their territory northward, they stopped near where today's Sudan/Ethiopia border is as they didn't really want the country north of there.  Rocks, sand and not much else make up a lot of Sudan, but we were quite amazed at the the large scale agriculture we saw, all thanks to irrigation.  Kind of like southeastern Alberta!

Crossing the border into Ethiopia was not exactly speedy, it was easy to get out of Sudan, and pedal across no-man's land into Ethiopia, but getting the passport stamp allowing us to be there took ages.  The power was out, so instead of the fingerprinting and retina scanning experience last years group had, we sat that there sweating ( as usual) while  2 young ladies looked up names in a ledger that looked like it had been around since Biblical times. Things got worse when the young ladies' shift was over and they we were relieved by 3 young men, who evidently misunderstood the ladies' explicit instructions as to which end of the pile to take the next passport from, and those of our group who had just handed in passports got in and out in record time.  There was nothing to do but sweat a little more and wait.  Wayne got through before me and went to rehydrate with the first beer since Egypt ( no alcohol in Sudan, not a drop) and after about an ice age or two, I was finally free to go and met him coming out of the bar.  I would have loved a frosty beer but he said let's go, this place is a gross...evidently it was a bar but was also a very scuzzy brothel!  Welcome to Ethiopia!

Photos from Sudan

First photo - playing around in an abandoned boat in the desert at Dead Camel Camp...still wondering why the boat was even there...

Second photo - hence the name of Dead Camel Camp, where we were cycling was along a camel trade route, the camels are raised in Sudan where they are not eaten by the inhabitants, north to Egypt where they are consumed.  A few dont make it and the desert has its way of getting rid of them.

Third photo - the Stanley Cup beside the Blue Nile in Khartoum

Fourth photo - bikes being engulfed with sand during the raging sandstorm.  A bit hard on all the components, but it gave us something to do today in Khartoum, cleaning sand out of every nook and cranny.

More to come....

Cairo to Khartoum - done!

Section One is done!  We are now in Khartoum, brought safely in to the Blue Nile Sailing Club by a police escort with lots of staring onlookers.  Actually, they were most probably wondering what that awful smell was, as our 4 days in the desert, including a bonus sandstorm, left us all quite filthy and definitely less than fresh.

1960 kilometres of cycling has been pretty easy on us, with amazing tailwinds which we hope will continue!  Coming up, we have 2 more days of pavement, then we start to climb, off-road for 6 days. I think that might be more of a test than this last section!

Photos to follow...