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Trip Blog, May 12, Last Day
WAHOO!
Loved the ride.
Loved being in Africa.
Loved interacting with the locals.
Loved the challenge.
Love the fact that I never got hurt.
Love the fact that I had one sick day, and it was a day off.
Love that I reached my riding goal.
Love that I reached my charity goal.
Love the fact that I did it.
And finally: love the fact that I am going home.
Trip Blog, May 11
Gifts were handed out tonight after our ride, which was hilarious to us, but it will be hard to share as they will all be "inside" jokes. My prize was a key chain of Africa, since I used to disappear each day and never come to camp before 3pm, and therefore I saw more of Africa then anyone else. See, I told you it wasn't funny unless you were there.
Trip Blog, May 10
I slept near the beach the night before, because the sunset was perfect. Today I rode with my very good friend, Noah, who was one of the drivers on the trip as I passed the 12,000 km mark. I couldn't have asked for a better person to celebrate this occasion with.
Trip Blog, May 8 - 9
More riding, more laughing.
Trip Blog, May 7
I never understood why someone would kiss the gravel as they entered their own country. Personally, I will save the kisses for my family and friends. The border crossing was super easy and the rest of the day was for looking around and laughing at the town names; it seems each town must have at least 15 letters in it.
A Summary of Namibia
I know cyclists may not like this comment, but as beautiful as Namibia, was I would like to explore more in a 4-wheel drive versus a 2-wheel drive. There were so many off roads to go to, but each one involved over an hour of pedaling. Coll and I would need at least 3 weeks to explore this country; it was gorgeous.
Trip Blog, May 6
A day off and our last day in Namibia. Voted the best looking country (by me) and the least populated (true fact). It seems everyone has mixed emotions about arriving in South Africa, since this is our last country.
Trip Blog, May 5
The day was longer than expected, especially since we did not have any directions to camp. We went through what looked like a township and we hoped that the locals would know where the campground was. 45 minutes and 10 km later, we got to the campground. That night, there were several birthdays and we celebrated with a massive buffet. Everybody is still eating great quantities of food. I am pretty sure I am now back to my starting weight.
Trip Blog, May 4
The group has a two day ride: 92 km of dirt, followed by another 175 km, of which 145 km is more dirt. Instead, I took Robert along with me to go 160 km on a paved road followed by 170 km the next day on a paved road. The scenery will not be as grand, but as I recall 28 years ago, my wife and I were at Fish River Canyon and Robert just wanted to get off dirt for a while. We found a great desert hotel and have enjoyed the fridge full of drinks and a hearty dinner with a promise of more food for breakfast, once they witnessed how much we can eat. We will meet up with the riders tomorrow and then have a day off.
Trip Blog, May 3
Today seemed like a day off with only 50 km of dirt road and the rest on pavement with the wind behind us. When we arrived at the campsite, complete with swimming pool, there was only so much green space to put up your tent. So after 100 days of travelling with the same people, I still look for open space. I thought by camping next to the toilet no one would come near me, but 20 minutes later I saw the Dane put his tent so close to mine that I am sure we were using the same pegs. Tomorrow I go for another adventure.
Trip Blog, May 1 - 2
Namibia is incredibly beautiful, which makes the riding bearable. I would love to see more, but I have focused most of my attention on the road with the sand, rocks, and corrugation. I have taken many stops, but with the rides taking me over 9 hours now, there is only so much time I want to spend on the bike. Today’s ride took me 5 1/2 hours to do 80 km and in the afternoon the last 50 km took me 1 1/2 hours, so it all depends on the road and the wind. It’s funny to say, but it probably would have been a better country to visit by car, taking my time, staying at the wonderful secluded lodges, and doing some hiking. Also Namibia is frustrating, because the electricity seems to keep on shutting off, so no ATM or Wifi or recharging of electrical devices. So now I am broke, out of touch with home, and powerless.
Trip Blog, Apr. 30
I rode out to the sand dunes today, because the road was paved and there is something special about riding a bike while the springbok are running beside you. I also underestimated how the hot winds completely dehydrate you. I made it back just in the nick of time as my body was craving water. The scenery of the dunes was spectacular.
Trip Blog, Apr. 29
I really don't like off roading. I discovered that, being off road, the pannier bag I had on was being chewed up by the constant rubbing. Imagine what it has been doing to my innards. It was a naked mile day and one person rode the whole 83km sans clothes. It was the topic of conversation for everyone that night.
Trip Blog, Apr. 28
Still off road, but today the scenery was magic. The sky had 5 different shades of blue, the mountain range was spectacular, and the downhill was the steepest I have done. My brakes were burning up, and still we all made it down the hill with no accidents. The night air is cool, which makes sleeping in the tent really comfortable, but at 5am when we get up, it is pretty chilly. Tomorrow is a short riding day and then our second-last day off.
Trip Blog, Apr. 27
The last stage of the journey begins with 1,750 km left. The first 11 km was on paved road and the next 100 km on sand and rock, but not as bad as Sudan or Kenya. It was a tougher day than I thought, since I forgot what off road was like.
Trip Blog, Apr. 26
Another day off where I went to a few stores and another bike ride. At 5pm, Dr. Rob picked me up and we went to his house where I met his wife Alisa and his kids. We then went to the poorest section of Windhoek, where he does his medical work. One of the volunteers was going back home to the USA, and so they had a going away party for him. Great food and a really nice gathering. Then we went back to Rob's house for dinner, and I am still amazed by how much I can eat.
A Summary of Botswana
I know it might have sounded like I was bored riding through Botswana, but I am missing the welcomes from the local people. I do miss the interaction that I had in most of the other countries, but what Botswana had for me was an incredible "down to basics" safari.
I loved that 4 of us went on a very noncommercial night out in the woods, and being a part of nature. We saw a lot of game and you could just tell from looking at all of our faces that we were just loving our 24-hour safari.
Trip Blog, Apr. 25
A day off for me, but all the other bikers had to ride the 160 km to make it to camp. There were hills and winds so it was a tough day all around. I had breakfast at a golf country club, went shopping and bought a camera like the one I had before (it died about a month ago), found a beef jerky store (fabulous), and had cappuccino and cake breaks throughout the day. It’s not too bad to have one very long day and then to have an extra day off. Tonight, as one of the riders is from Namibia, we all went out for a BBQ thrown by his parents. I am pretty sure they were shocked by how much 50 bike riders can eat and drink in a night. But by 7:00pm I was already tired, and I went back to the campsite for my last cappuccino and brownie.
Trip Blog, Apr. 24
Some days I just have to do something a little bit different; I was getting restless. The day started at 6:00am when I was already on the road and there was supposed to be a good tail wind. I had already packed a change of clothes the night before, since I would try to ride two days in one. The first 160 km was easy because the wind was behind me. I had a mission that, once I passed everyone at lunch, I did not want anyone to catch me. I could have stopped at our camp but it was before noon and my body was feeling great. My first goal was to go past the 200 km mark, because that would make this a back-to-back 200 km ride. My second goal was to pass 240 km, since this was previously my longest ride. My third goal was to pass the 300 km mark. But alas, the winds did not want to cooperate and the tail wind became a swirl of head wind and cross wind. I arrived at the Windhoek airport at 5:45pm as the sun was setting and, after being forced off the road 3 times by trucks, I felt my life was more important than my third goal. I stopped, put on my jacket, and stuck out my thumb. The first truck that passed me (1 minute later) stopped, so I threw my bike into his truck and that was the end of my 275 km ride for the day. As if to make a point that I did the right thing, 5 minutes after getting into the truck the rain came down, so hard that it made driving the vehicle very difficult and it became quite dark outside. The driver asked where I was staying and he drove me right to the campsite. My celebration was a perfectly cooked pepper steak, coffee, and chocolate caramel cake.
Trip Blog, Apr. 21, 22, 23
You don't like to think that you are riding across Africa and now it seems boring. As much as the thrill of doing something like riding your bike across this continent should be exciting, each day it is not. Botswana has very few detours and the roads are long and straight. Some of us are looking forward to at least some elevation change. Our last day in Botswana was a 207 km day, which made for a fun day for pretty much all of us, since this would be a personal best for distance. As each rider showed up at camp, everyone would cheer for them. It was also a border crossing, so we stopped at the gas station just before the border (finally they figured out that we all want to spend our current currency before crossing) and had Coke, chocolate bars, and chips. Border crossing was easy and it was a quiet night because we were all very tired.
Trip Blog, Apr. 19, 20
I arrived in camp just in time for someone to approach me and say “We are going on a safari, do you want to come?” One minute later, I was on a truck with 3 others and our guide Daryl, who has been our guide for the past 4 days in Botswana in case we needed help to get through the herds of elephants. I believe Botswana has more elephants than any other country in the world. Daryl took us 125 km north to Chobe National Park, and as the sun was setting, he pulled the land rover over and told us to gather up fire wood for the night. We drove another few km, until the sun had set, and he said "We will pitch our tents here." While we pitched our tents and built the fire, we could hear the hippos in the water near us and we could see the trees being shaken by an elephant 30 meters away and we could hear the impalas grunting at one another. We were truly in the bush and loving it. One of the riders brought filet mignon steaks and proceeded to make us an incredible meal. We each had 6 beers to consume and all we could do was grin as we sat around the fire. At 4am, I woke up and there was no noise around at all, but by 6am the jungle came alive with noises from all directions, including the monkeys who tried to steal our food. For the next 8 hours, we drove all over the park searching for different animals and birds, and this experience will be one of my highlights of the trip.
Trip Blog, Apr. 16, 17, 18
Think of a perfect summer day in Alberta and that is what it is like to ride through Botswana. The temperature was 28 degrees and there was a nice tail wind and tall grass as far as the eye can see (in Alberta replace tall grass with wheat). For the next 3 days and 500 km that will be our scenery. I got to see elephants at a watering hole and elephants crossing the road, but the best was the elephant who came to our camp just before dusk and slowly past several tents with a glare of "don't mess with me" as he walked by. Everyone at camp was dead silent as we watched this magnificent animal walk by. It also meant that we are all afraid to pee in the bush now.
Trip Blog, Apr. 15: Botswana
Sometimes border crossings are just wacky. On our bikes, we passed 60 trucks in line, just waiting for the 5 minute ferry ride to cross from Zambia to Botswana. The ferry can only take one big truck and one small truck at a time, but there is no problem getting your bike on the ferry. Once we got to the other side, we went to immigration, where they stamped our passports and that was it. Well not quite, since we had to stand on a wet carpet and ride through some very dirty water to prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease. Later that night, I went on a boat cruise to see hippos and elephants in the water, and 2 very bored crocodiles. As always, another spectacular sunset.
Wifi and Internet Notes
I try and write something everyday, but what prevents me from doing this is rainy nights (haven't really had a rainy day yet) or high humidity. What prevents me from sending the blog updates is terrible or NO wifi connection. So for the next 5 days I will be out of touch, and then hopefully in Maun, Botswana, I can send the blog entries. Then 6 days later, I will be in Windhoek, Namibia, and those are about the only 2 places until I reach South Africa that should have decent Internet connections. There are exactly 4 weeks left of the ride.
Zambia Summary
With an exchange rate of 5,000 Kwasha to the dollar, I became a millionaire overnight. The scenery was spectacular for the first few days. Everyone on the side of the road calling out “How are you?” was heart warming and also very difficult to answer everyone. The capital city of Lusaka had very modern stores for all of our shopping needs, but I still managed to find the massive overcrowded markets that I always seek out. This all made Zambia one of my favorite countries to bicycle through. And of course, to top it all off, was the two day rest at Victoria Falls.
Trip Blog, Apr. 13-14
Two days off in Livingstone, with the famous Victoria Falls. Most of the riders have great stories of bungee jumping, gorge swinging, white water rafting, ultra light plane, speed boat or even the famous booze cruise. It was a great way to spend two days and to be busy without being on a bike. Tomorrow we arrive in country number 8, Botswana.
Trip Blog, Apr. 10-12
As much as I like Zambia, the last 3 days and 500 km of riding have had zero excitement. The fantastic scenery has become repetitious, and there are fewer people on the road. Although, the people on the road have still remained friendly with "How are you" and lots of waving by everyone. I haven't found any good restaurants and I have no "wow" stories to tell. We have landed in Victoria Falls and everyone is planning activities. The hotel that I am at has 7 other riders here and it is the perfect hotel for me. It is quaint and very homey, and it has by far the best shower so far.
Trip Blog, Apr. 4-9: Zambia
The long riding days have arrived, but the roads are good and the scenery is spectacular. It is actually very much how I imagined Africa should look like. There are mountains in the background and forest all around us, baboons on the road, and just one long road cutting right through the middle. We have a 1 meter shoulder and when we have to move over because of the speeding buses, we often look to the bush beside us knowing that we could be in there at any time. The people all say "How are you" and I mean every person says it. Sometimes I try and say it before them and, unlike other countries, they understand the question. In other areas, when I pass them they just look at me with complete amazement that someone on their bike is riding by. The people are super friendly and have a great non-aggressive feel about them. The main transportation seems to be by bike for them, and the bike is used as a taxi as well. It is embarrassing when they pass you and they are carrying a mother with a child on the back end of their bike or they have a live goat strapped to the back of the bike. We are in the capital, Lusaka, and there are 3 major malls here with a KFC, Wimpys, and a Subway. The foreigners perhaps should have left better examples behind. We have 3 more long days ahead of us and then another 2 days off at Victoria Falls.
Malawi Summary
It was a very fast ride and a very small country. I never felt like I got to know the country at all. I did my usual detours each day and I went to their villages, or I just rode to see more scenery, but I felt like something was missing. Lake Malawi was great, but the rest of the way was somewhat boring. Yes, I am in Africa and it is a tremendous experience, but it can't be exciting all the time.
Trip Blog, Apr. 2-3
We are set up in the capital of Malawi, Llongwe, and there are modern grocery stores and shops just like at home. It always comes as a shock when we see this, but we forget that this is their main city and there is money here. But then just down the street across the river is the old market, with the crowds, the plastic containers, the food ready to be cooked that was probably sitting there for a few days. I got a shave, which was really just clippers trimming my face hair. Negotiating was very weird as he said one price, I went lower and then he went lower and I went again lower and he undercut me again. When it was all done, my shave cost 20 cents. I also had chicken, which they fry on the spot in very old oil for 35 cents, and fried potato chips for the same price. My hotel room was $11, which included my own shower and toilet, but no toilet seat. We had a couple of days off and it basically rained for all of one day and the other day was used for shopping at the market.
Trip Blog, Apr. 1
The rain that was supposed to happen did not, so in two of our towns that we passed through, there was a procession for Easter Sunday and it was fantastic. The second one contained a group of about 1,000 people singing, shuffling their feet, dressed up and in various groups as they proceeded to sing (each group had their own song), but it seemed to blend in together as one. Once again, I was moved by the prayer and their belief and just wished that I could have captured that. We arrived at camp and the rooms were booked, so off I went 200 meters to the right and found a welcome lodge for $11/night including breakfast. A real treat is having your own room and bathroom with a HOT shower. After booking in, I went to the shopping center to look at the grocery store, which was like any grocery store in Edmonton. The shock of seeing so much food was overwhelming for me. Also, Malawi has a big black market where, while the bank rate is 160 for the dollar, the black market is 270 for the dollar. So the grocery store prices were ok for black market but outrageous for bank rates. We have a couple of days off here and I will look for a camera, foot deodorant, tent deodorant, and other minor necessities. No Internet or wifi at hotel, but I will look around town for something.
Trip Blog, Mar. 29 - 31
A long day of climbing, but I have always felt that whenever there is a climb there must be a downhill somewhere. It might be in another country, but eventually there will be an easy down. On the 31st the day was too easy, with only 105 km and mainly downhill. I would stop a lot for more Cokes or to find a market. Wossen, Andrew and I found a small market where Andrew got his haircut for 40 cents and it is perhaps the worst haircut he has ever had. He loved it because it made for a good story afterwards. I went for a longer ride afterwards only to hear the loud thunder and rain clouds following me. I only made it 20 km out before the rain started, and so when I got back to the campsite, putting up a tent in the rain really did not seem like the right thing to do. So I went and got a room and now I'm trying to dry everything. We were told we should be getting 4 days of rain, so now I get to try on the rain gear that I have been carrying around for the past 10 weeks. The room is a luxury that I can easily afford at $28/night. One more day left of Malawi and then a couple of days off and we will be on our way to Zambia.
Trip Blog, Mar. 28
A day off at the beach and there I was back on the bike. It is very difficult for me just to sit around (except in Zanzibar). My favorite thing is just trying to blend in, eat at the local restaurants, and talk to the locals, so I really enjoy the days off and taking off on the bike. I came back to go swimming in Lake Malawi, an amazing lake with hot and cold spots everywhere, and to gather up all my laundry. I had a few moments on the Internet, so I got to catch up on all the news from Colleen. Tomorrow we have a 1,700 meter climb with a 800 meter descent, which normally is not hard, but 40 degrees and humidity in the 90's will make it a bit of a challenge.
Tanzania Summary
A beautiful country with fun riding and fantastic people; that pretty much sums up Tanzania. As I mentioned earlier, we were lucky that we did have rain, so it made the riding possible. One day alone there were at least 20 falls off the bikes, since the sand stopped most people in their tracks. If it had rained, not only would there have been mud, but we would not have been able to see the potholes. The people of Tanzania at first wanted money for every picture I wanted to take, or they just didn't want their picture taken, but once we were out of Arusha they didn't mind their photos being taken. There was also the magical ride through the village and the scenery. In all, Tanzania was probably the best of the countries to go through so far.
Trip Blog, Mar. 27
The humidity was high and there was a headwind, but the reward at the end of the ride was worth it. We are camped on the beach at Lake Malawi, where the water is not only swimmable, but there are hot and cold spots in the lake. Just by moving a few steps you can have whatever temperature water you want. There are people outside the gate who will give you a great rate for your dollar, do your laundry, cook a meal for you, and sell you souvenirs. It is like a one-stop mega mall. I went swimming a few times and am really enjoying this. It is perhaps the best camp stop that we have had so far.
Trip Blog, Mar. 26
We rode across the border to Malawi, and if you weren’t paying attention you could have easily ridden across without checking in. There were some very aggressive money changers on the Tanzania side and nothing on the Malawi side. As a matter of fact, there was nothing on the Malawi side. The aggressive “hellos” started up, there were very few cars, and there were people walking everywhere. I decided to ride past camp a few km and I found some men sitting around, so I joined them when they insisted that I drink their moonshine with them, made of Maize. I always find it amazing that I can find a person in a group that speaks really good English and therefore get some knowledge about where I am and the people. At the campsite, we were surrounded by the Malawi people and they kept coming closer and closer, which means we must keep everything in our tents. It is not that they are thieves, but for kids to see small shiny things like our computers, watches, and cameras makes it very tempting for them to want.
Trip Blog, Mar. 25
A day off in Mybea. No camera stores were open, but it was a neat little town even if it was Sunday and most things were closed. I stopped to listen to some singing from a church and was invited in to listen. I loved it so much, but I didn't convert. I am now in my room since we leave tomorrow and I thought I would get a room so I could spread out my things. There is no hot water, last night there was no electricity, and it is now pouring rain. Oh, how I love a good vacation
Trip Blog, Mar. 24
The roads were great and the rain keep the dust down, but we had a very long climb (about 30 km) and just when you thought you were on top, we still had another 12 km to go. I don't mind the climb, as I mentioned before, but the downhill was so hard. It was covered in rocks, loose gravel and sand. It took me over 2 hours to cover 15 km. What’s worse is our bike mechanic, Doug, flew past me at 35 km/hour and even had time to ask how I was, though he did not have enough time to hear my answer. So another 11 hour day, but this time no excursions. The scenery was amazing.
Trip Blog, Mar. 23
Wow, the roads got really bad! People were flying off their bikes because the sand stops them motionless. I was going so slow and I still fell off 3 times. I started to ride without clipping my feet in, but that makes it much slower. 11 hours on a bike is a bit long, but then again I have been taking side trips every day: riding to a mountain base, going to villages, and challenging the villagers to checkers, though I haven't won a game yet. I started a club called NB3, which means I can't get to camp before 3pm, which is really easy. One guy is trying to stay out later than me each day and he wonders where I hide all day. One of days, I went off to a game reserve hoping to run into some animals, only to find one dog that was afraid of me. I am having a blast exploring on my own, and as long as I arrive back at camp before dark I don't think they mind. When I got to camp, there was a soccer game going on with about 1,000 people watching - only 1/2 of which were watching the game and the other 1/2 were watching us. After the game, I set up my tent on the soccer field just as the rain came down. Last year it rained the whole 8 days, so we were very lucky since this made the ride so much easier. The soccer field flooded, but my tent stayed dry. It stopped raining after 1 hour and I thought for sure I would not ride the next day.
Trip Blog, Mar. 20 - 22
Well, the Chinese have not finished paving all the roads, so there was some work involved but it wasn't too bad.
Trip Blog, Mar. 19
My camera broke; so much for the scenery pictures. It felt very strange to stop riding and not be able to capture the moment.
Trip Blog, Mar. 18
If you could say which was the most perfect day of the ride so far, this was it. Tanzania has super friendly people, the scenery was amazing, the ride was a bit of a challenge, but so much fun. When I first got to Tanzania, whenever I tried to take a picture of the people, they either said no or wanted money, so I took very few pictures in Tanzania, which is a real shame since the people were so colourful.
Trip Blog, Mar. 17
For the next 8 days we are going off road, which means little or no communication back home. It also means the roads will be rough. But wait, the Chinese have been here and the roads are great, so I decided to take a little side trip with my bike to Ngorongoro gate. When I was halfway up to the gate, I realized I would never make it back to the night camp in time. So I tried my luck at hitchhiking with the bike. The first vehicle stopped and could not believe that I would ride there. When he found out that I wanted to ride back again, all he could do for the whole ride was shake his head. He gave me a ride for about 55 km and I rode the rest of the way to the gate. When I finally got back to the camp, I got a little speech from Sharita (who is in charge) that I should really tell someone what I am doing. I explained that I did, but apparently they thought I was joking. End result: my ride was 240 km for the day.
Trip Blog, Mar. 14 - 16
I got to camp in time to see the last of the riders getting ready to go on their safari. Only 6 people decided not to go anywhere, so it was really nice and quiet. Arusha is a booming town, especially with tourists, so each day I rode my bike in a different direction to get a much better feel of what the town was like. The only extra report that I would like to give in point form is how to take a bus from Moshi to the Arusha campsite:
1) Find your bus.
2) Get on the bus and wait until it is full, since there is no scheduled departure time.
3) When the bus is full, it is time to go. But wait! There are seats in between the two rows of seats so those have to be filled up as well.
4) Now we are rolling, but wait! We can still have a few more people climb in and stand around inside the bus.
5) Now the ticket collector is asking for money from everyone even though he can't move around.
6) The bus starts to drop people off at different spots.
7) I think I am close to where I want to go, so I get off.
8) I was wrong.
9) Taxi drivers say I am 10 km away and I should hire them for $6. It’s too expensive, so I walk.
10) Motorcycle guy sees me and offers to drive me for $1.20.
11) Motorcycle guy is not sure where I was going, but he dropped me off closer to my destination.
12) Get in a small van for 20 cents and arrive at my destination 10 minutes later.
Trip Blog, Mar. 12 - 13
I got off the airplane. There’s left: go to Arusha and to meet with the other riders, or right which goes to Moshi. So here I am in Moshi for a couple of days. The place is at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, but I have only caught glimpses of it as the cloud cover has the top hidden for most of the day. Moshi is full of touts and people who want to be your friend and take you on a trek or safari. Or when I ask if I can take their picture I always get "no" followed by "money." I guess as much as we think we get hassled by them, for years they have had tourists just shove cameras in their faces without permission. Hopefully one day we can find a balance. Tomorrow for sure I will be going to Arusha to be with the riders, and I can't let my wanderlust distract me again.
Zanzibar Summary
I know this isn't fair, but what can I say? Zanzibar will be one of my main highlights of this trip. I was expecting touts as soon as I got off the airplane, and there was only a taxi driver who drove me to different hotels until I was happy. I was expecting people to go about their business, but I had friendly hellos and welcomes and then they just went about their own business. At one stop, when I was getting water, a person stopped to say hello to the owner, saw me, shook my hand and said welcome to Zanzibar. The hotel I stayed at asked me where I wanted to go next and I told them a quiet beach. They phoned a hotel in Bwejuu and made the arrangements and then arranged a taxi for me. Mr. Chimbeni was my taxi driver and he drove me to the hotel and picked me up a few days later. Mr. Chimbeni is very famous as he wrote and performed a famous Zanzibar song which he has performed in 25 countries. Everyone on the island knew him as they said "Hello Mr. Chimbeni.” On the way back from Bwejuu, I asked if we could stop at the Jozani Forest to see the Colobus monkeys, and we stopped for an hour and a half. Later he stopped at a spice farm and I took a tour, and that was another hour. When I told him how much I was paying for a hotel in Stone Town, he said "Let me find you a less expensive one." He came in the hotel to make sure it was okay. Afterwards he drove me to a lunch stop and I convinced him to stay and have lunch. Tomorrow he will take me to the airport. And now the best part: Bwejuu. It does not have the best beach, it does not have to night scene, it had very few restaurants, but it was exactly what I wanted. A great inn with fantastic fresh fish every day. A small pool, a warm ocean and quiet time. During my stay I had a very attentive person, Saloom, who made sure my food was okay and I always had something to drink. I got caught up on my blog and did a lot of Skyping with Colleen. I couldn't have asked for a better week off.
Kenya Summary
This will be a strange summary because I had to make a decision about what I wanted to see in Kenya, which meant less riding and more site seeing. I decided to give up 6 days of riding to go to the island of Zanzibar. I am pretty sure that I will not be coming back to Africa again and Zanzibar was on my wish list of places to see. The bike trip gets 3 days off but there was no way that I would enjoy a rush trip so I walked away from my EFI status to do what I thought was best. In return I got the most bizarre hitch hiked ride ever to Nairobi, a very busy day of getting everything arranged the same day, and 7 glorious days in Zanzibar. I made the right choice. On a side note, Colleen and I have been to Kenya before and we were on 3 safaris. Also I heard that the road was dangerous so all the riders had to take a bus for a section of the ride so I didn't miss as much as I thought I would.
Total kilometers: 165
Total calories: don't know since the road was so rough that my watch did not work.
Ethiopia Summary
This is one of the most amazing countries and you would be hard pressed to find another one like it. But to say it was all good would not be the whole truth. We were warned about the stone throws, the “You You You” and “where do you go?” but we had no idea that it was done by everyone, all the time. I was one of the lucky ones and adjusted my attitude after a couple of days. Other riders never did adjust and they were angry the whole time that they were there. What I did was stop at as many Coke stops as possible, welcome as many people as I could, and reply with “hello” to everyone who said hi to me. I still had rocks thrown at me, but for the most part they threw the rocks after I passed them and I wanted to believe that they were throwing them on the ground behind me. I wanted to believe that when they asked for money, they had no idea what exactly they were saying and when they said “You You You,” it was just a way to get my attention. What I saw was kids running across a field with no shoes to be beside the road so they could get a glimpse of a foreigner riding a beautiful bike with all of his gadgets. The smile on their face as I smiled to them was precious. I saw kids with rocks in their hands and as I approached them and stopped, they put the rocks down and we communicated with a handshake and a smile.
I saw Ethiopians, hundreds of them surrounding us while we had lunch, wondering why we could eat and they didn't have the same choices, and every once in awhile I would go towards the people and dance amongst them. The atmosphere always changed for the positive as they saw that a foreigner can have fun and be silly too. Riders would complain that they got sick on the food while in Ethiopia but did not realize that 90% of our meals were from our kitchen and perhaps the sickness was from the heat, the road, the sleeping conditions. It became easy for riders to blame everything on the Ethiopians as people fell off their bike because kids and young adults would step out near us while we rode by. I can tell you that I had my bike touched, my behind spanked, and branches giving me a swat as I rode by, but I never ever felt that they were trying to hurt me. The boy I chased after he threw a rock at the rider ahead of me and broke his rear brake was a 6-year-old who thought it would be funny to hear the clanking of the rock on the wheels. The chase was to try (never did catch him, as they are extremely fast) and let him know that rock throwing was bad. I could go on for a long time about Ethiopia and how it was the country the tested all of us and how we handled stress, but without a doubt it will be the country that we will have the most memories and stories to tell about when we get home. I told everyone when we entered Kenya that I have now lost my "Rock Star status" as no one is running to see me now.
Total Km: 1,807
Total number of calories burnt: 45,000
17 days of riding and 98 hours on the bike
Trip Blog, Mar 6-12 Zanzibar
I got lucky with my choice of when and where to take my break from the ride. As you read the day before, the ride to Nairobi was hell but I loved the adventure and the unknown of it all. My flight to Zanzibar was uneventful, and I was expecting a slew of touts to rush me with places to stay. But instead I walked out of the airport and no one approached me, so I had to go to someone and ask for a taxi into town. He drove me to a nice hotel and everything looked great, except it was full. So he drove me to another hotel and I was set for the next two nights. They have a food market in Stone Town with a lot of food on skewers. I was very weak when I ordered my meal there because I (if you are looking at my pictures) ordered way too much food. The next day I walked through Stone Town, and even though they call it Spice Island, I did not smell the spices. But when I walked through the old slave market, I did smell the fish. There were many small shops everywhere and, as a matter of fact, no one hassled me when I stopped for a water (I have got to stop drinking coke all the time). People would just walk by me, say "Hello," shake my hand and proceed. The hotel where I am staying booked a hotel in Bwejuu for me. Bwejuu is on the East coast of the island and I could not have picked a more perfect spot for myself. It is quiet, and the restaurant that is connected to the hotel serves incredibly good food. I tell them at lunch time what I want for dinner and they cook whatever I want. My room is actually a bungalow with fast Wifi (if the power is on) and I love going in the Indian ocean. My photo abilities do not quite capture the beauty of this place, but I will put up a section in the photo gallery of just Zanzibar. Tomorrow I will be rejoining the riding group.
Trip Blog, Mar. 4 and 5
An adventure was called for, and a change of scenery. I got a ride early in the morning with the lunch truck to get a start for my trip to Nairobi. As I waited for ONE vehicle to pass, I had to give that up and get a ride with the big truck to Marsabit. The big truck had trouble going up some sand and when he tried to have a run at it, there was a car behind him. The other riders in the truck yelled at the car driver and, the next thing you know, I now have a ride in the car. He dropped me off at Marsabit and I was shown 3 different bus stations, but there were no buses to Nairobi. Then I was shown a restaurant, and two guys who were eating there agreed to take me. We left at 12:30. As I was waiting for them, I got to see the TdA truck again. There was also a female passenger named Jen, from Nairobi, who was getting a ride.
Now I will sum up the ride. It took us 9 hours to get 300 km, and I was only half way. We stopped to talk to every truck going the other way, since there was a robbery with gun shots at a truck the night before. The truck with the bullet holes in the windshield was still there. We were stopped by 15 police checks, and each one was surprised to see a white man in the cab. I finally had dinner at 9:30 pm. At some point, we had another stop where the driver and women got out and I decided to stretch out and sleep. An hour later, they came back and she was cussing and the guys were trying to calm her down. Still more police checks, and I guess they didn't care about the alcohol. We arrived in Nairobi at 5:45 am, yes, 15 hours later. I was dropped off at a dhow station (vans that carry too many people, and stop everywhere). Jen stayed with me as we went from one van to another; she said she knew a really nice and clean hotel. We arrived at hotel at 7 am. I got a room and went to it, and Jen followed me. She said she needed to rest, and I said that I must go to the bathroom and said my goodbyes. (I also took all of my gear in the washroom). I came out and Jen was still there (one can only sit on a toilet for so long, without a toilet seat). I figured she just wanted to rest a few moments, or she wanted me to give her some money for helping me. It was the money part in the end, so once I gave her some, she was out of my room. I crashed for one hour and off I went to take in Nairobi.
First order of business: get a flight to Zanzibar. A flight to Zanzibar and then to Arusha leaving tomorrow costs $620, but they don't take Visa, so I’m down to the ATM. If I can't get money, I’ll have to go back to the travel agency. so now if I leave tonight it costs $440. I paid cash. Second thing: coffee. They have Wifi so I will go back. Third thing: haircut and a shave and a head shampoo for $2.50. I am now off to the coffee place and I will catch an early bus to the airport as my flight leaves at 6:40 pm and it’s an hour and a half flight.
Trip Blog, Mar. 2 and 3
Oh my gosh, it was 79 & 84 km of pure hell on wheels for me these last two days. Yes, I know I can take my time, but there was nothing enjoyable about it. I stared at the lava rock corrugated road and loose sand for 17 hours as I made my way through the mess. There were no rewards at any point, no fun Coke stops, no people saying hello and even the scenery (when I could look up) was not there. One more rider went down; I saw him in a lot of pain and helped him off from the middle of the road. He fractured his hip and before anyone could say goodbye, he was taken back to Moyale and flown home. It was at that moment I knew 100% that I was going to through with my new plan.
Trip Blog, Mar. 1
Border crossings are always interesting. As we got closer and closer, the number of people became less and less. There were still the “you, you, you”s, but it was less aggressive and it also changed to “How are you?” The clothes were more colorful, as one person said, and the map showed we were in Ethiopia but the people showed us that we were in Africa. I rode very quickly, but I was still I being passed. I guess I have two speeds, and they are “slow” and “you can do it.” Anyway, Moyele is a big town in Ethiopia and a small town in Kenya. No problem getting across; a $50 visa fee and I was out of one country and officially into the next. I set up my tent, walked into tow,n and went a local restaurant and ate the local food of rice, beans, and kale for 75 cents. There was really nothing to see and I have lost my rock star status because I was stared at by everyone.
Trip Blog, Feb. 28 and 29
On our the day off on the 28th, Gaygalo (who saw me on TV) came to our hotel in Yabelo and showed us around. He took us to his office that he is building for NGO, then we went to the market. I bought a hat off a buggy driver with his donkey for $1.50 and then I went to the market and bought a bracelet for just over $1. It is hard to bargain when the price is so low. We went for Injeria lunch and then I quickly sent a note to Colleen over the Internet. It took 9 minutes to log on and 2 minutes to log off and a 2 minute message, and the woman charged me way too much. Oh well. Off to dinner with the Zimbabwe boys, where we went to the same place the night before. When the owner saw us he gave us a handshake and then he said “This is my baby,” who was actually about 2 years old. As soon as she saw me, she said “You, you, you!” It was actually quite funny. My tent was just on a tiny piece of land outside a couple of the hotel rooms, which I am sure the hotel guests didn't really like.
Riding today on the 29th was 128 km and it was really nice. A small climb, some wind, and very few people on the street. I stopped to film some kids in a school behind a fence saying “You, you, you” for the last time. I stopped at another village just to visit and let them have one more long look at a white foreigner. We camped in the middle of nowhere, where it is so peaceful and quite. It is our last night in Ethiopia and tomorrow I will do a summary of the country. The ride tomorrow is to the border of Kenya.
Trip Blog, Feb. 26 and 27
Just finished one of the hardest days yet and I heard there is more to come. The ride was 100 km, and the temperature was 42 with some humidity. The last 6 km was on paved roads, but the rest was on bumpy gravel and long hills. I was 10 hours in the saddle, and I was never comfortable on the downhills and had to walk a few of the uphills. Scenery was great at first, more camels, but for the most part I had my head down. The people started to look like tribes from Kenya with their dress and color. The hotel was full so everyone is tenting, except for the people who didn't ride today since they had a chance to find a hotel. I heard there were 13 people riding in the truck today and then more after lunch. I went out for dinner with the drivers, who are all from Zimbabwe, and our bike mechanic, who is from Kenya. We went to a local stall, which is a women's home and she just cooks whatever she has. When we want bread, they go to another store, and if we want Pepsi, they go out yet to another place. One of my more enjoyable meals. Tomorrow is rest day and my body needs it. My back stiffened up on me, and my arms just went through a battle zone.
Trip Blog, Feb. 24
Another day with 30 km to climb with a 20 km downhill. It is natural to take my time uphill, but I also go slow going downhill. But today was very special to me. When I arrived at lunch, the whole place was surrounded with locals. The usual money, money, money came through and so I started to sing the ABBA song, “Money, money, money” and everyone sang the same verse, then I continued with "It’s a rich man’s world" and then they would sing that part. We did it a few times and it was hilarious having about 200 people join in. Then one of the riders (who is hating Ethiopia) starts chasing them away because someone threw a rock at him (I believe the Ethiopians can see bad aura). Well right after that I went to the crowd and started to dance. Without hesitation they were clapping their hands and laughing and sort of dancing with me. I went around the whole lunch site and danced. Noah, the driver from Zimbabwe, was videotaping the whole thing and laughing (Noah is an amazing person, with unbelievable insight). When I left, a big crowd formed around me and followed me to the road, where one woman started to dance again. So the two of us were having a dance off. The crowd went crazy with joy again. Afterwards, Noah told me how happy he was to see a rider enjoy himself and bring so much happiness to the people. As you know, I am not an emotional person, but when Noah speaks with his tone, it went right to my heart. I had an incredible day today and I might be only one sad that we are leaving Ethiopia, but this place has touched me. Today’s count; rock throwing: zero, hello\welcome\thumbs up\excitement: 5,987.
Trip Blog, Feb. 23
Today I set a new speed record for myself at 66 km/hour, though I did not like it at all, and it won't be happening again. The scenery is incredible and I still love the ride through. It is nice to have an almost celebrity-style status with everyone wanting to say something to you. Instead of taking it as a negative, I am taking all of the greetings in a positive way. The end result for me will be positive things and a happy ride in return. When I arrived at camp it was not a happy place. The flag to symbolize the end of the ride was stolen, someone else had his Garmin watch stolen, and we were camped on a sandy, dirty piece of rock surrounded by the locals and only 2 km from a major town. There was a very negative feeling between most of the riders, and let’s just say I wanted the night to be over with. But then came the wind and the sand blowing into my tent, and I woke up with gritty teeth. When I went to drink from my bottle, there was even more sand in my mouth. The hyenas that walked through the camp were howling and it didn't help the mood at all. But the best was during the night, the locals stole our toilet tent, which I found quite amusing.
Trip Blog, Feb. 22
We left Addis in a convoy and all went smoothly. I wasn't feeling 100% the night before, so I went with little sleep. I found the ride through the smoggy air with the hills to climb quite exhausting. Going south, it seemed that were a lot more school uniforms and no rock throwing at all. Once again, it might sound strange but for the most part they just want your attention. The rocks are thrown at your tires because of the sound it makes, as I am sure they don't realize what damage it can do. It is a shame because for every rock that came my way, 5,000 hello's, welcomes, where do you go?, hello papa, thumbs up, clapping and cheering come my way. Today at one of the Coke stops, a gentleman wanted to try on my helmet. I put it on his head and when he discovered that we were both bald, he gave me a kiss on my head and then he wanted to give me 5 birr (30 cents). I refused it, since I had no idea what he was doing. Later I found out he just want to buy me my Coke.
Later on, I sat with some kids and was teaching them how to welcome people with “My name is Michael” and then shaking their hands. You must realize that when you do it with one kid, you must do it with the other 20 kids standing by. Tonight we are camping on a field full of rocks and cracked dry ground, but as long as my blow up mat works I will be okay. Well, it is almost 8 PM, so it is time for bed.
Trip Blog, Feb. 21
Wow, I really know how to relax. Woke up at 6:00 in my hotel, went down for breakfast and started sending pictures to the blog. Hopefully it will be updated today. I had lunch with Tibebu Beckele from HOPE international; I really enjoy his company and I must admit he is a very good listener. Sometimes when you ride alone for 8 hours a day, you need to sound off. I came back to the hotel and had an hour and a half interview with Eskinder Firew from the Voice of America. I am not sure if it will be on the radio or in print, but I enjoyed talking about the charity. Three hours later and I’m still sitting in the same spot with the one beer and just catching up on all the news, because tomorrow I ride again.
Trip Blog, Feb. 20
The ride into Addis was another spectacular day. The hills were rolling all the way to the 93km mark. Although the rolling did seem mostly up, but that is how the ride seems to work. At the 93km mark, we all stopped at the top and rode in together. Besides monkies on the road, my other concern was the steep down hills. Luckily I was at the back and always caught up with the group over the course of 15km while we rode into the city. At the campsite, it seemed like half the people pitched their tent, while the other half went to various hotels. Tib from HOPE picked me and Andrew up and we went to the hotel he recommended and then out for Italian food. I know I am supposed to get more into their culture but injeria (Ethiopian bread) and I just don't get along.
Trip Blog, Feb. 19
Highest elevation on tour so far at 3,126 meters, or just over 10,000 feet. Tomorrow we ride into Addis and we’ll have a day off. I don't know why, but I have developed some saddle sore issues again, which just makes it a little uncomfortable on the bike. But I have been putting cream on it, but the problem with not showering for days is that the cream and and sweat start to cause other issues. Also, tomorrow will be the last day for 4 of the 5 sectional riders who came in for Sudan and Ethiopia. Our campground is on very rocky ground but the view is amazing. Just up the road is a hilltop view restaurant that has beer, Coke, and chips. The beer and Coke come right away, but the chips may never arrive. For the next few days I will be with Tib from HOPE, and will hopefully get in some quality Skype time (or at least a person to person phone call). Also hoping all of my pictures go through. I am just resting in the tent now waiting for the dinner bell to go off. We have a rider meeting where we find out what our journey will be like tomorrow. Also they will announce the 3 fastest men and women riders. It is really only a 4-way race for men and 2-way race for the women. Most of the other people have realized that it is more important to actually experience the country and people, no matter how many YOU YOU YOU that you get.
Trip Blog, Feb. 18
Longest climb day with 1,800 meters up over a 20 km section. Before that we had a big descent in which I basically braked all the way. The scenery was great and the ride was hard since you can only go between 6 and 10km per hour. There were kids everywhere asking us where we are going. Sometimes you answer “Up this stupid hill,” other times you say “Addis ababa.” It doesn't really matter since they don't understand your answer. Also today, a 7-year-old threw a rock at one guys’ bikes, which took out his back disc brakes. I was right there and got off my bike for the chase. I must admit, they are extremely fast. We told the elders in the village about it, and they sympathize with us but there’s nothing they can do about it. It is hard to have empathy for the people when they continually do things like that. I still keep a constant smile on my face, but I too am wearing down. I will probably have an early night tonight as the temperature was once again 45 degrees and I was on the bike for 7 hours.
Trip Blog, Feb. 17
Lots of ups and downs on the road. I like the change in the effort needed to ride. I have changed my strategy to ‘I must arrive at camp later than 3:00pm.’ This way I must stop and look around or have another drink. There was another accident today; a girl who had an accident a couple of weeks ago as well. Riding every day and sleeping in tents is making the ride as hard mentally as it is physically. I find that I don't eat like I should but by using this method of eating, I get in my early morning bathroom rituals and then I can go all day long without worry. On our days off I eat more since I am not as worried about that. The people of Ethiopia can also exhaust you with the constant “You you you, give me money, where do you go?” They actually don't care for the answer but just want your attention for a few seconds. All truck drivers wave and for the most part they are smiling at you. Tomorrow is the big climb day, and since I am not timed I am not too worried about the day.
Trip Blog, Feb. 16
Rode 162 km today and I thought it was a fantastic ride. Rolling hills, some climbs, no kids throwing rocks. I stopped quite often, and at the last place I had a Sprite. When she opened the bottle, icicles formed.
One of the girls wasn't feeling well so she took the bus from Gondar and Bahir Dar. While she was on the bus, she was talking to a guy from Ethiopia who lives in Canada now, but he is back in Ethiopia waiting to bring his wife with him. Anyway, she mentioned the bike trip and the guy asked if Michael was on this trip as well. He saw me on the news back home and was very inspired by the fundraising and the charity that I was doing, and he wants to also help out. That was a really big compliment and it made me feel quite proud that one person was inspired by the story.
Anyway back to the ride today. A lot of people are getting pissed off by the stone throwing, so there is a negative vibe going on. I try to explain, “We are in Africa, they are illiterate and they don't know any better.” I guess if you get hit in the head with a stone it doesn't matter what excuse you can have for these people.
Trip Blog, Feb. 14 and 15
Having days off is great; I know how to relax. Some people are having personal issues at home, some people are having stomach issues here, others are taking it all in and loving the experience. I personally am having a great time, and I think it is because I am not pushing myself on the bike. I’m getting off the bike and mingling with locals, I’m not over eating, I’m drinking lots of fluid, and having a very supportive wife back home makes this trip easy for me. Now I just need to figure out how to get photos sent home.
Trip Blog, Feb. 13
Today was a great ride with lots of scenery, hills both up and down, and very little rock throwing. I rode with Graham this morning and our goal was to make everyone like us and therefore not throw rocks at the people behind us. For the most part it worked, only 3 kids up on the hill were seriously chucking rocks at us. We stopped and invited them to come down. They refused so we told some of the Ethiopian people about the bad kids on the hill and hopefully they went away after that. We also stopped for some food in a village and asked for 2 eggs, which were two orders of eggs and 6 large buns. Most people have gotten sick now, but I have been pretty lucky with only minor sickness. We had a great two days off and I managed to rest quite a bit, so my body feels very refreshed. Tomorrow is a short riding day of 60 km and then another day off, but hopefully I will get in some site seeing, because I don't need another day off.
Sudan km Summary
Jan 25 Wed 150 km, 6 hr 20 min, 3,371 Kcal
Jan 26, 145 km, 5:52, 2,595
Jan 27, 114, 5:08, 1,716
Jan 28, off in Dondola
Jan 29, 141, 6:43, 3,344
Jan 30, 145, 7:16, 3,180
Jan 31, 148, 6:44, 3,117
Feb 1, 104, 5:22, 1586
Feb 2, off in Khartoum
Feb 3, 146, 6:57, 2,982
Feb 4, 157, 7:01, 2,925
Feb 5, 87, 5:00, 2,000 (estimating time and kcal)
Feb 6, 100, 8:15, 3,592
Feb 7, 89, 9:00, 3,145
Feb 8, 118, 6:29, 2,363
Total distance: 1,744
Total kcal: 35,916
Odometer: 3,349
Time: 211 (numbers may not jive because computer out one day)
Trip Blog, Feb. 11 and 12
We have two days off. I’m staying at Goha Hotel, which is high up on a hill and therefore very quiet and nice. One day of the days, we went to a village school and handed out uniforms that I donated for. $100.00 bought them 4 uniforms with a bag and pencils and paper. Afterwards, we went to the castle. It was nice, but I was very tired. On the next day, I fixed 7 tires with 11 holes. I think I fixed them right this time. The hotel was about $60 per night and well worth it. We all needed a few days off!
Trip Blog, Feb. 10
How quickly a day can change. The rock throwing kids will run beside you and then try to steal your stuff from your bag. I had Kleenex taken and they took Jay’s camera, but they found it later on. We are staying at the Goha Hotel, which took 3 km of a climb uphill to get here. The hotel is nice and I will be sharing a room with Andrew. The cost is $73 per night for two, so I will enjoy the comfort. The bad part is that we are stuck up here, so I will try and keep quiet. I also handed in my dirty clothes already.
Trip Blog, Feb. 9
Our first day riding in Ethiopia and I had a smile on my face all day. Rolling hills, riding through villages, no stone throwing kids, plenty of coke stops, and the hills that they said would be 20 km long were only 8 km long. The trouble with where we are camping is that we get no privacy, so a quick run to the bush to relieve one’s self can be tricky. Also, most kids are saying “You, you, you!” for no reason but to get our attention. Tomorrow is the big climb, but then we get two days off in Gondar. Some of the riders’ ignorance of other cultures is starting to come through, so my time with everyone in a big group is limited. I had a machiatto last night and it was a great cup of coffee.
Trip Blog, Feb. 8
We left Sudan and rode to Ethiopia. It was still hot, but the ride was on a real road with wind behind us. We stopped at every coke stop to get rid of our Sudan money. The border was interesting with a photo check and fingerprinting machine. We arrived at camp and immediately went back into the town, Metema, which is the border town which has beer (not available in Sudan), and prostitutes (also not available in Sudan). Immediately there were people everywhere. Coming from Sudan with nothing around to there being so many people was weird. I stopped at camp and went back to town (about 3 km) to have a beer, avocado and mango drink and a late lunch; my appetite is back. I will probably go back tonight to get some really good coffee with the father and son team, Adam and Graham. I am very happy to be in Ethiopia now.
Trip Blog, Feb. 7
Today was another long day, with the temperature at 48 degrees. We stopped at a village and the women came out in beautifully coloured outfits singing, dancing, and playing the drums. Sometimes it is good to be a slow rider. At every village I have had to stop to drink pop, since the water they have for us on the truck is very warm, and after a few hours in our bottles it is like tea water without the flavour. Tonight will be our last night in Sudan and nobody is able to quench their thirst. When I finished riding, which was a 9-hour day in the heat, I had 3 bowls of soup, 3 coffees, and 2 glasses of warm water. Tonight I will drink another litre or two of water with my crystal light. At supper time I don't eat a lot since the heat just zaps the energy. Today I also had 3 flats, with the last flat being only a few kilometers away from the campsite, so I decided to walk it in instead of riding. There was not one patch of smooth road today and the refreshment stop had hot water, which was not refreshing at all. The big news is 13 people rode the truck today, and one person when she got here hired a guy to bring water up by donkey and for 50 cents you can pour cool water all over your body. What a delight. It is 3 day ride to Gondar and it is mainly up hill. Hopefully the temperatures will come down a little.
Trip Blog, Feb. 6
40 degree weather and 100 km. It was the longest riding day, with me being on the bike for 8 hours. I had a great day though; did not get lost. I had lunch and a snack when we got to the tent area. We are near a small village and the kids came out in the hundreds. I let them set up my tent, which was a lot of fun to watch. I got some good pictures of their faces. We have one more day of really hard riding and then back to normal roads and Ethiopia.
Trip Blog, Feb. 5
Today was the first day off road. The first 17 km was on a road, the next 70 km was off the road. Here is how my day went:
1. My speedometer was not working, since the magnet was on the wrong side because I changed my tire last night.
2. My front wheel was rubbing on my brake, so I undid my brake.
3. There were two falls at 0 km per hour, since I could not undo my shoes from pedals.
4. One over the bars flight as I was going forward but my bike wasn't. Luckily I did not have my feet clipped in and I landed in sand.
5. I missed the lunch truck, but apparently so did a dozen other people.
6. I ran into a goat. While I was filming with my right hand, a group of goats ran in front of me. I tried to brake with my left hand, which was my front brake that was undone earlier.
7. I looked at my watch that contains my heart rate and calories. My guess is during the fall, the watch returned to 0, therefore my stats for today is a guesstimation.
8. Flat tire 2 km from Dinder town, so I was walking into town to change tires. Doug the mechanic came out of town because he was waiting there for riders and he brought me a Pepsi and changed my tubes.
9. I had pita bread and Pepsi and a group of people came to watch. It is all captured on film.
10. I set up my tent, rolled my bike to get fixed, and had two more flats from the thorns on the ground.
11. Fantastic sunset again, and now sitting around with other riders as the temperature is still in the 30’s.
12. Another great day.
Trip Blog, Feb. 4
Woke up this morning to find out two bikes were stolen. One was locked and belonged to Heiner, and the other was Robert's and his was not locked. Robert hates Africa. Today’s ride is 155 km and the heat is still upon us. I had a kid throw water in my face and so when I stopped to chase him, it gave me a break from riding. Then another kid threw a stick into my spokes, but I was too tired to chase him. I missed a couple of really good pictures of people, so I said I would stop for sure at the next opportunity. I saw 7 women by a tree about an hour later. I stopped to take their picture and within 5 minutes a car came to a quick stop and asked me what I was doing. The ladies quickly ran away and I explained that I was just relaxing and showing the women the pictures that I took. He wanted my passport and I assumed he was police, but he would not answer my direct question to him. After 10 minutes he started to relax and I believe he thinks that I am now his friend.
One girl crashed today and had slight memory loss. She fail over the railway tracks and has a hugh purple bruise on her thigh. One racer also crashed while going about 45 km an hour when someone cut him off by accident and he got away with simple cuts to his knee. When I got into camp, it had a canal nearby and once we found out there were no crocodiles, I went in for a swim. It was great because it cooled down my body temperature. The only problem is coming out of the murky water because you just seem to get dirty again. Tomorrow will be the first day off road, so we all had to change our tires. I had no problem changing the tires, just a hell of a time trying to get them back on. I took it to Douglas, the bike mechanic, and he too had problems. My new tires might be a tad too large and my wheels need to be tuned up, but it is too late to do that now. So it should be a very rough day for me. The people with mountain bikes are looking forward to the off road riding.
Trip Blog, Feb. 3
Sharita, the person in charge of us all, and another person had their personal computers and phones stolen from the truck. So much for the Sudanese people being honest and everything is safe. Today’s ride was 145 km, and had a tricky turn here and there to get out of Khartoum. With the temperatures at 40 during the day, the rides are long, and people are starting to burn. Bob is starting to look like he has lizard skin and it’s peeling pretty badly. Each day I am out on the road for about 7 hours. I am not taking as many stops as I would like just because of the heat, but I try and stop for Coke whenever I can.
Trip Blog, Feb. 2
A day off today and I moved back to the camp site. How is it that the Minaret just happens to be 20 meters away from my camp? It was interesting to check out. I gave them a $300 deposit for my $58 share of the room and I had to explain how to cash me out. Then I told Andrew to check out right now instead of the next morning. He was happy that he did, since they had to go through everyone's mini bar and restaurant tabs. Khartoum is basically a hole. Most people went back to the big mall since they had air conditioning and Internet. That is what most people do all day on the days off. Some people tried to find the Nile, where the blue Nile meets the white Nile, or where dirty water meets dirty water. I just relaxed at the camp. Apparently one of the girls was somewhat accosted by a Sudanese man but we have no details since they want to keep it hush hush. I went out for dinner with Maryanne, and she figured out that I was Jewish. Darn, but I think my volunteer work for the Israeli defense force gave it away.
Trip Blog, Feb. 1
A race day for 20km and I rode it in 36 minutes. The fast riders, I am sure, did it in 25 minutes. A beautiful tail wind and voila, we arrived for lunch. The last 40km was in a convoy and the tent place was a dump, so I am sharing a room with Andrew for $115 per night. A shower right away and now Wifi and everything. Hopefully my pictures get sent this time.
Trip Blog: A Summary of the First Stage
We have been waking up and riding in 4 degree weather every morning. Everyone we pass on the road is always waving and saying hello to us. It’s been great getting to meet so many people and trying to remember them all. Every morning, it’s all about trying to find your stamina to keep on going. Trying to fit all of your gear in a box that is in no way big enough has been a challenge. I’ve been eating way more food than usual. We’ve been riding on pretty good roads, but it’s not so great when the kids throw rocks at you or hit you with sugar cane. Seeing the desert is breathtaking, and we’ve also been sleeping in the desert. I keep thinking that 100km is a short riding day, except when I’m riding in 40 degree weather. I find myself riding on my own a lot. The days are long, but I’m going to bed at around 6:30pm. We’ve ridden about 2,000km and seen so many amazing sights.
Trip Blog, Jan. 31
Today it was hotter than the other two days, with riding temperatures over 40 degrees. It was a 148 km day. One girl named Holly, from Canada, was the first to leave and the last to come in, so she got a big cheer from everyone. It took a lot of guts and determination for her and it is great to see everyone pull for each other. The ages of the people range from 20 to 66, with 2/3 of the group male and 1/3 female, all from 15 different countries. It is quite amazing that we all seem to be getting along. Tomorrow we go to Khartoum, where we’ll pick up 5 more riders. It will also be a quick 20km race day, which I will not participate in, and a total of 101km. It is funny how we think 100km is a short riding day. Apparently it will also take us over 2 hours to go the last 20 km because we will be driving with a police escort through town. The buses here go super fast, as they are very modern. It is also interesting how quiet they are and we don't seem to hear them until they are 20 meters away from us. Another minor fall from someone today (in a peleton) but luckily just a few scratches. Every once in a while I join a peleton, but for the most part I still ride by myself. Robert, from the States, rides about my pace, although he is a stronger rider so sometimes we spend the day together. The day after tomorrow is a full rest day, so I am sure I will find wifi so that I can talk to you.
Trip Blog, Jan. 30
Exactly like yesterday except the last 20km was good as the wind died down, and I joined the end of a peleton. I was on kp tonight and it took over an hour to clean one pot. The bottom was burnt on pretty hard, but it got done. Some more riders lost their efi and it is only a matter of time until I lose it. Tomorrow is another 148km with the exact same riding conditions. I am still having very vivid and very violent dreams and I blame it on the drugs. I have a chair outside my tent and I try to end each day with downloading my photos and writing to you. This adventure is very hard work in so many areas but I still enjoy the challenge.
Trip Blog, Jan. 29
Terrible sleep last night, as I thought I could sleep with just the inner sheet. When I woke up at 2:30am, the dogs all over the city had decided that they should bark for the rest of the night. Once again a cold morning, so I had my warm shirt with the windbreaker. An hour later, I shed some clothes and 1/2 hour after that we had another accident involving a rider who was looking back and lost his balance at 40km per hour. His shoulder is separated and his visit to the hospital with X-rays cost $4.00. The riding temperatures got back to 32 degrees and the wind was either a cross wind or an in your face wind. It made the riding after lunch really difficult. Tomorrow will be the exact same ride, so hopefully the wind will die down. Of interest, there were a lot of dead camels on the side of the road. It had a smell, but it was also quite interesting. It is almost 8, so I am off to bed.
Trip Blog, Jan. 28
My stomach has settled, but I watched a few more people do the run. I spent the day with Maryanne as we took pictures in Dondala, only to be told later by a policeman that we are not allowed to take pictures. I found an Internet café to write to Colleen. I had tea and donuts for breakfast and falafel for lunch. The rest of day was spent relaxing and reading "Dark Star Safari." I went out for chicken, then watched Andrew get a shave. I repacked everything and hopefully it will fit in better, as it did fit before. The rules on the board look like this: The party is over, Quit asking dumb questions, Ride faster. We have 4 days of riding before we get to Khartoum.
Trip Blog, Jan. 27
A fun race day, with teams of 5. I have adopted 4 girls as my daughters, so they called me "Dad" to join them. I wanted to go the whole trip without being involved in a race. My daughters are Femke from Holland, in her early 30's, Jenny from England, in her late 20's, Marita from Ireland, in her mid 20's, and Ester from Australia, in her early 20’s. At night we sit around and chat and then go to bed. It is now 7:44pm so I am past my bed time. I couldn't find my small camera today, as each day I seem to put it in a new place. I eventually found it when I finished my ride, so hopefully tomorrow I can start taking pictures again. We came in last place, since we stopped to build a pyramid and then had a pretend accident. When the staff rode by they just laughed. We had a very strong tailwind, so we were riding at 38 km per hour. I thought I could make it all the way in, but I had to turn off and make a pit stop. Yes, today is my first official day of staying close to the toilet. We are staying at the Dondala Zoo, where there are no animals, but we have Sudanese kids looking over the fence at us to say hello. It shouldn't matter, but after going to the bathroom another 7 times, I don't think I should have to tell them each time where I am going. I am staying close to my tent tonight which is close to the toilets. I am drinking plenty and there is a lot of salt in the food, so I should be okay. Tomorrow is a day off so I will look for Internet.
Trip Blog, Jan. 26
Another 150 km day and it was a great ride until after lunch. After lunch we had a strong head wind that dropped my speed from 34km/h before lunch to 11km/h. After lunch the temperature was back up to 32 degrees for most of the afternoon, with it going as high as 34 degrees. The scenery is mostly sand, but a different kind of sand, with lots of small villages that are just for the people who live there. It doesn't seem to have any stores in it. I got into camp and ate soup, which they serve after every ride. I went down to the Nile River for a quick swim to try and get ride off some of the salt that seems to cake on my face everyday.
Trip Blog, Jan. 25
What the heck? It is still so cold in the morning, but it soon warmed up. By afternoon it was 32 degrees. The road is smooth and clean. Trucks move out of the way for you and no one is throwing anything at you. It just seems friendly all around, so everyone is really excited about that. The ride was 150 km and we had a tail wind most of the way. We are camped out in the middle of nowhere and the stars are great at night.
Trip Blog, Jan. 24: Sudan
We arrived in Sudan and gave the passengers about 2 hours to unload before we even tried to ourselves. The boat, which sails once a week, was overloaded with people and things, so we were lucky to have the cabin. It took us about an hour to take off our bags and then go back and get the bikes. Then we had to stop and wait for the guy in charge to tell us that we can go. Then we rode for 3 km to the inspection immigration room. As we unloaded the bags again from the truck, he put little red stickies on our bag once he looked inside. The little red stickies blew off immediately. We loaded up the truck again and rode with police escort to our camp ground, which is another soccer field. We all scattered to different restaraunts in Wadi Halfa and ate chicken, which is probably the safest of all the meats. We came back to the tent where we changed our clocks 1 hour ahead and then off to bed.
Trip Blog: Egypt
Egypt is a great place for a warm up. We had terrible traffic in Cairo, but great roads once we left. Later on we had rough roads with speed bumps every 5 km. We started with friendly people saying hello, to friendly faces saying hello and then throwing rocks at us, to people who just enjoyed throwing things at us. Luxor was the worst city, as everybody was very aggressive towards us there, but then I had a good day with the taxi driver and I believe they are printing my story in the TDA web page. In Aswan, I went to the Cataract Hotel, which is one of the places that you should visit and we had a great few hours chilling out. The minirates, where they shout out the prayers many times a day, at times sounded angry and we weren't sure why they needed to start at 4:15 in the morning. Also, we need to teach the western tourists not to use toilet paper in their toilets. The total length that we rode was 1,008 km and I burned 22,158 calories in 8 days of riding. Most of us were happy about leaving and are looking forward to Sudan.
Trip Blog: Egypt Km Summary
Jan 14, Sat. 131 km, 7 hr 19. 3,556 kcal
Jan 15, Sun. 167, 7 hr 1, 3806
Jan 16, Mon. 136, 5 hr 24, 2668
Jan 17, Tue. 95, 4 hr, 1,889
Jan 18, Wed. 123, 6 hr 39, 3,166
Jan 19, Thu. 108, 4 hr 38, 2,250
Jan 20, Fri. off
Jan 21, Sat. 116, 4 hr 38, 2,682
Jan 22, Sun. 114, 4 hr 55, 2,141
Jan 23, Mon. 17, 1 hr 20, to the ferry in Aswan
Odometer started at 2,351 ended at 3,359
Total km 1,008
Time started at 103 hr 05 ended 143 hr 48
Total time 40 hr and 43 minutes riding
Total time on the road 45 hr and 54 minutes
22,158 calories in eight days of riding
Trip blog, Jan.23
Boat ride day! We took 2 hours to load from noon to 2:00, and we left port at 6:45 pm. It was chaos getting on the boat and the pushing was crazy. Andrew and I are sharing a room 10x8, right across from the toilet, but then we get a big window, so it is actually great. Food on board was chicken and soup and I bought a lot of fruit, water and coke. Andrew bought junk food. The ride was very smooth and there seems to be a lot of paperwork for immigration. It was almost like all the paper work we did before they lost it. I had a pretty good sleep this night.
Trip blog, Jan. 22
On the bike again today. We were warned that there would be more rocks on the road, so I rode that last 5 km behind a sugar cane truck to try and hide from kids. We were told that night that is a no-no and we can't do that anymore. I guess we have to take the stoning like a criminal. We slept at a soccer field and went out for a walk around the small town. It was quite a bit of fun being in the market but the tea salesman was trying to make way too much money from us, so it got kind of dicey at the end. I paid too much but I needed to get away before a bigger scene happened. Bedtime was back to 6:30 at night as it was cold and there was nothing to do.
Trip blog, Jan. 21
On the bike again today. We were warned that there would be more rocks on the road, so I rode that last 5 km behind a sugar cane truck to try and hide from kids. We were told that night that is a no-no and we can't do that anymore. I guess we have to take the stoning like a criminal. We slept at a soccer field and went out for a walk around the small town. It was quite a bit of fun being in the market but the tea salesman was trying to make way too much money from us, so it got kind of dicey at the end. I paid too much but I needed to get away before a bigger scene happened. Bedtime was back to 6:30 at night as it was cold and there was nothing to do.
Trip blog, Jan. 20
When I left the hotel this morning for our first day off, Mohammed was outside waiting for me. So, off we went by foot as his father was now looking after the carriage. He took me to the old market where the locals shop, from there we went to his house so I could meet his family. He has two daughters at 3 and 5. His wife, mother and brother were all there as well. We talked for awhile and had tea. From there, he took me to the market where the tourists shop, and for the most part, he protected me from the shopkeepers. We walked to the luxor temple and had lunch of falafel. On the way back home, we stopped for sugar cane drink for 1 Egyptian pound which is the correct price, as a tourist he was going to charge me 2 pounds.
We walked back to the hotel, and he waited outside in case any tourist wanted to go somewhere. Later on that day I went for another sugar cane drink and there was a new person working there. He wanted to charge me 3 pounds but when I showed him the earlier picture of me being there, he said ok one pound. I was harassed from that point on that it was most unpleasant being there. I went back to the tent for some quiet time and then at night sat around the fire that they had in the parking lot.
Trip blog, Jan. 19
It was four degrees when I started to pedal and an hour and half before I started to warm up. The gloves and four layers of clothes came off only at lunch. Going through the town Gena, the kids were out shouting hello and waving. It was very nice. After lunch it was the kids coming out throwing rocks, and sticks and pushing their bikes in front of yours to see how funny that was. I got it in the arm twice by a hand and saw many a stone fly by. Supposedly we have two more days of this.
Tarnac was fantastic. I shot quite a few photos of it. Coming back, there were 3 of us and we stopped to ask someone where to get tea. He said he would bring us some and so we sat and enjoyed tea with them. Adam and his dad really enjoyed that part of the day. At night, Hermann and I went out for a really good Egyptian dinner as everyone went their own way. We then sat around the campfire at the hotel/tent spot. Our horse and buggy guy was named Mohammed and when he took us to the restaurant, he said if you don't like the food you don't pay for the taxi. Tomorrow is a day off.
Trip blog, Jan. 18
Another cold start to a 55 km climb. The rocks on both sides made it beautiful and cold. The worst part was after lunch the wind was in our face, so it was a tough day of cycling. One good thing was that our ride was about 10 km shorter. Stayed out in the desert and had very interesting nightmares.
Trip blog, Jan. 17
Today was 97 km and a very easy ride. I pretty much rode the whole day by myself as I like to set my own pace. We are in Safaga, which is a resort town and we set up tent right on the beach. Some people are staying in the hotel right across from us, after all we have been tenting for 3 whole days now. Our riding days get up to about 20 degrees now and everyday it should be getting warmer.
Trip blog, Jan. 16
The third day I was riding with Miguel from South Africa. The day was 135 km and the wind was at our back for most of the way. Each morning I put on three layers of clothes, as starting riding temperature is 8 degrees. I also try and leave before the racers as they ride in a peloton most of the way until lunch and then they race in. Last night I tried to stay up until 7:00 but couldn't do it.
Trip blog, Jan. 15
Today's ride was 169 km. A few people got into camp just as the sun was setting and a few were in the back of the truck already. The scenery is pretty much the same, dessert and sand. We are riding along the coast so we get to see the Red Sea once in a while. Our campsite was 1/2 km from the sea but as some people tried to go in the soldiers came and kicked them out, showing that they would shoot the water if they got in. Nevertheless, another good dinner and bed at 6:30.
Trip blog, Jan. 14 There is no wifi anywhere so my iPad is no good, except for keeping notes. The mornings are freezing cold so far, as we wake up at 6:30 am. The first day ride was through Cairo to the pyramids. There was a little ceremony there and off we went. It took us over an hour to get through Cairo, all 45 of us as well as 4 Egyptian riders that will be with us until Sudan. The first ride was 136 km with a lunch break of salami and cheese sandwiches that we make ourselves. There are also oranges and apples. There are 30 racers, and if I would have entered the racing part, I would be left behind many times.
At night we eat at 5:00 pm. There is one cook for us and after dinner we wash our plates and go to bed. Yup, bedtime is at 6:30. The first night it was cold and we were sleeping on rocks. A hammer and good pegs is a must.
Trip Blog, Jan. 13
Today was another nothing day. Couldn't find my wet wipes so went shopping for that. Had a meeting in regards to packing and trying to find out who wants to race and who doesn't. One woman, Shona, organized all the women to join the race, saying she will create prizes for everyone so that should be fun. I moved into a room with John Murtargh from Canada, the guy in the insurance business (auto and house). TDA is paying for tonight only, which is why we moved in together. Tonight we had to weigh our bags to make sure they were not over the 100 lb mark. I left a bunch of stuff in my room just in case, since we got to bring one of our bags back to our room. The other bags we won't see for a week.
Trip Blog, Jan. 12
Pretty much all the riders are at the hotel now. My memory was still pretty good with everyone, but with 44 riders and 8 staff I may not be able to keep it up. Also we have a celebrity on the tour. Andrew, the guy that I had lunch with yesterday is the host of the tv show "Canada's Worst Driver" and "Canada's Worst Handyman" tell the girls about it since they both have watched the worst driver show. It seems that I will get along with almost everyone on the trip. After our 2 hour meeting we went for a ride and about 25 riders came. We went to the same area that John (Australia) and I went to earlier and had tea in a place that does not serve tea but they went out and got some. There is a real fear of riding a bike here but I love it. The kids shouting at me and the donkeys on one side the horses and tuk tuks on the other side. At night time I basically have been in my room relaxing and still trying to organize my bags. I am actually catching up on a lot of sleep. It is 5:15 PM and i might call it a night. Went to the store, bought some water, mango juice and cookies.
Trip Blog, Jan. 11
Woke up early again today and went for breakfast. I was introducing myself to everyone that looked like a rider and guessing their names. It certainly impressed everyone that I knew their last name and bits of information about them. I thought I was really good at it until I met Ming from Taiwan. He made a book, like a real book, with all of our information and pictures. It blew my mind. This guy is hilarious; his bike has everything and more but when he saw my bike with the little plastic handle to hold my watch he took a couple of pictures of it. Had breakfast with Bryce the racer from USA. After breakfast I put together 4 more bikes for people. I tried to ride my bike to pyramids but almost got run over too many times so I came back and stopped for my first shwarma. Got back to the hotel and met Doug the bike mechanic so talked with him and then Andrew and I went for a bike ride to get some food. He is from Canada and has travelled quite a bit so it was enjoyable talking with him. The highlight was some kids were showing off to us about their bikes, but I noticed that his tire was low, so i got out my pump and proceeded to blow it up. Well his hose to tire came off and all the air was out of tire. He was pretty pissed as everyone else around thought it was pretty funny. For lunch for Andrew and I, I just gave the restaurant guy a 20 ($3.00) and he said that was good. I wonder if I gave him a 50, he probably would have said that was good too. Tonight people are going for a Nile river cruise but I am just going to stick around.
Trip Blog, Jan. 9 and 10
I was the London airport for several hours until I spotted Carla from Calgary. When we got to the border area we found Ian from Britain and Esther from Australia who is the same age as Alex and has not been on her bike before. We arrive in Cairo at 1:30 am and they were waiting for us at the airport where we got our luggage and bikes, and the roads were pretty deserted. When I arrived to the room, I took my bike out and assembled it all. Woke up at 7:00 the next morning and had breakfast with Carlos from Spain. After breakfast put together Carla's bike, moved my stuff around in the room and fell asleep at 1:00 pm and pretty much stayed in bed for the rest of the day.
H2Opia has now surpassed its goal of $65,000! Michael Paull wishes to thank all of his supporters for their generousity and compassion. Donations to fund additional work are still being accepted.
Whenever you do a big thank you note, you take the chance of missing someone. And with that in mind I still want to point out a couple of people who have made a very big contribution with their time.
Velocity Cycle: Once I decided that I was going to bike through Africa it was Chris who helped me pick out the parts needed and spent the time with me to build the bike. It was Calvin, the owner, who went the extra mile by giving me keys to the shop so I could teach spin classes, holding workshops so that I can learn more about fixing my bike from Randy and Jay, and personally was there for anything I needed.
HOPE International: Yes, I am raising funds for this charity but it was Bruce who first got me started by helping me design my logo and getting the concept of what was involved with promoting H2OPIA. After that, it was all Jon with the updates that he provided for me on a daily basis. Even at 9:30 PM on Dec 31 he was still sending me updates. Raising money for Charity put a purpose to my ride.
MacEwan Sports and Wellness: To name a couple of people would be impossible. They allowed me to use the gym for a 12 hour bike ride that got me on television three different times and an article in the Edmonton Journal. The staff goes out of their way help me, as I seem to be there a lot.
theONEco:Wow did these guys build an unbelievable website for me. Wojtek, the president, offered his company services to me and then let his team do their magic. My special thanks goes to Dallas who was my contact person and, as he found out, I like to switch the look of things every few weeks to keep it fresh. He was always there and I really can't thank him enough.
Colleen Paull: I can't say it enough and I don't say it as much I should. I got really lucky that I found someone who allows me to pursue my dreams, and even finds them for me at times. She has backed me up from the beginning and has put up with me every step of the way. Love you.
The donations mean a lot to me, not only because you are supporting a good cause in Ethiopia, giving people the basics of life, but it means you were supporting me personally. Most of you never heard of the organization HOPE and I truly believe that the work they do makes a difference in this world. So Thank you, thank you and thank you.
We reached a milestone of raising $50,000 in Canadian dollars.
When converted to Ethiopian Birr, we have raised 846,560 ETB
When converted to Tanzania Schillings, we have raised 77,500,624 TZS
So now we have a new goal, 1 million ETB or 100 million TZS.
My web site has been visited by:
15 different countries, including US, New Zealand, Australia, and Turkey but the interesting one was Ecuador, as they visited for less than 5 seconds.
...I have no idea what they were looking for.
Average time on the site for everyone else is 3.5 minutes.
The number one spot that people look at is the Donor page.
When I am a student at a spin class I burn 450 calories in one hour.
When I am a teacher at a spin class I burn 600 calories in one hour.
...Therefore, I burn 150 calories by talking.
As of 2010 , there has been 3,142 climbers have reached Mt. Everest Summit.
As of 2010, there has been 103 bikers who have completed the 12,000 km Tour d'Afrique.
There are 41 other riders with me. I have never met any of them but I do know they come from 15 different countries: Australia, Spain, South Africa, Namibia, Taiwan, Germany, New Zealand, Ireland, England, Canada, Holland, Denmark, Ethiopia, Switzerland, and USA. I don't know their ages, but from what I know, it ranges from 20 to 60 years old. There is one person who is a serious ultra-marathon racer, and then there is someone who just bought their first bike this year. Some of the people just retired while there is a father and son team going. It will be interesting.
This is the tenth year that this trip has been running. They have had a total of 400 riders attempt to ride the whole way, and 103 have made it the whole distance. Now to be fair, if you are sick one day and can't ride your bike, they will put you in the support vehicle to get you to the next destination, but you lose the elusive EFI (Every F_____ inch) status that everybody wants.
Also, I have been trying to find out as much as possible about the other riders. Some are very quiet and I have no information at all, not even a picture. Others have their own website, like I do. There are about seven riders who have picked a charity that they are supporting. I am the only one raising money for my cause in Ethiopia. I am really excited that when I get to Addis Ababa, I will meet up with the Ethiopian director of HOPE Int., Tibebtu, who will be taking me to a project that they are currently working on.
I usually don't get excited before I go away on a trip, but I have to tell you, this one is different. I love talking about this journey, and I truly appreciate all the support you are giving me, by your donation's and as my wife can attest to this, I can't help but talk about this to everyone I meet.
On October 14th, I was asked to speak in front of 600 students from kindergarten to grade nine about the water situation in Ethiopia. I told Principal Dean that I would like to be the last speaker; that way I can lengthen or shorten my speech based on how much time was left. The first speakers were three kids that came to Canada from Jordan. They gave a very good presentation outlining the water system from all over the world.
The next speaker was an eleven year old lad who has been raising money for the past six years (yes he started when he was five) and how his proceeds were going to Uganda to help their people get clean water. He has spoken to many schools and clubs and really had a lot of fantastic material. I also told Dean after he spoke, that he basically told my whole speech but at least left me two points that I could bring up.
The third speaker was a man who worked for a local charity raising money for water for El Salvador. He engaged the kids with his Spanish and his slide show covered the two points that I was going to talk about.
When it was my turn to get up I had four minutes to give my speech. It might sound silly but I told the kids that the 3 speakers before me did such a great job and I totally agree with what they said.
We in Edmonton are the people that "have", and we can do so much for the people who "have not". Water is the basic right of every person on this planet and we should do as much as we can to help them. I ended my speech with a quick clip of a bicycle rider, riding his bike through South Africa (sound familiar) and then getting run over by an antelope. I am not sure if anyone will remember what I said but they will remember the antelope.
Now the workout routine begins:
- Six days a week stretching
- Five days a week on a spin bike
- Four days a week on my bike
- Three days a week with weights
- Two days a week running
- One day a week with aerobics
So now comes the question of, "how do I find the time?"
Stretching: This one is always the hardest for me. My body is totally inflexible, and if I want to able to ride for four months I better be a little more flexible.
Spin bike: The classes are at 6:30 in the morning with Terra and Nicole for one hour. I added in the fifth class because I hate to miss Carmen's class. This is ride where I push myself hard with tough gears trying to simulate hills.
My bike: At home set up in front of the TV or with the iPod close by, I will be riding for a couple of hours at a nice easy pace. The main purpose of this ride is to get my rear end ready for the 6 hours plus rides in Africa.
Weights: As much as we think biking is all about legs and pedaling the bike, it is also very important to have a strong core. James will be working out specific routines with the ride in mind.
Running: I guess if my bike breaks down, I can always run it. Now, that is not the reason for running. It is part of the cross training that you should have. James will also work out something with the runs being no more than 10 km.
Aerobics: I just have a lot of fun in the class. Cindy also said that, when I come to the class, she will figure out something that might help with my ride.
Once again, thanks to the MacEwan crew for getting me ready, as this will be my routine for the next three months.
- The bike trip through Africa is 12,000 km. The flight from Edmonton to New Delhi, India is 10,800 km.
- 1,400 people have climbed Mt. Everest. 500 people have ridden their bikes from Cairo to Cape Town (with tour d' Afrique).
- The Nile River in Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya is the longest in the world at 6,650 km. The longest river in Canada is Mackenzie 4,241 km. (13th in the world).
- The highest mountain in Africa is Kilimanjaro at 5,895 meters in Tanzania. The highest mountain in Alberta is Columbia 3,741 meters.
- Population of the ten countries that I am biking through in Africa, 315,000,000, the population of the ten provinces in Canada 34,000,000.
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The world's Gross Domestic Product: (in millions) is 74,000,000.
Canada, ranked # 14 has 1,300,000
Ethiopia ranked # 74 has 86,000 -
Edmonton's Latitude and Longitude is 53 North and 113 West.
Cape Town's Latitude and Longitude is 33 South and 18 East.
Nairobi's Latitude and Longitude is 1 South and 49 East. - Lake Malawi contains the largest number of fish species of any lake in the world. I have gone fishing three times.
- Namib Desert in the oldest desert in the world. Canada is 144 years old.
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Highest temperature ever recorded – Africa 58 degrees.
Coldest Temperature ever recorded in Canada – minus 63 degrees.
And that is why I am going to Africa, in the middle of a Canadian winter.
Loosely translated from Italian, Gran Fondo means "big ride." Rides are often 100 km or more and are for a large number of cyclists. This particular race is from Vancouver to Whistler, a distance of more than 120 km with an elevation change of 2,400 m.This is the second year that Vancouver has held this competition. 4,000 competitors competed last year, and this year's race has 7,000 riders.
By the time I heard about this race, the event was already sold out. After a few phone calls, the organizer heard about my fundraising efforts for Ethiopi. So, he found a way to get me included in the race. If the temperature was 45 degrees, I would get a true feeling of my ride through Ethiopia, which has an elevation change of 18,000 meters over a two week riding period.
The trickiest part for me is to figure out how I am going to get back to Vancouver. If the weather is good, I'll just turn my bike around at the finish line and ride the 120 km back home. After all, most of it will be downhill this time.
These four elements are the biggest areas of concern for me on this ride. If even one fails, it could be very uncomfortable four months.
- Nutrition: I need to digest 2,500 of calories a day to maintain my weight. I burn 750 calories per hour while riding. My average ride will be between four and eight hours per day, which means I have to take in between 5,500 to 8,500 of calories a day.
- Condition: I go to spin class four or five times a week, I swim once in awhile, I run around the block once or twice, and I ride outside on my bike for about 500 km a week. Does that prepare me enough? Let's hope so; when I am in Namibia I have a five-day ride that is 825 km.
- Hydration: When you ride outside, you don't realize how much water you lose since it dries up from the sun and the wind. In the Sudan, temperatures will be in the 40s. In Alberta, 28 degrees works up quite a sweat, so this could be very interesting. Getting enough liquids and cooling my body down will be the most important factors for me if I want to complete the ride.
- Recovery: After four to eight hours of pedaling a bike, I'll finally get to relax. But first, I'll have to set up a tent and unpack my gear. There are the sand storms, the rainy season, and just the everyday exhaustion to contend with as well. Stretching is important if I want to get back on the bike tomorrow and do it all over again.
Total meters climbed in each tour d'afrique country:
- Egypt: 2,730
- Sudan: 3,605
- Ethiopia: 18,445
- Kenya 5,635
- Tanzania: 9,490
- Malawi: 7,065
- Zambia: 7,150
- Botswana: 1,530
- Namibia: 4,735
- South Africa: 5,080
- The first leg is called Pharaoh's Delight, which is 1,980 km and will take 19 days to ride. The highlight will be starting from the pyramids. The countries that I will be in are Egypt and Sudan.
- The Gorge: This 1,700 km section will take 18 days to ride. The highlight will be meeting with the head of "HOPE" in Africa and giving him the cheque from my fundraiser. The countries that I will be in are Sudan and Ethiopia.
- Meltdown Madness: A 1,700 km section that will take 18 days to ride. The highlight will be riding on pavement instead of gravel. The countries that I will be in are Ethiopia and Kenya.
- Masai Steppe: A 1,200 km section that will take 13 days to ride. The highlight will be a 3 day break where I will go on an African safari. The countries that I will be in are Kenya and Tanzania.
- Malawi Gin: This shorter, 900 km section will take 8 days to ride and will take me into the beautiful country of Malawi, also known as the "warm heart of Africa". The countries that I will be in are Tanzania and Malawi.
- Zambezi Zone: A 1,200 km section that will take 9 days to ride. The highlight will be 3rd highest bungee jump in the world (I'll be watching other people try it). The countries that I will be in are Malawi and Zambia.
- Elephant Highway: This 1,600 km stretch will take 11 days to ride. The highlight will be six riding days in a row with 160 km plus a day. The countries that I will be in are Zambia, Botswana and Namibia.
- Diamond Coast: Which is 1,800 km and will take 16 days to ride. The highlight will be realizing that I am on the home stretch. The countires that I will be in are Namibia and South Africa. I'll finish pedaling on May 12, 2012.