oh my aching butt!!

I awoke in Houndé, excited from the first days' success and ready to go. I packed up, found some rice and beans for breakfast, then jumped on my bike. Ouch. Oh, was my rear ever tender! I guess it has been a while since I spent all day on the seat of a bike! I had hoped to have a second day with around 200kms, but my butt was having a strike.

The other thing I realized early in the morning was that from now on, I would not be forgetting the sun-screen. Although it had been a cool day, I could feel a deep burn on my hands, my knees and my lips. Lesson learned.

I did my best to subdue the arguing buttocks and get moving. The scenery was much less interesting, with the trees thinning out considerably and with a lot more grass. It wasn't ugly - just not stunningly gorgeous as the first day. I guess that is the problems with us humans. We always want something bigger and better. If something doesn't live up to our last experience, then we don't think much of it, no matter how great it may be. Hmmm. I wonder if that is what this trip is about. A bigger and crazier adventure? Perhaps.

In the early afternoon, I was forcing my mind to think about things other than my complaining glutes when all of a sudden, the front tire just went down. I hadn't ridden over anything and there was no bang or his, it just went flat. It was an old tube that had already been patched numerous times and the new hole was in between 2 old patches. I tossed the tube out for a new one and kept going. Later on, I stopped to have a bit of bread in a small village. I asked if there might be a covered well nearby. The people I was chatting with said yes and took me on a 5 minute walk, out past the village, past the school, through a field to an old pump that had obviously not been used for quite some time. We pumped and pumped for over 5 minutes, but the water was still coming out dirty so I politely suggested that I might try the next village. They immediately told me that only 2km up the road was a very good well that is used all the time. It took me longer to walk back to my bike than to bike to the next village where I found children pumping away and beautiful, clean water pouring out!

At 5:00, I had only come 160km, despite having started an hour earlier. My average speed of Mach 0.016 was maintained, but the amount of time that I could will my butt to stay on the seat had significantly diminished! I opted for an early dinner, while passing through a large town, then pushed on to make another 10km before stopping. Had a fantastic wrap of roasted sheep-meat that was nice and tender. The muslim men here cut up the meat into little peices double wrap them in brown paper, and soak them in oil as they slowly roast over a hot grill. It is very juicy and tastes brilliant.

At 6:00, I could see dark clouds forming ahead and I promised myself that I would stop at the next village. Turns out that this was just around the corner, and it didn't come too soon! I stopped to talk with the people who were in front of a little store and pointed out the (obvious) fact that I probably wouldn't arrive in Ouagadougou today. They agreed (since it is still 80km away) and suggested that I talk to the "doctor". Someone took me to the little pharmacy depot at the other end of the village and introduced me to the medical counselor who manages the little stock of medicines. No sooner had I shaken his hand, then the heavens let loose a giant rain-storm that raged for the next hour. We took shelter in the pharmacy, but couldn't talk because the drops were smashing against the tin roof with such noise, all I could do was be thankful for a dry place to sit. Eventually, it eased off and we were able to get to know each other a bit. The 'doctor' offered me a room for the night. Adjacent to the pharmacy store room, It had a single ratan bed with an old air-mattress, a bed-side table and a wall hung with clothes. It was obviously someone's room, but it was unclear whether that someone was away at the moment, or whether they had quickly vacated to make room for me. It would be rude to ask, so I just stated my gratitude for the place to sleep. He brought me a lamp with which I could see the walls were covered with posters of rap stars and football legends - and a pious looking muslim girl praying with images of the Hadj behind her. Interesting mix.

He brought a big bucket of water into his "shower". In the middle of his courtyard, were 4 posts with some hanging cloth forming a wall on each side. Inside the 10 square-foot enclosure is a rock floor and a couple of hooks to hang clothes on. I went in with my flipflop sandals, get undressed and then use a little plastic cup to draw water from the bucket and rince myself off. The cold water felt so refreshing, it brought a smile to my sunburned lips. After a good soaping and scrubbing, I thanked my host and returned to my room. I pulled my sheet, out of my bags and hardly remember spreading it on the bed. The next thing I knew, it was morning!