Washington D.C. to Bridgton

Date: November 1st, 2010
Song of the Day: Drive - R.E.M

Left the capitol and drove straight on up to Maine. Nothing too exciting about the drive. I guess I have just gotten used to drive 12 hours or more at a stretch.

Got to the family home up in Bridgton, Maine. My aunt and uncle live up here. Their son Adam put me up in Indiana, and I stayed with their other son Allen way back in Morocco.

I plan on sticking up here for a few weeks. Hopefully I will get some writing done. I have far too many ideas kicking around in my head. I want them out and on paper. Of course I thought of two more ideas on the way out. So it doesn't bode well for actually having less ideas floating around my mind than when I started. Oh well.

The Lakes Region of Maine is a good place for writing though. I guess Steven King has a house about 12 miles away. It is quiet and calm. Frankly, not a lot of night life or distractions around here. So with any luck I will get a few things written.

-Dravis

West Lafayette to Washington D.C.

Date: October 28th-31st, 2010
Song of the Day: Woke up in a Car - Something Corporate

Left Indiana this morning. Went through Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and back to West Virginia. Spent the night in Maryland. Drove into D.C. in the morning.

When I got to the city, my friend Sarah wasn't off work yet. So I rode around through the city. I really love the capitol mall. The monuments. The Smithsonian. With all the people though, it makes it a bit hard to bike through. Getting out onto the Potomac and some of the other places was less crowded and a lot more fun for real biking.

The next day I went to the Rally to Restore Sanity. That was a lot of fun. For some idiotic reason though I decided to take the metro instead of walk. That was a dumb idea. I couldn't get on in the right direction, so I had to head all the way to the end of the line in Virginia and wait until the train turned around to come back. The crowds were just crazy. It took me a good 30 minutes of walking through to get to a place I could even hear anything. I only saw a little bit of the performance on one of the screens when the person in front of me would move a little bit. Still, it was a lot of fun. Really I went to be there and see people. The signs were great. I will post a few of my favorites below.

Spent Halloween quietly with my Sarah and some of her friends. Had "lunch" with them, which lasted all afternoon. Played some games and generally had a good time. Thanks Sarah for letting me stay at you place. See you at Christmas.

-Dravis

Denver to West Lafayette

Date: October 25th-28th, 2010
Song of the Day: MFC - Pearl Jam

Left Denver this morning. Drove straight through to Iowa, two miles from the Illinois border, before stopping to rest for the night. The next day it was crazy windy driving into Indiana.

In West Lafayette I met up with my cousin Adam and his wife Sarah. They are great. Plus they have two big dogs (boxers) Rusty and Daisy. Sweet dogs, but a little slobbery. Adam is working on his P.h.D. So that was a lot of fun to talk with him about what he was working on. Adam also took me around Purdue, and told me all the news that was going on there. Sarah worked until fairly late, but would be by for dinner. So we would have a good dinner together. It was great to catch up with them. Thanks guys.

-Dravis

Portland to Denver

Date: October 22nd-25th, 2010
Song of the Day: A Life of Arctic Sounds - Modest Mouse

The trip from Portland to Denver was a hell of a drive. I did about sixteen hours from Oregon into Wyoming before crashing at a rest stop there. Woke up the next morning and continued on. I got a bit of snow through Wyoming over Medicine Bow, but nothing too bad. The drivers actually seemed to be pretty good. Slowed down to keep it safe.

Colorodo was a different story. The drivers had a wicked habit of speeding up to 75 then slamming on the breaks! The first time that happened I was just a couple of feet from hitting the car in front of me. Not something nice to do to a guy who had just driven a thousand miles. I was just saved by the space that I normally keep between me and the car ahead. But idiots kept using that space to cut in front of me and then slam on their breaks. So annoying.

I did get into Denver without serious bodily harm. I met up with my friend Ryan who was with me on the last road trip. He is now living with his brother in Denver and showed me around downtown a bit. We had a pretty good time. There was also a Zombie Walk going on.

The next day I went for a bike ride. Denver has a great system of intra city trails. I did 30 miles through the city. It was quite a bit of fun. I like my new bike a lot. Though I did have one clip out fail. It feels pretty stupid to just fall over sideways. I will try to avoid that in the future.

That evening Ryan' brother Sean and his wife Thanvee came back. We had a good evening hanging out. Ryan cooked a great dinner. Thanks to all of them for letting me stay.

-Dravis

Seattle to Portland

Date: October 21st, 2010
Song of the Day: 405 - Death Cab for Cutie

The first stop on my trip is just a short jump away to Portland, Oregon. I went down to see my cousins, James and Erika, in Portland and their kids. Plus I got to see their menagerie, 2 dogs and three cats. I also got to see their new place. Thanks guys for a hearty meal. I will try to stop by again on my way back through in December.

-Dravis

Road Trip - 2010

Yep, that is right, I am off on another road trip. This time I am heading out alone. I am using my old '96 Plymouth Voyager. Oh yeah. With 183,000 miles on it, well, I hope it doesn't strand me, but so far, so well. The other good things about this particular car, I can fit a mattress in the back to crash at rest stops along the way. I can also put my new bike in there. So I can get some riding in while I am on the road. With a rack of Mt. Dew, I am all set.

More updates to come.

-Dravis

New Bike

Since I have been back I haven't done much biking. I did steal my younger brother's bike for a bit. It didn't really fit well as he is half a foot taller than I am. (Really, the kid is huge. Towering over the rest of the family.) My Africa bike "Molly" was in pretty bad shape with the frame crack and all. So I decided to get myself something new.

I decided to go with a cyclocross/commuter bike. I got a Jake the Snake frame from Kona as the base. From there it was all a custom build. First, I only wanted a rear derailer. In my normal style of biking I almost never shift out of the largest chainring. Having the extra gears and derailer is just more weight and more to maintain. I am also not one of those guys who is trying to get perfect cadence and crap. Instead, I went with a mountain cassette that had a big gear ratio (11-34). Also, I never liked the drop handlebars on road bikes. I went with the pursuit bars, which I think look better. I thought the bar end shifter would fit into the time trial levers I got though. Nope. I had to grind out some of the shifter mount to make it work. Remember my motto: "Anything worth owning is worth modifying."
Now that it is all together, it is beautiful. Everything works and it is a dream to ride. Plus, coming in under 20 pounds it feels like a feather compared to any other bike I have ever ridden.

So here are the specs:

• Frameset: Kona - Jake the Snake 2010 frame and fork (49cm).
• Wheels: Mavic Ksyriam Equipe
• Crank: Sram S100 1.1 crank and chaninring
• Shifter: Shimano Dura-Ace SL BS77 9 speed bar end shifter. (Rear only.)
  
• Rear Derailer: Shimano RD-M772-GS
  
• Rear Cassette: Shimano Deore XT-M770 9 speed cassette (11-34)
• Brakes: Cane Creek 200TT levers and Cane Creek SCX-5 cantilever brakes

-Dravis

Rock'n Horse 2.0 - Fail

So, this didn't actually happen. Everyone who said they were going to come ended up ditching out on me at the last minute. I must give Jonn-E and Erin the Leaky Bucket award for bailing last. They also picked me up later in the afternoon to ride some of the trails on Tiger Mountain. Not quite what I had planned, but still fun.

This won't be the end of the Rock'n Horse though. I don't know when, but I am sure to come service pack 1 at some point. So stay tuned for more details.

-Dravis

Rock'n Horse 2.0

It's Back! The fantastic ride from last year is coming around again. I thought I would include an open invitation to all reading this to the second annual Rock'n Horse ride. This is a trail ride and camping trip for those who missed it last year. This year the date has been moved out and the section of the Iron Horse trail will be a little different. If anyone out there would like to go and wants more information, please e-mail me.

This year also has a new emblem. I hope you enjoy it.

When: Saturday October 2nd to Sunday October 3rd.
Where: The route will be on the Iron horse trail from Hyak to Lake Easton.
What: Bring a bike, mountain style preferred. Also, camping gear would be good. Plus clothing for the climate. (Remember, it just might rain.) Anything else you want, like trail snacks, bring that too. I will provide both dinner and firewood.
Who: You, if you are reading this. Or anyone else you want to invite along.

-Dravs

My Trip - By the Numbers

I thought I would wrap up my trip with a review of the numbers. I hope to combine some of the bigger numbers, but also some of the funny stuff as well. I hope you enjoy it. Also, please ask me if you want the numbers on anything else...

Total Distance: 18,459 kilometers/ 11,470 miles
Days on the Road: 353
Countries Visited: 31 (Iceland, England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Vatican City, Monaco, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya, Qatar)
Major Crashes: 3 (days 120, 215 & 308)
Watches Busted: 2 (days 120 & 308)
Hit by Cars: 2 times (days 59 & 166)
Uses of Cipro: 3
Tires Used: 4
Most Water in a Day: 8 Liters (day 190)
Longest Day: 119 miles (192 kilometers) - Hastings to Gosport (day 39)
Toughest Day: Keflavik to Hveragerði (day 1)

-Dravis

Doha to Seattle - Day 353

Date: August 6th, 2010
Distance: Flying Home!
Country: U.S.A.
Song of the Day: Silver Jet - The Tragically Hip

I woke up a really early this morning. (Only 2 hours of sleep.) I just wanted to see a bit more of the city. Like nearby Dubai, Doha has build some really neat stuff in the last five years. (Though not the tallest building in the world.) So I wanted to get a look at that. Of course that was in the new part of the city, and I was stuck in the old part. I could walk down to the bay and look across the Indian Ocean at it. That was nice. (Sadly because of dust or humidity in the air, the pictures do appear a bit blurry.)

Then it was back on another plane. I had a 13 hour flight to D.C. Actually I can't complain much. The flight was great. I didn't get any sleep though. That was a bummer.

Once in Dulles I got all checked through customs and immigrations. The people at customs sent me the wrong way though. I ended up out in the terminal with all my baggage (including my bike) and had to check in again. I ended up missing my connecting flight. For a guy on 2 hours of sleep and almost 20 hours of flying, that was quite frustrating. Eventually, after 30 minutes of being ingored by the airline (United) they booked me on the next flight.

Even more frustrating was the fact that I wasn't able to contact anyone to let them know I missed the flight. I had a phone, but the SIM card was for Tanzania. That wasn't going to work. Dulles does have free wi-fi throughout the airport. But that system was down. I finally had to resort to using a payphone. (Yep, those still exist.) That worked. Sometimes you have to give it to those old technologies.

I did make the next flight, so I didn't have to camp out in the airport overnight. That still meant I would make it back too late for the party my friends were going to throw for me. I even slept almost all the way. Didn't wake up until we were about to land.

Instead my parents and younger brother met me at the airport. It was great to see them. It was nice to be home.

-Dravis

Dar es Salaam to Doha - Day 352

Date: August 5th, 2010
Distance: Flying Home!
Country: Qatar
Song of the Day: Take Me Home - Phil Collins

Left Africa today. Got on a flight that took me to the Middle East, so technically Asia. I am feeling a little bit ambivalent about it. I am very happy to be going home. I have missed my family and friends a great deal. At the same time I have very much enjoyed the trip through the "Dark Continent". The strange places I have seen. The weird situations I have gotten into. The wonderful people I have met. The sense of ultimate freedom. It makes me a little sad.

I got to Doha after dark, but it was still amazingly hot and humid. Frankly, I wasn't used to it. For being on the equator, East Africa is generally much cooler. The Middle East, no so much. The temperature here had me sweating. Not that it helped much as it was so humid. Did I mention that it was after dark?

The airline did put me up in a (thankfully air conditioned) hotel over night. That included a buffet dinner which I ate a huge amount of.

After dinner I went up to my room and got on the internet. I had sent a few people on Couch Surfing an e-mail asking for cool things to do. I may have mentioned it before, but when I go to a place, I really want to see it. Sure, I only had 13 hours in Doha, but I still wanted to see as much of it as I could. No one had responded though, so I thought I might go to bed. Just then I got an e-mail reply from a guy named Tom. He just got back from Oman Jordan, but wanted to hang out. How cool is that?

So Tom and a girl he worked with picked me up. (Of course I immediately forgot her name. I have a bad habit of forgetting the names of attractive young women. I don't know why. I can't imagine that trait is genetically selected for...) The three of us headed out to the old souk. If you remember from Morocco, that is the market. It was nothing like the markets in Morocco though. It was surprisingly clean. It still did have a bit of the winding alley ways. These were generally pretty wide, well paved and lit. Most of them were lined with cafes and high end craft shops.

We stopped at a cafe and got a seat up on the roof. I had a cold coke while Tom could somehow stand to drink warm tea in the heat. They did have air conditioning on the roof, but that seemed a bit silly. How are you going to cool the outside? I guess it might make something locally cooler. Anyway, we had a good time. I guess my companions both work for Qatar airlines. The company has apparently expanded quite a bit in the last ten years. It was a fun night and a good way to see at least some of the city. I didn't get back to the hotel until after 2:00 AM.

-Dravis

Dar es Salaam - Day 351

Date: August 4th, 2010
Distance: 14km around the city
Country: Tanzania
Song of the Day: Mama, I'm Coming Home - Ozzy Osbourne

I spent the day getting ready for my flight tomorrow. Found a large box and got my bike taken apart and packed away. Just two weeks shy of a hear on the road. I have seen 30 countries. Seen big cities in Europe. Slept in mud huts in Africa. I have had so many experiences stored in my little chemical computer as memories. But now it is time to return. I can't wait to be home.

-Dravis

??? to Dar es Salaam - Day 350

Date: August 3rd, 2010
Distance: 11km plus cheating by trucks.
Country: Tanzania
Song of the Day: Ship My Body Home - Ben Lee

It was more than a couple of hours of sleep. We didn't get on the road until almost 8:00 AM. I was hoping to get into Dar by noon so that I could get the cheap/slow ferry to Zanzibar. I shouldn't have worried. We weren't making fast time anyway.

The trucks here really don't race around like the buses do. We took our time. The guys also stopped to pick up a load of corn (14 bales). After that, because of the extra weight, we really weren't going that fast. You can't complain really. I figured I could take the last ferry around 3:00 PM.

That dream was shattered about 6km out of Chanlinze. The truck started making a noise and bumping a bit. I thought one of the tires was flat. Instead 4 of the 5 lug nuts had come off the rear wheel. That was because the bolts on the axle had snicked off. The truck would need a new axle. Crap. I gave Joseph a bit of money and headed off to Chanlinze. I figured I could easily get a truck from there to Dar es Salaam.

When I got there I did find one, but it took a bit. The thing they didn't tell me was that the fuel pump on the truck was dead. We kept having to stop and the guys would manually pressurize the pump. That would get us down the road a bit. In the end, the 100 kilometers took about 4 hours. So I got into town after dark, or about 12 hours late. Double crap.

So no Zanzibar for me. Life is full of its little disappointments though. You can't have everything and sometimes you just have to accept that.

-Dravis

Barjamot to ??? - Day 349

Date: August 2nd, 2010
Distance: 12km plus cheating by truck(s).
Country: Tanzania

Left Barjamot early in the morning. Megan, thanks for letting me stay. I had such a wonderful time. I'll have some good food here for you.

I was taking a dala-dala (bigger than a van but smaller than a bus, also 4WD) to Babati. It was supposed to leave at 4:30 AM. When I got there it was me, a couple of women and a bunch of school kids getting a ride to the next town. I think it would have been out on time if the battery wasn't dead. We tried to push start the thing for a bit, but 6 kids one woman and me wasn't enough. So the driver ran off for a bit, I thought he was getting a mechanic. Instead he came back with a tractor. Even that took a couple of tries as the rope kept coming loose. (I was afraid that they were going to pull the bumper of the dala-dala.) On the third try the thing started and we were on our way.

I stopped in Babati for some breakfast and then went out to look for a truck to Arusha. I didn't want to take another bus. The last bus trip was that bad. Eventually I found a truck was happy to take me. I was glad for the ride but it was slow. It was only a couple of hours before dark when we got to Arusha.

I rode through town and got around most of the traffic. On the other side I found a driver who was going to Moshi. I thought I could take a bus from there. As it turned out the driver was taking his little truck all the way to Dar. So I figured I would go along with him. In talking with Joseph, the driver, I learned that he takes chickens to Arusha just about every week. On the return trip though he is always looking for cargo. He also had his own complaints about the speed bumps. It really doesn't matter what speed you go at, they rattle the vehicle way too much.

We did pick up some cargo in a little town along the route. It was just two bags of fish though and it wasn't going very far. After we dropped that off we stopped at a little place outside of Same for food. After dinner Joseph said he and his mechanic were going to rest for a couple of hours. I wasn't quite sure where they were going to stay. It turns out they were going to sleep in the truck. So I unrolled my sleeping pad and slept in the bed of the truck. It wasn't bad actually. Life brings you to weird places.

-Dravis

Barjamot - Day 348

Date: August 1st, 2010
Distance: None
Country: Tanzania

I was thinking of leaving Barjamot today and heading back to Dar, I just never got around to it. Plus, I had a good time seeing hanging out with Megan. We spent a bit of time walking around Barjamot. When we went out a "crowd" as Megan described it formed around me. (It was only about six people.) I guess everyone here is excited by someone new. Then we had lunch at Megan's mama's house.

Afterward Megan showed me some of the projects the village was working on. They had a new health clinic, but no one was working there. There ins't a house for the doctor to stay at. (Right now that is literally just a pile of bricks.) There is also a new secondary school being built, but again, nowhere in the village for the teachers to stay. I didn't think housing in Africa was much of a problem. In little villages every family has a house or compound. If one mud hut is destroyed or melts in the monsoon rains, well they just squeeze into the huts that remain. I now see the problem is more with outsiders coming in to work in the village. How do you get a doctor to stay in a village when they have to cram into a mud hut with six other people?

From there Megan and I hiked up the hill behind the village. (This is apparently where she gets the best cellphone reception.) It had a good view of the village with its corn and hay fields. There is also the mountain. It is quite something. From my map I think it is about 11,105 feet tall. So it dominates the surrounding area. It really was a pretty afternoon.

In the evening I helped Megan cook some dinner. I am amazed at how quiet it is out here. No cars. No trucks. No kids running around. Just a few bugs chirping and the occasional bleating of goats. This really is "away from it all". I can understand how she said that it would be weird to go back to the U.S. after this. Everything moving and making noise.

Then again we also talked a lot about food. That is really the big thing you miss when you are away. At first you think it would be your friends and family you miss. But you can e-mail you family. You can Skype with your friends. You could even send a postcard if you feel like it. You never get a call from a cheeseburger though. Pizza never sends you a text message. Tacos don't friend you on Facebook.

Plus the food out here gets boring. It is usually Ugali (corn paste), Wali (rice), or Ndizi (banana). Usually this is served with a bit of Nyama (beef) in a broth and a side of overcooked spinach. Day after day. Every day. It doesn't take much time to long for the variety you get back home. I felt bad for leaving for home in a few days. I will get all the pizza and burgers and tacos I could want. Megan's own homecoming is a year away.

-Dravis

Babati to Barjamot - Day 347

Date: July 31st, 2010
Distance: 93km
Country: Tanzania

Since I missed the climb, I thought I would just bike into Megan's village Barjamot. It was actually good, I got another precious day of long distance biking in. What a day though. The road out there is just a rough dirt road. A lot of it is uphill too.

I ended up spending a lot of time riding along the goat path to the side of the road. That was a lot smoother in general. It did get exciting at some points. Like when the path ended in a ravine. I had to skid to a halt before that one. The path also had a tendency to stop and begin a bit further down on the opposite side of the road. So keeping up with it was a bit hard. That said, it was much better than bouncing over the corduroy road.

After Endasak I made great time into Katesh. The wind was at my back again and I was feeling great. There a some moments on the road you feel like anything is possible. I got there well before sunset.

Sadly, I had missed the turn to Megan's village witch was actually just past Endasak. So now I had to go back 20km as it was getting close to dark. Eysh. Still I was dying to get there, so I turned around and started going. I made another 10km before finding a truck that would take me back.

I found the right turn, but I didn't really know how far it was to Barjamot. Asking the people about distance is worse than useless. How would they know how many kilometers it was? Instead I found a guy on a bicycle and he told me it was 20 minutes away. It was only about 20 minutes before sunset, and I figured it would actually be more like 40 minutes so I decided to go for it. Turns out, it was more like an hour and 20 minutes.

By the time I got to Barjamot it was pitch black. Actually, I rode through town the first time. (There are no lights and the village is pretty spread out.) I did see some buildings and asked if this was Barjamot, but the ids I asked told me to keep going. After going another kilometer I asked another guy. Fortunately he spoke decent English and said he could take me back there. I had run out of minutes on my phone so I couldn't call Megan. But once in town I found another guy who knew where she lived. So I ended up getting there after all. It was a long tough day, but one that feels so good and satisfying once it is over.

Megan was great to. We had a great time sitting around and talking. I probably spent most of the time jawing away as I have a tendency to do. Telling stories of my adventures. We also discussed what life was like in her village. Plus little things like the corruption in the country. There are no police out there. If you were to call in police, they would just request bribes and would only try to beat a confession out of suspects. So the villagers have to take care of everything on there own. It was fascinating. I didn't turn in until well after midnight.

-Dravis

Moshi to Babati - Day 346

Date: July 30th, 2010
Distance: Cheating by bus.
Country: Tanzania

I got in touch with my cousin's friend Megan. She is in the Peace Corps here in Tanzania. I was hoping to meet up with her at her little village. She even said that some of her friends were going to climb the big mountain there the next day. So it was back to taking a bus. In most other bus countries, that mode of travel is enjoyable. I don't know what they have done here, but it seems to always be a miserable experience. We stopped for three hours in Arusha for no reason. The drivers couldn't tell me when we were leaving so I was stuck on the bush for that time.

I ended up in Babati just as the sun was setting. I was hoping to make it to Endasak that night, which is where the mountain climbing expedition was going to start from. I couldn't find any transportation going out there though. So I had to stay in Babati for the night.

-Dravis

Voi to Moshi - Day 345

Date: July 29th, 2010
Distance: 55km (Plus cheating by truck.)
Country: Tanzania
Song of the Day: Wayward Son - Kansas

Started the day, and the wind had turned against me. Traitorous bastard. The road was also terrible. It was paved, but more like a patchwork of potholes paved over and stitched together. It was a bumpy ride, and slow going too. After only 15 km I hitched a ride on a truck. Glad I did, never would have made it otherwise. The road only gets worse from there.

I did want to ride to Tsavo Park. Everyone said there were lots of wild animals, but that doesn't bother me that much. Animals are pretty low on my list of things to be worried about. The road through the park was supposed to be paved though. When I saw that it was just a washboarded dirt road, I didn't feel too bad. I did see a herd of pachyderms as well. So that was good.

The truck dropped me at Teveta, which is on the Kenyan side of the border. The actual boarder was two more kilometers across more bad roads. Getting checked back into Tanzania was pretty easy, and I was welcomed with nice tarmac in front of me.

From here I just flew down the road into Moshi. The wind was once again behind me and I was having a great time. The only thing slowing me down was the speed bumps.

Each country I have biked through has had its share of speed bumps here and there. Tanzania is the worst though. You can find them on all the main roads outside hospitals, schools, intersections, villages, bus stops, bridges, cow crossings, on up-hills, down-hills and for no reason at all. Plus each large speed bump is preceded and followed by a series of corduroy bumps. The large ones I can go over without too much trouble. The smaller ones seemed designed to rattle my bike apart. Cars don't fare much better over them either. Quite frustrating.

There was one other thing that was a bit disappointing. I couldn't see Kilimanjaro. How do you hide a 20,000 foot mountain? Apparently the answer is clouds. Oh well, life is full of disappointments.

-Dravis

Mazeras to Voi - Day 344

Date: July 28th, 2010
Distance: 137km
Country: Kenya
Song of the Day: Lorenzo - Phil Collins

I started the day riding over low rolling hills on a high plateau. It really reminded me of central Washington. Scrub land as far as I could see. With the tail wind, I was making great time. Lots of fun.

Around lunchtime the wind switched on me. Coming from the side. The land around me changed as well and became much more like classic African savanna. Acacia trees and dry grass sprouting in patches from the red earth. With the blue skies and white clouds overhead, it was amazing. There are some moments I wish I could bottle and bring with me. I guess my fuzzy memories and a few pictures will have to do.

Speaking of the sun, man that just burns into you here. Even with 4 coats of sunscreen I was still getting a bit of a sunburn. In the afternoon though the clouds rolled in, and that helped a lot. The wind came back and was pushing me toward Voi. That was the best part of the day. With the smooth roads and tail wind I was able to "super-cruise". I figure that is any time I can sustain 30kph or more. Feels great.

-Dravis

Millelani to Mazeras - Day 343

Date: July 27th, 2010
Distance: 90km
Country: Kenya

Another great morning to be riding along the coast. More tail winds too. I can't get enough of that. I love that I can just fly down the road. Woosh!

It was only 50km to Mombassa, which actually messed me up a bit. I wanted to stop before then and check out the beach. That was supposed to by my lunchtime treat. I heard the beaches south of Mombassa are really nice. There are tons of beach-side hotels all along the way, so somebody must think so. Again, stupid me for asking distances. The bus driver I asked was off by 10 kilometers. So the beach I went to wasn't all nice and sandy. It was rocky, like an old reef. Not all that great for swimming. Still, I did hop in and do my best. It was nice to get in and splash around in the hot afternoon for a bit. Plus, I can now say I have been swimming in 3 of the 4 oceans. (The Arctic might be a little tough.)

I did also spend some time cranking myself around Mombassa. It is kind of a cool city. An island in the Indian ocean. Architecturally it is neat to look around. Lots of Arabic influences, so it reminded me a bit of Morocco. The "Old Town" part of the city was cool too, with more of a European influence. There was something to it as well. I had this feeling that it was a neat place to be. I had some ice cream as well, from a cart. Don't bother, it isn't that good.

I thought about staying, but I really need to put some miles behind me. After only a couple of hours in the city, I was back on the road. I only made it about 20km out of the city. Good enough for me. It will make tomorrow that much shorter.

-Dravis

Tanga to Millelani - Day 342

Date: July 26th, 2010
Distance: 118km
Country: Kenya

Feeling great today, I headed out of Tanga. The road north to the border was terrible though. Back to dirt roads. It seems that at one point it might have been paved. Now it is just a mess. I spent most of my time trying to pick a route where I didn't feel like I was ridin' in the rodeo. Didn't leave much time for looking around at the beautiful landscape I was passing.

Another annoyance was the road is actually 15km longer than my map says. Thanks for that one, cartographers.

I did get to the border and got myself checked through just fine. So Kenya, if my count is correct, is country 30 on this trip. It should also be the last new country I get to visit by land. (Though I will be heading back to Tanzania to fly home.)

The welcome to Kenya was great though. The road becomes flat and paved. I was getting a beautiful tail wind as well. From then on I was just cruising. That really made my afternoon.

Sadly, that didn't mean I was able to get anywhere. Frankly, there isn't a whole lot in that part of the country. I kept looking for a big town, and didn't find any. The sun ended up setting on me again. That wouldn't have been so bad if not for the bugs. You see, I was riding along an area of coastal swamp. I was plowing through clouds of these little bugs. Let me dispel the myth of the rugged explorer voyaging around the world on a bike with a handsome and dignified demeanor. The bugs that hit me ended up getting stuck in the mixture of sunblock, dust and sweat on my skin. I also kept having the little bastards fly in my mouth and nose. So I end up with bug filled snot running out of my nose and across my face, which by this point has grown a five o'clock shadow of insects. That isn't going to be on a magazine cover any time soon.

I did finally find one town and was able to secure myself lodgings.

-Dravis

Tanga - Day 341

Date: July 25th, 2010
Distance: None
Country: Tanzania

Been sick again. Why do my intestines keep betraying me like this?

When I have been feeling well enough, I have had some time to walk around Tanga. Nice place. I wish I felt better so I could explore it a little more. I think there are probably some nice beaches around here. Plus jungle and other stuff. Ah well. Will probably leave tomorrow. I have to get back to Dar for my plane flight.

The one problem with this town is none of the restaurants seem to be open when you expect them to be. I have had to find a different place for breakfast each morning because the cool places I find aren't open the next day. Same with places to get dinner. It is annoying. How hard is it to post the days and hours you will be open?

-Dravis

Mkate to Tanga - Day 338

Date: July 22nd, 2010
Distance: 25km (Plus cheating by truck.)
Country: Tanzania

I ran out of gas just around noon. I guess not having more than a few pieces of bread over the last two days will leave you out of energy. So I took a truck to Segenda, which is the turn off to Tanga. The area was really pretty. I wish I felt good enough to ride it. Lots of low rolling hills. It also seems like this area is the breadbasket of Tanzania. The whole area seems to be covered with farms. This isn't like the open Savana I had come from. The land is getting greener again. I like it.

When we got to Segenda, I hopped out of the truck and thanked the driver. Stupid me, I forget my camelback (which, more importantly/expensively has my cameras in it, in the cab of the truck. Sometimes the bright light of the universe smiles on you though. For some reason the driver had given me his phone number. So I called him up, and he said he woudl be back through as soon as he dropped the load off. He wasn't very good at communicating when that was. So I had to sit around all afternoon.

I did strike up a conversation with a nice local kid named Alex. I guess he works in Zanzibar on and off as a tour guide. So he was able to give me some tips about that. He also gave me the number of a friend in Tanga. He even bought me a bowl of chicken soup, that was excellent. I should have gotten about 3 more. It was good to have some food.

When the truck finally showed up, and I got my stuff back, I was now ready to start going to Tanga. It took a while before another truck came along. I got into Tanga. Found a good place to stay and went to bed. Hell of a day.

-Dravis

Chanlize to Mkata - Day 337

Date: July 21st, 2010
Distance: 112km
Country: Tanzania
Song of the Day: Caribou - The Pixies

Woke up, felt like crap. Ten minutes, and two trips to the bathroom later, I got the idea that I might be having more digestive issues. Still, I did get one the road somehow. I am not actually sure how I made it so far today because I didn't have anything to eat besides two pieces of bread for breakfast. The beautiful landscape and a coke every 15km probably helped.

There were a couple of times I wanted to call it quits. It just seemed to happen in the middle of nowhere. Plus, I kept asking how far the next town is, which is as stupid as a woman asking a man which shoes she should wear. Even if they give you and answer you know that answer isn't going to be close to right.

The sun ended up setting on me before I could get to town. The people I passed said it was just 4 kilometers away. I figured I could do that before it got too dark. I saw a set of three cell towers. That is usually a good sign of a town. That turned out to be 8 kilometers away. When I got there, I could see only half a dozen shacks. This was not a town and there was nowhere to stay. At the bottom of the next hill was a police checkpoint. I asked them how far to the next town. They told me it was 1 kilometer. Turns out it was 10. They were off by an order of magnitude. So frustrating.

In town, I still didn't have an appetite. I just wanted some soup. No meat, just the broth. I had seen it advertised at a few restaurants along the roads here, so I went on a hunt for that. I did find a lady selling some at the local market. What I got tasted more like cow bath water than beef soup. So disgusting I couldn't finish it. I had two rolls and went to bed.

-Dravis

Dar es Salaam to Chanlize - Day 336

Date: July 20th, 2010
Distance: 111km
Country: Tanzania

Rode out of Dar today. It does feel great to be back on the road. The wind in your hair. The open space. The sense of total freedom. The trucks zipping by... Okay, not the trucks. But the rest of it I like.

Out of the city, the terrain becomes a little bit hilly. After Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, the barely seem like hills at all. More like a bit of decoration. No trouble at all. After about 50km, the road becomes dead flat for a while. I don't know what kind of valley it was, but I was really able to crank it across that.

In the afternoon, I saw another cyclist. Actually, he saw me. Daniel, is from Israel. I guess he started in Zimbabwe, and is heading north. The thing is, he didn't think of biking until he was in Africa. The bike, and basically everything on it was scrounged up somewhere in Africa. (I guess his first bike was an old Indian single speed. The current one he found in Mozambique.) So his rig is a bit funky. Still, I am quite impressed with everything he put together. The front bags were made by a local tailor somewhere. Just getting the guy to understand what he wanted must have been a chore. They look pretty good though. Plus, it is always great to see another cyclist on tour. It really brightened my afternoon. Daniel, if you are reading, have a great trip. Stay safe, and let me know how you are doing.

The last couple of hours in the day did tend to drag. There really wasn't anything for the last 25km. I was hoping for a late afternoon Coke to get me going. No such luck.

When I got to Chanlinze, I found a lodge to stay out. The lady there was nice enough and showed me a couple of nice rooms for 10,000 shillings. I asked for anything smaller, but she said there wasn't anything. When I went to sign in though, I notice a couple of other people had only paid 5,000 shillings. I asked to see one of those rooms. They were smaller, not quite as nice and with a shared bathroom. For me, that is perfect. I don't need nothing fancy, just a bed to lay my head on.

-Dravis

Dodoma to Dar es Salaam - Day 335

Date: July 19th, 2010
Distance: Cheating by bus.
Country: Tanzania

So I spent the night fitfully sleeping on that little pad on the bus. At least I was only sharing it with one guy. I am not sure where the third guy stayed. He showed up later, when the bus got moving.

I actually did fall asleep for a bit in the morning. Sadly, I missed my turn. But the time I woke up we were almost at Dar es Salaam. So I figured I would head into town, and see what that was like. I would bike back out tomorrow.

Not much to say about the city. It is another big African city. I did meet a guy there, Rahim, who helped me look for a place to stay. There are a couple of catholic missions in town. Sadly, both were booked up. Well, one of them had an extra room, they had just lost the key. Eventually I did find something nice and cheap. Acutally, it wasn't all that nice. It was clean though.

While I was in town, I checked on ferry schedules. I have been saving Zanzibar as a sort of treat to myself. Before the trip ends I am going to try and spend a day or two there.

-Dravis

Kigoma to Dodoma - Day 334

Date: July 18th, 2010
Distance: Cheating by bus.
Country: Tanzania

Finally got on the bus this morning. I has been an unpleasant ride, but at least I am out of Kigoma.

We stopped in Dodoma. I am not sure why, but hopefully the driver is getting some rest. He drives like a maniac. Apparently when they moved the ticket to today, the failed to mention that there were no seats left. So I am stuck on a little pad next to the driver, and I have to share it with two other guys. Life on the road I guess.

-Dravis

Kigoma - Day 333

Date: July 17th, 2010
Distance: None
Country: Tanzania
Song of the Day: Sitting Still - R.E.M.

This morning repeated much of yesterday. I got up, checked out of my hotel, and went to the bus office early. I just wanted to make sure the bus left from the same place. When I got there, they told me that the bus had already left. Apparently, when they told me it was at 11:30 in the morning, they were using Swahili time. That is 6 hours off. So really they had meant 5:30 in the morning. I have no idea what the logic was behind telling a foreigner who speaks no Swahili the time in Swahili. Thanks guys.

So I am stuck here one more day. Tomorrow is Sunday. I would take the train, but it leaves much later, and takes longer. Plus there are only 3rd class tickets available. There is no way I am getting stuck on a wooden bench for two days. Miserable failure.

There was one bright spot in the day. I saw a guy riding around town on a touring bike. Eventually I found the guy and had some tea. It turns out, Yuka is from Finland. I think he has come all the way from Indonesia on the bike, and it has taken three and a half years. His next move is to head along the lake down to Mpanda. As he said, there is no road but a little track. He also invited me to come with him and have "adventures". I am sure that would be quite a trip. Me, I have a ticket home, and I am not going to miss that flight.

-Dravis

Kigoma - Day 332

Date: July 16th, 2010
Distance: None
Country: Tanzania
Song of the Day: Hanginaround - Counting Crows

So I have basically been stuck in Kigoma the last three days. It is a nice town, the people are friendly, and there is nothing to do. There are only a couple of reasons to come here. If you are waiting for the boat to take you south to Zambia, or if you want to take the train east to Dar es Salaam. Past that, there isn't much to do but wait.

I was hoping to take the train to Dodoma, the capital. It is supposed to be amazing. There is no direct road to Dodoma. So the train cuts across vast empty spaces in the interior. I was thinking that I might be able to see some wildlife along the way. Acording to the locals, the line was completed in 1903. A throwback to the colonial period when train travel was the best way.

When I checked online, the train was running three times a week. That is no longer the case. It now runs only on Sundays. Urgh. I was going to wait for the train when I remembered you could take a bus. The road goes north over rough roads for about 300km before heading east towards the coast. So it was at least possible.

I purchased a ticket yesterday, and the bus was set to leave at 5:30 this morning. I was up before dawn and got myself to the bus yard. Trying to get the bike on the bus turned into a real hassle. I have seen a fully grown cow on top of a bus, don't tell me you can't fit one stupid bike on it. They guys kept telling me to wait, and that there was no space. Every time I tried to show them, they walked away. Then they unloaded a number of large bags of cargo (filled with little fish, like sardines, from Lake Tanganyika). I tried to get my bike on in the space left open, but again I was told to wait. Then the bus drove off, leaving me in the dust and darkness.

I went and checked back into my hotel. Later I went back to the bus company and complained about it. They said they could get me on the next bus, but that wasn't until Sunday. I was in no mood to wait, so I got a refund and went to another company. I purchased another ticket for 11:30 AM tomorrow. I guess it was the same price for Dar es Salaam as Dodoma, so I got the ticket all the way there. Since I missed a day, I will probably get off at the turn off to the highway north.

-Dravis

Mabara to Kigoma - Day 328

Date: July 12th, 2010
Distance: 85km
Country: Tanzania
Song of the Day: The Wanderer - U2

I am back on dirt roads for the time being. I am not excited about that. I am still up in the hills as well. I thought that would mean more downhills, but I am just riding from one ridge to the next. I got checked out of Burundi and into Tanzania. Country 29.

On the Tanzania side they are in the process of paving the road. Not that it helps me much. It is still just a dirt road, but now it has big dump trucks on it.

I was starting to go downhill a bit more. I really hate going downhill on dirt roads. I feel like I burn off most of my hard earned potential energy as excess break heat. In some section they had rolled the dirt out flat. I could zoom right over that like a paved road. Most of it was either gravel or dust. The dust is the worst. If you start skidding out you have to fight the urge to use your breaks. Instead you have to loosen up and hope that will keep the wheel from sinking in and turning. On the really steep sections that was quite nerve wracking.

About 15km from Kigoma the road becomes paved. That was perfect. I could really scream down the hills from there. I got into town just before sunset.

-Dravis

Rumonge to Mabara - Day 327

Date: July 11th, 2010
Distance: 74km
Country: Burundi
Song of the Day: Around the World - Red Hot Chili Peppers

The morning started out with some nice cruising along the lake. The road here is generally pretty good. There are a few sections where the pavement is torn up, but for the most part it is great. I am still hitting a headwind, but what can you expect, right?

Lake Tanganyika was looking really great today. I still couldn't see the far side of it. The water was just dazzling in the sunlight. Right at the shoreline it was clear. Then it went to the turquoise of pack ice. Finally it ended up at the dark blue of deep water. It is Africa's deepest lake after all. I also took the opportunity to take a swim in the lake. Man it felt great to swim in those clear waters.

I stopped for lunch in the town of Nyanza. There was a mom in there with a small baby. In Africa, babies are passed around more freely than joints at Matthew McConaughey's house. So I got to hold the little guy for a bit. Cute kid.

I also stopped for some banana juice. Still more ways for the people to use up all the bananas they have. It is hard to find, but really refreshing. Just look for the ladies with plastic buckets and little plastic cups. You can get a cup for $.05 or so. You might have to accept that it isn't the most sanitary though. There was a dead bee floating in the bucket. Still, I figured a bee is better than flies.

After Nyanza, it was awful. Actually, the first 12km out of town weren't so bad. Just a little up hill. That was followed by 8km of brutal uphill. At least it was paved. I had to push my bike at least half of that distance. Still, I made it to the top and felt good for that.

I found a place to stay in Mabara but they said they didn't have a TV. I really wanted to see the world cup final. I ended up wandering around the town for quite a while. Usually to shouts of "Mzungu, Mzungu". I was really glad when it got dark and people couldn't see me as well. I did pick up and erzats guide. He was just a guy who wanted to help, but he hadn't a clue what I wanted, and didn't really understand english. Basically it was a guy following me around and pointing out things I could buy. Finally I got him to leave and I was able to find a restaurant where I could eat in peace.

Later I did find a place that had the football match on. It was Spain vs. The Netherlands. I didn't really think it was all that exciting. Neither team seemed to be playing that well either. After the regular time was up, I decided to head back to the guest house. When I got back they had pulled a TV from somewhere and were watching the game. So I watched the overtime. Again, I didn't think they were playing that great. Spain did get a goal in right at then end of overtime. So they won the match 1-0.

-Dravis

Bujumbura to Rumonge - Day 326

Date: July 10th, 2010
Distance: 76km
Country: Burundi
Song of the Day: Machinehead - Bush

Back on the road today. I am making good time heading south despite the headwind. The road along Lake Tanganyika is a lot more flat than the hills I have been used to. Actually, the road runs in a narrow band between the shoreline of the lake and the hills to the east. The far side of the lake is lost over the horizon. From my vantage point it almost appears like a large inland sea. The few villages I have passed seem to support the local fishing fleet. Each one is built around a small natural harbor, which is filled with wooden ships.

When I got to Rumonge, I found a place to sleep and watch the world cup. It is only the 3rd place finish, but between Germany and Uraguay. It was a good game, with Germany winning 3-2.

-Dravis

Bujumbura - Day 325

Date: July 9th, 2010
Distance: None
Country: Burundi

I did some more exploring of Bujumbura today. I went to the market. That was a wild experiment. The main market in the city is covered by a metal roof. Underneath it are a warren of tiny shops and stalls. People are push too. If you stop to let someone else pass, the person behind you will likely shove you out of the way. I guess you leave your courtesy at home.

After a little while, and some bargaining, I did manage to get a new pair of sunglasses. This would be pair number six. They just don't last that long. Or maybe I just treat them too hard. Life on the road I guess.

There really isn't much else to do here. I took a nap in the afternoon. That really isn't the best use of my time. After seeing the market, I didn't have any ideas of fun stuff. I guess that means it is time to hit the road again.

-Dravis

Kayanza to Bujumbura - Day 324

Date: July 8th, 2010
Distance: 98km
Country: Burundi
Song of the Day: Love and Memories - O.A.R.

I knew it was going to be a long day, and I was mostly right. The morning started with a nice down-hill. From there it was up and over a couple of ridge-lines. I don't know that Burundi is less hilly than Rwanda. It does seem to have more smaller hills though. I am not sure if that is better.

I did grab onto a couple more trucks today to get a pull up some steep hills. I haven't seen that anywhere else I can think of, but it is common here. So much so that some of the trucks tie thorny sticks to the back to prevent people from grabbing on. There must be dissent among the drivers on that point though. The drivers for trucks I was holding onto always seemed to encourage me.

After Bugarama, it was all downhill though. Over 30 kilometers of screaming down the roads. I saw a couple of kids wipe out. It pays to have good breaks. I stopped, but they actually looked okay. No broken bones. Still, crashing when going really fast is the thing that scares me the most. Not bandits. Not lions. Not rebels. Not trucks. It is the hills. Going over 50kph, if something goes wrong it can be all over in an instant. Maybe that is why I keep hearing "courage" from people as I pass.

Once in Bujumbura, I found a place to stay. The city itself looks like most of the other ones I have been to. As in, not much to get excited about. There aren't really any attractions to see or places to visit. Still, I am in Bujumbura. I couldn't have found it on a map six months ago. I am so glad to have gotten the chance to travel like this.

-Dravis

Butare to Kayanza - Day 323

Date: July 7th, 2010
Distance: 55km
Country: Burundi

I left Butare in the morning and headed for the border. Nothing too bad. Mostly down hill. The border was a few kilometers farther than the sign said. I guess I should be used to lying signs by now though.

Crossing the border was pretty easy. No real problems on either side. I did try and ask if I could have gotten the visa for Burundi at the border. When I asked how much the visa was, the immigration officer said $20. I was shocked that you could get it there, then the guy said no, you couldn't get a visa there, only in Bujumbura. So I still have no idea what the visa rules are like. Oh well.

The road in Burundi is quite hilly. I was hoping it would be less so than in Rwanda, but no. Going up one hill I grabbed a truck, literally. It was only going about 10kph, and as it passed I could see another cyclist holding on. I gave that a whirl. It actually isn't as easy as it looks. All the pressure of pulling the entire bike is on just your finger tips. I don't think it was taking that much less energy. It was a new and interesting experience though. The truck also had a few hop-ons while I was there. I guess that really happens here. Eventually I couldn't hold on any more, so I let go. Another cyclist took my place. By that point there were four bikes being dragged by the truck. Quite amusing.

I got to Kayanza and had a bit to eat. I was hoping to go a little further, but I couldn't get any straight answer about where the next town was. I did hear from a couple of people that it was too far to bike to the next town. I really didn't want to be caught out at night here. So I just found a place in town to stay.

What I didn't find was a place to watch the game. Germany was playing Spain in the World Cup. I was hoping to watch it. Everything was closed though. D'oh. I guess they were all somewhere else watching the game...

-Dravis

Kigali to Butare - Day 322

Date: July 6th, 2010
Distance: 66km (Plus a ride on a truck.)
Country: Rwanda
Song of the Day: Talk - Coldpay

This morning I had to find the embassy for Burundi. It took most of the morning just to find it. Frustrating. Still I got there and was able to get my visa, though it took a while.

From there I headed out of the city. I did catch a truck going back to Giterama though. I already rode the same route into the city. I saw no need to do it again. They did also take me a fair bit of the way to Butare though. I can't say I really mind though. I was exhausted from the weekend. I was actually falling asleep in the truck. The stop at the embassy had also taken up a lot of time. So I never would have gotten to Butare without it.

Once I was in Butare, I found a place to stay and some food. I tried to watch the World Cup match (Netherlands vs. Uraguay) but I just couldn't stay awake for it.

-Dravi

Kibungo to Kigali - Day 321

Date: July 5th, 2010
Distance: (Travel by bus.)
Country: Rwanda
Song of the Day: Three Day Weekend - Blackhappy

Woke up and Trude and I left back to Kigali. She was heading all the way back to Gisenyi. Trude, thanks for everything. Best of luck! Let me know when you climb Nyiragongo. I hope you have a great time.

Once back in Kigali, I took a little while to wander the city. I also got onto the internet for a bit. I guess I have to get a visa for Burundi. It was too late to get the visa when I found out though. Whoops. I guess that is another task for tomorrow.

In the evening I met up with Albert again. I showed him how to do a few things one his computer. I really do like using my IT skills. After that he had to go back to his place and get stuff ready for his sister's wedding. Albert, thank you so much. It was great hanging out. Let me know if you ever make it to America.

-Dravis

Rwamagana to Kibungo - Day 320

Date: July 4th, 2010
Distance: (Travel by bus.)
Country: Rwanda
Song of the Day: Just Watch the Fireworks - Jimmy Eat World

The group of us left Jenny's place and got on a mutatu going to Kibungo. When we got there, the goat had already been slaughtered and roasted. No gory pictures for you. We did get there in time for food though. For me, the next few hours were a combination of conversation and consumption.

There were a bunch of really cool people there. A lot of Peace Corps volunteers, but a few who worked for other NGOs. One girl brought her parents, who were actually lots of fun to talk to. There were even a couple of Brits there. I should have razzed them more with "Down with the British" kind of stuff, but I forgot. I think there were over 30 people there.

In the evening we played a few party games. Pictionary was lots of fun, but terribly difficult. We had words like "translucent", "Magna Carta", and "ambivalent". That made it a low scoring game. No complaints for me though. It was funny to see what people would come up with for the words.

Once people started going to bed, there was a land rush for a place on the floor. It was every person for themselves to try and grab some concrete and a blanket. I guess that is what happens when you cram 30 people into a house.

Despite not having fireworks, the evening was quite fun.

-Dravis

Kigali to Rwamagana - Day 319

Date: July 3rd, 2010
Distance: (Travel by bus.)
Country: Rwanda
Song of the Day: Polar Opposites - Modest Mouse

In the morning I woke up and Albert showed me around the city a bit. I was also looking for some new biking gloves to replace the ones I have lost. We ended up over at the used clothing market. They didn't have any biking gloves, but they did (for some bizarre reason) have weight lifting gloves. Similar functions between the two, as both are meant for holding onto bars. I had to do some bargaining, but eventually I got a new pair.

From there Albert and I took a mutatu back to Andrew's house. This is probably as good a place to talk about the mutatus here. These are public transport, like gele-geles or tro-tros that I have been used to. They are just Mazda or Toyota mini-buses that they cram 20+ people into. Most are white with a yellow stripe along the side. A few have great custom paint jobs. Unlike Senegal where the gele-geles were painted in bright colors and patterns, the ones here are decorated with a kind of theme. My favorite was the "Prison Break" mutatu. A close second was the Spiderman one. They are mostly about American hip-hop stars, though. Like "Chris Brawn(sic)" or "Rick Ross", which they pronounce "Lick Loss".

That brings me to another topic here. The sound of an "L" and "R" are interchangable here. So Kigali is often said as "Kigari" or even "Chigari". Apparently this makes TV or radio discussions of the upcoming elections quite amusing.

From Kigali I took a bus out to Rwamagana. I know I could have biked it, but I wanted to give my legs a rest. Plus I would have had to bike back as well to head to Burundi. It made more sense to take a bus. I left my bike at Andrew's house and headed out.

In Rwamagana, I met up with Trude again. She had invited me to a goat roast for the 4th. Before that she, and a few others, were staying at their friend Jenny's house in Rwamagana. When I got there, they hadn't quite finished off the mozzarella sticks. They were also working on a fruit salad that turned out great, and some home-made marshmallows that didn't. Still the food was good. We played some cards in the evening, and had a really good time.

-Dravis

Kanogo to Kigali - Day 318

Date: July 2nd, 2010
Distance: 88km
Country: Rwanda

Packed up the tent and got on the road early. The first ten minutes was brilliant. I was screaming downhill in the crisp morning air. Sadly, that didn't last. I spent the next 20km, and the remainder of the morning, climbing up and over a range of hills. That was tough, just grinding out the miles. Plus my legs are still a bit sore.

The afternoon I took the turn and headed west to Kigali. The road was still up and down a lot, but no major climbs. I was thankful for that.

I got into town and got in touch with Albert. He is a friend of Elie, who I met in Senegal. Albert met me near the center of town. We had a soda and watched the World Cup for a bit. I also got to talk to Albert for a bit. He is a cool guy. I guess he was orphaned during the genocide, but he still has one brother and one sister.

His sister is apparently getting married next week. I was asking about the wedding ceremony here. Apparently part of the wedding ceremony is the dowry negotiation. The dowry here actually makes sense to me. First, the man (or his family) pays the woman's family. Traditionally it was paid in cows, but now it is usually just money. It makes sense as a way to ensure the woman is going to be taken care of. Plus the money is usually spent to provide things for the new home just like in the west. People get wedding presents to make sure the new couple is well appointed for domestic life. In this case, since there are no old men left in Albert's family to negotiate, apparently they "rented" them. Old man rental, now that is a little bit different from back home. It is good to know that they are keeping traditions alive despite everything that has happened.

After the game, we headed over to the house of Albert's friend Andrew. They let me put my bike in a spare bedroom. From there we headed out to watch the World Cup. Ghana vs. Uruguay. When Ghana scored the first goal, it seemed like the city, probably the country and continent erupted in cheers. Ghana had come to embody the hopes for an African team to make it to the finals. I could just imagine people all over the continent, in huts, houses and tents, watching generator powered TVs or listening on battery powered radios cheering at the same moment. Sadly Ghana lost in a penalty shootout after overtime. It was rather disappointing as I thought Ghana really did play the better game.

-Dravis

Gisenyi to Kanogo - Day 317

Date: July 1st, 2010
Distance: 78km
Country: Rwanda

I woke up and my legs were just killing me. I could hardly walk. Still, I did need to get down the road today. So that is what I did.

First I did take a truck. Maybe it is cheating, but I already did the section of road down to Gisenyi. I have an extreme aversion to doing the same thing twice. Especially when that thing include GIANT HILLS. So I hopped on a truck, and they even bought me a couple of Sambusas. (These are fried triangle pastries stuffed with stuff. In Uganda it was usually peas. Here in Rwanda they are filled with spicey meat. Yum.) They weren't going all the way to the turn with Guiterama though, so I did have to bike a bit. When I asked how far to the turn of, everyone said 3 kilometers. They were off by a factor of 6. It was acutally about 18 kilometers further. I forgot you can't ask people here about distances.

I turned my bike south, and from there the road got worse. The initial section was paved but often in poor condition. Then it was under construction. It should be quite nice in a couple of years. Rwanda is also know as The Land of a Thousand Hills for a reason. I went over two giant ridges during the day. That was not helping my legs feel better.

The kids seem to be less annoying here. They still do chase after me. It is a strange compulsion that seems to draw them to me. Their eyes turn glassy and they begin to run alongside without appearing to think about that decision at all. I am like the Pied Biker. I think if I were to go slow enough I would have a constant following of children.

It did get dark before I got to Guitarama. So I ended up asking for a place to stay in the small town of Kanogo. There wasn't any lodge there, but the people told me to ask at the Secretariat. I guess this is like the mayor's office. The chief of staff there said I could camp out side the office for the night. He even invited me to eat with him, his wife and their son. I guess this is unusual for Rwandans, but it was quite nice. They were wonderful people.

Their son had a cast over his right leg all the way up and wrapping around his waist. I didn't get a clear understanding of why he had it, but I think it was to correct some condition in that leg. Still the little boy seemed happy as a clam, despite the cast. He sat with me and drew some (what I was told were) airplanes on a piece of paper. Kids everywhere are the same.

-Dravis

Nyiragongo to Gisenyi - Day 316

Date: June 30th, 2010
Altitude: 3,470m
Country: Rwanda
Song of the Day: Lake of Fire - Nirvana

I had one of the worst nights of my life up on the volcano. Even with my long-johns and wool shirt I was cold. Beyond that I am coming to think that I actually broke my rib going over Rohija, not just bruised it. My wrist sprain feels fine now, but my rib still hurts about the same. Maybe it was the thin atmosphere, or maybe it was sleeping on a little pad, but every time I moved that rib was killing me.

I got up and had the food I brought for breakfast. The Congolese kids were nice and gave me a cheese sandwich and some warm tea. On a cold morning, that tea really helped. I also got my first look at the volcano crater in the daylight. The clouds had passed and you could see right down into it. It is still more impressive at night when the orange glow against the darkness is so captivating. Getting to see the details of the crate was quite impressive though. It was probably 400 meters down to the bottom. The lava lake itself was contained in a little ring of solid rock a meter or two higher than the bottom of the crater. It was kind of like a very hot above ground swimming pool. We couldn't stay that long though, and frankly after the night I had, I was looking forward to getting off the mountain.

The trip down wasn't really any better than the hike up. Because of the loose rocks you were constantly on guard for falling on your ass. I saw two backpacks that were dropped and go rolling down the mountain. You couldn't enjoy the view either. I was spending most of my time just picking a path.

I was happy to get back to the ranger's camp at the bottom. I was met by my guide and we heading back into Goma. I did get a better view of the town. I saw and area where in 2002 a river of lava from the volcano had flowed into the town. The rock had been cleared from the road but you could still see the lava flows on either side of it. I saw even more of the UN camps as well. They all seemed to be made the same way. A ring of shipping containers draped in lots of razor wire. Ever hundred meters or so was a guard tower. (I didn't take any pictures because nothing says "don't film here" like a Uruguayan man in a blue helmet with a machine gun.)

My guide did take me to a place for lunch. The DRC was celebrating 50 years since independence. So almost everyone was decked out in fabric commemorating that. The lady who ran the restaurant had a particularly nice ensemble.

I got back to Rwanda, and was happy to get back. I headed to Trude's place and took a nap. I was dead.

-Dravis

Gisenyi to Nyiragongo - Day 315

Date: June 29th, 2010
Altitude: 3,470m (11,385ft)
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Song of the Day: Volcano - The Presidents of the United States of America

I left most of my stuff (bike) at Trude's place and headed to the grand barrier. This is the entrance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It goes right into Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province. I guess that is the one where all the rebel activity is. Still, when you want to climb an active volcano, rebels are the least of your worries.

I was met by my guide though and things seemed to go pretty smoothly. (There was one hiccup where I forgot my Yellow Fever card. So I had to run back and get that.) Getting checked out of Rwanda was easy and professional. Getting into DRC was anything but. I didn't get any hassles for bribes, but the lady working there was worse than any postal worker I have ever seen. It was a level of laziness and contempt I have not seen in the government workers in my own country. Well done, madame. (I must admit I haven't worked with any welfare agency, though.) First she sat there doing her hair while we waited. After five minutes my guide asked if she could hurry it along. I didn't understand what she was saying, but she apparently had some snide comments for him in Swahili. So we waited. Then she took my passport and demanded the $35 visa fee. I handed her two $20 bills. Apparently my money wasn't clean enough though. I wanted to explain that it was money, and the value is not based on appearance, but I figured it wouldn't go over well. So I handed her a crisp new $100. That was too much and she didn't have change. To get to Goma you need pretty money, and exact change. My guide hunted up someone to give me change. We went back to immigration, and the lady was out. No one else could let me into the country either. We had to wait for 10 minutes, for no reason. Finally it all got worked out and I was let in.

From there we raced off to the park. The rangers set of at 10:00 AM, and it was 9:40. So we were in a bit of a hurry. I got the quick tour of Goma, though. Much dirtier than Rwanda, but nothing terrible or sinister about the place. Well, it was also dominated by various UN camps. So that was a little weird.

We arrived at the Park and had to wait around for about an hour. I would be heading up the mountain with a group of local volunteers. They were installing a trash can at the top. (I wasn't sure who was going to take the trash down the mountain, but I would let them figure that out.) One of their members was late. Once everyone arrived we set off to conquer Nyiragongo.

The first hour or so was just a pleasant hike to the base of the volcano. It was a good dirt trail, and nothing too steep. After that, things just kept getting harder. The trail switched to loose volcanic rock. We passed through a gap between the lower cone and the main crater. From there it was through a section of mountain jungle. Lots of mud and rocks. The final push to the top was brutal. It was about on at least a 45 degree slope. Over loose rocks and moss. The clouds that were being blown over kept everything damp and slippery. I did make it without falling though. I think I am in pretty good shape but even so it was a tough climb. Then again, I was carrying all the gear I would need (tent, sleeping bag, food, etc.).

Once at the top I took a quick look down into the crater. There was a disappointing view of the lava. The crater was filled with clouds or smoke. Occasionally you could make out a bit of orange where the lava was. Not much to see. So I set up my tent and started cooking dinner. It was supposed to be better at night anyway. For dinner I had some pasta and sauce and a can of veggies. I did forget to bring my spoon though, so I had to carve one on the way up. I think it turned out pretty well.

By the time I was finished with dinner it was dark and the clouds had started to clear. Before too long we had a great view down into the volcano. You could really make out the lava lake. It is an egg shaped area near the center of the crater. The crust was broken into rivers of orange light. In places you could see the lava bubbling out like a giant stew. It was quite mesmerizing to watch things slowly change.

I also showed the Congolese kids I was with how to take a good picture of yourself with the lava in the background.
What you will need:

1. Camera with the flash off.
2. A good flashlight.
3. One active volcano.

How to do it:
Shine the flashlight in your face and take a picture. The light from the flashlight should be enough that your face will come out clearly, but it won't wash out the lava in the background. I hope you like it. Everyone up on the mountain was excited when I showed them how to do it.

After that it had gotten late and was getting cold, so I went to bed.

-Dravis