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