The Gorge

Well, the second stage of nine is complete and I am proud to say I have been riding recently at 3200m above sea level – the highest point on our tour - and there is definitely a difference in air quality! Pedalling up a beautiful hill is somewhat challenging - the hill is no steeper than usual, it’s not even a particularly long day but the air simply is lacking in oxygen. I try to take a deep breath in but there’s nothing there yet the air is fresh and crisp. The locals as they do yell out there encouragement to me as I go up the hill with their shouts of “you-you-you give me money” or by the little 4 year old kid who sees a foreigner and says “you-money!” I don’t think he even understands what he’s saying but the poverty in this country is definitely visible with almost everyone I pass asking me for money. Sometimes I try to explain that I am a very poor foreigner on a bicycle that would be in a car at this moment if I had money. But that is of course a lie because there is no better way to travel other than by bicycle. Everyone asks where I am going and I don’t think they really care and no one knows where Capetown is so I tell them the next place I am going to – Addis Ababa (which is a mouthful to say when you’re riding up a hill at altitude!).

We have conquered the hardest altitude gain in a single day and our longest climb for the tour – up the Blue Nile Gorge – a truly amazing place with a lovely long decent, and a bugger of a climb – they had a time trial option too which I didn’t take thinking it would be a big enough achievement just to reach the top of the mountain however the staff decided they were going to record my time without me knowing!!! So I had a lovely 20km climb of 1500m up this gorge – stopped twice to eat an energy bar and then find out that I’ve come 5th out of the 8 women who they recorded despite not realizing I was racing… will have to actually race the next opportunity we get…

Anyhow now that I have arrived in Addis there are some great things here. Firstly a DHL office where I received a package from home containing some special handlebar grips to help with my finger numbness, and my aerobars – so that I can have a few more hand positions. Thanks so much for sending them Mum & Dad!!! It is really greatly appreciated. It took a bit of effort getting them once we found the DHL office – the people there insisted it wasn’t there and it wasn’t until Craig actually went back to the cupboard where they keep the packages and was looking through there himself that he found the package… that’s Africa though!

Secondly I just found a place that sells ice cream!!! I haven’t had ice cream since Khartoum. It was great too… hazelnut flavoured mmmmmm…. Might be going back there tomorrow I think!!!