Pacing onwards

Rwanda seemed very rushed, the minute I entered we were cycling at full pace heading to the capital Kigali to meet our irish friends we met in Uganda the night before. This was the first time where we crossed the border and arrived at the capital city on the same day. Songs are great to keep you occupied on your way; going up, up, up... and down “Everyday is a winding road, get a little bit closer...” by Cheryl Crow was the song of the day.
I could not compare or recollect any thoughts zooming through the vegetated valleys and platforms of rice fields... suddenly we were heading to town.

That night was St Patricks Night which called for celebrations. This was a reoccuring moto in Rwanda; many celebrations for many occasions mainly birthdays, the weekend, or St. Patricks Day which we celebrated twice on the Thursday and Saturday (there was good reason at the time!!) Being the country of 1000 hills we decided to take a bus to meet our VSO (voluntary service organisation) friends that we had met in Ethiopia for another party. The engine was a soothing effortless feeling, swirling up the green hills. Green they were; the heavy rain forcasted for the wet season fell and the roads turned into rivers.

Rwanda is small. It is the 15^th most densely populated country in the world. The hills are filled with corrugated iron rooftops and sloping tea plantations. Sprawled below lie divisions of water canals and the rice fields full of workers earning and maximising the farmland.

People talking about the hills and impossible cycling route of Rwanda left me with very high expectations. I thought of San Francisco, I got winding steady tarmacked slopes which was slow but definately possible.  My fitness had improved.  I had now been cycling the same distance as Steve had when I first met him - 8200km across Europe and the Middle East. 

After visiting a museum explaining all about the ghastly situation and affects of the very recent 1994 Rwandan genocide I was horrified. I couldn't help thinking and looking at things differently. People my age were orphans. A whole generation wiped out. Caged faces were potentially hidden but the elder people felt more reserved.

The children will be the new hope the ones that will be effected but will not remember.

The only person that opened up to me and actually spoke about the genocide mentioned the numerous positive factors that came from the shocking event...

1. People lined up for one bus which then departed instead of the conductors shouting, competing and getting people in their one bus of which there were several going in that same direction.
2. You have to wear a helmet on a taxi motorbike and each bike is only allowed to carry one person on the back.
3. People get points from police if you sell items on the street on an illegal pitch to make sure everyone has an equal amount of space to market their product.

There is organisation.  It is the closest I have felt to civilisation for a long time.
Soon enough we were back on the loaded bikes heading across to Tanzania - only 2 days cycling from Kigali. The Rwandan border was unforgettable; only Rwanda has this exit. We had to cross a bridge with the most energetic waterfall and river followed by a very steep climb linking one immigration office to another.   A beautiful strong country.  I am very pleased we decided to cycle across West on a loop from Uganda to Rwanda instead of keeping to the southern route.  Now back on track the journey continues to Tanzania...

Ease and Flow

Uganda; The place the people the vibe is one you have to experience. This was my favourite country to travel through so far as I slowly undertake East Africa by bicycle.

The world is changing while I am travelling. The Middle East is in turmoil, we are now in the century of the movement of the people. Just before we entered Uganda the presidential elections were taking place in the capital city Kampala. The elections were said to be rigged, everything was up in the air. We decided if anything was to happen as two white people on a bicycle we would not be the main target. I am very pleased we chose to enter Uganda, I have only great memories.

What a thrill; I had many life threatening, heart jumping experiences;

• Rafting down the River Nile - Grade 5 rapids


• Boda bodas (local motorbike / taxis) - One took us on a sharp left we just missed crashing into a herd of Oxs'


• Unlatched my front brake pads - I clenched onto the wrong brake lever going top speed down hill
  
  

  From Egypt and Sudan both Islamic countries where girls weren’t allowed out; to Ethiopia where clubs had one type of shoulder bopping music; then Kenya where people restricted their lives and talked about the amount of city crime (as a white person / muzungu I didn’t test it out). I finally let loose in Kampala. What a city, I don’t know why Winston Churchill called it ‘The Pearl of Africa’ but I will have to second him on that one for the safe fun friendly partying capital of East Africa.

  Kampala is full of good people. We went to the bars on boda bodas (local motorbike/taxis) to anywhere at anytime. I absolutely loved it and improved my fitness dancing throughout the night. I also found out it is possible to fit 4 people on one motorbike!!! Ok, there are not many rules and many accidents highlighted in the local newspapers which is why it is second on my list of life threatening experiences.
  

  

  
  There is still an obvious money divide as markets expand into malls on top of one another.Shops overflow onto the streets with anyone trying to sell something to make a living.
  The city centre is blocked with matatus (local buses) piling up diagonally in the one direction every vehicle is trying to get to.The transport centre spilling traffic forms smog and queues in this one area.Although the matatus are at standstill the gaps between the buses are more than active as people line up and barge through to reach their destination.As I pushed myself through this mass mess I was pleased to finally enter streets of moving vehicles.
  

Police riot vans made the situation very real and patrolled the streets as the local elections continued. I am lucky the elections were more than peaceful. The native people celebrated and held an election party in a field for all ages. Steve and I heard the music bouncing off the hills straight into our youth hostel so decided to follow the sounds and trekked in the dark with our head torches for miles to find the most relaxed free rave / party.

Part of me has to admit I did miss the rain after the 4 months of hot dry weather. It was lovely and refreshing when the heavens finally opened for the first time in Kenya. The storms produced clean cool smelling scents and stunning mist landscapes I highly appreciated while cycling on. Now I am facing facts the rain will start every afternoon and will probably continue throughout the night. Instead of waking up at 6 to get kilometers done before the heat attacks us we have decided to get up at 6 so we can finish cycling slightly earlier in hope we don’t get rained on.

Welcome to the tropics, to the green hills, to the rain, to the storms. The natural wonders have turned into valleys of rainforests and crater lakes.

As a cyclist I noticed and appreciated the effort that goes into the farmland. People depend on the rainy season to grow crops all year round. The organisation and preparation for the rainy season is outstanding. We passed dosens of banana and tea plantations filled with workers all waving and whistling at us as we cycled along.

The reactions of people I pass on my bicycle have really made me laugh out loud. My favourite are;

• Are you sick?
• How much are you getting paid?
• What are you selling?

And lets not forget the kids who seem to have there own level of energy and laughter.



Eco tourism is very prominent in Uganda. Most activities support projects in the local community. It made a difference as I handed over a large amount of money to do something I thoroughly enjoyed knowing it was going to the right people; being shared. This is the first country where tourism has noticeably been managed well and created a positive impact within the local communities. The locals all cycle and collect water in 40 litre yellow barrels from water bore holes which are dispersed at random. These were very handy fresh sterile free water supplies; we joined the community and filled up our water bottles.

For me Uganda has been a continuous trail of activities and adventure.The country has so many things to do and see and is relatively small compared to others I have cycled through.The cycling only lasted a maximum of 3 days until we were based at another backpackers’ campsite meeting a few more people, enjoyed sharing stories with the tourist and travelling world.
Joining the 'sights to see' on bike was therefore really interesting and broke up the days where I stayed in the tourist bubble. Interacting with the local people is always fun. We camped or stayed in really cheap simple guest houses and got provided a bucket of water to wash and a hole for the toilet. The balance of tourist (equipped) and locals (lacking in basic facilities) worked well. I realise now how adaptive I have become. I will never take a hot shower and not appreciate the every second the shower still flows.
My fitness must be improving as I rarely get constant pain in my legs.One steep off-road track comes to mind while cycling to the stunning Lake Bunyonyi in South West Uganda.The pain of used muscles in my legs was almost as painful as reaching 4 regular speed bumps in a row that you MUST brake for.This often disturbs all of my speed gliding at full pace downhill and I return to the slow snail for the next uphill.
The tourist activities are endless.

Queen Elizabeth National Park reminded me of the cartoon The Wild Thing I stood meters away from huge wild animals.

Steve and I canoed around the islands on Lake Bunyonyi filled with nature and organic architecture. This was a good team working exercise. After we both got over being controlling and stubborn, when we realised who was going to be the one to take charge we progressed and worked together drifting at speed through the safe waters (6500ft - deepest lake in Uganda / no hippos or crocodiles). This was essential as we had to push and fight with extra force to get into the harbour on time. The wind had picked up, the rain droplets were forming circular patterns on the water; the rainy season has begun.

I loved everything about Uganda apart from a few guys calling me Sir!! (my shaved head attracts even more attention). I have made a pact with myself to continue all plans whatever the weather and have succeeded so far, the rain will not defeat me.

Uganda was a very easy pleasant country to travel through although the rain has started to flow. I hope my tent I bought in Cairo designed for the hot Sahara weather lasts these two months of downpour.

The forests are alive with sounds

Insects bleak repetitive call create the bass

Lines of vapour

Non stop bird sirens

Water movements patterns

Monkeys high sway the trees

Creeks leaves rustles

Deep into the midsts overshadowed

At ease in the maze of vegetation

The world of nature covered

Hidden

Life fits into place
Surprises me at best of times
Such drama adventure suddenly becomes routine
Nothing to be phased by
Differences to be done by
The shocks don’t rock the boat
Just usual come and go
Or stay on the road
Few loops generally south
Few months still to pass
Then suddenly back at home at last
Will take our time
Lengthen the loops enough fruit
To go round, enough lime
To stand out
Sour taste in the mouth
All to give you strength change small ways
Stay independent never stop questioning every day
Ideas swing back at you as your thoughts step around
Through your travels experiences out and about
What a life

Around Kenya in 26 Days!!!

Some may know him as James Coneran; others as Jimmy; I know him as the boyfriend. The most understanding amazing boyfriend; Jimmy wanted to come out and experience my adventures. Nairobi was a perfect time to meet as Steve had taken the Lake Turkana route adamant to stay on his bicycle and I hurried through the bumpy unpaved bandit area by bus. Jimmy had his hard tail bike fitted with panniers specifically for the trip. We were also very lucky to find our mates, Glen and Jen from Ascot in Nairobi we knew they moved to Africa but it was a sheer coincidence they were based in the centre of the circle we were just about to explore. They lived in Karen, Nairobi; a stunning area full of flowers and colourful hedges pruned daily. I saw rounded horses with glossy coats being walked along the streets; this was a wealthy beautiful area. Our friends’ house had a long paved driveway and a washing machine and even a swimming pool! I couldn’t contain my excitement; I felt overwhelmed and very lucky my bicycle tan lines were ghastly. I now had a chance for my upper legs to finally reach out for the sun in a private place with a bikini on and not feel embarrassed. I had often tried and failed to eradicate my tan lines many times sitting in an open courtyard. The native people say hello and ask “Why are you sunbathing? It is too hot to sunbathe” in their amazing Kenyan English accent as they glide past in the appropriate dress wear covered up in colourful long robes. The local people do not sunbathe and would therefore never understand my need to bronze myself with the aim of having one colour skin allover.

So we caught up with Glen and Jen over the weekend as they both attend full working lives during the week. We hopped in their car and visited Mogady National Park, South of Nairobi on the way to Tanzania. We had a barbeque and camped enjoying the desolate scenic salt lakes and the extremely hot hot spring. As the maasai tribal guy directed us to the salt lakes I looked down at these dribbles of water. I was in two minds as to whether this was a big tourist con. I had moved miles from Ethiopia it was time to learn and not instantly judge at the first hurdle. Kenya for me has definately revived the power and faith of the tourist industry. It has so many natural wonders; crater lakes, geothermal activity on the earths plates, wildlife, national parks. Every area has been conserved and managed with an extortionate tourist entrance price. No tourists are ripped off; you pay for what you get.

As we drove through I saw giraffes trotting in slow motion and wildebeest. This was my first encounter of huge mammal wildlife just roaming around the flat plains and I soon realised this was going to be a regular event. Keep your eyes peeled at all times I was now on one big wildlife tour through the country of Kenya.
After the weekend we hit the road from Nairobi to Mombasa; Jimmie, I and our bikes. Jimmy who loves the speedy downhill cycling compared to the heavy strapped long distance luggage cycling stated it was like taking away his wings!!! This road was renowned for being the most dangerous road for speedy traffic in Kenya. I soon realised people don’t drive with their head screwed on. There was no common sense being used – if there is a car coming towards you, you should not speed up and overtake quickly! People often did and instead there were car stickers loving and thanking the Lord. It was their only hope of survival!! In Sudan people toot their horns to wave and say hello, in Kenya it is to get out of the road NOW.
It was a beautiful trip; I left industrial Nairobi and headed into the wilderness. This is how I imagined Kenya. A land of rolling golden plains dotted with acacia trees backed by dramatic hills and magnificent escarpment.

Every night was different giving Jimmy a good intake into my world!
On our first night we planned to wild camp and sat admiring some good spots as a local lady stopped and asked if we were ok. She directed us to an orphanage down the road which was perfect to ensure ourselves and all of our items were safe. We climbed a massive rock escarpment to get the full view and shadows of the savannah as the orange melted into dusk; a stunning sundown.

Second night we camped in Hunters Lodge by a lake full of exotic birds and cheeky monkeys that stole our breakfast mango. You can pretend you have a catapult in your hand and monkeys know the actions and run. Jimmy thought it was best to buy a really well made hand crafted catapult from a guy flogging them on the street.

This will no doubt be very handy for the rest of my trip if I come across some sticky wildlife situations.

Third night we stayed in self accommodation guest house and used our stove to cook dinner in the concrete courtyard rather than a fire. The rooms were filled with locals, lorry / bus drivers traveling to Mombasa.

The next day we had to cycle through a National Park and saw more wildlife. We cooked noodles to attract some of the more ferocious wildlife from the bush but there were none to be seen! As Jimmy was on his holiday we had an early start and had cycled 100km by 2 pm so had a half day and splashed out spending our fourth night at Leopard Lodge; a stunning area full of trees for shade to camp and a swimming pool. The heat was noticeably increasing going down to the coast so we thought it was quite appropriate!

Jimmy noticed the amount of attention you get on the roads; the friendly people, how everyone approached us. We often see locals cycling past and have conversations with them intrigued about their life and destination.
As I have often wild camped which is a completely different experience altogether I urged Jimmy to stop at a local village for our fifth, last night before Mombasa. The people of the village were waving frantically from the main road so Jimmy decided to investigate. The villagers were so interested in our lives and vice versa. As the second language in Kenya is English it was really great to be able to communicate sufficiently. This was quite hard in the last 3 countries I came from. We locked our bikes and joined the people on a mass firewood collection activity. We tasted and compared each others food and told stories and made comparisons by the fire until my eyelids could no longer open.


Arriving in Mombasa was fantastic; it always is when you spend that many hours cycling a day to reach your destination. We stayed there for 3 days relaxing on white sandy beaches and swimming in the warm Indian Ocean. I was used to the heat and thought temperatures were perfect.

Jimmy had come from one of the coldest English winters so he had another opinion! Maybe it was the heat slowing down our thoughts and making us lazy as we booked 2 tickets for the coach back to Nairobi to the cooler climate Jimmy dreamt of the mountains. We had 2 weeks left in total together in Kenya so every action from now on was decided knowing there was a strict time schedule. We agreed that it was impossible to complete all of our requirements including a downhill cross country race in North Mount Kenya on the 13th Feb to be back at Nairobi airport on the 14th Feb so we hired a car!!! For all the people who joked about me going on a massive holiday I admit I fully accomplished this in the last 2 weeks and have loved and appreciated every minute of it.

At least it was a circle of Kenya so I have not taken out any distance in kilometres between Cairo to Cape Town and this is the country Steve and I have decided to start doing some loops so if anything I will be adding on kilometres.

We drove through the Rift Valley ...


Up to Naivasha Lake where we left all items in the car and took off on our empty skeleton frame bikes and made our own cycle safari around the Lakes. We accidently cycled into private property which was stunning, peaceful and full of wildlife. We saw flamingos, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, hippos and gazelle and cycled straight past the guards at the entrance without any charge.

When I thought the day couldn’t get any better; we decided to follow the gospel church music and sat with locals playing drafts on a painted board with bottle caps, all kids flocked in to watch.

We kept cycling through ragged plains and finally visited Elsamere Foundation. If it was not for the buffet lunch sign we would never have entered and learnt about the interesting lives of George and Joy Adamson two British wildlife conservationists and authors – what an inspiration. Just another 3 books to add to my reading list; Born Free, Living Free and Forever Free.

That night not knowing it was unsafe to drive in the dark we headed to Mount Kenya. There was only one guy lying flat face down in the middle of the road at 12 at night. This was so you would stop while his team of friends jumped out of the bushes and high jacked your car. To put our mind at rest the rental company said the car was insured and if you were high jacked to just give them the car; no problem!!! We didn’t stop.

It was a long drive as there is a lack of road signs and that night we slept in the car. This was the start of the cold. I was not used to these temperatures my body had adapted to the warmth. We paid the extortionate price to enter Mount Kenya National Park for 3 days (this was the cheapest option - 150 dollars / 100 english pounds) and headed up the mountain.

For me this was a break from my bike, a walk in the park. I soon realised we were ill equipped and I thought it would be much easier than it was. Nevertheless it was the most beautiful trek from forests to moorland, to stone paths and scree. You are supposed to climb 500m a day to let your body adjust to the altitude but we didn’t know this and being eager beavers climbed from 2500m to 4985m in 2 days including a night climb to the top of the peak for sunrise!
We both went through ups and downs and took in turns helping eachother and feeling ill. There are no words to describe the sun; the rays of heat, the warmth and retainment of your hands after trekking in the cold dark for so many hours… and then the spectacular view.









The most horrific best challenge - Mount Kenya

Breathless
Taken so quickly
Your mind can’t help but think negatively
Why so unfit when I have cycled so far
Not realising the altitude the effects so hard
Struggling to the peak
Behind an o.a.p.
Whats going on, why did I agree
Didn’t even think; a walk in the park
Stunning views; not cold and dark
2am have I gone mad
Then reaching the top, the sky so glad
Stunning levels of frost,
Across
Layers thickening, dawn
Out of the warm
Light
On top of the world
A walk
A fright
A memory held tight


Our last few days together were spent camping in Borana National Park. Jimmy loves his downhill bike riding and managed to find an International Downhill bike competition in Kenya!! The atmosphere was outstanding, hundreds of people took part raising money for the conservation of Mount Kenya. There were professional cyclists from that region who trained and often cycled 170km a day around the Mountain!!!
We took this opportunity to test out the rented Rav 4, 4X4 and went out on day and night safaris between the scenic vegetation and never-ending hills.
The land was very rich full of farmland, I saw another side of wealth to Kenya.

My circle of Kenya has been filled with more natural wonders and unforgettable experiences (pressing my foot on the pedal of a car and the power of forward movement will be unforgettable).

...Filled with momentus occassions; I cycled past the equator. The heat does effect the skin. I smother myself in Vaseline all the time and still my skin is dry.
O yes and I shaved my head for easy maintanence. Ladies all have shaved heads in Africa!

...Filled with people; The constant interaction with people is definately my favourite part. Some crazy drunk man will run alongside your bike ranting about Kenyan politics and corruption. The cute kids (hardly ever ask for money) run frantically up to the road to make a line waving and repeatedly shouting "How are you, How are you, How are you?" The teenage boys behave like opportunists, they like to call themselves hustlers as they try their luck asking for a soda or some money. The guys hang out on the main road in town, seems they have nothing else to do. The women on the other hand will be making items, carrying them on their heads or selling them at the local market. Some even work in the fields.

The country has been such a pleasure to travel through. There are many signs of comfort. English words are used in bright bold advertisement on shops, I could buy sliced bread in any shop and the local tea was served with milk!!!! All relics of Kenya’s colonial past.

All of the mountains, planes and wildlife have been protected and conserved into stunning National Parks. I do hope the money is spread around the people and not all kept within the officials. I have heard many stories of corruption. The remote villages are very sociable. There are fields of crops that work with dry huge barrels of stone rivers to prepare for the rain. This is better preparation then I will ever manage there is only one thing I can do; pray!!

So Jimmie left and Steve and I finally met up for the next stage of adventures. Getting back into strict routine and pushing myself to complete our standard 120km a day was a shock to the system. Nice to be back on target though instead of going in circles! I won’t forget the man who was startled and explained "I have never seen anything like this" as I cycled fully loaded through his village to the next country; Uganda. I am pleased I make people smile!