Here is a shot of the Victoria Falls Hotel - beautiful grounds and one of me enjoying a mojito in the hotel pool.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Victoria Falls Hotel, Zambia
Here is a shot of the Victoria Falls Hotel - beautiful grounds and one of me enjoying a mojito in the hotel pool.
Victoria Falls, Zambia
I blogged about my stayin Victoria Falls and here are a few photos - it was stunning!
Goats on a Bike
I posted a photo of a pig on a bike and here's one of a couple of goats on a bike! I just love that bikes in all of Africa are used to carry everything and anything!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Elephant Highway, Botswana
The Botswana section of the Tour d'Afrique is called Elephant Highway - but I haven't seen a single elephant! We have covered over 700km (again!) in 5 days since leaving Livingston, Zambia and I have seen all the tell tale signs of elephants on the road (lots of dung and I mean lots!) but I haven't spotted one yet. Other riders have seen them but not me. I did see a giraffe at one of our bush camps but no elephants. My fingers are crossed that I might see one on the road in the next couple of days before we leave Botswana!
The riding in Botswana has been long and flat and I mean FLAT. There are no hills in this country so it makes for tough riding. One would think that lots of hills and mountains would be harder but my legs have never hurt more on this tour than here in Botswana. The distances have ranged from 136km - 182km each day and when you are in the same riding position for hours at a time - same gear for the most part - it is really hard work. To deal with the tedious flat landscape I have joined a pace line with three or four other riders and we take turns pulling the train for 5 minutes at a time. This helps you rest when you are not at the front of the train and it means that the day goes much faster. We typically travel at speeds of around 33-36km per hour. I always consider myself a lone rider and have dissed the pace lines in other blogs but really I am grateful to have the help for this section and have enjoyed riding with new people.
In two days time we will be leaving Botswana and will be heading to Namibia. We have fewer than 20 riding days left - that is hard to believe! Next week will be another mental challenge with distances ranging from 150km-200km per day. It is so interesting to me that I can find flat roads so very hard to ride but it is true - give me the mountains in Ethiopia any day! In Namibia we will go off road again for the last time before heading into South Africa. We are less than 3 weeks from the end of the tour and I am trying to savour every day here even if the days on the bike are long and hard. What is new really - this is of course the Tour d'Afrique.....when have I ever blogged that the rides are easy?
I will try to get more photos up on my next rest day in one week. This afternoon I am going to fly over the Okavango Delta in a 7 person plane! I am very excited to see Botswana from the air instead of from a bike.
Thanks for following my blog - I am sorry that my entries are so few and far between. I thought it would be easier to access the internet as I travelled further south but that doesn't seem to always be the case.
So until Nambia - be well and I hope you will follow the last few weeks on the TDA.
Jx
The riding in Botswana has been long and flat and I mean FLAT. There are no hills in this country so it makes for tough riding. One would think that lots of hills and mountains would be harder but my legs have never hurt more on this tour than here in Botswana. The distances have ranged from 136km - 182km each day and when you are in the same riding position for hours at a time - same gear for the most part - it is really hard work. To deal with the tedious flat landscape I have joined a pace line with three or four other riders and we take turns pulling the train for 5 minutes at a time. This helps you rest when you are not at the front of the train and it means that the day goes much faster. We typically travel at speeds of around 33-36km per hour. I always consider myself a lone rider and have dissed the pace lines in other blogs but really I am grateful to have the help for this section and have enjoyed riding with new people.
In two days time we will be leaving Botswana and will be heading to Namibia. We have fewer than 20 riding days left - that is hard to believe! Next week will be another mental challenge with distances ranging from 150km-200km per day. It is so interesting to me that I can find flat roads so very hard to ride but it is true - give me the mountains in Ethiopia any day! In Namibia we will go off road again for the last time before heading into South Africa. We are less than 3 weeks from the end of the tour and I am trying to savour every day here even if the days on the bike are long and hard. What is new really - this is of course the Tour d'Afrique.....when have I ever blogged that the rides are easy?
I will try to get more photos up on my next rest day in one week. This afternoon I am going to fly over the Okavango Delta in a 7 person plane! I am very excited to see Botswana from the air instead of from a bike.
Thanks for following my blog - I am sorry that my entries are so few and far between. I thought it would be easier to access the internet as I travelled further south but that doesn't seem to always be the case.
So until Nambia - be well and I hope you will follow the last few weeks on the TDA.
Jx
Victoria Falls, Zambia
We covered lots of ground in Zambia (approx 725 km in 5 days) and rolled into Livingston pretty much exhausted. We had an extra rest day so a group of us reserved rooms for two nights at the amazing Victoria Falls Hotel on the Zimbabwe side (a special thanks to the lovely Jen for making all the arrangements!). We often cross borders on our bikes but this is the first time I have actually walked across an international border. The taxi dropped us at the Zambia border - we got our exit stamps and walked across a long bridge to the Zimbabwe border with the Victoria Falls separating the two countries. It is the end of the rainy season here so the falls are incredible and the spray can be seen for many kilometres.
We arrived at the Vic Falls Hotel and it was just my parents had described - an old colonial hotel with a huge terrace, game heads mounted on the walls, a gorgeous swimming pool and baboons roaming the grounds. I have spent only two other nights in a hotel on this trip (in Addis, Ethiopia) but I was sick so I hardly feel like it was much of a break. This, however, felt like a holiday. There were several TDA riders at the hotel but I spent most of my time with Steph, Dan, Ruben, Erin, Paddy and Rick sitting on the terrace drinking mojitos and swimming in the pool. The luxury of this beautiful hotel was such a treat - big buffet breakfasts, burgers poolside and beers in the afternoon. I had to practically be pushed off the terrace to go walk around the falls - seriously. I did make the trip on the last morning we were at the hotel - after breakfast I walked the 10 minutes from the hotel to the falls and spent an hour peering at the torrent of water rushing over the rocks and standing under the spray which soaks you to the skin. Victoria Falls really is one of the natural wonders of the world and really worth the walk from the hotel. The other riders would not have let me leave without seeing them. How could I ever say that I went to Vic Falls and didn't even see them? Of course, I am glad I made the effort! Pictures to follow in the next week or so.
It was hard to leave the lap of luxury and head back to camp but that's how it goes on this tour - but we are here to ride our bikes not to sit around fancy hotels drinking ice cold cocktails (oh - those mojitos were delicious!) The distances are getting longer now as we head into the last two sections of the tour. Next stop....Botswana. Stay tuned!
We arrived at the Vic Falls Hotel and it was just my parents had described - an old colonial hotel with a huge terrace, game heads mounted on the walls, a gorgeous swimming pool and baboons roaming the grounds. I have spent only two other nights in a hotel on this trip (in Addis, Ethiopia) but I was sick so I hardly feel like it was much of a break. This, however, felt like a holiday. There were several TDA riders at the hotel but I spent most of my time with Steph, Dan, Ruben, Erin, Paddy and Rick sitting on the terrace drinking mojitos and swimming in the pool. The luxury of this beautiful hotel was such a treat - big buffet breakfasts, burgers poolside and beers in the afternoon. I had to practically be pushed off the terrace to go walk around the falls - seriously. I did make the trip on the last morning we were at the hotel - after breakfast I walked the 10 minutes from the hotel to the falls and spent an hour peering at the torrent of water rushing over the rocks and standing under the spray which soaks you to the skin. Victoria Falls really is one of the natural wonders of the world and really worth the walk from the hotel. The other riders would not have let me leave without seeing them. How could I ever say that I went to Vic Falls and didn't even see them? Of course, I am glad I made the effort! Pictures to follow in the next week or so.
It was hard to leave the lap of luxury and head back to camp but that's how it goes on this tour - but we are here to ride our bikes not to sit around fancy hotels drinking ice cold cocktails (oh - those mojitos were delicious!) The distances are getting longer now as we head into the last two sections of the tour. Next stop....Botswana. Stay tuned!
Lake Malawi
This is Lake Malawi and the site we camped at on one of our rest days. I loved the the terrain in Malawi - lush and green with loads of rolling hills - perfect riding for me. It was such a pleasure to camp on a beach - most of us would have liked to stay for a week!
Bike With Firewood
In all of Africa bikes are not only a form of transport but they are used to carry everything from pigs and goats to water and in this case firewood. It wasn't until we arrived in Kenya that I actually saw a woman on a bike. Bikes seem to be for men only in most countries. Often the men will just push their bikes because they are impossible to ride up the hills with such a heavy load. I have, however, seen guys riding their bikes with firewood stacked this high! And I thought it was hard to ride carrying three litres of water in my Camelbak....
Jenn on the Road
These photos were taken in Tanzania by Steph Sleen. I love the one of the girls running with me up the hill. They were so sweet and so FAST!Monday, April 12, 2010
Long Days in Zambia
Hello from Zambia!
We cycled into Zambia six days ago and have reached the capital city of Lusaka. Like Malawi it is lush and green and there are lots of rolling hills. Who knew Zambia had so many hills!?! The riding days have been really tough here - I am not sure what I expected but wow - there's lots of climbing. We stopped at a nice camp site the day we arrived in Zambia - nice bar and good camping. I travelled into the town with Tony and we loaded up on booze and snacks for his 50th birthday the next day. The TDA staff kindly sourced some ice to cool the drinks and after a 200km riding day we arrived at camp to find tubs of cold beer and punch. It was another rider, Julianna's birthday as well and she and her husband made dessert for the whole group - an Africa version of Nanaimo bars - so good. The birthday bash was great fun. I put together a playlist on my ipod and we plugged it into one of the big TDA truck speakers - instant party in the middle of nowhere. I don't think I have ever seen so many riders up until 8:30pm - drinking, laughing and mingling. Tony really knows how to through a good party - even in Zambia!
The 200km day seemed long but at the moment all the rides seem long. We are all getting really tired and it is starting to show. People are more irritable in camp and fatigue is written all over all our faces. The distances in this section have ranged from 125km-200km with lots of hills and the next three days are 150km back to back. We are currently about 450km from Livingston and Victoria Falls where we will get two rest days. I am really looking forward to the break. I hope I don't sound like I am complaining because I am not. I have been feeling super strong on the bike despite being ill on the rest day in Lusaka (really the first time I have felt sick since Northern Kenya so I feel lucky!). I am hoping that this stomach problem passes quickly so I can really enjoy Vic Falls. We are just over a month away and 4,000km from Cape Town. It is hard to believe that we have been on the road for 3 months and have covered over 7,500km. I looked at a map the other day and was amazed at how far we have come.
So on to Victoria Falls. I hope to be able to email and upload photos from the lovely Victoria Falls Hotel on the Zimbabwe side.
Until then......
Jx
We cycled into Zambia six days ago and have reached the capital city of Lusaka. Like Malawi it is lush and green and there are lots of rolling hills. Who knew Zambia had so many hills!?! The riding days have been really tough here - I am not sure what I expected but wow - there's lots of climbing. We stopped at a nice camp site the day we arrived in Zambia - nice bar and good camping. I travelled into the town with Tony and we loaded up on booze and snacks for his 50th birthday the next day. The TDA staff kindly sourced some ice to cool the drinks and after a 200km riding day we arrived at camp to find tubs of cold beer and punch. It was another rider, Julianna's birthday as well and she and her husband made dessert for the whole group - an Africa version of Nanaimo bars - so good. The birthday bash was great fun. I put together a playlist on my ipod and we plugged it into one of the big TDA truck speakers - instant party in the middle of nowhere. I don't think I have ever seen so many riders up until 8:30pm - drinking, laughing and mingling. Tony really knows how to through a good party - even in Zambia!
The 200km day seemed long but at the moment all the rides seem long. We are all getting really tired and it is starting to show. People are more irritable in camp and fatigue is written all over all our faces. The distances in this section have ranged from 125km-200km with lots of hills and the next three days are 150km back to back. We are currently about 450km from Livingston and Victoria Falls where we will get two rest days. I am really looking forward to the break. I hope I don't sound like I am complaining because I am not. I have been feeling super strong on the bike despite being ill on the rest day in Lusaka (really the first time I have felt sick since Northern Kenya so I feel lucky!). I am hoping that this stomach problem passes quickly so I can really enjoy Vic Falls. We are just over a month away and 4,000km from Cape Town. It is hard to believe that we have been on the road for 3 months and have covered over 7,500km. I looked at a map the other day and was amazed at how far we have come.
So on to Victoria Falls. I hope to be able to email and upload photos from the lovely Victoria Falls Hotel on the Zimbabwe side.
Until then......
Jx
Malawi Gin
Greetings!
I have been trying to upload some photos but I am not having any luck with the connection today so I will post a text blog and hopefully the connection will improve.
When I last posted a blog the TDA had rolled into the beach camp in Malawi and we had started the Malawi Gin section (named after a brand of gin, of course). The days are a bit of a blur and I am not as good as some riders at keeping a journal each day or writing up blogs at night. Also the Malawi Gin section was only ten days long with seven of those days in Malawi so it went fast.
The first thing that I noticed when we crossed the border into Malawi from Tanzania was that Malawi is a much poorer country. As soon as we crossed the border the children ran to the road to greet us and it was obvious to me that many were hungry and/or suffering from disease - probably HIV/AIDS. An worker from one of the organizations that received bikes donated by the TDA Foundation told us that 1 in 8 children will not make it to the age of 5 in Malawi. I found that shocking but by looking at some of the children on the roadside it did seem like that statistic might be true. On our first bush camp in Malawi we were surrounded by hundreds of children and adults and the TDA staff had to set up a rope perimetre around the trucks and our eating area - that was the first time that had happened since Ethiopia. On the rides I also came across hundreds of kids yelling things like "Give me my money!"or standing with their hands out. There was lots to think about on the bike each day and again lots to try and process. I don't think I will ever get used to seeing children under the age of 6 or 7 carrying babies on their backs (their brothers or sisters) or babies and children carrying water or fire wood on their heads. Some days it is heartbreaking and the rides are that much harder.
On the riding side of things - I raced a few stages of the Malawi Gin section and won two stages - a 128km stage which I raced solo and won without any help - drafting etc. The second stage win was on Easter Sunday - 107km and it was fast and furious. A couple of the women put in a great pursuit effort and I got some help from the husband and wife team, Rod and Julianna and then in the afternoon from Sunil and Paul. I stopped for lunch because fried egg sandwiches were being served but when I found out that I came first among the women but second overall behind the South African Jethro - I was kind of sorry I didn't skip lunch because he did and he only beat me by two minutes! Oh well - it is one of my rules to not skip lunch especially when it is brown bread, fried eggs, tomato and avocado! That might not sound too special but for us it is a real treat!
So a couple of exciting race results and within no time we were crossing the border into Zambia. The problem with racing a few stages is that I tend not to stop as often and take less photos. Malawi was the perfect terrain for me though - lots of big rollers, fast descents and fun climbs. The mountain climbs in Malawi were really challenging but these days we are all kind of used to doing 150km rides with 1500-2000 meters of climbing. I really loved the racing but I really prefer, as I have said before having the both worlds - racing one day and cruising along the next. So for Zambia it is back to riding as hard as I feel like on the day - with more stops and chats with other riders along the way.
Our last rest day in Malawi was at a nice backpackers camp with decent food and a nice pool. It was nice to relax, have a swim and work on my bike. I had a couple of quiet days before heading to Zambia - I am starting to feel very tired these days - lots of kilometres and lots of nights in a tent. Non-riding days are so important these days!
More about Zambia and I hope some photos soon!
I have been trying to upload some photos but I am not having any luck with the connection today so I will post a text blog and hopefully the connection will improve.
When I last posted a blog the TDA had rolled into the beach camp in Malawi and we had started the Malawi Gin section (named after a brand of gin, of course). The days are a bit of a blur and I am not as good as some riders at keeping a journal each day or writing up blogs at night. Also the Malawi Gin section was only ten days long with seven of those days in Malawi so it went fast.
The first thing that I noticed when we crossed the border into Malawi from Tanzania was that Malawi is a much poorer country. As soon as we crossed the border the children ran to the road to greet us and it was obvious to me that many were hungry and/or suffering from disease - probably HIV/AIDS. An worker from one of the organizations that received bikes donated by the TDA Foundation told us that 1 in 8 children will not make it to the age of 5 in Malawi. I found that shocking but by looking at some of the children on the roadside it did seem like that statistic might be true. On our first bush camp in Malawi we were surrounded by hundreds of children and adults and the TDA staff had to set up a rope perimetre around the trucks and our eating area - that was the first time that had happened since Ethiopia. On the rides I also came across hundreds of kids yelling things like "Give me my money!"or standing with their hands out. There was lots to think about on the bike each day and again lots to try and process. I don't think I will ever get used to seeing children under the age of 6 or 7 carrying babies on their backs (their brothers or sisters) or babies and children carrying water or fire wood on their heads. Some days it is heartbreaking and the rides are that much harder.
On the riding side of things - I raced a few stages of the Malawi Gin section and won two stages - a 128km stage which I raced solo and won without any help - drafting etc. The second stage win was on Easter Sunday - 107km and it was fast and furious. A couple of the women put in a great pursuit effort and I got some help from the husband and wife team, Rod and Julianna and then in the afternoon from Sunil and Paul. I stopped for lunch because fried egg sandwiches were being served but when I found out that I came first among the women but second overall behind the South African Jethro - I was kind of sorry I didn't skip lunch because he did and he only beat me by two minutes! Oh well - it is one of my rules to not skip lunch especially when it is brown bread, fried eggs, tomato and avocado! That might not sound too special but for us it is a real treat!
So a couple of exciting race results and within no time we were crossing the border into Zambia. The problem with racing a few stages is that I tend not to stop as often and take less photos. Malawi was the perfect terrain for me though - lots of big rollers, fast descents and fun climbs. The mountain climbs in Malawi were really challenging but these days we are all kind of used to doing 150km rides with 1500-2000 meters of climbing. I really loved the racing but I really prefer, as I have said before having the both worlds - racing one day and cruising along the next. So for Zambia it is back to riding as hard as I feel like on the day - with more stops and chats with other riders along the way.
Our last rest day in Malawi was at a nice backpackers camp with decent food and a nice pool. It was nice to relax, have a swim and work on my bike. I had a couple of quiet days before heading to Zambia - I am starting to feel very tired these days - lots of kilometres and lots of nights in a tent. Non-riding days are so important these days!
More about Zambia and I hope some photos soon!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Women with Bananas
I do wish I had a picture of the woman with the Singer sewing machine on her head. Oh well. The women here do carry EVERYTHING on their heads. I am constantly amazed by what I see.
Pig on a Bike
I can carry lots of things on my bicycle but a pig? Really? This guy has talent. Poor pig I don't think he knew what was coming!
Safari Animals Part II
I wanted to put more safari photos up because there are so many animals and my last blog post really didn't do the animals in Tanzania justice. I will try to add them one at a time since the connection here doesn't seem to like multiple pics - here are elephants in the Crater.
Baobab Tree, Tanzania
I love this photo - I am not sure how it will look on the blog but the baobab trees in Tanzania are huge and beautiful. Many are hundreds of years old. In years gone by, poachers would hollow these trees out and hide in them until the animals came close enough for them to kill. Our guide told us that these are sometimes called Hideout Trees.
Tanzania - Last Word and Images
The TDA has rolled into Malawi but I can't resist posting a few more photos from stunning Tanzania. That country is spectacular. It is hard to describe how incredibly beautiful that country is - my god it really is quite something. Our last ride in Tanzania was a non-race day and one of the best riding days on the tour. There seem to be more special rides these days. Or maybe I am just feeling so much better that I notice the scenery more and take the time to pause and reflect on the landscape and people. Jen says that I always seem to find something special about every ride - I think she is right. Even when I was suffering a little on the bike due to stomach problems I still found things to love on each ride. That being said - Tanzania was a pretty special riding section.
On the last day in Tanzania we started with a 15-20km climb and then it was all descents for close to 100km. WOW! I rode with my friend Steph and we had a great time! We stopped and took photos and laughed about the weird and wonderful things/people we spotted along the way. We saw a man riding a bike with one hand on the handlebars and one hand holding the back legs of a pig. Poor piggy - his front legs were over the bars - Pig on a Bike - hilarious (photo to follow). My favourite sighting that day was a woman walking up a hill with a 1950s Singer sewing machine on her head. I have seen lots of things on the women's heads but nothing as interesting as a sewing machine. I asked is I could take a photograph but she refused. That one will just have to be banked in our memories instead - like so many things.
Steph and I talked a lot that day about the tour, our relationships here, the riding and how strange it will be to return to the "real" world. We are now used to living this strange life - cycling every day, stopping for lunch on the side of the road, setting up our tents in the afternoon, lining up for dinner and chatting under the stars. I think we are all starting to think more about returning to our lives at home because we only have 6 weeks left and it feels like time is flying now.
I looked at a map today and was amazed when I saw how much of Africa we have cycled - whoa! Still there's still lots of riding to do. We are heading into the Malawi mountains and we still have more four countries after that to see and cycle. We are only just over half way in terms of kilometres so there's lots of work to come.
I am currently sitting in an open air beach bar at a gorgeous camp site hoping that this blog uploads and that you will get to see some more photos from Tanzania - fingers crossed.
Jx
On the last day in Tanzania we started with a 15-20km climb and then it was all descents for close to 100km. WOW! I rode with my friend Steph and we had a great time! We stopped and took photos and laughed about the weird and wonderful things/people we spotted along the way. We saw a man riding a bike with one hand on the handlebars and one hand holding the back legs of a pig. Poor piggy - his front legs were over the bars - Pig on a Bike - hilarious (photo to follow). My favourite sighting that day was a woman walking up a hill with a 1950s Singer sewing machine on her head. I have seen lots of things on the women's heads but nothing as interesting as a sewing machine. I asked is I could take a photograph but she refused. That one will just have to be banked in our memories instead - like so many things.
Steph and I talked a lot that day about the tour, our relationships here, the riding and how strange it will be to return to the "real" world. We are now used to living this strange life - cycling every day, stopping for lunch on the side of the road, setting up our tents in the afternoon, lining up for dinner and chatting under the stars. I think we are all starting to think more about returning to our lives at home because we only have 6 weeks left and it feels like time is flying now.
I looked at a map today and was amazed when I saw how much of Africa we have cycled - whoa! Still there's still lots of riding to do. We are heading into the Malawi mountains and we still have more four countries after that to see and cycle. We are only just over half way in terms of kilometres so there's lots of work to come.
I am currently sitting in an open air beach bar at a gorgeous camp site hoping that this blog uploads and that you will get to see some more photos from Tanzania - fingers crossed.
Jx
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