Tour d'Afrique 2008

The Finish Line

2008-05-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Just wanted to give a very brief update to let you know I DID make it into Cape Town on May 10th! Hooray! It was very exciting and emotional and GREAT to have family there waiting for me. We came into Cape Town with very cloudy skies but great spirits. It was a short riding day with a police convoy from 15 miles outside of the city center. We arrived on the waterfront where a band was welcoming us down the finish line. Champagne was splattered everywhere as we slowed down to ease past the final banner. It is very hard to believe that we are here after 4 months of riding our bikes through Africa. A surreal feeling indeed. Lots of hugs and kisses were thrown about and our male and female American consulates/ambassadors were there to congratulate us! We were eventually directed to stand behind our country's flag and then we proceeded in processional style to the stage where awards were given out. I was the only female to receive the EFI award. It is not that I am too attached to awards but it was pretty special. It was so great to have my parents be a part of the celebration.

After the awards ceremony, we were invited to a champagne reception, lite canapes, and then we returned to our hotel to get ready for the evening's festivities. We all dressed up that night since it was kinda fun to do so after seeing each other in our biking clothes for the last 4 months. That night was tons of fun too. We had a great meal at the Rugby Club and the wine was flowing. Cape Town's best DJ was there from 10:00 pm on to help us boogie. And, that we did!

Now my parents and I are enjoying the sights of Cape Town, a tour of the winelands, and a safari before returning on the 24th of May. So far, I find Cape Town a town that I could live in. It is unbelievably pretty with the mountains as the backdrop. Currently, we are in Franschoek-one of the wine valleys and it is super-scenic here as well. It bills itself as the gastronomic capital and I would say that our palates agree with this. We are also looking forward to hopefully seeing the Big 5 in a few days.

I will post pics of S.A. once I am home or if I get another chance to be at an internet cafe.

Thanks again for all your support, encouragement, and love! I couldn't have done this trip without you guys.

P.S. I achieved my goals of Phase 2 of my research-I successfully interviewed every person that answered my survey. Looking forward to analyzing my results this summer!

Crossing the border into South Africa

2008-05-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
This post is being written by Kerri's mom b/c she called me this afternoon (10pm her time and she was soaking in a tub!) and doesn't have an internet connection. They were actually camping at a spot that had showers and one bathtub. For those of you who know Kerri, she does like taking baths! She wanted me to tell everyone following her blog that she will be posting pictures of Namibia at a later date when she has good internet connections.

They arrived safely in South Africa today and she reported that the landscape looks alot like Phoenix with the rolling hills. The weather is beginning to get a little colder, as it is the beginning of winter over there. The surroundings are very beautiful and she is looking forward to seeing the ocean. They will be staying at a campsite on the ocean called Eland Bay. Each day they will be slowly decreasing the distance they have to bicycle, but, she also said she is expecting some headwind and rain which will make the riding a bit more difficult.

She has mixed emotions that this "expedition" will be over, but, also is looking forward to the end of grueling biking days! Her dad and I will be traveling to Cape Town to see her cross the finish line and I am getting very excited, as you can well imagine a mother to feel!

She wishes to thank you for all of your support and encouragement along the way, and I have to agree. I read all of the comments left on her blog and she has wonderful friends and coworkers! I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Sue Finlayson
(Kerri's mom)

Namibia

2008-04-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

We entered our 8^th country on April 24^th. Just across the border Namibia seemed different: there was a hill. We hadn’t seen a real hill in Botswana in our 10 days there. Also, the vegetation changed a bit to tall grasses that lined the road. Apparently in the dry season, there are no grasses and only rocks. Thankfully, there was something to look at because when you are biking 6-7 hours a day having some scenery to look at makes all the difference.

So far, I have been the most surprised about Namibia. I suppose it is because I knew absolutely nothing about it. It is clearly more modern and western than the other countries we have biked through. And the landscape has been phenomenal to me. It is fall here so part of the riding feels very familiar and like home as the coolish breezes brush against our bodies as we are biking. It too is empty as Namibia’s population is only 1.8 million. As we are biking our long miles we see flat, flat land but in the distance the land is punctuated by three or four separate high hills. For some reason it is more fun biking in Namibia. I think it is because it is more picturesque to me, the wind reminds me of home, and the roads aren’t completely straight: there are some slight turns that one has to make. The ride into Windhoek was especially fun. There was a headwind in the morning which changed to a cross-wind thankfully. You are going along, going along and then you see these hills which are becoming bigger. All of a sudden, you are in the hills going up and down; in biking parlance they are called rollers. Windhoek was much higher than I imagined and set in such a pretty setting. Namibia is one place that I would come back to and spend some more time in. The Skeleton Coast is supposed to be something to see as well as the sand dunes and the Himba people who cover their body with ocher to protect them from the sun and plait their hair with mud. As the anthropologist, I certainly wish I had time to visit.

I think the most surprising thing to me is the presence of a lot of muzungus (white people). There are still more black Namibians that live here but the presence of white people, especially Germans is noticeable. Windhoek, the capital city, is modern, has German architecture, amenities galore, a mall (where I splurged and bought a pair of Levi jeans, an outfit for our last night, and some odds and ends) and loads of German restaurants. Ummm..ummmm good! We have two days off in Windhoek and my main goal was to eat, eat, eat, and relax. Boy, have I fulfilled that goal. Of course I have never biked 100 miles a day for 5 consecutive days before but I have an appetite like no other. For example, yesterday I had breakfast, then fish and chips for lunch, two cakes at the German restaurant, two cappuccinos, and later for dinner we went to the famous Joe’s Beer Garden where I consumed a plate of wild game: zebra, gemsbok, oryx, ostrich, and kudu. For dessert I had ice cream and another cappuccino. It is funny how much one can eat; I feel like I am back to my high school appetite. Apparently, some people’s GPS’s tell the number of calories that one consumes in a day of biking and it has consistently been around 8,000 calories.

I believe in the last blog I said that I was looking forward to the biking to be over. At this moment we have only 13 more days: one rest day and 12 more biking days before we enter Cape Town. The biking has become more fun again lately; we are going the same long distances but there is much to look at, I feel that I am getting stronger, and we are supposed to be doing a few off-road days near the Fish River Canyon. The off-road days of this trip have been fun so I am looking forward to more of them.

Still EFI! Barring any sickness, I will ride into Cape Town healthy and without having had to take the truck.

Sorry-no pics until there is a faster internet upload.

Botswana-Part 2

2008-04-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

We left Maun and headed due west towards Windhoek, Namibia. We were told that there would be tailwinds as we were doing 162 k/100 miles a day for 5 days straight. This also included a 207k day into Namibia. The landscape of Botswana didn’t change too much: however, we did see lots of standing water off to one side of the road that consisted of a vast low-lying swamp filled with birds and trees.

One neat thing I did do on my day off in Maun was to go on a 45 minute flight over the Okavango Delta. This is located in the northwestern corner of Botswana. It was a 6 seater plane with windows on every side so you can spot animals. Having an aerial view of the delta gave us a nice perspective of where these animals live. And, we did see lots of animals from the air: giraffe, elephant, antelope, hippo, and African buffalo. Towards the end I was getting a little sick to my stomach as we would make great turns to the right and left when our pilot spotted some animals. The delta is a vast network of lazy rivers, green swamps and some higher ground thrown in between. There are trees spread throughout the delta in tight clusters.

My initial impressions of Botswana didn’t change too much. It is vastly empty. Compared to Ethiopia, you can ride for long, long stretches and not see anyone at all. Also, the infrastructure seems set up around game drives and bush lodges. You will be riding along the road and all of a sudden see a sign for a Bush Lodge. It seems to be located in the middle of nowhere but I suppose there are enough tourists to keep them financially viable.

Botswana-The Elephant Highway

2008-04-20T03:43:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family!

We arrived in Botswana on April 15th and now are in Maun, a dusty, outback-frontier feeling city. This stage is unlike all the others because it is FLAT! After tackling all these mountains and hills for the past 3 months, it is hard to believe that a country can be so pancake-flat. However, it has a beauty all its own with the tall elephant grasses, the long horizon, and if you are lucky--elephants! There are 1.8 million residents of Botswana and approx. 800,000 elephants! We have a pretty good chance of seeing them while riding. And, most of us have seen at least one! I spotted one by a watering hole off the side of the road. Enormous! It had its backs to us and we apparently got a little too close as it started flapping its ears. We backed up, stood still for a while and eventually it turned around to check us out. It made the long, windy day worth it!

This stage has pretty long riding days too. All the days are at least 100 miles and some are longer. In three days we have the longest day of the tour which is 207k. I pray for a tailwind that day. I am still enjoying the riding but I have to admit that the long days put a little dent in my enjoyment and enthusiasm. My butt gets extremely sore (like all others too) and after 6 hours on a bike you just want to be done. Well, nope, you have to push on sometimes for 2 more hours. Many people have commented on my positive attitude and generally I would say I am enjoying myself and have a smile on my face but 8-10 hours is getting a bit too much for me. Also, there are not as many coke stops in which to take a break. Consequently, we don't take breaks which makes the riding a bit tedious. Luckily, the conversations keep me from not concentrating on my soreness for a good part of the day. And, my riding partners and I vary it up a bit by doing a peloton of our own or intervals or racing each other just for fun.

Some people are counting down the riding days that we have left and now I enjoy being updated too and am mentally preparing for the end. We have 17 riding days left and 4 more rest days until we reach Cape Town. I know that I will be happy that the tour is over; however, I am still in the moment. There is still quite a bit to see as well. At 4:00 pm today, April 20th, I will be flying with 6 others over the Okavango Delta to spot herds of wildlife. I am excited for that.

One other very cool thing that many of us did on the first day we arrived in Botswana was go on a pontoon boat in the Chobe National Forest. It was a three hour cruise along the Chobe River. We spotted lots of elephants, two monitor lizards, a crocodile, hippos, tons of dragonflies, a fish eagle, and lots of birds. It was so relaxing to be on the water.

Enjoy the pics of elephants and riders!

The Zambezi Zone-April 4th-15th

2008-04-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Zambia!!!! Zambia is the home of one of the world's most famous tourist spots: Victoria Falls. It is also a country that full of vast bush, a first world capital city, and friendly people. We also endured some of our longest consecutive riding days: 100 miles for 4 days in a row. Talk about tired legs! We were rewarded though by reaching Livingston which is the town that Victoria Falls is located in. Thankfully we had two full rest days in which to enjoy the falls and high adrenaline activities (many people went bungie jumping although I just watched!) and to recover!

I would say this about Zambia and riding: it is an extremely beautiful country in which to bicycle through and it offers you challenges. While seeing lush green desolate hills punctuated only occasionally by small villages, you have to work your way up and then up and then up some more to have a breather downhill. It is quite worth it though. The people are nice and seem genuinely interested in what we are doing. Occasionally you see cows, goats, and farmland. Mostly, you see bush. One of our riders, John Bell, lived in Zambia about 40 years ago and was anxious to get back and see what had changed. He was surprised and delighted to see that the bush was deforested! Some things do take a long time to change!

A couple of other things to explain. Tere are lots of dead snakes on the road. Hmmm...and we go to the bathroom in the bush? Also, baboons are everywhere along the walking trails in Vic Falls. My friend and fellow rider, Johanneke (from Holland) and I even got to see a couple of baboons mating! Wow! like 5 feet in front of us! Gross! Definitely put Zambia on your list of places to travel. However, I would warn you about one thing: it is pricey! Almost western prices!

Daily life of a TDA rider...

2008-04-20T01:20:00.000-07:00

begins with waking up too darn early: 5:30 am. First comes the bathroom usage which consists of finding a bush to squat down behind, spread your feet far enough apart to not splash yourself, aim into the hole that you have dug, and then deposit toilet paper. Make sure to cover your hole with dirt. Ok...done! Not quite, use hand sanitizer afterwards. You need to pay extra special attention to hygiene.

Return to tent, begin dressing into bike shorts, jersey, bandanna, socks. Apply chamois cream to prevent saddle sores-try to do this in tent so it doesn't look like you are doing something illegal. Put on deoderant, take malaria pills, apply antibiotic ointment on infected mosquito bites. Brush teeth with camelback water. Pack up sleeping bag, pillow, thermarest. Put these items outside of your tent. Put on biking shoes. Take down tent. Stuff all your camping and toiletry bags into your infamous red box. Smoosh, squeeze, and sit on box to make things fit. Lift red box into the truck and then your personal slot-usually with the help of another person. Ok-cool. Rats...you forgot to take out your spoon, bowl, and cup. Go back into truck-big, heavy step up-wait for others to be done with their red box, lift the handle that keeps your red box safe in its slot, yank out red box, can't find eating utensils. Rats again...pull box out of slot...heavy....help! Get another person to help you lift it back up in slot. Won't forget to set aside bowl, spoon, and cup again. Get coffee or tea and then oatmeal (so, so, so sick of oatmeal right now) or weetbix, or no-taste bran flakes, or Pro-Nutro (South Africa's family breakfast meal-an acquired taste). Coffee is good. If you are sick of oatmeal, which a lot of people are, you can slather two pieces of white bread with peanut butter, butter, and jelly. Never was a fan of peanut butter and jelly. Wash your bowl, cup, and spoon. Breakfast done!

Make sure your water bottles and camelback are full of fast fuel (an energy drink from South Africa) and water. Time to start biking! Leave camp around 6:45 am. Lately, we have been biking long distances: 170, 172, 155, 160 k. Enjoy the pedaling and the scenery. Eat a PVM energy bar half-way to lunch. Best flavors are apple, choco-nut, caramel nut, and apricot. What you have received in your box is: chocolate, apple, strawberry, and lemon-line. Will anyone trade with me? Have good conversations along the way to lunch which is usually around half the distance for the day. Get to lunch sometimes early and sometimes mid-morning: 9:30-11:30. Spot the lunch truck-yeah a break! Set down bike along the side of the road, take off camelback, refill water bottles, and chow on lunch. Oh wait...there are restrictions on how much we can eat. Sign says: one meat sandwhich, 2 spread sandwiches (peanut butter, jelly, chocolate sauce, etc.), one slice of pineapple, and two slices of orange. Hmmm....and we have how much more to ride? The tightening of food at lunch does anger scores of people. Spend about 20-30 minutes at lunch depending on how long the riding day is. Apply sunscreen and you are off!

Work off your lunch in the afternoon. Take pictures every once in a while. Enjoy the scenery be it the undulating green hills of Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania or the flat grasslands of Botswana. Hope to see some wildlife. Say hello to locals. Enjoy the pedaling motion. Sometimes the ground feels smooth beneath you and sometimes it is rough. A sealed tarmac is a luxury. Here and there try to push your speed-especially down the hills so you can get up the next one with not as much effort. Arrive at camp anywhere from 2:30-5:00 pm hot, sweaty, and tired but full of good spirits from cycling instead of having to go to work! Roll bike into camp, find a campsite, lay bike down to mark your spot. Get necessary camping items out of your red box, set up your tent and now relax with coffee, tea, soup, and bread. Soup is made fresh daily. Talk to other riders about the day or try and coax an interview out of them if you are me! Some people read at this point, take a nap, roll the lactic acid out of their legs, listen to their IPODs, or if one has enough energy you can explore the area.

Riiiiiiddddddeeeerrrrrr MEETING is called around 6:00 pm. We are briefed by our tour leader, Duncan, about the next day: directions, how many kilometers, where we will be staying, conditions of the road. The meeting is always followed by two words: Bon Appetit! We queue up for dinner; usually the racers have a 10 minute warning before the rider meeting and place their chairs near the food so they can hurry up and eat and get seconds. Dinner has been great! We have quite the variety of food these days since we are in the lands of plenty: squash, cabbage, beets, onions, star anise, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, carrots, and all sorts of meat. People cluster into small groups and sit on the camp chairs provided which are in a bad state of disrepair and at this point enough of them have collapsed that not every rider has one. Good conversations float around and you can either listen or partake. Tea and/or coffee completes the meal. Some people have found ways to squeeze wine or hard stuff into their red boxes so they might finish the night with one of these beverages.

Most people are in their tents by 8:00 pm. These days it gets dark by 6:30 pm. As you find that last place to relieve yourself, you see headlamps through the rainfly and you see people reading, typing into their computers, or listening to music. As you walk back from your bush toilet, you hear some snoring and/or sighing into the night. At this point in the expedition, if you are a light sleeper you know who not to set up your tent by: the snorers, the early-wakers, the late-night talkers, etc.). You wake up throughout the night and check your watch. Ahhh....thank god I still have 5 more hours before my alarm goes off! Back to my cozy thermarest and sleeping bag! Good night!

Malawi Gin

2008-04-03T03:34:00.000-07:00

The title of the blog is also the name of this particular section! I suppose Malawi is famous for its "sunrise" gin but I wouldn't really know anything about that! Sorry for the delay in posting a blog, we haven't been anywhere that had fast internet since my last post! We arrived in Malawi on March 27th and we have only three more days left in this country. Malawi is known as the "friendliest country" in Africa. So far, I would agree. This is rated as the poorest country that we will travel through (even poorer than Ethiopia supposedly) but people wish you well, say a greeting as you pass them, and seem to have good dispositions. I will say that there does seem to be a lot of drinking going on during the day and we notice lots of kids sitting around during what should be a school day. Hmmmm.....

What struck me first about Malawi were the rice fields and the kids. Entering the northern part of the country it is relatively flat because of Lake Malawi. So, it is swampy and low-lying which are perfect for rice cultivation. I certainly wouldn't want to be a rice farmer with having to stand in mud water up to your knees for hours at a time in a rice paddy. Fishing is obviously huge for Malawians as Lake Malawi is quite the large lake-blue, sandy, and deep. As we pass small fishing villages you smell the fish, and almost taste it as it is drying on thatched roofs. Periodically while riding, you pass a local or two who are carrying a small load of fish on a stick. And, bus drivers hang their catch on their side mirror hoping to sell their fish along their driving route to earn extra cash. Speaking of which in the local paper we read how "Malawi women sell their bodies for fish." I clipped the article for the shock value: I guess you do what you have to do-prostitution for food.

Now to the kids. Well, it almost seemed like a repeat of Ethiopia: kids lining the streets and shouting in union "hello," "azungu (white person)," or "give me my money." It can get a bit frustrating especially if you are trying to have a conversation while biking. They totally want our attention, which is understandable. I will say that they have dirty clothes on but beautiful smiles. Both the girls and boys have short-cropped hair. One person we talked to said that there are a lot of orphans in Malawi due to the Aids epidemic. This could explain why a lot of kids aren't attending school: there is no one to force them.

The biking in Malawi is on good roads-they are not super smooth but nonetheless it is easier biking than Tanzania. Everything is green with the rainy season ending and the rivers are swollen with some rain still falling. I imagine there would be some great white water rafting. The biking in Malawi has also been extremely tough. In an unexpected way, I would say that it has been the hardest riding for me on the whole tour: even tougher than the mountains of Ethiopia. Why? Well, we have had headwind. For all the bikers out there, you know how much harder you have to push. And, there has been a LOT of climbing-no one warned us about that. I would say that the second hardest day of the tour coincided with the second most accumulative elevation climbed in a single day. I'll be posting that profile. I also have been feeling sick since Chitimba Beach. I couldn't even enjoy the beach day as I was achy, weak, and awfully tired. I do thank my blessings that I was feeling my worst on a rest day though so I could sleep or rest. After 3 days of feeling "not quite right" I am back to normal. I made it through the really hard day but thankfully Ashleigh rode with me and the "girl-talk" got my mind off the pain. Still EFI (Every Fabulous Inch)! I feel there is some pressure because I am the only woman. People keep asking me, "are you still EFI?" Despite the mounting pressure, I keep saying to myself "one day at a time and if I am vomiting and have a fever I will not ride." It is better to be smart! I think our bodies are not recovering as easily right now with almost three months of riding completed. Even small cuts are getting infected where that normally wouldn't be the case.

One more interesting thing about Malawi: the BILLBOARD signs. The funniest one I have seen is "Vasectomies are for men who love their spouses." They also have a lot of "speed thrills, but kills" signs all over-it is a curvy country. Over the break in Tanzania, some people went to Uganda and took several pics of a billboard sign that said "Don't have cross-generational sex"'; it had a picture of an older man and asked "you wouldn't want your daughter to be involved with him, would you?" Cracked me right up!

Oh-in terms of group dynamics, another relationship has started! I won't mention names but it involves two of the "younglings!" They seem to be doing it right though; they got to know each other for 2 months before they started their romance. The group dynamics are quite interesting and I am genuinely looking forward to analyzing my data.

Well, I have to keep this blog short because of a bike donation ceremony going on today at 3:00 pm. 28 bikes have been purchased from the money that I raised and will be donated to two local charities: CPAR and Coopi Maleeza. Many thanks again to everyone who donated money for a bike! Bikes really are crucial here and are a major means of transportation for a lot of people!

Oh and that is me holding an extremely dangerous but dead snake: a puff adder that the locals had killed with a machete!

I hope everyone is well!

Tanzania-Part 2

2008-03-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

Jambo from Iringa, Tanzania. After 7 days straight of cycling from Arusha, we arrived in the quaint, verdant, and hilly place Tanzanians call "Iringa Town." Our schedule went as follows: Day 1-115 k, Day 2-120 k, Day 3-90 k, Day 4-105 k, Day 5-100 k, Day 6-90 k, and Day 7-77 k. We passed through the towns of Bereka, Kondoa, Dodoma, and finally Iringa. Talk about exhausted! 7 days takes it toll. While the countryside is absolutely gorgeous and incredibly verdant (something I didn't expect), the roads are something left to be desired. Although, the sad state of the dirt/sand/mud/rocky roads does make for some challenging mountain biking. Most tour members don't like the off-road part of the expedition because they say that you "can't look at anything" because you are constantly watching the terrain in front of you so you know when to dodge the large rock in your way, which line to take in the sand, and how to best bump along the small rocks that line the roads. Occassionally, you get an awesome patch of road that is packed down hard, hardly any bumps and you can fly! I have enjoyed this section but it has taken its toll on me.

I fell hard the other day. I was biking on a well-worn bike path that the locals use and thinking nothing of it and expecting safety I started cruising. All of a sudden I saw a ditch but it was too late. I shouted an expletive and knew that I was going to hit the dirt but not "pay dirt" unfortunately. My whole left side landed hard on the ground including my head. Thank god for the "brain bucket" we are wearing! I sat up right away and knew nothing was broken. I came away with a couple of deep gashes on my elbow, a scrape on my shoulder and knee and some amazing road rash on my thigh. And, my bike made it through unscathed! My riding partner helped clean me up with antiseptic for the wounds. Just recently, a few people have gotten severe infections due to open wounds. One person even wound up in an Iringa hospital bed because her wound on her knee was not responding to antibiotics. Our own Dr. Luke recommended that she receive an IV drip full of antibiotics. The official diagnosis is "cellulitis" which another person came down with as well and hasn't been able to ride as a result of it. It's Africa, our doc says and for some reason the wounds are becoming infected fast! Because of this, Dr. Luke is now prescribing antibiotics for open wounds.

To change topics, the people of Tanzania are lovely! In contrast to the Ethiopians you don't have to greet them first, they greet you. And, if you do greet them first you invariably get a positive response such as "safi, salama, poa, mzuri" all of which translates to "awesome, good luck, cool, great!" It is so nice to be cheered on as we pass through tiny sand road villages and even larger cities. Tanzanians are a friendly bunch and readily give you a smile. The best is when I get greeted with "jambo mama." I just like the sound of "hi mama" even though I am not a mother yet but their greeting is a sign of respect. Sometimes from the men I get greeted by "jambo dada" or "hello sista." Again, so welcoming for me and it immediately brings a smile to my face. I try to reply with "jambo brother." It is nice to think of the whole world as getting along as brothers and sisters! I know, I know, I am dreaming!

Before we left Arusha, I met this guy who is an independent researcher with a PhD in Anthropology. We got to talking and he told me he is researching these rock paintings in Kondoa. Looking at the map, I saw that we passed through there. I was hoping to see them in person but had to settle for the museum as they were still 90 k away. However, the museum was great and was a highlight of my day. I was able to see pictures of the rock paintings which date back 2,000 years and possibly older as well as a hippo shield, spears, ceramics, and stone tools. Archaeology being my first love, I was in heaven.

The weather has been hot and humid but we have avoided most days biking in the rain. Out of the 7 biking days in Tanzania we have only been caught in the rain twice. Not too bad for what is known as their rainy season. It has rained a lot during the night however. My tent is still leak proof. It is in our best interest to leave early in the morning to try and get as many miles in before the hot suns bakes our skin. This means that we have been getting up earlier and getting to camp earlier as well. That is good for me as I can conduct more interviews. Thus far, I have completed 20 out of 40 people. I have thought of additional questions that I would like to ask the riders at the tail end of our trip. Hopefully, they won't be sick of me in their face by then!

What I have learned while cycling through the middle of Tanzania is that the landscape could be anywhere: a lot of it looks as if we are in the green valleys of Montana or the Alps of Switzerland. I certainly didn't expect this. I could live in this country; it is that beautiful! Also, I found out that most people are involved in agriculture and are subsistence farmers. They mostly grow: sunflowers (a bag goes for 35,000 Tanzanian schillings and on a 50 acre farm you get about 5 bags--translation: $35 per bag of sunflower seeds--not a LOT of money but he and his family survives!), sorghum, alfalfa, tomatoes, beans, eggplant, onions, and CORN! Corn seems to be the main cash crop--ahh the staff of life! The sunflower fields were a surprise and boy are they welcoming. You just can't feel bad when you are in a sunflower patch! Oh-I also learned about a new fruit; that is, a new fruit to me! I don't recall the name but these boys were vigorously shaking a tree and I was so curious as to what they were trying to get I went over and asked them to try one. They are small, grape-like size with white, sweet flesh with a seed in the middle. Yum is all I can say. I am kind of a fruit fanatic so it was fun to "discover" a new one! We saw a perfect chameleon on the road one day and took some great pics with it in our hands and arms. Also, we saw a dead black snake. Could it be the deadly "black mamba?"

Another random observation: COCA-COLA is EVERYWHERE! Whoever was in charge of the marketing and distribution campaign did a tremendous job. Seriously-you can find it everywhere. It is a wonder that anyone still has their teeth left and it seems that babies are breast-fed on the stuff! All the riders comment that they don't drink this much coke at home but here on the tour a soft drink is a welcome aid to hot and humid biking days! I couldn't agree with them more!

Our rest day in Iringa was spent getting our bikes ready for the next section. Apparently the road stays tarmac for the next three days to Malawi! I was very, very proud of myself today as I changed two tires, a chain, and had a bike part welded by a Tanzanian! It is Easter Sunday and perhaps that is why the "fixing" of the bikes went so well. When I get home, I hope to be the bike mechanic and help "my girls" with their bikes. My skills are indeed progressing!

One last thing: it is amazing how heavily loaded the bikes are in this country. Bikes are everywhere here but they aren't used for just getting around. NO-they are used to load firewood, charcoal, bales of cotton, corn stalks, and just about anything that they can tie to the bike rack in the back! Wow-I am constantly amazed.

As mentioned before we have 3 days to Malawi and then we head toward Lake Malawi. Yet another country on this amazing journey! Kwa Heri and Safari Njema!

Tanzania-March 3rd-March 15th

2008-03-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

Jambo from Tanzania! I hope everyone is doing well that reads this blog! As mentioned previously, we had to skip Kenya because of the unstable political situation that started around the beginning of January. So, MOST of us flew from Addis Ababa to various parts of Tanzania for our two week hiatus. But, one daring person (can't mention the name yet but I can tell you it was a male) decided to brave the notorious northern Kenyan desert and impassable roads to test his might! We are not sure if he has made it through yet. Kenya represents the crown jewel for this chap and he has dreamed of coming to Kenya as a little boy so he decided to go alone and see this crazy wilderness and risk the Somalian gangs (shiftas) for himself. I can't wait to hear his stories...that is, if he makes it to Arusha in time. We have only 2 more days in Arusha before we depart.

So, what have I been doing with my time off? I took a couple of rest days in Arusha just to sort out gear, use the internet and try and get some sleep without being woken up to the IPOD music that goes off at 6:30 am every morning! We saw an amazing acrobatic show at the Masai Lodge where we are camping for free (TDA has organized this as our base camp) where 5 men took turns doing cartwheels, back flips, swallowing fire, handstands on blocks of bricks, all to a galvanizing drumbeat! We sampled vegetable curries as there is a fairly large Indian population here. Besides chilling out in Arusha, a fellow rider and I decided to visit Kigoma and Lake Tanganyika (the second deepest freshwater lake besides Lake Baikal).

The main objective was to see the chimpanzees of Gombe Stream National Park, the area that Jane Goodall made famous through her chimp studies since 1960! It was quite the expensive trip as it turned out! But, like most expenses on this trip, I can always justify it with "well, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity" and "I'll probably never get back to this part of Africa." With that said, we bought tickets to Kigoma, the main city on the Tanzanian side of Lake Tanganyika and we were off on March 6th. We stayed at the Kigoma Hilltop Hotel which sits in a strategic piece of land in a gorgeous setting. The Hilltop sits on a "hilltop" which is like a small peninsula; you have a great view of the city of Kigoma and you can see water 270 degrees around. It was/is paradise. For $80 a night, you get a great room, with a bath (yep, mom-finally had a bath), a balcony over-looking the lake, mini-bar stocked with water (no alcohol is sold on the premises b/c the owner is Muslim), and they have a pool and beach. We organized our "chimp safari" for the 8th. You have to charter one of their boats for $400 and then pay a $100 fee at the park entrance. Of course, you also have to pay for guides and have tips available as well.

The trip to Gombe was great. So serene. We didn't have a fast boat and that is why it took 2 hours and 10 minutes but at least it was pretty quiet as we didn't have a loud motor. We passed fishing villages that have no roads connecting them to Kigoma. It is hard for me to imagine being SO isolated but at the same time it sounds romantic. They have to "boat" over to Kigoma to get supplies every week. And, literally, all they do is fish. You see men coming back in the morning from their overnight jaunt on the lake. We exchanged thumbs up signs and they showed us their catch. It never seemed that much-like 10 fish or so-but it must add up somehow and allow them to at least have a subsistence living. Steep, green hills greeted our view as we motored to Gombe. I have figured out why things are so green here: it rains a heck of a lot--in fact, we experienced a severe pounding about 30 minutes from the entrance to the park. I don't know how the captain could see anything but luckily we were pretty close to the shore.

By the time we reached the shore it had abated to a slight drizzle, we were led to the "luxury tented camp area" to pick up our guide and waited with a nice cup of coffee (I haven't suffered on this trip for lack of coffee-maybe for lack of GOOD coffee, but not for instant--which in my mind is better than nothing). We paid our fee, picked up our "official chimpanzee tracker" and our guide, our tracker, and Joachim and I were off to see the famous chimps! Gombe National Park is only 52 square miles and is the smallest park in Tanzania; however, it hosts quite a bit of diversity: baboons, monkeys, snakes, chimps, lots of birds, mongoose, and insects. It is a series of steep hills (highest is approx. 4500 ft) and low valleys. And, it is ever green. This piece of land and lake is at a nexus too for you can see Burundi to the north (very close to Gombe), the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) to the west, and although you can't see it, you can take a steamer to Zambia to the south.

We immediately ascended a steep hill to a clearing area and heard the chimps! Exciting to hear their hoots and howls. We laid still for an eternity to hear their next call so we knew where to go. We up and continued along the steep path. Along the way, our guides would point out trees and local fruit that the chimps like to eat. The mubungu fruit littered the forest floor; it is a small, yellow fruit that turns bright red when too ripe, whose insides are like a tangerine yet the flesh is skinny and you have to eat around a pit or eat the pit which is very sour. I must say that this fruit is delicious and has both a sweet and sour taste. Seeing half-eaten ones is one clue that chimps have been around here. Here and there, our guides would motion for us to be silent, we would wait for a seemingly long time, and start again. They said it is tough to find the chimps and if they go to the valleys then it is a lost cause. I was hoping that we would be successful not only b/c we paid so much money but I wanted to come back to NCMC with pictures for my students. And, of course, I wanted to see these famous chimps that I was captivated by when I was an undergrad taking Anthropology classes at Univ. of Michigan. There are clients who pay all this money without ever seeing one chimp.

All of a sudden, the tracker's radio went off and another tracker was relaying information about a chimp sighting. We immediately ran up this steep path but didn't come across anything. We went down again to intercept them another way but were out of luck. The radio went off again, we hurried up the incline, and this time we saw GAIA, a female, idling walking up the path, showing us her swollen butt. How exciting! We tooks pictures, followed her, and then she joined another male, Apollo. We lost them in the dense forest. Our guides told us that since we weren't having much luck sticking to the well-worn paths, that we would hack through the forest. Great! I almost fell several times due to the small strangler vines that find their ways around your legs. It was all worth it though as we came upon two more male chimps: Wilke and Frodo. We had about 15 delightful minutes with them. The chimps here are habituated b/c of all the people that have studied them so they didn't seem to mind our presence. Wilke was the closest one to us; we were about 10 feet away. He was super-relaxed, had one foot balanced on a tree, groomed himself repeatedly, and occasionally would look our way to see what we were doing. To actually look in their eyes and have them do the same is magical: you have an instant recognition that we are not too far off the evolutionary chain. Most of the pictures that I posted are of Wilke, who at one time was an alpha male: now, he is 34-my age!--that is considered a bit old in chimpanzee life!

I can't say enough about chilling out with the chimps. Go if you have a chance. I would go back in a heartbeat. And, the forest itself, is unbelievably gorgeous. Not too buggy at all. The only thing that bugged me were the little safari ants that somehow crawled up my pant leg and began biting me. Oh well--I squished those little suckers!

Our guide and our tracker invited us to have a drink with them afterwards to celebrate and share comraderie. It was fun. There were two other people from Tanzania that joined us and wanted to ask me about American politics. Surprisingly, they were well-informed and were voting for Obama! I told them that he was a likely winner.

We got back to the hilltop hotel late; I lost track of time because I was enjoying the bantering and we didn't leave until 6:30 pm. That meant one hour on the lake in total darkness. You would think that the boat has lights; of course not!-we are in Africa. Luckily, the captain and his mate know the lake very well.

The rest of the time in Kigoma, we relaxed at the pool, went swimming in the lake, and read! I am almost finished with Paul Theroux's "Dark Star Safari" which recounts his overland travels from Cairo to Cape Town. He tooks trains, buses, taxis, and planes whereas we are taking much slower transportation. Amazingly, a lot of his observations are dead-on! A book to recommend.

While 23 of my fellow riders are on safari for the remainder of our vacation, I am in Arusha, having some alone time, catching up on email/blog, and thinking about my research and the next plan of action. I couldn't afford to go on a safari. Bummer, but thankfully I did go on safari here with my team of Mt. Kili climbers 2 years ago! It was an incredible experience then and in some ways I didn't want to "ruin" the memory.

We depart in a few days. For the rest of the time, I will be organizing, reading, figuring out my research, and enjoying some unparallelled alone time!

Ethiopia-Part 2

2008-03-05T05:03:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Addis Ababa on Feb. 18th! Surprisingly, there was quite a climb throughout the day to reach the meeting place where we assembled into a convoy to begin our descent into the city. The fastest cyclists arrived at our meeting place at 11:30 with the last one arriving at 2:30 pm to the roar of cheers from other riders and the Ethiopian riding team. The patriotic Ethiopian cycling team led the way down to Addis with their flags draped around their bodies. Before our group of 60 left we enjoyed taking pictures with them.

We spent two rest days in Addis before our 8 day trek to the border of Ethiopia and Kenya. Rest days are really not "rest days." They are filled with chores like: laundry, internet, cleaning and fixing your bike, and repacking. However, we do enjoy the more relaxed pace. The highlights of the rest days in Addis Ababa were a fabulous Indian restaurant and a massage. The massage was unlike any other massage I have received in the past. You first jump into a huge bath tub (Mom-my first bath in Africa!) and they fill it with hot spring water. You sit there soaking and then this lady comes in and uses a high pressure hose to give you an underwater massage-feels good on your pressure points. Afterwards, you are led to the massage table where you receive a full-body massage. I was in heaven! She worked hard on my cycling legs and I could feel a difference afterward!

From Addis Ababa we traveled 1166km or 722 miles to the border town of Moyale. To me, I enjoyed this section of Ethiopia the best. The views as you ride are just amazing; once you get up one hill you usually have a wickedly fast and curvy downhill which is exciting, it is totally green (unlike Sudan), and there are lakes in this region. The soil color changed a bit to this deep and rich volcanic red which made the landscape more brilliant. And, the people changed: we saw many different ethnic groups as we passed through the southern section of Ethiopia: the Borno and Sidamo. As someone interested in anthropology, I totally enjoyed witnessing the differences in dress (long pieces of fabric draped around them), jewelry (lots of beaded necklaces with metal watch bands hanging down the center), hair styles (short braids on the top and long braids from their neck on downward) and behavior (much more reserved) than other groups located in the north and west. I also got a chance to see a World Heritage Archaeological Site which consisted of a group of upright slab stones with symbols of axes, headdresses, and circles carved on them.

One highlight in this riding section was going an extra 2km down a dirt road to visit a crater lake (Ara Sheta). It is like a hidden jewel of this small village. We biked up the dirt path to the top to see a huge crater filled with bright green water. Wow! Some people went down the precipitous path to enjoy a cold dip, others biked around the crater, while some of us were content to gaze down upon its beauty. What had just preceeded this beauty was a terrible event.

Apparently, one of our female riders crashed into an Ethiopian girl. The TDA (Tour d'afrique) staff told us that every year one of our riders "takes out" an Ethiopian because there are so many of them to begin with, lots of them can't hear us coming, and some plainly step into our path. Our fellow rider was badly shaken, ended up having to have stitches put in by our team doctor on her arm and leg: she couldn't ride for 4 days. The TDA staff had to pay the girl's family $100 birr which is about $11.00. Things got a little harry because people want to cash in on this mishap and soon there were lots of people who had NOTHING to do with this girl surrounding one of our trucks with big rocks threatening to smash the truck. It was at this point that Duncan, our tour leader, showed up and told us to leave the crater immediately because he didn't want us getting stoned. Stoned! What? But, you know mob mentality and things can happen quickly. In the end, everyone was ok except for some bad road rash. The Ethiopian girl was ok too.

So, this is our 2nd serious injury of the trip. As I mentioned before, all of us have been subjected to rock-throwing children. A couple of people have incurred large and deep bruises and hurt egos. Luckily, I was never hit hard. It is a weird thing for all of us to comprehend, this rock throwing. We don't know why they do it as this is the only country that we will go through where this happens. Our tour director even went on national Ethiopian TV one time and talked about how dangerous this is to our riders. Even from the Ethiopians that we ask we don't really get satisfying answers; they say, well, those people are not educated. The kids don't know where we come from so it can't be animosity towards the U.S. Perhaps they are bored or angry at their deprived conditions. What I try to do whenever I see kids or adults (which is the majority of the time we are riding) is to say "hello" in their language and "how are you." This seems to disarm them for a while until you can safely pass out of rock throwing distance.

Some of the pictures I am posting are of the Ethiopian cycling team and me, me with a bottle of Tej (traditional honey wine that men drink by the gallons), residential huts which is the main architectural style for homes, the stone slabs from the world heritage site, the crater, kids, and "qat"-a plant that the locals chew and swallow which acts as a stimulant.

Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

2008-02-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

Luckily after 2 grueling days we had a very easy day into Bahir Dar, a city located on Lake Tana. Everyone was very excited to have some time off to recover their legs and a p-party celebration at 8:00 pm. You had to dress up as anything that started with a "p". We got to Bahir Dar fairly early (around 1:30 pm) and after eating and exchanging money people went shopping for accoutrements for their costume. I went as "Poncho Villa" as I had a poncho! I was hoping people would get the "cleverness" of my idea but most people didn't have a clue. I had two toy guns, a belt as a holster, a red bandana and hankerchief (sp?). I also painted on a moustache with black eye-liner. People were very creative and we all had so much fun. Examples of costumes were: potted plants, peacock, permanent bag, PVM energy bar, pope, pampers, an African pygmy, a general practioner doctor, 2 proctologists, peanut butter man, 2 Peter Pans, a present, 2 punks and a picture frame. We got loose on the dance floor as several IPODS were hooked up to their sound system. Believe me, this party was much needed! The next day I decided to visit 3 famous monasteries on Lake Tana. How great it was to be on a lake again! I miss my Lake Michigan. The water was cold, the boat ride relaxing, and the monasteries intriguing. The islands that they are located on are lush and filled with coffee, mango, and papaya trees. Amazingly preserved 11th century paintings of stories from the bible yet given an Ethiopian slant are plastered inside the monastery walls in bright blues, reds, yellows, greens, and black. They are a sight to behold. We were told that the monks pray from 3-6 am and stop when the rooster crows. I am not sure how many dedicated monks there are but if I were to become one (actually a nun) I would pick this area because at least you would have lots of natural beauty that surrounds you! Not only in Bahir Dar, but there are many Christians in Ethiopia. As we have been riding, almost every person we have come across is wearing a cross of some fashion, even the kids. What we have heard is that the Christians live in the highlands and the Muslims live in the low-lands.

The rest of the time was spent doing laundry, drinking coffee, eating great food at the hotel restaurant, attempting to use the slow internet but giving up, tinkering with our bikes, and arranging our red box/permanent bag system!

The next 5 days of riding to the capital, Addis Ababa were also challenging but fun. The highlights were great scenery, rich agricultural fields, curious kids, lovely camp sites, awesome descents, a broken collar bone (we are not supposed to mention names on our personal websites but just know that this person is ok, doesn't need surgery, but will have to take 4 weeks off of riding), a mild concussion (not me again but a male rider who avoided a kid running across the road trying to catch him off balance and a car trying to overtake him on a curve; he is ok too but shaken up-so are the two girls who witnessed it), and on a positive note: the BLUE NILE GORGE! So far, two mild injuries are pretty good. You never know what can happen in Africa but I do promise to be careful!

The Blue Nile Gorge is what we had been anticipating for quite some time. We had heard of the infamous 20 km descent and 20 km ascent up tight switchbacks and scorching heat. Because our previous day ended 10 km earlier, we had to add it to the enormously calorie burning day. Anticipation was high in the morning. We ascended about 500 meter before getting to the edge of the gorge. The lunch truck was positioned here and we made sure to eat much more than usual: 2 tuna sandwhiches instead of one, a banana, oranges, a power bar, and fast fuel. The descent was awesome. It wasn't paved the entire way so we endured lots of fun jostling on our bikes. It's hard to believe that our bikes can survive the stones and corrugations. It kept getting hotter and hotter as we descended the 1400 m to the bridge that extends across the Blue Nile. You are not allowed to take any pictures at this point because of national security and our tour leader, Duncan, keeps reminding us that if you do, you'll be shot! Duncan was there right after the bridge for the people doing the time trial to refill their water/fast fuel and grab a banana. Yep, I decided why not time trial it. I wasn't too serious about it but just wanted to have fun. He said that it typically takes people between 2-3 hours. I was set: 3-2-1 go. The first two kilometers almost killed me! It was 40 celsius but I just kept telling myself that every hill you climb it'll get slightly colder. It worked! I had to stop 3 times: once for a potential biting dog, and twice b/c my camel back was leaking. Other than that, I made it up all the way without stopping. Let me tell you, this 12km was a major accomplishment. It was lovely in terms of the gorge that you were able to gaze upon when you had a breath (which was few and far between) but completely and utterly exhausting. I pushed it up the last 2 km as fast as I could because my stopwatch was turning 2 hours and 50 minutes. I made it in 2:57. I collapsed afterwards for about one hour, rested my legs on top of my red box, and had a recovery drink of milk,sugar, and tea! When I finally had enough energy I walked over to a great view of the gorge and took it all in. What a day! Our fastest rider made it in 2:37 minutes. Wow!

Entry into Ethiopia

2008-02-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

Our group of 60 odd riders entered Metema (border city of Ethiopia and Sudan) on Feb. 7th. Entering was without the usual bureaucracy; just a stamp here and there, a chat with the police and then a 2 hour wait for the Ethiopian officials to hand-write the information from our passports! Hah! While waiting we enjoyed our first cold beverages since the dry country of Sudan. That first night in Ethiopia was busy; we had to put on knobby tires for the rough terrain, change money, and try and get showers at the local brothel. Yep...border towns are seedy!

The next two days were exceedingly tough and we had all heard from one previous rider that most people lose their EFI status (biking every day during the tour and never hopping on the support trucks) in Ethiopia. All we had to do was to make it two more days until our rest day in Bahir Dar. The scenery is gorgeous with undulating hills, mountains in the distance, curious villagers, and dirt roads. Since my exposure to American media I have always believed that all of Ethiopia is dry, dirty, and extremely impoverished. Well, the poverty and dirt are true and there are the kids that have flies stuck to their faces but it is also an extremely pretty country. Who knew! As we rode along kids would pop out of their houses to run and greet us. It is true though: Ethiopia has a TON of children. The music that you hear as you ride is a cacophony of children's voices that yell "you, you, you," "give me one birr," and "where are you go!" Who taught them English? Several times I would stop and try to teach them the proper way of saying "where are you goING" and to greet us with "hello" instead of "you, you, you" but my efforts failed me! My Amharic is getting better though and I can say "hello" (salaamno), "good-bye" (chiao, chiao), "my name is" (semie Kerri), "thank-you" (amasayganalo), don't throw stones (dinguy atawerewere) and "how much is this" (sin ta know). I try and greet everyone that we pass (and believe me when going through villages this is a lot) because we are tourists in their country and I feel it is polite. I am also hoping to dissuade some of the youngsters from throwing rocks/sticks at us. Yes, we have heard that this is quite common in Ethiopia. And, several of our riders got severely pelted with rocks (lots of bruises and bruised souls) and one rider got "attacked" with sticks by four teenagers while climbing a hill. That's the problem there are so many hills to climb that you are fair game as you just can't go that fast! On the second day in Ethiopia (and the hardest so far) while I was climbing a hill these kids offered to push me, well, they don't take no for an answer. So, while pushing they were also sifting through my bike bag. I realized this too late. A rider that I was with chased them and recovered my pad of paper (Shanna, you gave this to me and it has been invaluable). They got away with my bike lock! Since then, I have become more ingenious with bungee cording my bag and sticking the zipper pulls inside the velcro to make it harder for them. Aside from this incident, I really have enjoyed biking through Ethiopia and find most of the kids and adults extremely pleasant, friendly, and interested in what we are doing.

I do want to describe the second riding day in Ethiopia. It competes with the toughest day in the Nubian desert in Sudan. Right from the get-go, we were climbing. It took us 4 hours to go 30k or approx. 18 miles. If you look at the GPS read out, it goes straight up! I felt surprisingly strong though and although I was slow on the hills, I never once got off the bike! We didnt' even get to the lunch truck until 1:45 pm. At this point, several people decided to get on the truck as the afternoon promised to be tough as well. Well, it was! However, there was still fight in me and I wasn't sick like a lot of people who were suffering from nausea as well as diarrhea. At km 94 we saw one of our trucks. We were speeding down this dirt hill and applied the brakes hard. Duncan, our tour leader was there to give us final instructions! We had another 12km climb to the Goha hotel. And, PAVEMENT! It was a huge relief to hit the pavement and we got a little cocky and got a coke. Hmmm...not necessarily a mistake but what we didn't realize is that these 12k were practically all uphill. And, the last 2k were switchbacks up to the hotel. Seriously punishing, especially after a long day's ride! There were many congrats when we reached the top and people looked truly wasted! That day we were riding for approx. 10 hours. The thing that saved me was the temperature. The heat was killing me the past few days and this day, Feb. 9th we had some cloud cover and it really wasn't that hot, only about 85 F. I still can't believe it was possible to bike for 10 hours with only a 45 minute break for lunch. Still EFI! Our reward was a hotel room and a great Ethiopian buffet!

On a different subject, In terms of what people do here, it seems that most are farmers or pastoralists. I have never seen so many people with stick in hand herding their animals. Lots of donkeys, goats, and cattle. No more camels like in Sudan. Kids learn how to take care of animals early And, lots of road kill. You'll see the odd dog splattered in the middle of the road (so sad-I cringe every time), as well as a donkey that had its last breath and collapsed on the side of the pavement. As far as I can tell, they farm garlic, onions, teft (a grass like product that they make injera (the fermented spongy bread) into), potatoes, tomatoes, and hot peppers. They also have mango, papaya, banana, and coffee plants. Ethiopia is known for its coffee and I must say it is good. It is never served in Starbuck proportions but it isn't that expensive either! It is different from the Sudanese coffee which is spiced with ginger and cardamom.

Khartoum, Sudan

2008-02-03T01:52:00.000-08:00

First of all, I would like to say that I really appreciate everyone's comments to my posts. It is fun to read them, they inspire me, and I feel connected to y'all! Even though I don't have the time to respond to everyone's comments, I am thinking about you as I read them. Also, I apologize in advance for spelling/grammar mistakes; long days of riding as well as "funky" Arabic keyboards are to blame!

It took us 4 days from Dongala to get to Khartoum. Our riding schedule consisted of 130k, 140k, 130k and 96 k. Most biking days we had a tailwind and plenty of tarmac. So, reaching 30k or 18-20 miles/per hour wasn't hard at all and sometimes we were pushing 26 m/hr on a mountain bike which is the fastest I have ever rode my bike except on downhills! The vastness of the desert is amazing; aside from the tarmac desert is all around. Along the road we encountered many pastoralists who make their living trading camels and camel products as well as sheep and goats. Every once in a while, while riding you come across a huge caravan of camels about to cross the pavement. For a stretch of road we also passed the "camel cemetery" as there were dead camels half-buried in the sand on either side of us. Poor camels.

The hardest part of this stretch has been the occasional headwind as well as the stinging sand coming across the roads. The wind is almost always blowing. Needless to say, sand is in everything: eyes, food, toothbrush, coffee mugs, tents. One night the wind didn't stop and before we went to bed we had to unclip the tent and shake it out as a layer had already encapsulated our sleeping bags and mattresses. Oh-and going to the bathroom deposits sand in places that you would rather not have bothered. But, as we say this is the cheapest spa treatment ever!

Once again I am amazed at the weather. It has been downright cold at night and in the morning sometimes we have woken to temps in the 40s. My hands have been so cold cycling in the mornings that it almost reminds me of the North Pole! :) Who thought deserts were warm? Of course, it warms up during the day but not until around 1:00 pm. I have been cycling in my long sleeve merino wool icebreaker jersey every day thus far. I have a feeling I will be switching to short sleeves once we reach Khartoum.

We had a police convoy into Khartoum that actually was efficient. Escorted by tourist police, we cruised for about 20 miles through the western side of the capital. Once again we were a spectacle; loads of people lined the streets watching us. Our film crew was busy capturing it all. Crossing the main bridge over the Nile we spotted the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers. No-you really can't tell a color difference. We were led to the National Camping Residence where Sudanese male and female runners train. Because we are ahead of schedule we will have 2.5 rest days. My tired legs could use them!

After setting up camp, we all ran to the showers which were the best we have encountered so far. And, warmish water to boot. Feeling clean again does wonders to the soul! That night several of us went to see the "Whirling Dervishes" a mystical sect of Islam where twirling around in circles to the drum beats gets you closer to "allah." It is a type of religious ectasy. Their ceremony was not meant for tourists but now it has turned into quite the attraction with local people setting up little stands for shay (tea) and coffee and loads of them forming a large open circle to watch the music and dancing. The religious ceremony happens every Friday, outside of an old looking, green painted mosque. Men in long, white "dresses" line up and face each other across a self-imposed circular sand courtyard. They start chanting and the other side answers them. The drumming starts out slow and then increases with intensity. You can't help but move. Seemingly random, some people who are "feeling" the beat move to the center and start to twirl themselves into a trance like state. All the while this man with dreadlocks, dressed in a red and green "dress" and yielding a big stick goes round and round the circle of spectators making sure the courtyard remains open for the dancers to whirl. A man with a red and green "sorcerer's cap" follows the steps of this man and offers to fan incense into your face. I haven't smelled that good in days. We didn't quite know what to make of the experience but it was surely interesting. Afterwards, we lucked into finding a pizza joint and woofed down some large pizzas.

Khartoum is a sprawling city. It is dusty, warm, and there isn't much to admire. We are staying 10k south of the "main" center and the landscape is composed of half-built low-cement buildings, shops, and a large shopping mall. Yes, a mall. With Gloria Jean's coffee shop located there, a lot of us have been willing to pay the $4.00 for a cappuchino. It is an expensive city as well. Some folks checked out Nubian wrestling and the souk, which is the largest market in all of Sudan.

We are off to the southeast tomorrow towards the border town of Gallabat. It should take us 4 riding days. Once we reach Ethiopia we will begin climbing! I pray for even stronger legs. It is widely known that Ethiopian kids will try and take anything they can off your bike so I'll need the legs to cruise past them. We won't be able to casually leave our bikes and items around as we have done in Sudan.

Oh-we are NOT going through Kenya. We are all disappointed but in light of the recent "ethnic cleansings"/"fightings" b/c of election disputes our tour director has made the appropriate decision. Besides, most people's insurance policies would disqualify them since we would be voluntarily entering an area of "civil unrest." We will bike until the border of Ethiopia/Kenya and then will have approx. 12 days in which to occupy ourselves. I might do the Serengeti again or try to explore the more remote areas of the Gombe National Park and Mahale Mountains where groups of chimpanzees live. Several groups of riders are talking about attempting Mt. Kilimanjaro and relaxing afterwards in Zanzibar Island.

I assume we won't have internet access until Gonder, Ethiopia. I hope you are all enjoying winter!

Oh-the people pics are of Ashleigh and Josh, our expedition riders who won the 20k time trial. Let's just say, it wasn't my best day! Congrats to them!

The Nubian Desert-Jan. 24-27th

2008-01-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

Beautiful, colorful, dusty, bumpy, sandy, rocky, hilly, inviting at times, and always foreboding. This has been the toughest part of the Tour d'Afrique so far. The first day was a wake-up call. First part of the day was encouraging as we did some off-road riding and then we hit the tarmac where we cruised to speeds of 30 k. Lunch was a nourishing blend of tuna, tomatoes/onions, cheese, in a pita bread with apples and oranges for desert. After filling up with 2 liters of water and 1.5 liters of Fast Fuel (an energy replacement drink), we took off expecting to find more of the same. Nope! It was a slow grind as we had sandy hills to climb, some all out sand sections which were nigh impossible to spin through unless you put the bike into your easiest gear and crank the heck out with your legs. Lots of falls happened on that day: thank god for the soft landing. Despite this, it was pretty as the colors change as the sunlight makes some parts of the hills come to life and leaves others in the shade. Although there are only a few green trees to be found, I found shades of yellow, brown, and blacks that I had never seen before. At mile 60 we were seriously wondering where camp was as the sandy "road" was wiping us out. A few more miles ahead we saw the finish flag that signals our camp site. This was a great camp site: we were nestled into this concave valley of sand and protected by granite sand peaks around us. My fellow riding partner, Joachim Loeffel, shot a great pic as the sun went down which captured the pink hue above the hills. We had an hour long bike maintenance clinic which started at 4:30 pm. Gosh, we had biked from 8:00-4:00 pm. That is a day's of work. Dinner was a big pot of spaghetti and salad which consists not of greens but of onions and tomatoes in a creamy sauce. I had seconds.

Next day was tougher. We tried leaving a little earlier to make it to camp sooner to have more daylight: it gets dark around 6:30 pm. Ok-I am going to get a little graphic. My butt was so dang sore from enduring all those bumps from the corrugations in the road. Needless to say I did an "inspection" and it is NOT pretty. Bumpy, red, and inflamed. I have been using a diaper cream to help it heal: no wonder babies cry when they have diaper rash, it hurts! After a while your butt does get used to the grinding and you get semi-comfortable in your saddle. I have been reapplying the chamois cream laboriously too! It has been helping. The highlight of this day was going through some small Nubian villages along the Nile. The kids lined the streets to slap our hands and towards the end of the day it got a little obnoxious with some of the teenage girls trying to hold onto your "high five" a little too long so you would loose balance and fall. Our yoga practice of balance has come into play! I gave away some NCMC pencils for which I received a "shukran" (thank-you in Arabic) and we got cute pics with kids. People always ask you where you are headed. We would answer with Dongala and Khartoum.

Passing through a town that never ended "Farka" was a treat for the eyes. Yes, it was still sandy but what caught your eyes were their brightly painted doors. Amongst the mud brick homes which are smoothed out to make a swirly pattern on their homes, you have pink and blue, green and yellow, and even purple doors. I wonder where they get the paint from? Blue seems to be the dominant color and I wonder what the symbolism is? In every village is a mosque which is surrounded by a mud-brick gate. We also saw many cemeteries which are marked with a pile of stones, a small headmarker made of painted wood with the person's name on it, on top of a small mound. Camp was by the Nile. We washed our bikes in it and I shaved my legs, all without thinking about shistosomiasis. Hopefully, I didn't contract anything. I did have a dream about a rabid cat who dug its claws into me, cutting my skin, and I had to be transported out of Africa to get rabies shots.

Day 3 in the Nubian desert: the toughest riding so far. I almost reached my breaking point. Thank god I switched biking shorts. My butt was very, very sore again but at least I had some more padding. Very corrugated semi-hard packed road: if you weren't giggling before you have a lot of loose skin now. Also, it feels like you constantly have to go to the bathroom! Your forearms also get a special workout as they are contracting to keep you on the bike as your tires are being bounced around to and fro! We climbed 541 meters and 1500 m for the week so far. The best part of the day was passing four women. We haven't had too much contact with the women and I told Joachim, whom I was riding with, that this would be a perfect photo op. As it turns out in exchange for an apple and some hard candies they obliged to having their picture taken. They were carrying kilos of rice on their heads and all wore colorful clothing against their dark black skin. The other interesting thing is that when we went through this village we were talking to the some children, some with flies on their face: the typical picture of Africa. And, she said in English: food for the children. She motioned to my camelback and my bike bag and I shook my head as I didn't have food in there. However, I was eating an energy bar but it was almost eaten. I offered it to her anyway and immediately she grabbed it, split it with her sister, and ate it with my teeth marks on there and all. She must have been starving, not the children. To conclude with this day, there wasn't much to eat at lunch as we got there so late, it was beginning to get hot, and we hit sand patch after sand patch, where you had to get off your bike and push it. It was annoying and frustrating and I had to let out a few expletives. It was a 10 hour riding day.

The last day before reaching Dongola and our rest day was finally a good day. I decided to teach my legs a lesson and pushed myself as fast as I could. I managed my nutrition better and ate more often and drank a lot. We had a variety of terrain but it got increasingly better and eventually we hit the tarmac for the last 20 k before crossing the Nile to Dongala via a ferry. The highlight of this day was asking in my best Arabic if I could see inside this house. A lot of us stopped for lunch and hung out on this mud-brick step that surrounded the large house. Since there were women around I felt comfortable asking them if I could have a look inside. I took the trouble to tell them that I was a teacher and I wanted to share Nubian life with my students. I poked here and there and they led me to this courtyard and around a mud-brick wall to their toilet. They thought I wanted/needed to go to the bathroom! I wasn't sure what they were thinking so I motioned to them that I didn't know what to do. Well, one woman came over, got on top of the pit toilet and started pulling up her dress to show me how. It was hilarious and I heard a lot of chuckling afterward!

Now we are in Dongala, staying at the old zoo. I had my first shower in 5 days-yeah clean hair! We managed to have chicken last night for a lot of money: they don't have chicken farms here. And, today was spent doing bike maintainance, organzing for our 5 day stretch to Khartoum (Tanya you would love it!), and exploring Dongala a bit.

You do have to obey Muslim custom and someone from the town complained about some of our females not covering their elbows. I have a head scarf that I bought, a long sleeve shirt on, as well as my sarong!

So far, I am healthy and happy! I will not lie though: it is tough!

I'll post some more from the capital of Sudan: Khartoum!

Wadi Halfa, Sudan-Jan. 22-24th

2008-01-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

After the overall enjoyable experience of the 18 hour ferry ride, we landed in Wadi Halfa, Sudan. Because of the construction of the Aswan Dam several villages were "relocated" to Wadi Halfa, which used to be an oasis of sorts and very pretty. Needless to say, Lake Nasser is pretty but there aren't many trees to speak of, mostly mud-brick homes and sand and dust. The people fought the government fiercly but guess who won!

I was super surprised at the efficiency of "processing" our bags: inspection was no more than us opening our bags and them putting a sticker on them. We were told to "hide" our electronics and anything valuable. Well, there was no need to worry. In the meantime I went to the falafel stand and managed to procure one for our 4k bike ride to our camp at the soccer stadium.

We set up camp outside of the soccer field amongst the sand. It was blowing like usual so you definitely need two people to help you. Getting to Wadi around 4:00 and setting up camp by 6:00 we decided to walk to town. It was a moonlit night and you really see the stars unlike even in northern Michigan. Once we got into town, people started offering to pay for our meal and tea. Sudanese people are known for their hospitality and wanting to pay for your food. We graciously accepted and sat down to a meal of fried fish and tea! The town is fairly small (although larger than Petoskey) and the men congregate around 3 TV's which are placed outside of restaurants to watch FOOTBALL (Soccer). It seems like a great way to bring community together.

As it turned out our support trucks which were on a different ferry didn't get to our camp in time so the next day was declared an official rest day. That means that camp meals are not provided and we have to fend for ourselves! We were all over the town that day: shopping for toilet paper and assorted sundries, having turkish coffees or tea, eating lots of falafel and/or fish, and going to the market. In the market we saw the obligatory fresh cow legs hanging from hooks with flies buzzing around, bananas, onions, tomatoes, okra, and grapes. Some guy wanted to try out my bike so I let him. Right as he got on another guy said to me in English, "he biggest thief in town." Thank god it was a joke and I got my bike back.

Wadi Halfa seems a town out of time. In fact, time itself moves slow. Everbody says "welcome" to you in English, tuk-tuks (ricksaws) and moto-taxis are buzzing around as well as donkey carts loaded with various things being prodded by their drivers, and men stopping to talk and eat. We don't see too many women outside as they are probably taking care of their kids.

After a day of relaxing, we returned to camp for some bike maintenance and the changing of tires. I am proud to say that I managed to change my tires mostly by myself. We were told the next 4 days would be comprised of a variety of terrain: some tarmac, some hard-packed dirt, and some loose sand. I went to bed that night anxiously awaiting the day.

Leaving for Sudan

2008-01-21T13:38:00.000-08:00

Ring, riinngg! "Who's calling me so early this morning?" I thought to myself as I answered the phone at 7 am this morning.
"MOM, mom, it's Kerri", was the reply I heard on the other end. Needless to say I was no longer grumpy at being awakened out of a deep sleep! "I'm on a boat and we're on our way to Sudan, the Wadi Halfa entrance from Lake Nasser." She proceeded to tell me that she and the other bicyclists had climbed up a hill to the Aswan Dam Ferry Boat, climbed aboard and watched as all 70 of their bikes were loaded onto the top of the boat. She said it was completed with much organized chaos. Sudanese people were everywhere playing card games and/or using their iPods. She, happily, explained that she was able to have a room on the boat, as the "younger" bikers were to sleep on deck. This is really important as the trip takes between 18 and 24 hours!
Once they get into Sudan, they will be without having the luxury of internet cafes, and so will not be able to post a blog for a week or two. So, she asked her mother if I would post a blog for her! I'm not as eloquent as she is in describing her adventures, but I said yes. And just as I began to take notes, the phone call dropped! So this is all of the news I have. She did mention that she's doing well, having fun, enduring the daily aches and pains, and having some discomfort on her right foot due to a "bunion" of some sort. But is checking with the nurse for help in curing that ailment! (yea!! they have a nurse--oops, that's the mother coming out in me!)
Thanks for all of her friends and family support. I enjoy reading your comments just as much as I expect she does! Pray she stays strong.
Mom Fin
(alias Sue Finlayson)

Some Pics from the Trip!!!

2008-01-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

Luxor, Egypt

2008-01-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

The ride through the limestone mountains was a lot better than I thought. It was a steady climb for 40k. My riding companions for the day were Joachim, Maxime Allard (French Canadian) and Connor (the Irish bloke). We rode steadily through rather spectacular scenery: denuded mountains that poked out of a completely blue sky. If you have seen the 10 Commandments you can imagine the bare rocky mountain formations where hardly a tree grows. No wonder why the burning bush was such a big deal! The lunch truck was welcome and several people are already ditching the riding and stashing themselves and their bikes in the trucks due to hurt knees, ilial-tibial bands, and sore bums. The day ended with a strong headwind but it was only the last 15k's. The other thing of notice were these two young women with their flocks of sheep. There is nothing for the sheep to eat but they are hardy creatures. Once we got to camp we were told not to "use the bathroom" in a certain part of our camp as there are lots of snakes and scorpions. Apparently, they sprayed some poison to kill them. I haven't seen a snake or scorpion yet. In fact, I haven't even begun to take my malaria pills as we aren't in a malarial area yet. We had time to wash some clothes in camp and enjoy a beer at sunset. Sudan is a dry country so it is nice to enjoy a post-ride beer while we can. At dinner there is plentiful food and great conversation. My friend Natalia crashed today because her front tire hit Josh's and she totally got road rash. When I got to camp she was covered in iodine but has good spirits. I am sure she will be sore tomorrow.

It was cold during the night so it was hard to get out of the sleeping bag. January 17th was the most eventful riding of all. We rode only 54 miles from our desert camp to Luxor, the ancient capital of Thebes. We passed through rural villages where people are farming their narrow strip of fertile land with donkeys and lots of manual labor. We passed fields of large cabbages, radishes, alfalfa, and lettuce. This time we had a fan club and it felt like we were in the Tour d'France: kids would run along us cheering us on, wanting to give a high-five, saying hello, hello, hello, practicing their English. Sometimes it was too much because the odd teenager would try and slap your hard as hard as he could and it hurt. We also had the odd young child spitting at us but they didn't have the propulsion to hit us! I don't think it was done maliciously just out of being a young kid.

A funny point is when you are passing these military check points only to see it spelled "chick point." Seeing several of these misspellings makes me wonder if it was spelled this way on purpose!

Once finishing the ride and setting up camp at Camp Reziky we had a chance to take our first warm shower. Ah...to feel human again. The rest of the day was spent exploring Luxor, eating falafel for 2 Egyptian pounds-40 cents, walking along the Nile, and seeing the light show at the Karnak Temple. It was well done. You walk throughout the enormous columns and humongous stone carvings of gods to the sounds of two voices narrating a story of ancient Egypt. It really is hard to believe that I am here experiencing this for real what I only once read in textbooks and seen in documentaries. The largeness of everything is what has impacted me. You are completely dwarfed by the columns and temples. I can readily see how whomever lived here had the power and respect of the commoners.

Today, Jan. 18th was our official first rest day. It was spent doing laundry, buying water for our upcoming ferry ride across the Aswan Dam into Sudan. We also went on a tour to the West Nile and visited the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, and Ramesseum Temple. These seem to be located in the middle of nowhere; not even that close to the Nile. It is remarkable that Howard Carter among others even found these tombs. Everyone is allowed to see three tombs. The hieroglyphics are impressive in the depth of the carvings and the colors that have still persisted through time. Way down the shaft one always finds a heavy stone sarcophagus which workers had to slide on logs and ropes in order to get it deep in these shafts.

Tomorrow begins our ride to Edfu and then to the Aswan Dam. I probably won't have internet access for at least a week while we cross into Sudan and ride through the northern part. Entering Sudan, I think we will find who the true riders are: I heard that this is when the going gets tough. I am trying to rest a lot and I always seem to be tired. But, the body is holding up and other than a sore bum I have no complaints except for this lingering cold.

Take care!

Safaga, Egypt-on the Red Sea

2008-01-15T07:06:00.000-08:00

Today marked our 4th day on the road and 530 km or 318 miles so far. The first day was the toughest. We had a headwind of about 24 m/hour. It was all I could do to pedal into camp that day. The sides of my knees were aching, the "bunion" on my right foot was throbbing, and I was just spent. Luckily, I was in good company. We started the day out under the Tour d'Afrique banner next to the pyramids. Before I arrived to our starting point, I played dumb tourist and got cajoled into taking a camel ride from this Egyptian camel driver. It was thrilling to be on a camel walking alongside these ancient pyramids much like the ancient Egyptians would have but I didn't realize until I was up high on the rider platform that he probably wanted money! It was an amazing start to the day. After a quick rider briefing, we followed the police convoy until our desert camp. Biking alongside the highway for about 30 miles was not as bad as a thought. You just need to be wary of buses that pull off to the side to pick up people and then start again. Every Egyptian driver has been very friendly with cheers and lots of encouraging honks. They also honk their horns to let you know they are coming. Once we got out of the city that is when the headwind appeared. All I can say is tough, tough, tough.

I road with a bunch of different people the first day including the tour doctor, Dr. Luke. It is good to "get in good with the doc" I figured! We pushed up the last incline into camp and had about 10 minutes to set up my new tent before it turned dark. I had never set it up before, not good, but luckily I had lots of help from my new friends. Everyone has been so helpful and friendly. We are all interdependent so far and I hope that it stays this way.

The second day we biked along the Red Sea and we had an amazing tailwind. That tailwind made all the difference. Who would have known we could have covered the longest distance that I have ever biked without too much pain. We biked 168 km the second day which is approx. 100 miles. On a mountain bike nonetheless! We took pictures along the way and I got to know fellow rider Joachim Loeffel, a German, a little better. Lunch is always about half-way through the ride and is full of tuna fish, pita bread, some fruit, cheese, sometimes sandwich meat and refills of water and energy fuel. I have begun to eat the energy bars that PMV, a South African company has generously provided.

By the third day, about 8 of us have formed a peloton of riders who all go about the same speed. It consists of Joachim, Alex, Ashleigh, Harrison, Josh, Maxime, Natalia and me. We were "bad" cyclists and practically took over the road (there was hardly any traffic) and with the wind at our backs we all had Titanic moments! We have been working well as a team; they have been some issues-bloody noses and 3 flat tires. We all wait for one another and encourage one another when the going gets tough!

Yesterday we got into camp early-we camped besides an abandoned building. The Red Sea was a 10 minute walk away and since I had never been swimming in it, I just had to. It was as cold as Lake Superior but has beautiful greens and blues and the bottom was sandy. I got to wash myself off a bit in the salt water. Some of the young guys tossed a soccer ball around and some riders were like polar bears and stayed in the sea forever.

We had a fabulous meal last night for dinner: mashed potatoes, green beans, and beef with onions-all cooked in a spicy sauce. First time I went back for seconds. After dinner it is pretty cold in the desert so we pretty much return to our tents to snuggle into our sleeping bags. The alarm (aka "truck horn") goes off at 6:00 am and breakfast is ready by 6:15 am. There are bigs vats of porridge, Nutella and bread, jam, eggs, and tea/coffee. I am working on my system to make things a little quicker and become more organized but I figure I will get faster with time.

We usually take off about 7:30 am to start our day. Tomorrow is going to be another challenge as we start biking through the mountains to make our way into the Nile Valley and head for Luxor. I plan on going to bed early tonight. My tent looks out to the Red Sea as we are camping on a hotel beach tonight. Not too bad, eh?

I'll try and report the happenings in a couple of days. For now, know that I am well-fed, surrounding by like-minded active people, making astute observations, and suffering/enjoying the challenge!

Cairo

2008-01-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

Cairo is a busy, dirty, loud, friendly, and amazing city. I arrived at 4:00 am to my hotel. All went well and all pieces of my luggage has arrived. The next morning I met two of the riders that I have been communicating with by Facebook and we have bonded. A group of us toured the pyramids of Giza, and Sakkara yesterday. Very impressive and amazing that these marvels have withstood the test of time. The Sphinx had the most pull over me as you can get up fairly close and see the detail of the eyes, tail, and body. No wonder it's name in Arabic translates to "Beholder of Power."

We had an Egyptian lunch of goat meet, chicken, eggplant with baba ganoosh (sp?), pickled vegetable (yuck), fried dough balls and yummy bread. The bread is the best. I even got to hold a small lion cub for a photo. For a price, of course, but it was so cute I couldn't resist.

I have met a lot of riders so far. All are very nice, excited to ride, and worried about the same things (water, traffic, food, their bike, will they have the stamina, etc.) Good to know I am in good company. Tomorrow is our rider briefing where we will learn more of what to expect.

Once again, I must say how much I appreciate everyone's support, especially the community of Petoskey. This sabbatical is a little daunting for me. I am sure with time I will feel more comfortable. Biking through the traffic will be the first thing to overcome come Saturday morning. There are still some riders who haven't received their bikes and I do feel very bad for them. Hopefully, this will be resolved by Saturday. In Shallah or God Willing.

Take care everyone and I'll try to update in a few days.
Kerri Finlayson

Donations for the Tour d'Afrique Foundation

2008-01-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

Yeah! I achieved my goal of raising enough money to buy 30 bikes for African health care workers! Thank you family and friends for helping me out with this endeavor! I am so happy to be able to give something back to the people whose lands I will bike through.

To recap, this means that 30 health care workers will receive bikes that will allow them to reach rural malarial and AIDS victims that otherwise wouldn’t have received treatment. I appreciate your contribution that potentially creates a huge difference in the lives of one of the poorest peoples of this continent. Who knows if our donations will help one person become healthy enough to invent something that would increase agricultural yields, or promote peace among ethnic groups that are in conflict, or help to dismantle slum areas. All because of the aid from a health care worker that is able to reach them by a bike provided by your donation!

In case anyone who is reading this wants to "buy a bike" for an African health care worker, please go to http://www.tourdafrique.com/foundation/

It costs $100 to buy a bike but you don't have to donate the whole $100 in order to help! Even buying a 1/4 of a bike would be great!

Group Dynamics of TDA 2008

2008-01-06T05:46:00.000-08:00

Here is a breakdown of the group of riders.

There are 55 full-tour riders.
39 Men
16 Women

Nationalities represented: 15
21 Canadians
10 Dutch
6 Americans
4 South Africans
3 British
2 Swiss
1 Pole
1 New Zealander
1 Irish
1 French
1 Dane
1 German
1 Belgian
1 Australian
1 Austrian

Another thing that is interesting is that several of the riders (mainly 4 of mixed nationalities) have been communicating via Facebook over the past two months sharing wisdom, asking questions, joking around with each other, and generally wishing each other well in our packing, training, and travels. We have formed a sort of electronic primary group (for all my students reading this hopefully this will click with you!-if not, you will be tested again when I return!). What I am wondering is if this electronic primary group will actualize into a face-to-face primary group for the duration of the trip. Hmmmm...what is the hypothesis here, students? :)

One more observation to share. For months, I have been looking at the profiles of the full-tour riders and gathering information from their biography for my research. In my mind then, I have been imagining riding with these people and only these people (besides the staff members and occasional section riders). Just recently four more people have added their profiles and I have kind of had a weird reaction. For longer than a second, I thought "hey, what are these outsiders doing adding to our group?" Hmmm...I find that very odd because this is a gut-level reaction. To me, this type of feeling may shed light on the discussion of in-groups and out-groups and how powerful they are in our minds. To any of the new riders that recently added and who may read my blog, please don't take this as a personal offense! I will welcome you in Cairo!

In another blog, I will address the sectional riders and 10 support staff that will also be riding with us every day (well, at least most of them...hopefully not the cook though because I hope "Mad Dog" Miles will be preparing our food instead of riding!).

Going to Cairo...

2008-01-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

I have a few last minute things to do before my flight leaves from Traverse City, MI to Detroit, to Amsterdam, lay-over in Amsterdam for 9 hours (hope to spend time in a NW lounge learning a little Arabic via my iPod lessons and all my electronic gadgets - helmet cam, AlphaSmart Neo, etc.-bad girl...I didn't practice before I left!), and then onto Cairo where I arrive at 2:15 AM. I don't really like the idea of arriving all by myself that late but I do have an airport pick-up! I'll have bike in tow, 2 70 litre duffel bags and my Jansport 3 litre hydration unit. I will manage!

I am getting very excited now. Last night my parents and I watched J.J. Hilsinger's DVD that he made of his 2005 Tour d'Afrique expedition. It is filled with pictures he took of the trip mostly from the seat of his bicycle. He overlaid his voice during the entrance to each country giving an overview of what to expect of the roads, the people, and the scenery. African music played throughout. It was a fun, exciting, and also a little nerve-wracking overview of what to expect on this biking adventure!

Bon Voyage!

Packing List for Tour d'Afrique

2008-01-04T05:08:00.000-08:00

Ok-I know this is a little anal and usually I am not an anal person but I got the idea from Joachim Loeffel, another participant of the tour. Just in case you wanted to know exactly what I am bringing, here is the list. I followed the guidelines set by the tour in terms of how many shirts to bring along with pants, socks, bike clothing, etc. Where I took some personal freedom is what type of toiletries, first aid, and electronic gadgets to bring. And, of course, I chose what brands of clothing to bring. This may help you in planning your own expedition or it might not but I thought, what the heck, why not post it!

Travel Clothing: clothing packed in Eagle Sport travel packs to keep things separated (i.e. all non-bike clothing in one pack; all bike shorts and jerseys in another pack)
1 fleece jacket: Red Rose jacket
1 long sleeve shirt-pink; from the Sol umbra company; treated to 45 spf
1 long North Face Convertible Pants (I have hiked in these repeatedly) Kinda ugly but functional
4 t-shirts-white, off-white or pink
2 pairs of board shorts
6 pairs of underwear
5 pairs of socks-mostly smartwool cycling socks (keeps you cool and prevents smell)
1 sarong (doubles as a towel, beach towel, skirt, and sleepwear)
1 bra
1 pair of running shoes (Asics Gel Kayano)
1 pair of sandals-Orange Keen sandals
1 pair of thermal underwear (top and pants)
1 Headsweats hat with neck protector
1 Solumbra wide-brimmed hat

Biking Clothing
5 pairs of bike shorts-1 Nike, 1 $100 pair of Pearl Izumi, 1 $100 pair of Descente, 1 Cannondale, and 1 cheaper pair of Pearl Izumi
4 Sports Bras (2 Adidas, 1 Isis, 1 Under Armour)
1 pair of Nike cycling shoes (new but very comfortable)
1 Pink Helmet –a Giro Pneumo
1 long sleeve Icebreaker Biking Jersey
3 short sleeve biking jerseys-1 NCMC, 1 Pink Specialized, 1 Lt. Blue Pearl Izumi
1 Short Sleeve Ultralite 150 G/M2
1 pair of sweet Specialized Glasses (I can’t remember the kind but the lenses adjust according to the dark or light)
1 pair of awesome blue Oakleys-I can’t remember the exact kind either
1 pair large short biking gloves (Cannondale)
1 pair Louis Garneau full-fingered gloves
1 yellow Novara light jacket with zip off sleeves
2 ponchos in case of rain
1 pair leg warmers
1 pair of Specialized arm warmers

Miscellaneous
1 large pack towel
1 small pack towel specifically for face
4 bungee cords
1 pair of Velcro straps
Assorted batteries for camera, head lamp,
3 small journals that my friend Shanna gave me
Assorted pencils for children-200 or so
2 pencils
2 pens
Lonely Planet Guide to Africa-published 2007
A Biography of the Continent of Africa-by John Reader
Small Arabic Phrasebook-Lonely Planet
1 Tikka Petzl Headlamp
1 70 liter waterproof North Face Duffel (very good quality)
1 medium size REI waterproof duffel-4270 cubic inches
2 hydroseal pack sacks 6 litres, and 9.6 litres
Mini-sewing kit
Several large and small Ziploc bags
Harmonica

Nutrition for biking
9 Cliff Shots
3 Recoverite Packs
3 Perpeteum Packs
Fish Oil Gel Caps
Mito Caps-40 caps
Premium Insurance Caps-100 caps
Multi-vitamin

Tools
Alien Multi-tool for bike repairs
4 Bike Tire Levers
Small knife
Chain Tool
1 swiss army knife

Electronics
Dana Alpha Smart Neo-full-size keyboard to be used as my journal
Vio-sport helmet camera P.O.V. 1
Classic 80 GB Ipod
Sony Earphones
1 Sunlinq 12 Volt Solar Charger
Kodak EasyShare Z885 8.1 mega pixels camera
16 2 Gig Memory Cards
2 1 Gig Memory Cards

Camping Gear
Sierra Designs Orion AST Two-person tent with footprint
Thermarest ProLite 4 Regular
Icicle Creek Sleeping (15 degrees Fahrenheit) bag with medium Granite Gear pack compressor
Silk Bag liner-mummy size
1 spork, 1 double-walled titanium mug, 1 titanium bowl-all
Repair kits for thermarest and tent
Rope + clothes pegs to dry clothing
Duct tape

Bike Gear
Rear Bike Mount
Arkel Tailwind Bike Bag
Degreaser
Wet lube
Chain brush
Bike computer
Extra Bike computer + assorted batteries
5m Bike Lock
4 White Water Bottles with covered tops to protect the spigot from sand and mud
Jansport 3 litre hydration system-also doubling as my daypack and pack I am bringing on the plane

Toiletries
Malarone Malaria Tablets
2 Chamois Butter tubes; 1 Beljum Budder 8 oz.
1 Dr. Bronner’s soap
5 Hand Sanitizer Sprays
1 Cutter Advanced Bug Spray; 1 Jungle Juice Insect Repellant 2 fl. oz.
1 Crystal Roll-On Deodorant; Crystal Stick Body Deodorant (very small)
6 Hair ties
1 Trowel
1 pack Olay Daily Facials Express wet cleansing cloths
1 toothbrush
2 small tubes of toothpaste
1 floss
1 eyeliners
1 pack of tissue
3 stridex face wipes
1 nail clipper
30 tampons
1 tweezer
3 spf 15 lip protector
1 pocket soap (individual leaves of dried soap)
1 razor blade with 3 blades
1 small case of 30 Q-tips
1 4 oz of Mandarin and Myrrh Body Powder to put on top of chamois cream
Sunscreen: Solumbra Active 30 SPF, 3 fl. oz. ; 1 REI 50 SPF 8 fl. Oz.; 2 Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, 3 fl. oz.; Hempz SPF 30 4.5 fl oz.; Dermatone SPF 45+ 2.5 fl.oz.; 1 small REI 50 spf, 1.5 fl.oz. goes in my bike bag
Moisturizer: 2 SPF 30 Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer; 1 SPF 45 Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer
1 Pantene Frizz Control Shampoo and 1 Pantene Frizz Control Conditioner
1 Bb Leave-in Conditioner
1 Dove Ultimate Clear Anti-perspirant
1 tinted lip balm
Burt’s Bees After Sun Soother, 6 fl oz
Lollia Relax Hand Creme

First Aid
One tube of Electrolyte Replacement Tablets
1 small tube of Gold Bond Powder
1 hydrocortisone cream
Pepto Bismal Tablets
Sudafed
Allegra
Alleve
Ibuprofen
Claritin
2 instant cold packs
4 Slaonpas-Hot Capsicum patch for backache, strains, sprains
28 pills of Cipro (for infection and diarrhea)
1 Brave Soldier Antiseptic Healing Ointment
Tiger Balm
Assorted of blister remedies
Small flashlight
Alka-seltzer cold medicine

Spare Bike Parts
Assorted nuts and bolts
2 chain rings (small and middle chain ring)
3 chains
6 patch kits
13 spare tubes
Spokes for Mavic Tires
Brake and shift cables
Cable housing
3 sets of tires: 1 Continental Explorer Protection 2.25 x 26; 1 Continental; 1 Michelin 26 x 2.0; 1 set of slicks, 26 x 1.75-I can’t remember the exact brand
1 WTB Speed She Saddle
2 sets of brake pads
Collar and clamp for seat post
Seat Post
1 Cassette
Assorted spare parts that Jeff Nofts gave me free: derailleur (front and back), sprocket, etc.

Bike for the tour
2000 HomeGrown Schwinn-it was top of the line at one point
Mostly Shimano XT components
XTR Rear Derailleur
Mavic Cross-Max Wheels
Ergon Handle Bars
RX Women’s Specific Seat RX-922L
Time Clipless Pedals (I love them!)
Rock Shox Judy Fork

2007-12-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

Sault Ste. Marie, Canada and J.J.

2007-12-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

On my way up from Elk Rapids to the Sault, I drove through a bit of blowing snow and visibility was a little iffy. But, it was all worth it! I got to meet with J.J. Hilsinger, who owns the Water Tower Inn and has done both the Tour d'Afrique in 2005 and just finished the Silk Route Tour with the same company. He was a MAJOR help for me. At the same time, there is just so much to think about since talking with him that my head is a little muddy at the moment. He was most gracious though and offered me a bit of gin while we chatted in his office. He showed me his back room where a lot of gear that he took on the Silk Route Tour was in piles: tent, medications, spare parts, clothing, books, creams, and thermarests. J.J. reiterated how important it was to take care of your "bum." I just love Canadians! So, I will use the bag balm religiously on my own "bum" and monitor any sore spots to make sure they don't progress to lances or boils. Just so you know, bag balm is still around but is primarily used to put on cow's teats when one is milking them.

The main thing I learned from J.J. was to be independent. What he meant by that was to fend for yourself and try to NOT depend on anyone but yourself. Have everything that you need and be deliberate about where you put things ahead of time. That also means learning your bike inside and out and knowing how to change tires and having a system every day with your gear and your routine. He shared lots of tricks with me on how to minimize your gear (yeah right!), package it just so on your bike, and in general make your life on the road better. Part of this will require spending more money on my part. But, hey, spending money seems synonymous with Kerri these days and days past for those that know me!

After chatting in near darkness in his office, we had some dinner at his restaurant. Very nice! He invited a guy to dinner who is on his way back "home" to Manitoulin Island from a 6. 5 year bike ride around the world! A very interesting guy to talk to! We are supposed to meet tomorrow morning so we can watch J.J.'s DVD that he shot in Africa!

Thank god I have over a month left before I leave. Not much but still a month!

Thanks to J.J. for letting me pick his brain and giving me a HUGE discount on a room at his lovely hotel. I found him a most gracious person who has a heart of gold! Check out the Water Tower Inn the next time you are in the Sault, Canada!

My Research

2007-11-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

As most people know the reason why I am able to do this trip is because I was awarded a sabbatical from North Central Michigan College, which is where I have been teaching for the last 9 years. Initially, I was interested in looking at the broad subject of Group Dynamics and specifically leadership, conflict resolution, and group role formation. As with all ideas, they evolve. These ideas have coalesced into one main question which is: how do extreme adventure trips change people? I am defining extreme adventure as ones that last for more than one month in duration and have participants being active for at least 4 hours every day in an activity. I am intensely curious as the capacity in which these events change someone for the short and long-term. You may ask how I came to ask this research question? Well, it would be an obvious answer: THE NORTH POLE! The expedition that I did to the North Pole with 12 other women in 2001 led to me asking this question as I have contemplated over the years how this trip has changed me.

In the end, I am also asking how the group at large (in this case the 50 riders that are doing TDA 2008) influences or supports this change in the individual. I know that the 50 riders will break down into small groups of probably 6-10 people per group. I expect people to start hanging out with people similar in them to age and nationality. Gender will probably be an influence at first and then will cease to be that important. I will also be curious in these small groups the roles that develop as well as the norms. It might be hard to extract that sort of data but I'll certainly give it the college try.

I have constructed a pre and a post survey instrument that I am going to email to the riders that will measure how this trip changes them. I am hoping that most people will actually take the time to fill it out! I also have a free personality test for them to take, generously donated by Dr. Travis Bradberry and team of the Personality Code. Please check out their dynamic website at www.personalitycode.com

I will be making my research available to the Tour d'Afrique company upon my return as well as anyone that is interested.

46 Days until I leave for the dark continent

2007-11-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

Waves of anxiety, excitement, and periodic calm states have enveloped me since I have been earnestly training for this trip in mid-October. I am trying to tackle a lot of things at the same time: research, training, obtaining sponsorship, and learning to use the electronics that I will take on this adventure. Like most things in life, with patience and hard work things, even huge projects do come together. My research is finally beginning to take shape and I now have a personality profile as well as two questionnaires developed. My training is becoming cumulative to the point that I feel I have a solid base of athleticism in my body.

In the next 46 days I will increase my workouts. Try sitting on a trainer for 3 hours straight! I did that yesterday and I might up it to 4 hours in the next week. I am trying to get my butt used to my new seat. Jeff, my bike guy who owns Kinetic Systems in Clarkston, MI says that getting my butt used to the saddle is the best thing I can do for myself. Per the research end of things, I will send out the questionnaires and hope for 75% compliance! It would be great if all the tour riders responded but we know about surveys and lack of responding. I also have to buy a whole bunch of stuff before I leave.

I think packing will be the hardest part. If you know me, you know I like to bring a lot of stuff. Not quite at the minimalist stage yet! I am sure I will be frantically scurrying around my parent's house during the final few days trying to fit this into a bag and that into a bag.

Well, tonight I have a hot date with my Group Dynamics textbook so I must be off!

Picture of me

2007-11-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

Kerri

2007-11-09T11:52:00.000-08:00