Back on the bike!

Wed 21st feb

After one day of riding in the last eight it is with some trepidation that I boarded my bike this morning. We breakfasted in luxury at the hotel in Konso. Table, chairs, knife, fork, table cloth. Waitress serving mango juice. The Party Bus decided we would start off together. The standard wait for David - toilet trip, key delivery, he is a morning faffer- and we were off. The killer climb that had taken us up to the hotel four days prior provided a pleasurable descent today. Two km down to the roundabout and then a right onto the dirt track. We are accumulating off road experience now that we are in Southern Ethiopia. The cycle to Konso included 25km on a dirt track. 

A dirt track but still a main road - passing through villages, over hills, fields; there was no shortage of people en route. On the whole I am enjoying the interludes of dirt track. Earlier in Ethiopia the novelty was the hills, now it's the off road. Today was no exception. We had about 14km of off road to start. Off road is the wrong term, essentially it is a road under construction. The majority was downhill, hardpack dirt and gravel i.e. ideal for beginner off road cycling. Gentle rolling up and downs. David said it reminded him of a BMX taster session he did once, I am inclined to agree. It was like a bigger, wider BMX track through rural Ethiopia. In conjunction with the warmth and humidity, it felt like 'the real Africa'. We were loving it, playing at being mountain bikers...whizzing past women carrying firewood, men piled on the back of flatdecks, donkeys, workers in he fields, bags of charcoal for sale. I saw my first Chinese person in Ethiopia today. Midway down the dirt track there was a construction team, complete with rollers and digger. There were about five native looking men, hanging around the machines, and a shorter and plumper Chinese man in the centre. He looked to be the site manager. Forge last few cycling days, calls of 'You, you, you, you. Farenji.' Have been replaced with 'You, You. You. China!' So I have been on the search for these infamous Chinese people that I we seem to be interchangeable with. Once on the tar seal we had reached the bottom of the valley. The road meandered through the plateau to the lunch stop at 67km. Mountains flanked the green fields. Wooden huts, home to the locals, and wooden corales, home to the livestock, peppered the fields. A blue light cut through the clouds. Rain hung in the humid air as the sun tried to burn away the clouds. Jenna and Alistair were cycling on ahead, David a little behind. We passed about three camel herders. We haven't seen camels since Sudan, and I suspect these herds were headed for markets and then up North. The camels were in groups of 10-30, and were just mosey-ing along the road, very unphased by the wheeled intruders. Their herder bringing up the rear on foot, water bottle and stick in hand. Termite mounds and succulent looking plants owned a 10km stretch of the route too. We made good time, reaching lunch at about 10.30- 2.5hours after leaving Konso. Some of the sectional riders have really struggled with punctures - Terry suffered 7 over two days of riding, and Albert 8. Albert's were down to aged inner tubes, Terry's the jury is still out. A quick thorn check after lunch. Ethiopia has brought with it Acacia bushes and thorns. After leaving a bush camp, and certain lunch stops, we check our tyres and remove thorns before they penetrate the inner tube and not just the tyre. It was only 40km from lunch to Yabello, but the conditions changed drastically. The road began to climb, and a head wind formed. The Party Bus stuck together. Grinding away at 10-15km/h on a road that looked like it was downhill. David's bike computer alleviated our fitness concerns, the descent was indeed false...in reality it was 5-7% incline and into the wind. By 90km my spirits were low. I called a recess and we stopped for some water. 94km marked the resurgence of dirt road, and was also halfway up a definite hill, won the persistent wind. The brief interlude payed off and we made it to the top- 98.5km. It was worth the climb, the ridge finished on a high. A great off road descent into the next valley, passing along a stream. 

The dirt road was running parallel to a tar road under construction. I am sure it will not be long before these enjoyable off road sections are redundant. Superseded by tar. We passed little in the way of international industry, so it is a puzzle as to why there is such international investment in creating these roads. About 4km from camp we passed through a village, with a coffee shop. I called a coffee stop, and it was well received, to my pleasure. The fort of use piled in and perched on plastic chairs and a wooden bench. The lady served us black coffee from her flask, a ratio of about 1/3 sugar, 2/3 coffee by volume.

Although the locals opposite us seemed to get even more- half sugar, half coffee. Yea I would like coffee with my sugar! Camp is at Yabello Motel, so showers and power available. Still no internet. There is no evidence or word of the political situation down in this area. I was informed through WhatsApp that the government has declared a State of Emergency since the President stepped down. Currently we see no impact, perhaps up around Addis the unrest continues. Asides: The Party Bus - 'An archo-syndicalist collective of like minded people, with no defined leadership.' Definition courtesy of Alistair. 'Gawping at David faffing around taking his tent down. He looks like he is dancing with his groundsheet.' In Jinka when David was asked to take his tent down by Sophie so that we could pack the bags on the truck and leave. The evening after the rain, and the morning Tallis had to take the passports to the police station, because the police had seen us all camping on the hill and come for a nosey.