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Breakfast time is usually quiet time
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Monday: It was a shorter day, but not necessary an easier day, but our first on gravel and sand roads, allowing the mountain bikers among us to show off our skills. Muzz won the Stage, beating the younger racing snakes by over an hour.
Left our wooded campsite next to the Blue Nile, climbed on to the bridge and crossed the River, and headed South.
Route markings are now either the orange tape or flour arrows laid out on the ground, unfortunately either the sheep/goats or cattle eat the flour or kids steal or move the tape.
Lunch was at 46km, and we were surrounded by school kids who were totally amused by our lunch time pantomime. It must be quite an experience for them watching us going through our lunch time rituals, which seem quite normal to us.
Then into the nearest village for a Sudanese Soda (a type of raspberry) very sugary and not so nice. But necessary because it was another hot day, highest recorded temperature was 42 degrees C.
Four of us riders and the Lunch Truck, took a wrong turn today, because some juvenile delinquents had moved the orange tape and set it up on a different road, which sent us off in the wrong direction!! Fortunately we hadn't done too many kilo's before the truck came back and informed us we were going the wrong way! When we cycled past the guilty party, I managed to teach them some 'nice' Afrikaans swear words, not that they really paid much attention.
Coke Stop in the village was utter total chaos, we were surrounded by both kids and adults, it was such a suffocating experience, we had to move on, but not before Judith had some retail therapy and bought herself a pashmina.
Because of the heat, the last 20 km was a big grind, I kept stopping at any large available tree which threw up some decent shade, just to cool down our core body temperature.
Judith and I walked the last 2 km into camp, the head wind was just too strong and we were buggered. Didn't put up our tent up until the sun started going down - it was just too hot to do anything.
We had our first Sudanese donkey cart wash today, for a total of 5 Pounds, they will bring borehole water to you in a 44 gallon drum mounted on a cart and pulled by a donkey, tap off about 20 liters for you to use to wash yourself.
After today's ride it was greatly appreciated.
I had a full body wash, lily-white-ass and all, not a pleasant sight for any of the villagers who might have been watching.
Riders Briefing, followed by dinner, followed by an early night to bed. Its getting to be quite a simple routine in the evenings.
Tomorrow is a tough day (so they say) let's see what materializes.
Cheers,
Mike T
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| Packing up the tent in the early morning light |
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Leaving our wooded camping area
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| Today we start following the orange tape road |
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| Canal with large areas of cultivated fields |
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| Helping Andje to fix her puncture |
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| Arriving at the Lunch Truck |
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| Philip and Niklas encouraging the school kids to interact with the lunch time cyclists |
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| Close up of today's lunch |
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| Andje helping herself to lunch |
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| Judith meeting and greeting a bunch of young shepherd's |
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| Group photo of the kids who had been removing the orange tape while Tallis hangs up some more tape |
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| Unofficial water replenishment moment |
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| The bunch of juvenile delinquent's who moved the tape sending us on a wild goose chase! |
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| Sudanese cattle crossing |
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| Coke Stop with lots of spectator value |
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Judith having some retail therapy
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| Old British Austin Truck |
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Slightly dirty today but there is promise of a donkey shower
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Judith has her first 'donkey shower'
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| Today's Camp site |
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| Philip teaching the locals to fix a puncture |
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| Michael taking a donkey shower |
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| Judith thanking her donkey shower assistants |
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Bike repair time with Leo the Bike Mechanic
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| Welcome to Camp |
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| Tomorrow's Ride |
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| Sudanese Bus Journey |
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| A very chilled dinner |
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Sudanese Sunset :)
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