And then it was my turn …

The last rest day didn't turn out as I hoped: during lunch I started feeling not to well, early in the evening I went to bed with a serious temperature. Sleeping was not really possible, because of frequent toilet-visits. Luckily the next morning I felt good enough to ride, but the night after that it was the same story: Time and again I had to get out of the tent to answer the call of nature. Nights like this really suck the strength out of your body, so I was glad the next day was a relative short stage. I turned out better then expected, but is not the kind of riding that makes me happy. The following rest day came just in time:: enough time to relax and recuperate..Right now I starting to feel better.
The stages we rode where beautiful without to much climbing The road was brand new, Ethiopia is clearly working on improving its infrastructure. Some Ethiopian children like to yell all sorts of thing when you pass, after which they throw a stone in your direction. I don't mind small stones, but some overdo it: during a beautiful descent such a young brat picked up a stone of a least one kilo and threw it in my direction while I was doing 65 km/h. It hit me on the knee. I still don't understand how I survived this attack.
Yesterday we arrived in Bahir Dar, a town at the Tana-lake. A real nice, laid back place which resembles Italyvery much. I like it here.
Tomorrow we start riding towards Addis Abeba, we'll be reaching the highest point of the Tour d'Afrique (.3000m) and we'll be doing the Nile-gorge-stage:2000m descending, after which you have to climb the same 2000m on the other side of the Nile.

Good by Sudan, welcome Ethiopia

The past week we have traveled the remaining stretch within Sudan: in 4 day time we rode 580 km over perfectly sealed roads (which were very busy with traffic), to the Ethiopian border at Galabat. .
The wind was not extremely hard, but it came it came from the wrong direction which slowed us down. The temperature is really starting to get in the tropical domain: we start in the morning at 7.45h at 24 degrees, around 10.30 we're above the 30, and after the lunch the temperatures rise to 42.Luckily it does not affect me much. I drink a lot (water, Fast Fuel) and I try not to skip the possibility to buy a coke.
The border with Ethiopia is the also the first spot where alcoholic beverages are sold After entering Ethiopia, everybody ran to the first watering place to score a cold beer. It was one of my best beers ever..
We are now in Gondar, a beautiful old town north of Lake Tana. During the past two riding days we have really got know Ethiopia!: unsealed roads, and lots of climbing to be done, in a beautiful scenery. Both days were extremely tough, a lot of riders have lost their EFI-status
In Ethiopia not many people speak English Most people know only one word: "you". Sometimes a second word is added: "hey", but that's it. It's very strange to ride through a village while hundred people are yelling "hey you, you, you, …, you".
Yesterday the expected nuissnce of Ethiopian children was not as bad, today there where a number of unpleasant situations: The Irish rider had his camera and 20 US$ stolen during a coke-stop.Some children even succeeded in getting things out of the sadle bags while we where riding! (ths looks more difficult than it is: on a steep incline the speed is so low, that a child can easily run alongside with you.) My weapon against this harassment is to start making a lot of noise and cursing in Dutch to the kids. Today it worked.
Tomorrow there is a rest day, which is welcomed by every TdA-participant: sleeping late, eating, and above all: resting, because on Monday undoubtedly a lot of climbing is awaiting us.
My EFI-status is still OK, let's see what next week will bring.

The champion of Sudan

During the stage of February 4 i saw an unknown rider approaching me at km 90.After making the connection he gave a short hello, and decided to hold my wheel, and not do any work up front for the next 20 km..
I stopped alongside the road to have a Cola, my Sudanese fellow-traveler came along and he introduced himself: (after insisting on paying for my Coke): His name was Awad Ibrahim Mohammed, and he added dryly: "I'm the champion of Sudan". That was all the English he spoke.
His bike would not raise more than 5 dollar on any garage sale: it was a steel Raleigh from the 70-ies, the chain and the chain-rings were completely oxidized, his handlebar had no tape on it, the tires seemed to have no connection whatsoever to the rims the should be on. My offer to put some more pressure on them, was refused: they simply could not have more air without coming detached from the rims. The clothing he wore also dated from long ago..
After the coke, we continued our way. Awad kept applying the same approach: not an inch in lead, only following my wheel.
When we reached the finish line at km. 145 we said goodbye to each other. Awad turned his bike around, read to start his way back to Khartoum where he lived. The same 145 km again!!

Sudan

* Open, friendly people, they want to help and like to talk
* Falafel sandwiches, zagleb (warm milky drink with herbs)
* Desert
* The coffee in the restaurant is provided by the coffee-woman who runs her own little business on the pavement
* No alcohol, not a drop
* "welcome, what you think of Sudan?"
* beautifull clay houses
* oceans of discarded, undegradable plastic bags that stick o trees and fences.