Tour d'Afrique Ltd.

The hospitals in Africa

The fact that the median age of many African countries remains in the 40s comes as no surprise when you walk through the doors of some of the medical facilities in Africa.

While we were in Nanyuki, Kenya I had the time and the pleasure of checking out 3 different health facilities. The first was the Mary Immaculate Clinic – run by Sister Catherine – a very bubbly Kenyan nun, a nurse and a midwife. Sister Catherine sits me down and gives me a cup of coffee and some bread. She tells me she is desperate for funding so that she can expand her clinic to include a maternity wing so that women can come and give birth at the clinic, remain there for at least 24 hours before they get discharged. She knows that the current situation in rural Kenya is poor- home births are common, and with home births come many complications.

She comes for a walk down town with me to Nanyuki District Hospital – the government hospital in Nanyuki. At the moment the nurses and the doctors are all on strike and have been for a couple of weeks. Normally they have an x-ray machine and can do ultrasound scans but with the strike, the hospital is a ghost town.

My next stop is the Humuru Health Centre – a missionary health care centre which is basically a hospice for people with HIV and AIDS. I meet another nun – a lady from Poland who is in charge of the facility who shows me around. At the moment she tells me, the situation is grave. There are no beds left and they have had to make some exceptions for some of the patients who were in the Nanyuki District Hospital who had been left in their beds unattended. With no one to look after them, these people would have died if it was not for the Humuru Health Centre who was able to help. The polish Sister doesn’t know what to do if the strike lasts for much longer.

With healthcare facilities so basic, it is no wonder that in times when the health needs of our clients on TDA have needs demanding more than what our small clinic on the Lunch Truck has to offer, and more than what the facilities in local hospitals and health facilities can offer, it is necessary to organise an evacuation to a bigger centre such as Nairobi where there are facilities and resources almost as good as back home!

-- Claire Pegler

Posted March 13, 2012 by Guest Author
Kenya

Impressions of Kenya

During the trip so far few places have managed to depict Africa in the way that I think most foreigners perceive the continent as well as Kenya have.

When thinking of Africa I think most people conjure up “Out of Africa” like images with scenes of orange sunsets, wildlife roaming about freely, powerful thunderstorms, harsh but beautiful landscapes and people dressed in traditional garb. Since arriving in Kenya we’ve experienced all of the above and most riders feel satisfied that they’ve at last arrived in the “real” Africa and are experiencing the Africa they were imagining when they signed up for this trip.

However, Kenya (and Africa) is so much more than that and there is much more to this country than the dust, heat, meat and ugali and bright dress. For me, it has revealed itself as a land of contrast. North versus south, heat versus cold, friendliness versus aggression, primitive versus developed.

Travelling through Northern Kenya the land was harsh. Of all the deserts we’ve ridden through this one seemed the most unforgiving with lava rocks making the landscape rough and almost impenetrable. While most of the gravel roads on our journey have been graded and paved to some extent these roads have had almost no attention paid to them by anyone and they still make for tough going, even when you’re in a 4x4. Villages are few and far between and filling up on water is limited strictly to bigger centres. The people seem to feel no need to engage with us when passing through and taking photos is a no-no… except if you have some cash to spare for your subject.

Further south though it is remarkable to see how not only the landscape changes but the people too. It is not only the availability of water that increased but naturally also the amount of agriculture and with that people. Infrastructure improves significantly with paved roads and more villages but what has been most notable is the friendliness of the people. No longer are you met with blank stares when you pass through a village but friendly “jambo’s” and “how are you’s” are everywhere. Finally as you enter Nairobi it feels like you are suddenly no longer in a country struggling with poverty and drought and you realise this is a world-class city with the potential to become a player on the global front.

Maybe that’s what the real story of Africa is. It is a place where the old meets the new, the undeveloped meets the developed and the hostile meet the friendly. It’s a place where, with some care and hard work, the potential is endless. It is inhabited by some of the oldest civilisations on earth yet most of these are only beginning to realise they’re own potential. It is Africa and there is no place like it.

-- Catharina Robbertze

Posted March 12, 2012 by Guest Author
Kenya

RiderProfile: Heiner Stiefel – Cairo to Nairobi

Home town: Zurich, Switzerland

Profession: Retired businessman

Age: 65 in July

Why are you doing TDA?

The journey from Cairo to Cape Town has been on my mind since I’ve been a little boy and it is something I’ve always wanted to do but never knew how I was going to go about doing it. I considered doing it by train because I’m a train enthusiast but there is no train available for the full journey, then I considered public transport all the way but when I hear about TDA I was interested immediately and I knew this was going to be my form of transport.

Where did you hear about TDA?

I first heard about it from a friend last year in August while having dinner and something clicked in my head. After doing some research on the website and through correspondence with the office I was signed up within a few months.

What has been your biggest challenge?

The problem was that I didn’t have a lot of cycling experience; my last cycling tour was probably 50 years ago! I entered my first mountain bike race from Zurich to Geneve and also had my first fall. Nevertheless, I cycled about 3000km from August until December as training in cold and mostly awful conditions.

Highlights so far?

What I learnt about myself in that first week. After the first day I was ready to go back to Switzerland, I tried to keep up with the distances but after the first week I realised I wasn’t getting stronger because of my age, in fact I felt my batteries getting lower and lower. I had to change something so I started doing only half days and that helped a lot.

Lowlights?

My bike was stolen in Khartoum and I had a big fall in Addis Ababa.

You’ve said you’re following four principles during your trip, tell us more about this.

First of all, I’m not a cyclist who travels, I’m a traveller who also cycles. My four principles of survival for this trip are safety, comfort, endurance and speed… in that order. I think I’ve managed to keep to them and they’ve made my trip more enjoyable. Though I’m stopping in Nairobi now, maybe I’ll come back next year and complete this journey because I still want to say I went from Cairo to Cape Town.

What would you have done differently?

I wouldn’t have brought an air mattress. It’s horrible having to blow up your mattress every night when you’re tired after a long day’s cycling and having to roll it up again in the morning! I also would not have brought such an expensive bike.

What has been most memorable of the trip?

I was in Western Africa about 40 years ago and it is remarkable that some parts of the continent still look the same as those parts did back then while there are also world class cities. Africa is surely an interesting place with lots of potential.

Posted March 10, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Kenya

The Golden Bicycle Award

Ian Pinder poses proudly with the Golden Bicycle when Meltdown Madness got the better of him.

It has been said that the Tour d’Afrique is not a race or an expedition but a social experiment and once again this is proving to be true. The success of the tour is dependent on the participants and every year’s riders make for a different experience and atmosphere in camp and on the road.

Thanks to a group of innovative riders a new addition to the TdA2012 has been the golden bicycle award. Winners of this award can range from the person with the greatest achievement of the day to the person who made the biggest fool of him/herself in the preceding 24-48 hours. So far winners have included Pal Fritsvold for breaking the record in the Blue Nile Gorge individual time trial, Gennesse Beadman for chasing an Ethiopian boy all the way to his house to tell his parents he needs to be punished for pelting cyclists with stones and lunch truck driver, Noah Chisane for his saintly attitude.

As for embarrassing stories, those will have to be told by the riders themselves upon return to their home countries, but when they’re reporting back on their adventure, make sure this question is asked: “How many times did you receive the golden bicycle and what for?”

--- Catharina Robbertze

Posted March 09, 2012 by Guest Author
Kenya

Meltdown Madness lives up to its name

From the majestic charm of Ethiopia to the rugged beauty of Kenya, Africa keeps revealing itself to us little by little and surprising us on a daily basis.

Spending three weeks in Ethiopia should count as a privilege on anyone’s dial and we were most certainly privileged to not only spend this amount of time there but to do it on the seats of our bicycles. Getting to travel through the villages and interacting with the locals was an experience in itself despite (or maybe because of) the children pelting us with stones for most of the time. Where some riders were all too relieved to say good bye to this country there were some who were sad to leave and are already planning their next visit.

Crossing the border into Kenya went as smooth as any border crossing can go. It really wasn’t much more than a stamp on this side, cross the bridge and a stamp on that side. Smooth as this was, riders knew they had a hard stretch ahead of them to get from the northern border of the country to the more developed central parts. The first three days have been brutal on riders’ bodies, minds and their bikes and the reason why this section is called Meltdown Madness quickly dawned on them. Riding through lava rock fields there was no respite for aching muscles or weary brains. The terrain is as rough as anything and staying on your bike was a challenge on its own, not to mention having to propel it forward. Knees and elbows were grazed, hands bruised, bikes scratched, tubes thrown out and the motivation to keep going became harder and harder to find.

However, the country has also treated riders with numerous wildlife spottings, beautiful birds and their first real afternoon downpour, which – despite many tents being soaked – was welcomed with open arms as it cooled down the earth and even provided a few tarp showers after a long day in the saddle.

For many it feels like they are now finally in Africa with the sound of hyenas and crickets filling the night skies and safari country coming ever closer. The Kenyan people have welcomed the circus that is TDA with open arms and the sound of friendly “Hellos” and “How are you’s?” follow you wherever you go when in a town.

The continent has proven bigger, dirtier and more challenging than most thought it would be and also more welcoming and more rewarding. Meltdown Madness might be half done but the riders have been on this tour long enough to know it is not all downhill from here. More challenges await and more hard times are just around the corner, but the ultimate reward is just a little further south from there with a bag full of bragging rights and memories to carry with them the rest of their lives.

-- Catharina Robbertze

Posted March 08, 2012 by Guest Author
Kenya

And the music played on

Every day has a beginning, a middle and an end. You can be almost certain as to how each day on tour will begin, you can be nearly as sure as to how it will end, but what happens in the middle we are reminded time and again, is anything but predictable. Our day on the road yesterday being no exception to that rule.

And today? We roll on. All arrived safe into camp at the end of the day, dinner was served as everyone reflected on the day, each woven together by the intertwined events of the day. The tour was a unified entity. There were no distractions, or any events more pressing, than the well being of all. Chatter rolled on past sunset, none disappearing off to bed in any great hurry, and what could be more perfect than a campfire to let the evening roll on. Well, we didn’t have a fire, but we did have a treat even more perfect; Steve and his guitar. As some riders trickled off to their tents, the rest sat around, sang loudly, laughed in each others company, shaking the remains of the day away.

Today the tour rolled on. The race for today was cancelled, allowing all with the freedom to ride with who they choose, take their time and enjoy the ride. Acting class was back on at 4:00pm courtesy of Bastien, Yoga at 5:00 with Kendra, some choosing to head straight to the pool side, and others are in town enjoying cold beers and ice cream.

Tomorrow morning we say goodbye to winter here in the Northern Hemisphere and hello to summer in the south.   See you on the other side.

   -- Adele Woodyard

Posted March 12, 2011 by Adele Woodyard
Kenya

Armed robbery in Kenya. All riders are safe.

In Kenya earlier today, six of our Tour d'Afrique riders were robbed by the side of the road by armed bandits.

All riders and staff are safe.

The stage was cancelled so that all riders could be brought safely to our organized campsite by the town of Isiolo.

We are contacting the family members of the riders involved in the incident.

All proper authorities have been contacted and are dealing with the situation.

The Tour will continue on schedule tomorrow.

Please contact Mike Coo in our Toronto office for any further information: +1 416-268-1040

Thanks.
The TDA Team.

Posted March 09, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Kenya

The Meltdown

The Meltdown Madness of northern Kenya has officially begun with the first day out of the border town of Moyale. The riders are riding the long, dusty, hot, thorny, and very bumpy ride to Sololo our first stop on the way to Marsabit, the first rest day in Kenya.

Man and machine are beginning to feel the challenges of the gravel road. The road itself is so bumpy. It feels like sitting on a massage chair on full blast. Adding insult to injury, the big cattle trucks transporting livestock from Moyale to other parts of the country pass you at a speed of 100kph - leaving in their wake lots of dust and small pebbles which hit you. You feel like your skin is melting.

The thorns are back, this time they are three times as long as the ones we experienced in Sudan. They are everywhere, on the main road and even on the foot path that runs alongside, which some of the riders took to avoid the bumpiness on the main road.

Losing a water bottle on the Meltdown feels like losing one of the most important component of your bike because dehydration is always a threat in this heat of northern Kenya. Makes you remember the running water from your tap at home and the other things we take for granted.
Something to think about.

-- Martin Wambua

Posted March 08, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Kenya

Into Kenya

When I drove up from South Africa to Egypt with Sharita before the tour started, once in a while I would see the back lights of the truck that she was driving (our lunch truck now) blinking on one of its sides. Most of the times, she was showing me either some animal by the road, or some of the exact places where the Tour d´Afrique usually camps. I would drive always imagining the Tour rolling through those places. How the locals would react, how the camp would be set up, how the place would feel. Some places stick out more than others. Malawi piqued my interest, so did Ethiopia. But the roads of northern Kenya were in my imagination even before that, from following blogs from previous TDA´s. Like the Blue Nile gorge, or the 207 km day in Botswana, this stretch of road is one of the most legendary and feared stretches on the entire tour. Heroes are born here.

Moyale is the beginning of this devastating path. Somehow the word corrugation seems woefully inadequate to describe the state of this road. This is a stretch of sharp boulders and loose gravel that happens to be traveled by vehicles, and is therefore called a road.

Many of the places we travel on this route are remote, but Northern Kenya has a harsh, merciless feel to it, one wonders how people even live here. “What do the animals eat here?” was a common question among the group today. Just before dinner a caravan of 7 or 8 camels past the camp, and one quickly appreciates the value of those gentle beasts in this desolate place.

As I rode on the truck through these roads today, I recognized many of the places where we were on the transit drive, and some of the places that were chaotic looked pretty calm and vice-versa. For a few minutes, I was taken back to some nice memories from that long drive up to Cairo, and thought about all the good times we had, and in which ways it was being different or similar to what I had imagined.
A warm breeze swings through camp this evening. Only the sounds or crickets breaks the silence. An untainted star lit sky sits above our heads. Watching the stars, I wonder if I will ever be back to these places and what it’s going to be like. How the locals will react, how the camp will be set up, how the place will feel.

Tomorrow the most brutal stretch of road on the TDA awaits!

-- Cristiano

Posted March 05, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Kenya

Easy Days

The rider are safe and sound and enjoying a rest day in Nairobi today. Tour Director, Paul McManus, share his thoughts just prior to arrival in Nairobi.

I pulled into the parking lot, just south of Nanyuki, where all the riders had gathered. The morning was crisp and cool but the sky was clear and the rising sun promised a warm dry day. A welcome change from the week of rain. I walked from the vehicle towards the riders. They are all gathered under the dingy road sign that marked a pivotal point in the tour. We are about to cross the Equator.

The location of the Equator crossing was anti climactic, just a dirt parking lot, surrounded by curio shops and a barely readable sign, covered by years of dirt and exhaust residue. Despite the unimpressive surroundings the mood of the group was cheery and riders and staff alike were joking and laughing while posing beneath the signboard.

One rider, Andra, was holding a bowl of water with a small stick in it. In the bottom of the bowl she had made a small hole so the water could drain out. Unfortunately, the water still swirled clockwise as it ran out the hole. She would have to wait until a lot further south before the water would swirl in the other direction. Although the halfway point of the tour, by number of days, won’t be until next week and the halfway point by distance won’t happen until a few days after that. Emotionally and mentally the Equator is an important benchmark in our journey from Cairo to Cape Town.

After 7 days of very rough dirt, remote bush camps and rather miserable weather conditions the riders reached the paved road just 30 kms before the touristy town of Archers Post, which was itself recovering from severe flooding just one week before. After such a tough section the riders were all in need of rest and a bit of comfort. Fortunately for them (and us) the tour delivered. The 3 riding days that straddle the equator are relatively short and easy and our campsites, at least by tour standards, are rather posh. For three days the riders are able to shower and buy cold drinks at camp. You can’t imagine what a big difference these small comforts can make.

As I write this I am sitting in the shade on the banks of the River Tana. The sun is shining, the bar has just opened and steaks are simmering on the braai. Tomorrow we are in Nairobi for a rest day and shortly there after, three rest days in Arusha. A much needed respite from a tour that has had more than it’s share of challenges thus far.

Paul McManus - Tour Director

Posted March 13, 2010 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Kenya

Kenya

Blog | Kenya RSS

The hospitals in Africa

Impressions of Kenya

RiderProfile: Heiner Stiefel – Cairo to Nairobi

The Golden Bicycle Award

Meltdown Madness lives up to its name

And the music played on

Armed robbery in Kenya. All riders are safe.

The Meltdown

Into Kenya

Easy Days

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