After a tiring long week in Botswana, we have crossed into Namibia. We were told we had 2 days of dirt from Windhoek to Sesriem; one being 147 km, and the other 155 km. Long, hot, hills, and dirt. I have to say initially many of the riders, including myself, were not looking forward to it, after a tiring week, however, yesterday has proven to be one of the best days of the tour.

 

Yesterday morning we woke up all very cold and tired after a chilly night of frost on the ground. It was our last bush camp on the tour which is actually sad; it was a great bush camp with a big bonfire to warm us up.

We all rigged up, and hit the road and it was a sensational day. The scenery was beautiful; desert-like plains with mountains jutting up all around us. The ride started with a slight climb over Spreetsghoote Pass. As you come over the pass you were struck by a beautiful view across a huge valley. This was followed by a fantastic and fast and challenging descent. We dropped 500m in a mere 4 km.

 

At about 45 km we came across Gecko Camp where we hiked up a little hill to a restaurant with any cold drinks you could imagine and a sensational view. Eventually we tore ourselves away and rode another 30 km to Solitaire where there was another restaurant famous for their apple crumble - which happens to be my favourite desert. So I stuffed myself with a game burger and apple crumble and a magnum ice cream bar on top. This time I had to be rolled out of there onto my bike and I spent the next 40 km fighting not to be sick from over-eating.

 

The riding was tough, being a mix of sand, loose rock, and it was a long day with some riders getting into camp as the sun disappeared behind the dunes. But every single kilometer was worth it; being so beautiful and such a welcome change from the riding in Botswana. Iit has definitely been voted as one of the top 5 days on the tour.

 

Today we have a rest day in Sesriem which is a small little resort/camp at the gate to the sand dunes. Most riders and staff were up at 4:30am to head to see the sunrise over the dunes. It was hard but I dragged myself out of bed. Again it was well worth it as the dunes were very, very impressive.

 

Ahead is another 5 days of long days in the dirt before our next rest day at Felix Unite Camp on the border with South Africa….

     While we wait for them to get back on the road again...!                             Pic by Wimpie Van Zyl

I am again ashamed to say it, but I had a great rest day in Lusaka enjoying 1st world luxuries in 3rd world Zambia.

Lusaka was a pleasant surprise, actually Zambia is. The people are awesome, really nice, friendly, helpful and welcoming. In Lusaka you could be in Sydney, Vancouver (in summer), or any other developed nation city. There was a 4 lane main road, several huge shopping malls & everything/anything you could need/want.

It was the mechanic Mark’s birthday which was celebrated by an awesome dinner at a flash restaurant called Rhapsody, which is just like a Keg restaurant in Canada. Followed by drinks at a little less flashy Alphabar.

The rest day involved a Movie Marathon- having not seen a movie for months. 4 hours spent in the cinema was awesome an I was not the only Td’A person there. Actually about 10-15 of the cinema goers were Td’A Muzungus.

Today I was back on the bike, 158km, awesome day; fast, flat and smooth. The only downside was the trucks & traffic. I ended up having a big crash involving Tom and I being pushed off the road by a semi trailer. Bodies are fine but my bike was not so lucky & I need a good few hours of work tonight; luckily it will recover.

  I may be speaking too soon...but thank goodness the number of casualties has calmed down. After the week of chaos nothing worth mentioning has really happened medically. So since our awesome rest day in Chittimba I have actually had a really calm week & managed to get on my bike daily.

Today was a sensational day of riding. The past few days have been a little challenging for some with lots of climbing & yesterday an extra 20km added on at the last minute due to a road being washed out by the rain. So today being mainly downhill was enjoyed by most, there was a slight cross wind that slowed you down a little but all riders were in camp by 1pm, unharmed and uneventful for me. Yay!

                 Confusing the predators. Zebra in Tanzania

I'm so glad I happened to have my web update as my diary entry today. It's the first day back after 7 days on safari. Mark the mechanic and I took a few extra days off on top of the 3 rest days in Arusha and went on a week long trip, away from TDA and the infections & the broken bikes. It was amazing and I think will be the most memorable trip I will ever do.

We left from Sagana, first stop Aberdare National Park. We splurged a little bit and stayed at the Arc, a top end resort right in the park. You start by being dropped at Aberdare Country Club where you are met by warm, wet towels to freshen up as well as a glass of OJ, this is followed by a tour of the pool where we relaxed with gin and tonics and looked out over the plains where we suddenly saw our first animals: giraffes in the distance. That was followed by an awesome lunch.

We then met our guide who drove up to the resort. On the way we had a spectacular game drive where within minutes we saw eland, zebra, giraffe, warthog, collobus monkeys (endangered species) and buffalo. As we arrived at the Arc we were treated to the sight of a spectacular building that appropriately enough looked just like Noah's Arc... very apropos. It was complete with viewing platforms and buzzers in your room so they can let you know whenever animals are in sight, which is constantly. Within our first 30 seconds the buzzer went as a herd of elephant had arrived! We raced from our room and stayed in the viewing area for hours. Actually we were the only two guests so we had a 50 bedroom resort to ourselves and 5 staff to tend to our every need.            

The animal sightings continued and we saw more buffalo, warthog, elephant, hyena, giant forest hog (another endangered species), suni (smallest antelope). A sensational private dinner, awesome beds, another great breaky and then sadly we had to leave our private African paradise. I won't go into detail about the rest of our trip but the amazement continued in every way as we hopped from Hells Gate National Park to Masai Mara where we did a dawn balloon ride with champagne breakfast (sensational). This was followed by the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater & Lake Manyara. 
          
Animals seen included the Big 5, named because they are the 5 most dangerous and 5 most valuable to poachers. They are the lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard and the rhino. We also saw cheetah, topi, bushbok, gazelle, impala, lion cubs, hippo, crocs, wildebeest, genet, mongoose, many birds, blue monkey, baboon and blue ball monkey. Additionally, we were treated to lions mating. I am sure we saw more that just these species but that's all I can remember as it was wildlife overload. The riders managed to get a few days of safari also and were lucky enough to see cubs making a kill and have garnered lots of impressive stories. One night we were visited in our tents by an elephant and buffalo. Frank was visited by a curious lioness.

Today all were back on their bikes and I'm currently sitting overlooking Lake Manyara with the sunbeams shining down on the lake as dark storm clouds loom to the north, a spectacular way to end the day and to reflect on the most amazing week of my life so far.

So we woke up yesterday morning to Vimpy blaring “Highway to Hell” over the truck radio & that’s pretty much what we got. We left the leafy jungle oasis of Marsabit & within minutes we were out in the hot desert plains again. I did not ride the morning (opting to catch up on paperwork in the AM and ride the PM), big mistake. I gather the morning was the nicer part of the day with quite a nice descent into lunch. The afternoon however was a different story, it was corrugation and deep sand all afternoon… and that continued all day today. And apparently this is the East African Highway!
I was chatting to some riders and it seems some might be losing the plot! I was told about the bargaining Tim Gane tried to do with the road day, the conversation and yelling matches he had with the corrugations when he asked them “can you just give me one line of smooth, just for a little while”. And the road didn’t grant his request, so he thought yelling at it might change things. I don’t think the road has spoken back yet, I won’t have to get psch consultants just yet!   At lunch the riders were discussing how their perspective has changed over the past couple of months. Initially a paved road with a steep hill was hard work and they complained about it, apart from Malcolm who is fantastic. Now they would give anything (even their baby wipes!) to change these roads to a long, steep paved road. Apparently there is one more day of these roads into Isiolo and then the worst is over. It can’t come soon enough for most of the riders!

Today was another great day on the road. We did 91km over the day and passed over the highest point of the tour; 3,100 m above sea level.  The day was relatively tame; however, the fatigue from yesterday made it feel like a struggle. The whole day being undulating with one climb of 800m over 8 km didn't offer my recovering knees any favours. 

The day was beautiful rolling hills plenty of little towns for Machiatos, coke and another awesome lunch with fresh mango's provided by Ronel and George.

It was Friday the 13^th though and unfortunately Lloyd bore the brunt of it, he broke the frame of his Alloy bike! Lloyd is still EFI and has done a great job of getting through all the challenges thrown at him.. Today he thought he had been beaten; however, a display of teamwork and camaraderie in the this group seems to have pulled him through. One of the riders who was not well lent him her bike and then a sectional rider who is leaving us in Addis is leaving his bike for Lloyd! So Lloyd has still got his EFI status.
Tomorrow is Addis, showers and breakfast at the Sheraton awaits! Yay!

So after some of the hardest days on the tour a rest day was well deserved by all. Unfortunately a Bug is spreading its way through the riders at a rapid rate so several people spent the rest day running to the toilet, discussing their toileting habits and trying to sleep off the fever. It's a nasty one and people are surprisingly up beat considering how they look and must feel.

My rest day was not a rest day, as one of the medics on the trip and the only medic not to be chained to the toilet I had a busy day discussing toilet habits and dealing out drugs, restocking rehydrate and paracetamol.

Between treating patients I did manage get out to get my laundry done and this is where my mistakes of the day began. The hotel could not do my laundry as they were overwhelmed by the 60 riders needing clean clothes so I decided to head downtown and find a laundry. I was followed into the laundry by a couple of local youths and as discussing my laundry with the manager the youths kept talking over me in Ahmeric, after counting all my items and then disappearing with them they told me that it would cost 699 Bir, this is an outrageous $69 USD, I argued for a while but did not have much choice now they had disappeared with it. Later on I discussed this with Windy our local guide, and was told that the youths that followed me into the shop were telling the manager to mark the price up and then they get a commission and that it was illegal and I should not even pay 400 bir. He then came back with me to collect it, this turned into a nightmare not worth the 30 usd. They argued and argued in Ahmeric and it drew quite the crowd,  I was then told that I would not get my laundry back as I did not have the ticket I was suppose to have (which I didn't, although I'm sure if we were not arguing the price I would be able to get it) Windy then took me back to look for the ticket (which I knew I did not have) and then told me to go back by myself get the laundry, check it and then hand them 400 and walk out! So I took Mark the mechanic with me for some support and this is what I did, wow what a nightmare! There was yelling, hand gestures, and I was trapped in the laundry by two fairly large Ethiopian guys! The driver that drove us down there tried to help us and ended up getting quite ruffed up by the locals, this arguing went on for quite some time, I tried to get out and was roughly pushed back in and grabbed by the guy at the door, Mark stepped in and although Mark was about to lay one into him he held back considering we were largely out numbered. I followed more of windy's advice and said "we go to police"! A police man came over and we headed to the police station, so Mark and myself followed him alone with about 10 of the laundry guys, the police man and the crowd following, we walked for about 10 minutes ending up in a very dark, dingy ally way, both looking at each other feeling very uncomfortable, we were taken through some broken gates which were firmly shut behind us. We were sure we were about to get a beating. We  nervously waited for about 15 minutes but this felt forever!! Eventually the boss came out and the discussions (yelling) began, after it going back and forth we eventually offered 500 bir to have this over and done with, we then rushed of as quick as we could.
It certainly left a sour taste in my mouth, I had been ripped off all day, pushed and shoved, scared for my life and quite stressed out! I don't think I will be putting laundry in anymore!

This experience was followed by a few beers with the staff at the Brewery (I certainly needed something to calm me down) This was a awesome experience and helped repair some of the negative feelings I had. We were well looked after receiving free beer for most of the night by some local guys as well as some Ethiopians that actually live in Sydney, Australia (my home town) but were here visiting family. It was a great night! The beer flowed and we had a great time all mingling with the locals and we shut the bar down, being the last to leave including all the staff. We were all invited to a traditional Ethiopian wedding the following day but unfortunately had to work!

So some good some bad experiences but hey this is Africa!
Today was another great day for riders with awesome scenery, paved roads and some hills but defiantly a little tamer than the hills experienced a few days earlier. A welcome village Addis Zemen at the 90km mark today meant that we could experience the best juice I think I have ever had, a layered drink of Mango, Avocado, guava, and paw paw juice! As well as a fantastic coffee and local donuts!

Day 2 of riding in Sudan has come and gone, it was a tough day had by all. A total of 112km, 60km of dirt and sand up to lunch which really worked and tested everyone from the racers, expeditions riders and the staff that were riding and sweeping for the day.

 

As mentioned the fist 60km was 100% dirt and sand, everyone plodded their way through. Despite it being difficult and tiring it was beautiful. Lovely arid landscapes with a few rugged mountains jutting out of the desert. We went through 2 villages today on the way to lunch, the first Akasha. Akasha was small but a perfect location, slightly raised above the might Nile, with spectacular views downstream looking over the greenery lining the banks. The locals were friendly and met us with their baby donkey.

 

The second village Abri was, it was quite large in comparison to the previous one. We were welcomed by groups of children lining the streets with big smiles and friendly handshakes. The town itself was very well kept with immaculate mud brick homes with beautifully painted gates, doors and windows.

 

The last 20km before lunch seemed to drag a little and I was only averaging about 17km/hr and desperate for a refill of water and some food.

 

Lunch was very exciting to see and the Indaba staff Ronal and George put on another great spread, unfortunately it was rushed by most because of the million little pesky, midgy flies. Although it was a pleasant surprise to hear that the afternoon would be 100% paved roads.

 

The following 52km after lunch to camp seemed never ending. I left lunch thinking this will be great, back on pavement! But the 40 degree heat and the fact my legs were toast from the morning meant I still struggled to get much over 15km per hour and I don’t think I was alone.

 

Camp tonight is by the Nile, and everyone enjoyed a well deserved swim. The camp is quite beautiful and we just watched the sun setting over the Nile casting a perfect reflection. Unfortunately the Midgy’s are still around and we are all praying once it’s totally dark that they will give us a break.

 

I have one word to describe today and that is AWESOME!
One hundred and thirty three kms of tail wind, blue sky, the Red Sea by our side and an average speed of 35km per hour - you can not get much better than that!

I headed out this morning with 3 Canadian guys (John, Frank and Sven) as well as a Swedish girl, Anna. Iit was a bit of a late start due to some mechanicals and we were the last to leave but once we got on the road the pace quickened and it was only seconds before we were sitting at 33km per hour with ease, chatting away and enjoying the morning.

We picked up a few riders on the way to join the bunch, one being Simon who came 3rd in yesterday’s stage, a few other came and went.

We arrived at lunch before 10am, a very quick 70km under the belt thanks to the cracking pace that Frank set all morning.  

Back on the road after lunch with much the same group plus Mark who had finished his morning sweep duties, we were back up to 40km per hour easily. At 97km we came across a little café and gas station in the middle of no where, we pulled off with the boys excited at the prospect of beer but were quickly disappointed. However we did fuel up on Pepsi and a few brave riders had an Egyptian coffee which was described as Spicy but to me looked more like lumpy syrup!

The rest of the riding day was spent cruising at a similar pace and arriving at camp at 1250! 133km before 1 pm, brilliant!

After another awesome swim in the Red Sea most riders were feeling pretty happy with themselves. There are a few sore buts and tired legs but so far not many reported problems (I wonder if it’s a bit early in the trip and they are to shy too show their butts to me yet!)

I do need to make a special mention to a particular girl on the tour who has developed the Tour D Afrique Detox program. For the past 5 days she has been taking supplements that are in the form of a syrup, one of which was Iron, however when she mixed them she thought they looked a little soapy. And then today while riding she was wondering where her degreaser was and it dawned on her that she has been drinking a teaspoon of degreaser every morning instead of her iron! (she is physically ok though, I wonder about the rest)