Off to a great start!

I was fairly worried how my body would cope with the strenuous riding after being so sick, but it was exactly what I needed. It was as if the road had been calling me and I was finally answering, finally where I was supposed to be.

After some last-minute re-arranging to fit the loaf of zuchini bread and a brownie that I stole from Tabitha's fridge, I got on the road about 7:30. I couldn't believe how good it felt to get rolling. It was cool (27C) and although there was lots of people out and about, the road had hardly any traffic.

Not too far along, I came across a beautiful waterfall. I smiled as I thought about the dozens (maybe hundreds) of waterfalls that we stopped to looked at on family vacations. I always say that I don't need to see anymore waterfalls, but then every once in a while, one just stands out as stunning. As I munched on a hunk of zuchini bread, I marveled at how God designed earth to be so beautiful and not just functional.

The "forest" was also very beautiful, but not like any other that I have seen. The odd mix is more like a big conference of independent trees, each finding their own space amongst the almost blindingly green shrubbery and grass. The craggy Accacia, the prolific karité (or shea butter tree which locals use for making oil and soap), the young, broad-leafed teaks have been planted closer to the road and the giant boabab (or upside down tree) towers in the distance. An occasional palm tree looks like a stranger amidst the other, more leafy trees like the near perfect mushroom shape of the mango, the densely foiled avacado, and the stands of skinny white gum trees. It rained on me, keeping the heat to a minimum as I kept the bike moving northward.

I was very happy with my speed, since I was blistering along at Mach 0.016. (20km/hour). Not bad considering how weighed down the bike is. I pushed through to Bobo Dioulasso (85km) for lunch, but was VERY hungry by the time I got there. Had a good meal of beans, rice and veges (cabbage and some type of strange squash). After drinking a litre of rehydration solution in addition to the rest of my water, I got going again.

About 10km down the road, I thought my bike had developed a funny squeak. I spent quite a while listening intently and then watching my chain and pedals and front wheel to see if I could locate the odd noise. I was about to get off and have a look when the funny squeak suddenly rode up beside me and grinned!

My bike was fine, but Amidou, an 18 year old student had been riding just exactly behind me for the past half an hour without saying a word! His old mountain bike only had one working gear and both wheels wobbled considerably, but that didn't stop him from keeping up to me (apparently Mach 0.016 is fairly attainable by other cyclists too). We struck up a conversation and ended up riding with each other for the rest of the day. The squeak didn't bother me in the least, knowing it came from Amidou's chain and not from some part of my bike that was going to fall apart!

He was going to a town called Hounde,
about 105km away, which I considered quite ambitious, but he assured me that we could make it if we kept moving. Stopping only very briefly for water, we pressed on, even though I was getting very tired. About 20km before Houndé, Amidou informed me that he would soon be turning off the road to go directly to his father's fields where he would be helping to tend the crops (beans, peanuts, onions, corn and more). We stopped to take a photo and share the last of the zuchini bread. He thought it was kind of a weird food, but ate it up as only a hungry student can.

I made the last few kms to Houndé without incident and arrived at 5:30pm. 190km on my first day. Much better than I expected. To celebrate, I went in search of a store with a fridge to get myself a cold coke. Together with Tabitha's brownie, it made the perfect end to an awesome day.