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!