Before I leave I have one last important tid-bit to share with you. Tied to my bicycled is a piece of fabric with the words "the flame of one candle lights another" meaning we loose nothing by giving, and the world grows brighter. I brought this little piece of fabric with me to the yoga fundraiser to soak in all the energy there to spread accross Africa, because I wanted the fundraisers to be more about the connection than about the money. I also mean for this little piece of fabric to represent to energy I have taken with me from the Black Stilt fundraiser, and from all the people who have encouraged and supported me in this trip, and also simply from all the people who inspire me (you!). You give me tons and i am better able to soak in more and spread more for it!
Also, there is one person in particular who I hope to have his flame spread here. This one person told me he was jealous of my trip and really meant it, which gave me a whole new level of understanding of how fortunate I am and how important it is to live live live. This person has always gone with all his heart to a noticeably, incredibly remarkable degree, and is now suddenly in a position where his capcity to go in the direction of his dreams, of his life, has been taken away from him. And so, I am taking him with me here in spirit and thank him for his strength.
(Yes, I know, i am incredibly corny! But sometimes corniness is the only way to be!)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Everyday is BEAUTIFUL! Part two
Alrighty! Apparently this internet caffe is open 24 hours a day (except for prayers) so there is ample time for us all to get some internet time in.... no line up today! I have just come back from a lovely breakfast after a long slumber... what a treat to wake up after the sun has risen, but I must admit that I feel a little groggy from over sleeping... I'm sure my body will appreciate it though! Breakfast was wonderful. There is this one sort of food court here in town that is closest to our campsite, I have been there for all my meals so far and have gotten to know the people who work there. This morning I had fried eggs and vegetables and then really great tea and discussed Sudanese and South African politics with Caroline, our tour nurse who is from South Africa, and one of the men who works at the food court, although he is actually just here in Dongola visiting for his holidays and helping out his childhood friend who owns the food court; he works in Khartoum as a political researcher.
Let me now tell you about the last 3 riding days!
In the last year, the road from Wadi Halfa to Dongola has been paved! We see the old road snake around the tarmac road we are riding.... much more like tracks in sand than road. In previous years this meant that the riding days from Wadi Halfa to Dongola were about 70 km. With the beautiful roads this year they have upped them to 150, 150 and 130! We cycled 300 km in two days! The conditions have been superb! Mostly flat with some hills for fun, slight head breezes, still air and tail winds.... the list goes on. Looking to my left I see miles of desolate desert, looking to my right, a lot of the time I see a bit of desert and then lush palm trees, communities and, of course with those two, the sparkling blue Nile. Sometimes when biking past a strip of the Nile there is a strong minty floral aroma! One of the reasons I love the bicycle as a means of transportation and travel... I can smell everything which makes the experience so much more real and complete and bold.
(Shoot I just accidentaly deleted most of what I wrote and there is no undo button on this computer! The spirit of this Tour and this continent tells me "don't worry, be happy!" Since I promised the man at the food court i would be back in the afternoon and as i would like to clean my bike and soak in more of Dongola, I will give you a point form version.)
The highlights of the last 3 days!:
-Simply riding for 150 km. In my last post I said that my favorite distance is 110km, this has definitely changed. We have riden 150k, 150 and 130 k and in the last day I was missing the zone of just watching the kilometers go by, time not mattering, on the long days! In previous years, this road has been simply tracks in the sand, but in the last year, the road from Wadi Halfa to Dongola has been paved, and so they have up the distances from about 70 to 150! (I heard rumours that the road has been paved by the Chinese after they got mining rights for the gold in the area).
-Grooving to some tunes on the bike. I treated myself to a day of listening to my ipod as I rode and loved dancing on the bike as i rode, pedaling to the beat... gunning it on the more upbeat songs!
-Coming into the lunch stop on the first 150k day. I rode hard and then coasted for about 100m with my hands in the air, feeling the breeze through my finger tips, just feeling free and alive! A moment to remember. As I sat down with my sandwhich, Janet, one of the truck crew, smiled and called me City of Angels Girl (I havent seen the movie, but it sounds good to me).
-The Nile after day 1. WE camped in the desert near the Nile, and after I had some soup, I went down to the Nile and spent a few hours there. At first I crouched at the bank and washed my hair and my arms, which was incredibly refreshing and so nice. Then a few local men showed up and one was in a tin boat with a sail on it and some rams. He was collecting the river's tall grass to feed to his donkeys. I spoke with the men for a while and went for a ride in the one man's boat. He noticed that my flip flop was broken and expertly repaired it with a piece of metal, I was so impressed! After dinner, many local people (who speak a local dialect that is only spoken, never writen called Nubia.. we are in the Nubian area) came to visit us at camp and I spoke with some more people, some children and old women... one of the young men spoke English and translated for me.
-Being applauded as I rode into camp on the second day of 150 k! I came in pretty much last, and was still in my own blissful world of riding on my own and soaking in the world, using my body and being present for 8 hours and walked past the applauding group in a confused smiling daze to the dinner truck to get into my locker, but it soon sunk in and I felt so encouraged. I have no worries about being one of the slowest riders, I am enjoying and getting so much out of every moment out here, but it still felt so encouraging to be commended like this. I sat down with some soup and the faster riders told me they were so impressed with those of us who ride 8 hours and in the afternoon sun (they are in camp by 1pm!), and they are also impressed with my attitude! Wow, I am honoured!
-Simply being in the Sudan!! There is such a distinct air of peacefulness here, which makes me feel so at home. I love the way this country smells, I love the way the people are confident and honest yet so welcoming and a little more reserved...or peacefu. ... you can just be yourself and feel real and bold and comfortable.
Sending you some of my abundant energy and bliss!
Let me now tell you about the last 3 riding days!
In the last year, the road from Wadi Halfa to Dongola has been paved! We see the old road snake around the tarmac road we are riding.... much more like tracks in sand than road. In previous years this meant that the riding days from Wadi Halfa to Dongola were about 70 km. With the beautiful roads this year they have upped them to 150, 150 and 130! We cycled 300 km in two days! The conditions have been superb! Mostly flat with some hills for fun, slight head breezes, still air and tail winds.... the list goes on. Looking to my left I see miles of desolate desert, looking to my right, a lot of the time I see a bit of desert and then lush palm trees, communities and, of course with those two, the sparkling blue Nile. Sometimes when biking past a strip of the Nile there is a strong minty floral aroma! One of the reasons I love the bicycle as a means of transportation and travel... I can smell everything which makes the experience so much more real and complete and bold.
(Shoot I just accidentaly deleted most of what I wrote and there is no undo button on this computer! The spirit of this Tour and this continent tells me "don't worry, be happy!" Since I promised the man at the food court i would be back in the afternoon and as i would like to clean my bike and soak in more of Dongola, I will give you a point form version.)
The highlights of the last 3 days!:
-Simply riding for 150 km. In my last post I said that my favorite distance is 110km, this has definitely changed. We have riden 150k, 150 and 130 k and in the last day I was missing the zone of just watching the kilometers go by, time not mattering, on the long days! In previous years, this road has been simply tracks in the sand, but in the last year, the road from Wadi Halfa to Dongola has been paved, and so they have up the distances from about 70 to 150! (I heard rumours that the road has been paved by the Chinese after they got mining rights for the gold in the area).
-Grooving to some tunes on the bike. I treated myself to a day of listening to my ipod as I rode and loved dancing on the bike as i rode, pedaling to the beat... gunning it on the more upbeat songs!
-Coming into the lunch stop on the first 150k day. I rode hard and then coasted for about 100m with my hands in the air, feeling the breeze through my finger tips, just feeling free and alive! A moment to remember. As I sat down with my sandwhich, Janet, one of the truck crew, smiled and called me City of Angels Girl (I havent seen the movie, but it sounds good to me).
-The Nile after day 1. WE camped in the desert near the Nile, and after I had some soup, I went down to the Nile and spent a few hours there. At first I crouched at the bank and washed my hair and my arms, which was incredibly refreshing and so nice. Then a few local men showed up and one was in a tin boat with a sail on it and some rams. He was collecting the river's tall grass to feed to his donkeys. I spoke with the men for a while and went for a ride in the one man's boat. He noticed that my flip flop was broken and expertly repaired it with a piece of metal, I was so impressed! After dinner, many local people (who speak a local dialect that is only spoken, never writen called Nubia.. we are in the Nubian area) came to visit us at camp and I spoke with some more people, some children and old women... one of the young men spoke English and translated for me.
-Being applauded as I rode into camp on the second day of 150 k! I came in pretty much last, and was still in my own blissful world of riding on my own and soaking in the world, using my body and being present for 8 hours and walked past the applauding group in a confused smiling daze to the dinner truck to get into my locker, but it soon sunk in and I felt so encouraged. I have no worries about being one of the slowest riders, I am enjoying and getting so much out of every moment out here, but it still felt so encouraging to be commended like this. I sat down with some soup and the faster riders told me they were so impressed with those of us who ride 8 hours and in the afternoon sun (they are in camp by 1pm!), and they are also impressed with my attitude! Wow, I am honoured!
-Simply being in the Sudan!! There is such a distinct air of peacefulness here, which makes me feel so at home. I love the way this country smells, I love the way the people are confident and honest yet so welcoming and a little more reserved...or peacefu. ... you can just be yourself and feel real and bold and comfortable.
Sending you some of my abundant energy and bliss!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Everyday is BEAUTIFUL!
I have three pairs of socks here (although I seem to only have worn two pairs so far...which are now hanging to dry in the sun after I did some wonderful hand washing of all my laundry this afternoon!). One of my pairs of socks has "Everyday is Beautiful" and a picture of a sun on them, which is a pretty good picture of life these days!
Starting from our last night in Egypt... when we got to camp there was definitely no celebration going on.... it was already 10:30 pm... which is ridiculously late for us cyclists, haha! We get up at 5:45 am (6:45 am now that we are in Sudan and the time has changed) and ride 90 to 160 km.... hang out, have some supper and go to bed pretty soon after the sun sets. The next morning, however was a slow start since we didnt need to leave camp until 9 am... everybody was up by 6 or 7 anyways and a lot of us wandered over to a nearby bakery for some breakfast, or to the Macdonalds for a last little bit of internet. We rode 17k as a convoy, part of which was over a dam in the Nile which (Ibelieve) creates Lake Nasser (which is essentially a big widening of the Nile).. and we were lucky to be able to, cyclists usually arent allowed over the bridge but they closed off part of it for us because of our huge numbers and TDA's good relationship with the people in the area. I road with one of the Egyptian riders for a while, who finally spoke English to me... we were all under the impression he didnt speak English! He said his English improves after the TDA (he does the Egypt leg every year). It was just as good to hang out without speaking with words before anyways! I also road with one the riders, Dana, who works in Emergency Consulting in the States who told me all about her work at the scene of Hurricane Katrina. Then was the ferry.
We were the first one's on the ferry, so after we loaded our bikes and our bags onto the deck or cabins, whichever we were in, those of us who were sleeping on deck scoped out good spots and then we all sat and read, chatted, and watched the boat get loaded with more and more things for the next 6 hours. I loved people watching as the boat got loaded... trucks would come up the top of the hill, maybe 200 meters from the boat, loaded twice their height with cargo, then the driver and passenger would get out, climb on top of the truck and push everything off the truck, then load it onto little karts and make many trips down the hill to the boat... and then, try to find space to stuff it onto the boat!! Mike, Lynn and I found a nice little corner on deck, put our bags around us as a barrier and put a tarp up over us for sun and wind protection.. and then eventually got barricaded in the sides with boxes people brought up. It was actually a perfect place.... although I can't take too much credit for it. Mike and Lynne are pretty tough and I was more interested in exploring, so they did most of the work in protecting the area and I would come stand guard everyonce in a while when they wanted to go to the bathroom or something (I'm not sure they completely trusted me, haha). It was the best sleep I've had all tour! I was against the wall, then Mike had his feet in the opposite direction between Lynne and I, and then Lynne was on the other end, against our bag-barricade facing the face way as I.. we fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and were really quite warm! There were stars in the sky and tons of fresh air to breath (no smoking on deck... too dangerous with all the cargo... I was pretty surprised and impressed with this policy!).
The bottom of the boat was "low class". It was chaos! People fighting with fists to try to get in with one more thing and find a place. Super smokey, just a whole bunch of benches (which means all those who were down there made the 18 hour journey seated, sleeping seated too). I got escorted out pretty quickly when I went down to have a look with a few other riders. Then the middle of the boat was for first class... all TDA riders. There were cabins with bunkbeds and cockroaches but not anything else too bothersome. Those who slept in the cabins even got some soft drinks brought in to them in the middle of the night! The rest of us were on deck with many ... I guess more well off locals.. the best place to be! We were all surprised to get meal tickets for a quite impressive large meal in the dining room (same floor as cabins) and we all got woken up in the middle of the night for passport checks, forms to fill out and a medical check, which was just a check of the temperature of the inside of our ear (which was really inacurate!). When we arrived in the Sudan, there was no dock... just a random island in what seemed like the middle of nowhere with a sandy stretch of land that connected the island to the main land. The load off was considerably shorter... maybe 3 hours. We got stickers on our bike and were off for our first ride in Sundan! A five k ride to camp, which was greated with a police entrance ceremony!
I have not by any means begun to describe why life is BEAUTIFUL!!! out here, but more of the riders have discovered the interenet cafe in this town we are in for our rest day (Dongola)... and there is quite a line up. So I leave Sudan for tomorrow!
Bundles of radiant energy to you all!
Starting from our last night in Egypt... when we got to camp there was definitely no celebration going on.... it was already 10:30 pm... which is ridiculously late for us cyclists, haha! We get up at 5:45 am (6:45 am now that we are in Sudan and the time has changed) and ride 90 to 160 km.... hang out, have some supper and go to bed pretty soon after the sun sets. The next morning, however was a slow start since we didnt need to leave camp until 9 am... everybody was up by 6 or 7 anyways and a lot of us wandered over to a nearby bakery for some breakfast, or to the Macdonalds for a last little bit of internet. We rode 17k as a convoy, part of which was over a dam in the Nile which (Ibelieve) creates Lake Nasser (which is essentially a big widening of the Nile).. and we were lucky to be able to, cyclists usually arent allowed over the bridge but they closed off part of it for us because of our huge numbers and TDA's good relationship with the people in the area. I road with one of the Egyptian riders for a while, who finally spoke English to me... we were all under the impression he didnt speak English! He said his English improves after the TDA (he does the Egypt leg every year). It was just as good to hang out without speaking with words before anyways! I also road with one the riders, Dana, who works in Emergency Consulting in the States who told me all about her work at the scene of Hurricane Katrina. Then was the ferry.
We were the first one's on the ferry, so after we loaded our bikes and our bags onto the deck or cabins, whichever we were in, those of us who were sleeping on deck scoped out good spots and then we all sat and read, chatted, and watched the boat get loaded with more and more things for the next 6 hours. I loved people watching as the boat got loaded... trucks would come up the top of the hill, maybe 200 meters from the boat, loaded twice their height with cargo, then the driver and passenger would get out, climb on top of the truck and push everything off the truck, then load it onto little karts and make many trips down the hill to the boat... and then, try to find space to stuff it onto the boat!! Mike, Lynn and I found a nice little corner on deck, put our bags around us as a barrier and put a tarp up over us for sun and wind protection.. and then eventually got barricaded in the sides with boxes people brought up. It was actually a perfect place.... although I can't take too much credit for it. Mike and Lynne are pretty tough and I was more interested in exploring, so they did most of the work in protecting the area and I would come stand guard everyonce in a while when they wanted to go to the bathroom or something (I'm not sure they completely trusted me, haha). It was the best sleep I've had all tour! I was against the wall, then Mike had his feet in the opposite direction between Lynne and I, and then Lynne was on the other end, against our bag-barricade facing the face way as I.. we fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and were really quite warm! There were stars in the sky and tons of fresh air to breath (no smoking on deck... too dangerous with all the cargo... I was pretty surprised and impressed with this policy!).
The bottom of the boat was "low class". It was chaos! People fighting with fists to try to get in with one more thing and find a place. Super smokey, just a whole bunch of benches (which means all those who were down there made the 18 hour journey seated, sleeping seated too). I got escorted out pretty quickly when I went down to have a look with a few other riders. Then the middle of the boat was for first class... all TDA riders. There were cabins with bunkbeds and cockroaches but not anything else too bothersome. Those who slept in the cabins even got some soft drinks brought in to them in the middle of the night! The rest of us were on deck with many ... I guess more well off locals.. the best place to be! We were all surprised to get meal tickets for a quite impressive large meal in the dining room (same floor as cabins) and we all got woken up in the middle of the night for passport checks, forms to fill out and a medical check, which was just a check of the temperature of the inside of our ear (which was really inacurate!). When we arrived in the Sudan, there was no dock... just a random island in what seemed like the middle of nowhere with a sandy stretch of land that connected the island to the main land. The load off was considerably shorter... maybe 3 hours. We got stickers on our bike and were off for our first ride in Sundan! A five k ride to camp, which was greated with a police entrance ceremony!
I have not by any means begun to describe why life is BEAUTIFUL!!! out here, but more of the riders have discovered the interenet cafe in this town we are in for our rest day (Dongola)... and there is quite a line up. So I leave Sudan for tomorrow!
Bundles of radiant energy to you all!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Keeping my Peace
Hello hello!
I write from a tiny internet cafe in a busy market in the town of Aswan, in Egypt. It is our last night in Egypt, tomorrow we take a chaotic ferry over to Sudan! There are cabins on the ferry but not enough for everyone so the oldest riders get the cabins, which means I am definitely sleeping on the deck - I am the youngest female rider here, and there are about 4 guys who are 18 and 19. Looking forward to sleeping under the stars and experience the chaos of this ferry, that is apparently packed the brim with fridges, oranges, tons of people and oh so much more! But it's definitely going to be coooold!!
The tour so far has been very challenging and an incredible delight! If you have been reading the tour blog you know that we've had some incredible headwinds, and even some rain, which is unheard of here at this time of year. The clouds on Day 2 stretched magestically across the sky, the biggest clouds I have ever seen, perhaps because the whole sky is much bigger here- one huge half globe. Pink lighting lit up the clouds as I struggled hard at about 8km/h against the headwinds. The distance that day was 160k, I made it about 145 before dusk and got swept (which is when you don't make it to camp before dark and the support car picks you up) - which means I lost my EFI (every "fabulous" inch) status right away on Day 2- suprisingly liberating. It's incredible to have to push hard to move forward going downhill when there are strong headwinds like this. The first half of the week was tough with long distances and strong headwinds, but everytime I looked back on the previous moment, it was all pure delight. Day 4 was an easy day, about 80k and still air - but I was so worn out, it was my toughest day! We camped at a beach on the red sea - amazing! The next morning we rode through the red sea mountains which were really neat, I really enjoyed them, although, again we were fighting strong headwinds. I love hills or different roads, these headwinds, however, are a whole different story! I didn't even make it to lunch on time and got swept about 10k from lunch. I was no longer smiling at every moment, and took the next day off and had lots of naps in the truck and at camp - a real test to maintaining my dignity. There are some incredibly talented cyclists here, they completely blow me away.
This brings me to our first rest day which was in Luxor. We couldnt get two of our support cars into Egypt so we have a local company called Emeco here with us in Egypt, which means we had local men accompany us and teach us some Arabic all along the way. We've also been delighted to have Egyptian riders join us for all of Egypt. In Luxor, the Emeco drivers took the Egyptian riders and a few of us tour riders out to a whole bunch of historical sites - the valley of the Kings which is where many many kings are burried (the paint is still so bright inside the tomb caves despite being about 8000 years old!), the Hepsheepsut Temple (not sure about the spelling... a tip for pronuncition is to think Hat-Ship-Suit) which is a huge temple that was built into a mountain... until the queen who ordered the building of the temple's brother decided to destroy it all...now only a tiny bit of it remains. It was great getting to know the Egyptian riders betterand have since spent most of my spare time with them. Sherrif and I went to watch the sun set over the Nile in Luxor, last night most of the Egyptian riders (Sherrif, Muhammad, Muhammad, and... Mushou?) and my new south-african friend Jethro and I went to an Egyptian cafe for a warm coconut drink, and just a couple of hours ago Sherrif,Muhammad,Muhammad and Dan (from Nevada) had some koshiry (pasta, chick peas, lentil and tomato sauce and vinegar -delcious!) and then took a boat to an island which was one big botannical park! There were sooo many different kinds of trees and flowers that smelled so fruity! We had such a great time!
Since Luxor we've had two fantastic days of riding. About 115 kms, which is my favorite distance so far. We've been going through small towns that border the Nile, which I love love love. There are so many kids lining the streets - they give me so much energy. Some of them spit on us or stick sticks in our wheels, which is unfortunate, but part of the reality. Many of them very persistently ask for money or pens, especially as we near touristy areas. But they are all wonderfully alight with spark and genuity, and most are simply yelling "hello! hello! hello! hello!" and delighted with a wave in return. I didn't stop smiling for a single second of the ride yesterday. Today there were some sections where there weren't many people, simply nice stretches along the Nile with a sailboat docked and lush palm trees on the other side of the river- I felt like I was in paradise. It's shokcing to see such lush countryside and such vibrant towns after a week of riding through the desert.
I've mostly been riding by myself. Every once in a while, I'll catch up to someone or they'll catch up to me and we'll chat for a few kilometers, or until lunch, or draft each other to tackle the winds. Sometimes I'll join a peloton and ride hard for a morning or afternoon. But mostly, and my favorite, has been riding alone. I don't go super fast, I soak in everything around me and return a smile to everyone I pass. I don't even think I'm thinking throughout these perhaps 5hours. I'm just riding and smiling and smelling and feeling the wind...and trying to go a little faster to enjoy the town we're camping in that night or beat the sweep. It's great. And I think I have found out that's what I'm here for. Not to race or push my absolute limits (although I dont deny or relish in the inevitable challenge that is every day.... getting up before the sun rises, packing up camp quickly, riding +100k, sleeping in the suddenly cold night interrupted by prayers playing on the loud speaker, remembering to drink lots... and then having an incredibly full bladder and either getting outof my tent in the middle of the night to go pee or peeing in a ziplock bag because it's raining and windy! And doing it all over again!) I'll push my absolute limits again I'm sure later (I'm still dreaming of Ironman!)... but here it's all about soaking in everthing and simply being.... keeping my peace :)
I could write more about lovely sparkling moments, but the internet cafe has just started blarring some music and Dan at the computer next to me and I have started lipsynching (I will alllllwaayyyss love you!!!) ..which I think is our hint to head back to camp. Sudan is a dry country which means that anyone who has bought alcohol in the past week has to drink it all tonight.. that mixed with the fact that it's our Egyptian riders' last night with us means that I'm sure there is a bit of a party going on at camp tonight. I hope there's dancing! Iwould like to say a good goodbye to my egyptian friends, so I'll say goodbye for now! I promise to write more about the food which I know some of you are interested in soon!
....One last sparkling moment to share... today we were treated to showers! And on top of that... one of the riders showed me a hidden nice shower that even had a hint of warm water! I didnt have any soap because the trucks have gone ahead of us in a different ferry so we only have our tents and some clothing with us, but another rider left a bar of soap in the sink and I used a bit of it, and oh my goodness! Did it ever smell good and work so well! I have never appreciated soap as much before!
Many hugs to you!
"May the sun give you new energy by day
May the moon softly restore you by night
May the rain wash away your worries
May the wind blow new strength into your being
May you walk gently upon this earth and know it's beauty every day of your life"
I write from a tiny internet cafe in a busy market in the town of Aswan, in Egypt. It is our last night in Egypt, tomorrow we take a chaotic ferry over to Sudan! There are cabins on the ferry but not enough for everyone so the oldest riders get the cabins, which means I am definitely sleeping on the deck - I am the youngest female rider here, and there are about 4 guys who are 18 and 19. Looking forward to sleeping under the stars and experience the chaos of this ferry, that is apparently packed the brim with fridges, oranges, tons of people and oh so much more! But it's definitely going to be coooold!!
The tour so far has been very challenging and an incredible delight! If you have been reading the tour blog you know that we've had some incredible headwinds, and even some rain, which is unheard of here at this time of year. The clouds on Day 2 stretched magestically across the sky, the biggest clouds I have ever seen, perhaps because the whole sky is much bigger here- one huge half globe. Pink lighting lit up the clouds as I struggled hard at about 8km/h against the headwinds. The distance that day was 160k, I made it about 145 before dusk and got swept (which is when you don't make it to camp before dark and the support car picks you up) - which means I lost my EFI (every "fabulous" inch) status right away on Day 2- suprisingly liberating. It's incredible to have to push hard to move forward going downhill when there are strong headwinds like this. The first half of the week was tough with long distances and strong headwinds, but everytime I looked back on the previous moment, it was all pure delight. Day 4 was an easy day, about 80k and still air - but I was so worn out, it was my toughest day! We camped at a beach on the red sea - amazing! The next morning we rode through the red sea mountains which were really neat, I really enjoyed them, although, again we were fighting strong headwinds. I love hills or different roads, these headwinds, however, are a whole different story! I didn't even make it to lunch on time and got swept about 10k from lunch. I was no longer smiling at every moment, and took the next day off and had lots of naps in the truck and at camp - a real test to maintaining my dignity. There are some incredibly talented cyclists here, they completely blow me away.
This brings me to our first rest day which was in Luxor. We couldnt get two of our support cars into Egypt so we have a local company called Emeco here with us in Egypt, which means we had local men accompany us and teach us some Arabic all along the way. We've also been delighted to have Egyptian riders join us for all of Egypt. In Luxor, the Emeco drivers took the Egyptian riders and a few of us tour riders out to a whole bunch of historical sites - the valley of the Kings which is where many many kings are burried (the paint is still so bright inside the tomb caves despite being about 8000 years old!), the Hepsheepsut Temple (not sure about the spelling... a tip for pronuncition is to think Hat-Ship-Suit) which is a huge temple that was built into a mountain... until the queen who ordered the building of the temple's brother decided to destroy it all...now only a tiny bit of it remains. It was great getting to know the Egyptian riders betterand have since spent most of my spare time with them. Sherrif and I went to watch the sun set over the Nile in Luxor, last night most of the Egyptian riders (Sherrif, Muhammad, Muhammad, and... Mushou?) and my new south-african friend Jethro and I went to an Egyptian cafe for a warm coconut drink, and just a couple of hours ago Sherrif,Muhammad,Muhammad and Dan (from Nevada) had some koshiry (pasta, chick peas, lentil and tomato sauce and vinegar -delcious!) and then took a boat to an island which was one big botannical park! There were sooo many different kinds of trees and flowers that smelled so fruity! We had such a great time!
Since Luxor we've had two fantastic days of riding. About 115 kms, which is my favorite distance so far. We've been going through small towns that border the Nile, which I love love love. There are so many kids lining the streets - they give me so much energy. Some of them spit on us or stick sticks in our wheels, which is unfortunate, but part of the reality. Many of them very persistently ask for money or pens, especially as we near touristy areas. But they are all wonderfully alight with spark and genuity, and most are simply yelling "hello! hello! hello! hello!" and delighted with a wave in return. I didn't stop smiling for a single second of the ride yesterday. Today there were some sections where there weren't many people, simply nice stretches along the Nile with a sailboat docked and lush palm trees on the other side of the river- I felt like I was in paradise. It's shokcing to see such lush countryside and such vibrant towns after a week of riding through the desert.
I've mostly been riding by myself. Every once in a while, I'll catch up to someone or they'll catch up to me and we'll chat for a few kilometers, or until lunch, or draft each other to tackle the winds. Sometimes I'll join a peloton and ride hard for a morning or afternoon. But mostly, and my favorite, has been riding alone. I don't go super fast, I soak in everything around me and return a smile to everyone I pass. I don't even think I'm thinking throughout these perhaps 5hours. I'm just riding and smiling and smelling and feeling the wind...and trying to go a little faster to enjoy the town we're camping in that night or beat the sweep. It's great. And I think I have found out that's what I'm here for. Not to race or push my absolute limits (although I dont deny or relish in the inevitable challenge that is every day.... getting up before the sun rises, packing up camp quickly, riding +100k, sleeping in the suddenly cold night interrupted by prayers playing on the loud speaker, remembering to drink lots... and then having an incredibly full bladder and either getting outof my tent in the middle of the night to go pee or peeing in a ziplock bag because it's raining and windy! And doing it all over again!) I'll push my absolute limits again I'm sure later (I'm still dreaming of Ironman!)... but here it's all about soaking in everthing and simply being.... keeping my peace :)
I could write more about lovely sparkling moments, but the internet cafe has just started blarring some music and Dan at the computer next to me and I have started lipsynching (I will alllllwaayyyss love you!!!) ..which I think is our hint to head back to camp. Sudan is a dry country which means that anyone who has bought alcohol in the past week has to drink it all tonight.. that mixed with the fact that it's our Egyptian riders' last night with us means that I'm sure there is a bit of a party going on at camp tonight. I hope there's dancing! Iwould like to say a good goodbye to my egyptian friends, so I'll say goodbye for now! I promise to write more about the food which I know some of you are interested in soon!
....One last sparkling moment to share... today we were treated to showers! And on top of that... one of the riders showed me a hidden nice shower that even had a hint of warm water! I didnt have any soap because the trucks have gone ahead of us in a different ferry so we only have our tents and some clothing with us, but another rider left a bar of soap in the sink and I used a bit of it, and oh my goodness! Did it ever smell good and work so well! I have never appreciated soap as much before!
Many hugs to you!
"May the sun give you new energy by day
May the moon softly restore you by night
May the rain wash away your worries
May the wind blow new strength into your being
May you walk gently upon this earth and know it's beauty every day of your life"
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Cairo
Day 1 has been incredibly stunning.
I arrived in Cairo last night after a... who knows.. a long time flying. Nanaimo to Vancouver to Frankfurt to Cairo. The flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt was the longest (about 10 hours), and the guy next to me and I chatted the entire way (well we also watched Harry Potter 6!!), which was really great! As soon as I boarded the flight the Cairo I couldnt wipe the smile off my face! I'm here, this is finally real!! It is so good to follow your dreams, I feel complete (which I think I told to every girl I met in the bathroom in the club... which is the next story.)
Once in the airport, I got my visa no problem, and found my luggage. There were 3 bike boxes, the two others belonged to two other TDA riders, so I met them :). My friend Lynne who rickshawed with me in Ottawa is also doing the Tour and she had arrived a few days earlier and was staying with a friend who lives in Cairo now. They were both there to pick me up. Jana, her friend, is so friendly, the three of us get along great. We went back to Jana's, got ready to go out and met Jana's friends in a club. We danced and danced and danced with one local boy each to a live cover artist (if you can believe it, the song Yellow by Coldplay was played! I couldn't believe it! This is possibly my favorite song.) We found our way back home around 2 and fell right asleep, probably mid-sentence.
This morning I got up feeling really well and had my first look of Egypt in daylight out of the window. Shimmering yellow desert-like stretch of land surrounded with city. The light here has a shimmery softness to it. Lynne was ready to sleep some more (Jana was at work - she is a teacher in an international school here), so after some breakfast I headed out to explore on my own! I walked around different roads, most dont have sidewalks, but the traffic is remarkably... flowing. The lines of the road don't matter much, and there are cars going every which way, very close to each other... but they all talk with each other. There is a whole code of honks and high-beam flashes and no one panics, it's like a stream that adjusts itself, it flows. A bit of a microcosm for everything here... go with the flow. "Don't worry, be happy" an egyptian man told me. Along my walk, I walked past a shop and the owner invited me in, showed me his merchandise ( I didnt have any local currency yet) and prepared some tea for me and him to have, which we did. I eventually came back to the apartment, woke Lynne up and brought her some water... and found out it was only 11 am! I was sure it was at least 2... I must have been up at 8! Good news for me... the Tour is all about early mornings, which I'm so looking forward to... living with the sun :).
We made some lunch, got ourselves ready, studied some maps and made our way to the Giza Pyramids! The way there was an adventure in itself. We walked to the subway station, discovering more of the city and wonderful flow of chaos along the way. I found somewhere where I could exchange US bills I brought into Egyptian pounds.
The subway have separate cars for men and women. It was quite a memorable experience in the subway to be surrounded by beautiful women wearing colourful headdresses. I would watch someone and she would catch me looking at her. I would smile and she would smile back, as if we were friends for a moment.
Now the adventure really begins! As we got out of the subway at the stop that said "El Giza", a man offered us a ride to the pyramids in his taxi (we really stand out as tourists! As it turns out this is not the closest stop to the pyramids after all). We told him we would walk at first, then he told us it was 10 kilometers and he would take us for 5 pounds (about a dollar canadian). Along the way he told us tons of information about the pyramids and Egypt, and when we could see the pyramids in the distance, he pulled over and took a picture of us with the pyramids in the distance! The service here is exceptional and people are so honest ( I forgot my water bottle in the car at the end and he drove back to give it to me!) He asked us if we wanted to go to the tourist entrance or the "student/traveler/egyptian" entrance. We opted for the second choice. He took us to a company close to the pyramids that offered horseback and camel rides around the pyramids (I think he got commission from the company for everyone he took there who got a tour ... everyone gets a cut here, Jana's friend went with her to a shop and the seller called him back after they left and gave him commission... the seller thought he was a guide). The man at the company took us inside, sat us down and told us everything we needed to know (small tour, medium tour, and long tour and all the prices). We decided to go for it and were soon on the back of two camels, Mauser and Mickey-Mouse. The tour guide was on a horse and a young boy was leading the camels or egging them on if we were leading them ourselves. At first, I felt a little guilty and touristy about the whole thing - but then I remembered my days as a rickshaw runner and how it was almost an insult or a let down when people felt guilty - I chose and loved rickshaw running and wanted my customers to have the best time ever! So I let go and enjoyed! The whole of it was really special in each respective regard. I really loved learning to ride a camel - going along with the motion of the camel's gait ("straight back and hips like a belly dancer!" said my guide). The guide stayed beside me most of the 2 hours we were out there on the camels and really invested in teaching me how to ride well. He said he was very proud and happy for me because I was doing so well and he would now add canada to the top 6 camel riders he had come across in his 25 years in the business on my behalf - what an absolute honor! It was great to ride alongside him for those two hours. He told me all about his 3 wives and answered my questions about how they had come to be his wives. He told me it's hard work to have several wives, and you must do certain things like have dinner everyone together twice a week to ensure everyone is friendly and everyone can see that they were all equal to him. He said you must be a man of good character to be a good husband to several wives. He said there is a saying that men with only one wife are either boring or lazy. And, he said that egyptian men are capable of having several wives because of... camel milk! He very very much believed in camel milk (it makes hard and last very long!!!) and mentioned it often! Because of camel milk, men needed more than 1 wife! I asked him what would happen if a woman wanted more than one man and he said it was illegal but somewhat accepted and did happen once in a while. He said that when he was younger he was with a young woman who was married to a much older man and this woman had several men. After talking about camel milk a little bit, he would correct my posture or get me to try some new technique or style or riding, and then commend me on my riding, and then offer to give my boyfriend camel milk as a prize for my good riding!
The Giza Pyramids are on the edge of Cairo, where the city meets the desert. A feeling of magnitude and awe-inspiration comes about there. Looking one way I saw an incredibly dense city, looking another way I saw impressive pyramids and looking yet another way I saw never ending, shimmery yellow... almost magestic dunes bathing in the huge soft hazy sun above. We went up and down the dunes to different view points of the pyramids and then we went right up to the middle pyramid (which... may not have been completely allowed... there was a little bit of arabic yelling between our guide and a security guard.. which ended well... although there was an exchange of money between our guide and another security guard a little earlier. Also to note is that we didnt pay for any entrance to the site, we came from the opposite direction and were told that it was included in our price.) We climbed up two blocks and posed for pictures according to our guides directions. He's a pro! One block of stone is about as tall as me, and from where I was at the base, I could not see the tip of the pyramid! There is enough stone in one of these pyramids to made a one meter high wall around the whole of France! It's remarkeable to be in the smell and energy and light of this all. The dunes are what impressed me most... I could imagine how a project like the pyramids could be dreamed up looking at these shimmery, not demanding attention but aware that they are drawing it in nonetheless, dunes.
We eventually made our way back to where we started, but not without riding the camels with our legs to the side and facing backwards. And also, he insisted we try the slow, medium and ... the crazy trot!! I think my camel was getting a little old, he faired well but seemed to be a bit slower and was... coughing, I believe. These camels are remarkably laid back beings. There was a long row of them at the fence where we started, they were hardly moving or making any noise. I guess being a creature of the desert demands for low energy expenditure.
Back in the tent we met a man named Abdul who comes out here to ride horses every once in a while. To him, it feels like flying! (I told him I got that feeling from a bicycle :D). Apart from riding a horse, he also loves coming out to the desert and just relaxing for 2 hours every once in a while to get away from the stress of the city. This is what life is about, he says, not about doing this and this and this and this. He was very intent on having us join him at his house for dinner and tea. He really wanted to show us that egyptians are friendly, nice people and that the real egypt is not in the tourist sites, you have to live like the egyptians to know it. Egyptians seem to be active, outspoken, friendly, chaotic, intrigued, a little shy, and lively people all at once... I do not doubt their hospitality and friendlyness. Anyone I smiled to on the street smiled back and said "Welcome!". We were meeting Jana at a restaurant for dinner, so we declined Abdul's offer. He made sure we had his number and told us to call him if we felt up to it another time.
I have no idea what time it is now, but it's dark out and I am pretty sleepy. Tomorrow we meet up with the all the TDA riders and staff at the resort where most riders are currently staying, put our bikes back together, have our first Rider Meeting, and head out on a fun short convoy ride to the step pyramids (which apparently aren't true pyramids, but more like a series of tombs built over each other). Saturday we're off for real!
One last thing... one of my favorite parts so far is the language. I am slowly but surely falling in love with the arabic language. To me, it is beautiful, in a entirely new sense of the word.
Hoping you are all well!
Shartom! ("Thank you", most important word to learn so far! I'm not sure of the spelling yet).
I arrived in Cairo last night after a... who knows.. a long time flying. Nanaimo to Vancouver to Frankfurt to Cairo. The flight from Vancouver to Frankfurt was the longest (about 10 hours), and the guy next to me and I chatted the entire way (well we also watched Harry Potter 6!!), which was really great! As soon as I boarded the flight the Cairo I couldnt wipe the smile off my face! I'm here, this is finally real!! It is so good to follow your dreams, I feel complete (which I think I told to every girl I met in the bathroom in the club... which is the next story.)
Once in the airport, I got my visa no problem, and found my luggage. There were 3 bike boxes, the two others belonged to two other TDA riders, so I met them :). My friend Lynne who rickshawed with me in Ottawa is also doing the Tour and she had arrived a few days earlier and was staying with a friend who lives in Cairo now. They were both there to pick me up. Jana, her friend, is so friendly, the three of us get along great. We went back to Jana's, got ready to go out and met Jana's friends in a club. We danced and danced and danced with one local boy each to a live cover artist (if you can believe it, the song Yellow by Coldplay was played! I couldn't believe it! This is possibly my favorite song.) We found our way back home around 2 and fell right asleep, probably mid-sentence.
This morning I got up feeling really well and had my first look of Egypt in daylight out of the window. Shimmering yellow desert-like stretch of land surrounded with city. The light here has a shimmery softness to it. Lynne was ready to sleep some more (Jana was at work - she is a teacher in an international school here), so after some breakfast I headed out to explore on my own! I walked around different roads, most dont have sidewalks, but the traffic is remarkably... flowing. The lines of the road don't matter much, and there are cars going every which way, very close to each other... but they all talk with each other. There is a whole code of honks and high-beam flashes and no one panics, it's like a stream that adjusts itself, it flows. A bit of a microcosm for everything here... go with the flow. "Don't worry, be happy" an egyptian man told me. Along my walk, I walked past a shop and the owner invited me in, showed me his merchandise ( I didnt have any local currency yet) and prepared some tea for me and him to have, which we did. I eventually came back to the apartment, woke Lynne up and brought her some water... and found out it was only 11 am! I was sure it was at least 2... I must have been up at 8! Good news for me... the Tour is all about early mornings, which I'm so looking forward to... living with the sun :).
We made some lunch, got ourselves ready, studied some maps and made our way to the Giza Pyramids! The way there was an adventure in itself. We walked to the subway station, discovering more of the city and wonderful flow of chaos along the way. I found somewhere where I could exchange US bills I brought into Egyptian pounds.
The subway have separate cars for men and women. It was quite a memorable experience in the subway to be surrounded by beautiful women wearing colourful headdresses. I would watch someone and she would catch me looking at her. I would smile and she would smile back, as if we were friends for a moment.
Now the adventure really begins! As we got out of the subway at the stop that said "El Giza", a man offered us a ride to the pyramids in his taxi (we really stand out as tourists! As it turns out this is not the closest stop to the pyramids after all). We told him we would walk at first, then he told us it was 10 kilometers and he would take us for 5 pounds (about a dollar canadian). Along the way he told us tons of information about the pyramids and Egypt, and when we could see the pyramids in the distance, he pulled over and took a picture of us with the pyramids in the distance! The service here is exceptional and people are so honest ( I forgot my water bottle in the car at the end and he drove back to give it to me!) He asked us if we wanted to go to the tourist entrance or the "student/traveler/egyptian" entrance. We opted for the second choice. He took us to a company close to the pyramids that offered horseback and camel rides around the pyramids (I think he got commission from the company for everyone he took there who got a tour ... everyone gets a cut here, Jana's friend went with her to a shop and the seller called him back after they left and gave him commission... the seller thought he was a guide). The man at the company took us inside, sat us down and told us everything we needed to know (small tour, medium tour, and long tour and all the prices). We decided to go for it and were soon on the back of two camels, Mauser and Mickey-Mouse. The tour guide was on a horse and a young boy was leading the camels or egging them on if we were leading them ourselves. At first, I felt a little guilty and touristy about the whole thing - but then I remembered my days as a rickshaw runner and how it was almost an insult or a let down when people felt guilty - I chose and loved rickshaw running and wanted my customers to have the best time ever! So I let go and enjoyed! The whole of it was really special in each respective regard. I really loved learning to ride a camel - going along with the motion of the camel's gait ("straight back and hips like a belly dancer!" said my guide). The guide stayed beside me most of the 2 hours we were out there on the camels and really invested in teaching me how to ride well. He said he was very proud and happy for me because I was doing so well and he would now add canada to the top 6 camel riders he had come across in his 25 years in the business on my behalf - what an absolute honor! It was great to ride alongside him for those two hours. He told me all about his 3 wives and answered my questions about how they had come to be his wives. He told me it's hard work to have several wives, and you must do certain things like have dinner everyone together twice a week to ensure everyone is friendly and everyone can see that they were all equal to him. He said you must be a man of good character to be a good husband to several wives. He said there is a saying that men with only one wife are either boring or lazy. And, he said that egyptian men are capable of having several wives because of... camel milk! He very very much believed in camel milk (it makes hard and last very long!!!) and mentioned it often! Because of camel milk, men needed more than 1 wife! I asked him what would happen if a woman wanted more than one man and he said it was illegal but somewhat accepted and did happen once in a while. He said that when he was younger he was with a young woman who was married to a much older man and this woman had several men. After talking about camel milk a little bit, he would correct my posture or get me to try some new technique or style or riding, and then commend me on my riding, and then offer to give my boyfriend camel milk as a prize for my good riding!
The Giza Pyramids are on the edge of Cairo, where the city meets the desert. A feeling of magnitude and awe-inspiration comes about there. Looking one way I saw an incredibly dense city, looking another way I saw impressive pyramids and looking yet another way I saw never ending, shimmery yellow... almost magestic dunes bathing in the huge soft hazy sun above. We went up and down the dunes to different view points of the pyramids and then we went right up to the middle pyramid (which... may not have been completely allowed... there was a little bit of arabic yelling between our guide and a security guard.. which ended well... although there was an exchange of money between our guide and another security guard a little earlier. Also to note is that we didnt pay for any entrance to the site, we came from the opposite direction and were told that it was included in our price.) We climbed up two blocks and posed for pictures according to our guides directions. He's a pro! One block of stone is about as tall as me, and from where I was at the base, I could not see the tip of the pyramid! There is enough stone in one of these pyramids to made a one meter high wall around the whole of France! It's remarkeable to be in the smell and energy and light of this all. The dunes are what impressed me most... I could imagine how a project like the pyramids could be dreamed up looking at these shimmery, not demanding attention but aware that they are drawing it in nonetheless, dunes.
We eventually made our way back to where we started, but not without riding the camels with our legs to the side and facing backwards. And also, he insisted we try the slow, medium and ... the crazy trot!! I think my camel was getting a little old, he faired well but seemed to be a bit slower and was... coughing, I believe. These camels are remarkably laid back beings. There was a long row of them at the fence where we started, they were hardly moving or making any noise. I guess being a creature of the desert demands for low energy expenditure.
Back in the tent we met a man named Abdul who comes out here to ride horses every once in a while. To him, it feels like flying! (I told him I got that feeling from a bicycle :D). Apart from riding a horse, he also loves coming out to the desert and just relaxing for 2 hours every once in a while to get away from the stress of the city. This is what life is about, he says, not about doing this and this and this and this. He was very intent on having us join him at his house for dinner and tea. He really wanted to show us that egyptians are friendly, nice people and that the real egypt is not in the tourist sites, you have to live like the egyptians to know it. Egyptians seem to be active, outspoken, friendly, chaotic, intrigued, a little shy, and lively people all at once... I do not doubt their hospitality and friendlyness. Anyone I smiled to on the street smiled back and said "Welcome!". We were meeting Jana at a restaurant for dinner, so we declined Abdul's offer. He made sure we had his number and told us to call him if we felt up to it another time.
I have no idea what time it is now, but it's dark out and I am pretty sleepy. Tomorrow we meet up with the all the TDA riders and staff at the resort where most riders are currently staying, put our bikes back together, have our first Rider Meeting, and head out on a fun short convoy ride to the step pyramids (which apparently aren't true pyramids, but more like a series of tombs built over each other). Saturday we're off for real!
One last thing... one of my favorite parts so far is the language. I am slowly but surely falling in love with the arabic language. To me, it is beautiful, in a entirely new sense of the word.
Hoping you are all well!
Shartom! ("Thank you", most important word to learn so far! I'm not sure of the spelling yet).
Sunday, January 3, 2010
One week until Cairo!
Hello and Welcome!
In a week and a day, I am off to Cairo for four months of cycling down the African continent to Cape Town! I'm really excited about being able to share this experience with you, especially that of meeting the community where the bikes we raised funds for will find their home. That I promise to share with you in grand detail. As for the rest, we will have 22 rest days where I hope and am so excited to be able to share our global community with you and express what I'm sure will be overwhelming to my heart, but I can make no promises of consistency. On the plus side, the Tour d'Afrique will have a daily blog sharing some of our challenges and joys which can be found right here:
http://tourdafrique.com/epictours/tourdafrique/blog
Hope you are all well and wonderful!
Hugs,
Andra
In a week and a day, I am off to Cairo for four months of cycling down the African continent to Cape Town! I'm really excited about being able to share this experience with you, especially that of meeting the community where the bikes we raised funds for will find their home. That I promise to share with you in grand detail. As for the rest, we will have 22 rest days where I hope and am so excited to be able to share our global community with you and express what I'm sure will be overwhelming to my heart, but I can make no promises of consistency. On the plus side, the Tour d'Afrique will have a daily blog sharing some of our challenges and joys which can be found right here:
http://tourdafrique.com/epictours/tourdafrique/blog
Hope you are all well and wonderful!
Hugs,
Andra
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