Day 11 - August 21, 2009

Woot!

Halfway! We have finally arrived in Kigali, after a couple of pretty grueling days in Western Tanzania. I think I've definitely had my share of unbelievably rough dirt/sand/gravel/rock roads and squatter toilets. My quads just aren't in shape for them. The roads or the toilets :)

After leaving the comfort and beauty of Mwanza, the going got rough. In two days, we had close to 150km of off-road riding, which is pretty intense, requiring both a lot of concentration and skill. The trick is keeping the bike upright, and attempting to stay out from beneath the tires of oncoming bus traffic. African bus drivers may possibly be the most suicidal/homicidal drivers I've ever encountered, and having driven in Toronto rush-hour for the last 7 years, that's really saying something. On the positive side, we met a Dutchman named Mike in Mwanza who's on a similarly nomadic motorcycle tour in East Africa, and he's been riding with us for the last couple of days. Always nice to have some more company; I don't have to feign laughter at Dad's video commentary all by myself now (joking, Dad, joking. You're very funny.).

Yesterday was easily the longest day we've had on the bikes yet. After staying Wednesday night in the Twiga Beach Lodge (which, curiously enough, is no where near any discernible body of water . . .), we awoke bright-eyed and well-rested. Well, we awoke, anyway. The beginning of the day saw us riding another 70km of dirt roads, followed by a straight shot of 150km to the Rwandan border (Rusumo town). The border crossing was a little time consuming, but I had this incredible feeling of coming home when we reached Rwanda. The beauty of the rolling hills, tidy huts and houses, and lush green scenery never gets old for me. We had a smooth ride until we were 100km from Kigali, where we encountered a pretty intense downpour and lightning storm. This is highly unusual during what is considered the dry season here, and by all accounts it shouldn't be raining until October. At any rate, it washed a little dirt off of us and the bikes.

What's that you say? You'd like to see just how dirty I am? You wish there were some photos to back up my claims? You're in luck!! I am sitting in my office in Kigali, and the pics are being uploaded to Facebook as I type this. Unfortunately my upload speeds are too slow to post images on the blog as well, but please go check out my Facebook page for all the goods. If you're not my "friend" yet, then please send me a request. If you're not sure what I mean by this, ask your child/grandchild/neighbour's child. Just search "Luke Cechetto" - I'm the only one in the world, it would seem. That may be a dubious distinction . . .

So far we have traveled 2,670km. Wow. It's amazing to think that we have driven across an entire country, from north to south, and east to west. Tanzania was really amazing, although having lived in Rwanda, it quickly became evident at how much of the Rwandan economy is being propped up by aid and development money from the West. Tanzania, which has had a very peaceful history, does not receive the same level of attention from NGO's and development organizations, and as such appears to be dealing with more acute effects of poverty and government corruption. The people, as in Rwanda, are wonderfully friendly, kind, and helpful. It's amazing to be able to walk into a tiny town somewhere in the hinterlands of eastern Africa and be shown such hospitality.

Today we got the bikes serviced, including oil changes, chain greasing, filter cleaning, and air in the tires. The bikes seem to be holding up fairly well, although I did have to get my kickstand welded back on today. Funny how inconvenient it can be to have nothing to lean your bike on. Tomorrow we leave for Uganda, and the journey continues. I'm really looking forward to seeing Kampala and Entebbe. I've got many Ugandan friends here in Rwanda, and they all speak highly of those two cities.

Thanks to everyone that's been following the blog and supporting the orphanage. We're grateful for your prayers and support. I'll post again in Entebbe in a couple of days.

Luke

PS. Go check Facebook for the photos!!!