After a few beers last night to celebrate the trip, today saw our Team AR participating in various forms of rest and relaxation.
Some took out a kayak on the Zambesi and had an enjoyable trip up the river joined by hippos, crocodiles and vultures. Other bungee jumped, others decided not to bungee jump at the last minute.
Other choices included white water rafting and or a safari - where they spotted many elephants.
Tomorrow is another half day of activity before catching a flight from Livingstone to Johannesburg and then catching the plane home to arrive at 6am (ish) on Monday morning.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
They made it!
All have arrived at Livingstone! Great excitement that everyone has arrived (mostly) injury-free!
The falls are awesome, quite stunning and breath takingly beautiful. Sitting on the terraces of the hotel, drink in hand, knowing that you've completed a 500km bike ride across Zambia bike is a wonderful feeling.
The blog will be updated tomorrow with news of how today's cycle went and what adventurous activities Team AR get up to in their rest time tomorrow - will it be elephant riding, bungee jumpring, white water rfting....who knows.
Cheers guys, well done all of you.
The falls are awesome, quite stunning and breath takingly beautiful. Sitting on the terraces of the hotel, drink in hand, knowing that you've completed a 500km bike ride across Zambia bike is a wonderful feeling.
The blog will be updated tomorrow with news of how today's cycle went and what adventurous activities Team AR get up to in their rest time tomorrow - will it be elephant riding, bungee jumpring, white water rfting....who knows.
Cheers guys, well done all of you.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
News flash!
SteveO wishes to log on the blog that he cycled the last 10km yesterday with a puncture. He didn't realise he had a puncture, but cycling that far with a flattie must put him in some superhero category somewhere?!
Real Africa at its finest
Had our lie-in and awoke to a hearty breakfast. We lubed up and I am pleased to report that now all of us are versed at the fine art of applying vaseling.
Today was our first cloudy day and we spend it cycling on sand. It was heavy going but the lack of pot holes made it easy. Hank fell off...I'm going to say that again, Hank fell off....
At one of the village watering stops, the village elder himself came out to greet us and insisted on showing us around his village, the grand finale being the church.
Part of our day saw us visiting another school to give out footballs. This school has in excess of 2,000 pupils all who insisted on putting on a various shows. Their singing is quite incredible. One class circled around us and sang their national anthem in local dialect. We were visibly moved, it was beautiful.
We handed over the footballs and had a quick game against their school team - all kitted out in red. SteveO showed them some of his amazing football tricks and then he had a kick about with the team. The school toilet walls have a sign saying 'Paper only in the toilets, no stones'.
We arrived at our allocated guest houses for tonight's stop. The showers give off a trickle of cold water so we are having to boil up saucepans to wash away today's sweat and grime. There are impala walking around the grounds.
Others have already headed off to the bar over the road for their pre-prandial. The clouds have lifted and the sky is awash with stars, it is quite breath taking.
Tomorrow is our last day's cycling and we head towards Livingstone. We aim to get their in time for lunch and have an afternoon's play at bungee jumping or just resting.
Today was our first cloudy day and we spend it cycling on sand. It was heavy going but the lack of pot holes made it easy. Hank fell off...I'm going to say that again, Hank fell off....
At one of the village watering stops, the village elder himself came out to greet us and insisted on showing us around his village, the grand finale being the church.
Part of our day saw us visiting another school to give out footballs. This school has in excess of 2,000 pupils all who insisted on putting on a various shows. Their singing is quite incredible. One class circled around us and sang their national anthem in local dialect. We were visibly moved, it was beautiful.
We handed over the footballs and had a quick game against their school team - all kitted out in red. SteveO showed them some of his amazing football tricks and then he had a kick about with the team. The school toilet walls have a sign saying 'Paper only in the toilets, no stones'.
We arrived at our allocated guest houses for tonight's stop. The showers give off a trickle of cold water so we are having to boil up saucepans to wash away today's sweat and grime. There are impala walking around the grounds.
Others have already headed off to the bar over the road for their pre-prandial. The clouds have lifted and the sky is awash with stars, it is quite breath taking.
Tomorrow is our last day's cycling and we head towards Livingstone. We aim to get their in time for lunch and have an afternoon's play at bungee jumping or just resting.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Hank's 'downhill'
Famous last words from the Master of Understatement....downhill turned out to be over 40km of uphill struggle....
110km to get through today so we were up at 5:45am greeted by another of Clair's cooked breakfasts...bad luck anyone who was hoping to come home looking a little more sylph-like, we have no chance!
Today we saw more of real Africa - 'Hello buana how are you?', 'I'm fine thank you, how are you?' being the favourite greeting. Eye to eye with black mamba snakes and ominous eagles hovering overhead as we hit the 100km mark. We are over half way now and hoping for more downhill roads (but not Hank's style).
Plenty of sore bits from yesterday's tumbles and we are getting through pots and pots of vaseline to help lubricate sore butts on saddles - Dr Raj tells us it will eventually help to sooth our saddle sores. Hank insists we wear 2 pairs of shorts for extra padding.
We ended up at a lake in the middle of nowhere, set under a starry starry sky. To make up for our exhausting day, we are allowed a lie-in tomorrow so we don't have to be ready to leave until 6:15am.
Tomorrow we head for a beach and cycle 60km off road on sand. We have more footballs to give out and will be stopping at schools supported by African Revival. We're nervous about tomorrow night's accommodation - even Hank has little to say. The most enthusiasm he can muster is that there is a bar across the road.
Off to bed now on a full stomach.....apple crumble and custard courtesy of Claire & Sean. I think the custard is almost as comforting as the vaseline.......Jam Roly Poly possibly tomorrow.
110km to get through today so we were up at 5:45am greeted by another of Clair's cooked breakfasts...bad luck anyone who was hoping to come home looking a little more sylph-like, we have no chance!
Today we saw more of real Africa - 'Hello buana how are you?', 'I'm fine thank you, how are you?' being the favourite greeting. Eye to eye with black mamba snakes and ominous eagles hovering overhead as we hit the 100km mark. We are over half way now and hoping for more downhill roads (but not Hank's style).
Plenty of sore bits from yesterday's tumbles and we are getting through pots and pots of vaseline to help lubricate sore butts on saddles - Dr Raj tells us it will eventually help to sooth our saddle sores. Hank insists we wear 2 pairs of shorts for extra padding.
We ended up at a lake in the middle of nowhere, set under a starry starry sky. To make up for our exhausting day, we are allowed a lie-in tomorrow so we don't have to be ready to leave until 6:15am.
Tomorrow we head for a beach and cycle 60km off road on sand. We have more footballs to give out and will be stopping at schools supported by African Revival. We're nervous about tomorrow night's accommodation - even Hank has little to say. The most enthusiasm he can muster is that there is a bar across the road.
Off to bed now on a full stomach.....apple crumble and custard courtesy of Claire & Sean. I think the custard is almost as comforting as the vaseline.......Jam Roly Poly possibly tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Donga Day
Donga is a ditch - a furrow in the track. If you get stuck in one, you've had it. You will fall off your bike. Don't ask how I know.
We have a great support team with us - Our cooks, Claire and Sean (great barbecue tonight, racks of ribs, simply delicous), Our guide, Big Blonde Hank who is master of the understatement. We were confident as we approached the 'slight incline' .... muscles are still aching. We also have Dr Raj who is following from behind handing out iodine swabs and blister plasters. In fact he ran out of iodine today such were the number of scratches, cuts, bruises and dents from the dongas.
The conditions were challenging, more so than any of us could have imagined and certainly not ideal for those amongst us who haven't been on a bike for over 2 years. We keep quiet if we're badly hurt, we want to cylce not travel in the car of shame with Dr Raj. One of us, who shall remain nameless, could probably apply for a vacancy as choir boy in Liverpool Cathedral such was the pain he suffered crashing from his saddle.
We visited a school this afternoon and gave out two of the footballs - one for the girls and one for the boys. They were delighted, as were the headteacher and staff - all 8 of them. So that's 8 teachers and 1,000 pupils, quite incredible.
Today we traversed tarmac, pot holes, sand, pot holes, dirt, pot holes, dongas and more pot holes. The fiercest animal we saw was a butterfly.
Tomorrow we head off to the lake where the roads are sandy, but with more dongas. Hank tells us it is downhill. We wait and see. It'll be a terrific adventure no matter what the undulating roads bring us.
Number of punctures: 0
Number of injuries: Many
We have a great support team with us - Our cooks, Claire and Sean (great barbecue tonight, racks of ribs, simply delicous), Our guide, Big Blonde Hank who is master of the understatement. We were confident as we approached the 'slight incline' .... muscles are still aching. We also have Dr Raj who is following from behind handing out iodine swabs and blister plasters. In fact he ran out of iodine today such were the number of scratches, cuts, bruises and dents from the dongas.
The conditions were challenging, more so than any of us could have imagined and certainly not ideal for those amongst us who haven't been on a bike for over 2 years. We keep quiet if we're badly hurt, we want to cylce not travel in the car of shame with Dr Raj. One of us, who shall remain nameless, could probably apply for a vacancy as choir boy in Liverpool Cathedral such was the pain he suffered crashing from his saddle.
We visited a school this afternoon and gave out two of the footballs - one for the girls and one for the boys. They were delighted, as were the headteacher and staff - all 8 of them. So that's 8 teachers and 1,000 pupils, quite incredible.
Today we traversed tarmac, pot holes, sand, pot holes, dirt, pot holes, dongas and more pot holes. The fiercest animal we saw was a butterfly.
Tomorrow we head off to the lake where the roads are sandy, but with more dongas. Hank tells us it is downhill. We wait and see. It'll be a terrific adventure no matter what the undulating roads bring us.
Number of punctures: 0
Number of injuries: Many
Short, sweet and ouch
I'm promised a more detailed update later this evening, but I have to report that we have scrapes, bumps, lumps and various injuries caused by tumbling off bikes - the state of the roads today made it less enjoyable and one second's lapse in concentration meant Team AR ran the risk of eating dirt face down in a pot hole.
A hot, 2-hour truck transfer from end of cycle ride to hotel/shack tonight meant just a short phone call before dinner beckoned (what are you cooking tonight Claire?).
More later.
A hot, 2-hour truck transfer from end of cycle ride to hotel/shack tonight meant just a short phone call before dinner beckoned (what are you cooking tonight Claire?).
More later.
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