3c) Daily Update Aug 2009

Trip 2009 data
14 nights in my tent (bush park)
193.28 hours in the saddle (Total)
3018km in total
97.35km average per day
3 rest days
Max speed 68.9 km/hour (day 9) (with the trailer)
Most km per day, day 24, 137.74 km in 8H23 hours on saddle
Average of 15.62 km/hour in total
16 hours at night cycling
Minus 11 kg of Body Weight
5 punctures (11th plaque)
6 spokes replaced and repaired
7 hours of repairs

and this is how it happened................


Hey people Armin here . . . I will be the BloggerUpperDater for Felix on his 2009 Tour from Blantyre, Malawi down to Pretoria, South Africa. Jane our ExBloggerUpperDater is currently in America and will only be back in the middle of August.

Day One 1st August

Psa 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting leaning on and being confident in the Lord.

Good Morning World. Hope you’re all having a lovely Day so far.

We woke up nice and early and headed to MultiChoice in Blantyre to see Felix and Mark off. Mark will cycle with Felix for two days then turn around and head back to Lilongwe.

When we arrived at MultiChoice their were about 30 people, Press with their tape recorders and video cameras, and people taking photos with Felix by his Bicycle and Trailer and obviously all the sponsors logos. The kids from African Street Kids (the organization that Felix started) were also there, wishing him well and taking photos with Felix. The Besters were there from Innscor, and Jaco and Andre were there from Shoprite.

We stood around for a while, talking, making jokes etc. . .Took a photo with Mark pushing Felix in a wheel barrow (which was holding Felix's bicycle up). Both Felix and Mark wore the same T-Shirt that had a picture on it saying Jesus inside a Nike tick. Below the tick stood ‘Jesus Did It’.

It was a little cold but as I’m writing this I can see the Sun coming out and it looks like this is going to be a wonderful day, Felix and Mark have the Lords angels with them, protecting and guiding them and we can all see that the Lord is with them. We haven’t had a morning this nice for a while now and the day that they leave the Sun is shining and the weather is warm and there is no wind. That’s the glory of God, because he knows this trip is not just about cycling insane distances but it is also a very spiritual experience, and I’m sure Felix will bring testimony to this when he returns.

Eddie from MultiChoice was, you could say the MC of the little ceremony and Started off by thanking all the sponsors for their contributions and then went on to tell everyone what Mark was doing with Felix, and how far the trip is, and where he’ll be cycling to.

Eddie then asked a Pastor to pray for Felix and Mark as they went on their tour. This pastor is Nigerian and has the coolest accent I think I’ve every heard, I wish I could have taped it for everyone to hear.

We then moved the advertising so that they could get a couple of photos as they left on their trip. Felix and Mark put on their helmets and sunglasses. We then went over to Felix to say ‘See you soon and enjoy the trip’. They lined up and as they pushed off everyone started clapping and off they went, Pretoria here we come.

I’m asking that everyone please keep these men in their thoughts and prayers and feel free to send Felix and SMS. His phone is on Roaming and will be on most of the time (hopefully). I'll post the pics from this morning as soon as I get them.

Thank You for following Felixs blog. I’ll update it every evening.
Have a WONDERFUL day. May God bless you as you go through this day.

Here are the pictures from this morning courtesy of Claire Bester.







I spoke to Felix earlier and they’re safely in Mwanza. They arrived there at 16:40. He says the ride to Kamuza Bridge was a dream, because it’s all down hill and the wind was behind them, but then as they hit the hills on the way to Mwanza the wind stopped and Felix says they sweat like crazy.

They had lunch at Dalo Village at 1 o’clock and at that time the temperature was 33 degrees.

They’re sleeping at Mwanza Inn tonight which seems to be a pretty nice place. It’s 3000MKW per person. Tomorrow (day 2) they’ll head towards Tete which is about 120km.

And Felix’s last words to me were “We are eating Chicken and Chips tonight” . . .So I’m guessing that he was pretty hungry. And I know this blog is about Felix nut I would just like to say “Rock on Bokke”. Ah, the sweet taste of victory.

Mark on the the move.



Friendly Police at Shire river, Kamuza Bridge



Day two, 2nd August

The norm is to cycle 30 km and then rest



Mark with a police officer at Mozambique border



On our way to Tete - resting at a market place

Just spoke to Felix and he says he burned up today, the Max Temp was 41 degrees. They left at 6:30 from Mwanza Inn and arrived at Moatize at 5, so almost a 12 hour ride. They crossed the Mozambican border at 7:52 and took their first break about 30 km after the border. They spent 6:37 hours on the bike today.

They’re staying in Moatize tonight with Tim and Tanya, two missionaries from Kanzas America, who stopped them and offered them a place to sleep. They went to Tim and Tanya’s friends for dinner and Felix says they had a great time.

Felix informed me that during the next couple of days there might be a break in communication and so the data updates might not be updated, BUT before you decide to just ignore this site for the next three days please take some time to look at the sponsor page. They have played a pivotal part in the development of ASK (African Street Kids).

Again thank you for following Felix on his tour and please remember to keep him in your thoughts.

That’ll be all from me for today.
Have a good one and God Bless Sorry for the delay in updating the blog but Felix hasn’t been able to contact me until tonight so here is the lowdown of days 3 to 5

Day 3, 3rd August

Tim and Tanya, we were friends in a instant, myself and Mark.

These children (some are Tim and Tanya's kids) was so excited about mark and myself.

They started Mondays ride at 7:30 with five cans of fish courtesy of Tim and Tanya (Felix and Mark 5 cans of Fish and Felix says they’re still eating it). The max temp on Monday was 40 degrees. Their top speed for Monday was 61.3 km/h. They travelled 86.72 km, which is ummm, unsatisfactory by Felixs standard BUT he says there were lots of ups and downs so that makes it all excusable. . . (don’t worry Felix I thin you did superb, I wish I could cycle 86 km in a day). Their average speed was 13.9 km/h. They ended their cycle at 5, and set up camp behind a church.

The funniest part of their trip so far is that there were a couple on a motor bike who thought that Felix was selling Ice Cream because of his little trailer (LOL). They ate sausages that evening and had the leftovers for Tuesdays breakfast.

The juiciest pork sausages in the world. Pork sausages tinned in oil.



Special price... must I say anymore

Camping at the back of a JW church. The next morning a couple crowded us not understanding the word Jesus on my trailer



Psalm 121:5 The Lord is our keeper and He is the shadow on our right hand (where the traffic is, its the side nor carrying the shield.

They woke up at 5:45 with a lovely temperature of 13 degree, after 11 hours of sleep!!! They spent 7:05 Hours on the bicycle on Tuesday with an average speed of 16.6 km/h and they cycled 118.3 km. After day 4 they had cover 420 km in total. Their max speed for day 4 was 49.7 km/h and the max temp was 31 degrees. They stopped 30 km before Chiuata to set up camp and have a rest.

My favorite animal, see the way of transport


Our favorite drink.... Just before setting up camp, we always see if the crowds won't infiltrate us.

Just before the Zambian border we met these guys. and you think we are crazy.... these guys are walking from Cape Town to we don't know where!!!!

Day 5, 5th August

They woke up at 6:30 after 10 hours of sleep on Wednesday. Felix says they slept in deserted village. He says ALL the people have run away!!! And so they made themselves at home under a little roof.

They started their cycle with 4 km of downhill which is obviously a great way to start the day. The temp was also just right at 20 degrees in the morning but heated up to about 40 degrees during the day, and Felix says that the weather over the last 5 days has been absolutely perfect.

They cycled 131.76 km on Today and spent 9:09 hours on their bicycles. Their average speed was 14.2 km/h and max speed was 53.1km/h.

Today Marks bike gave them lots of trouble: 3 of his spokes broke, his derailer got stuck in the spokes, and he had a flat wheel. But despite all that the managed to cross the Zambian border.

And now. . . .For the secret of the Year. The moment you’ve all been waiting for anxiously. The miracle diet that will cause you to loose at least 10km in one month. . .

Now students, listen carefully. There’s one big secret to this diet, and that is that you must eat only the food from this list. You may eat it at any time of the day, all day. Listed bellow are the wonder foods.

Maheu (energy all day every day)
Peanuts (slow releasing proteins (I think))
ORS (Oral rehydration salts)
Canned food (it can be anything as long as it’s in a can)
Bread (just bread there’s no joke to this one)
6 liters of water (every day)
If you follow this diet you will most certainly loose a Guarantied amount of no less than 10 kgs

Oh . . . and one other little detail that I forgot . . . You have to cycle 3000 km in one month. But that’s not that important. It’s actually all about the diet. But cycling is compulsory for this diet to work to it’s full potential.

(For legal reasons I think I should just state that this is actually a JOKE!!!!!!! And that following this diet will probably cause you to gain 10 kgs within a Month….. SO DON’T DO IT)

By the way, the diet stated above is what Mark and Felix are surviving on.

Mark and myself at the Hotel Mpaongwe Hotel in Katete. Mark will head home tomorrow and I in the rest of my journey.

Day 6, 6th August

Felix said to me when we were on the phone earlier “Armin . . . I had a bath. Shjoe, it was very very nice.” They spent the night in a hotel in Katete and woke up the next morning and started the day by fixing Marks bicycle. Today Mark and Felix separated as Mark turned right to Lilongwe and Felix turned left to Lusaka.

On day 2 Mark got 2000 Mets from the back in Mozambique and so far Felix says they’ve only spent 1300 Mets, which is about 400 Rands I think.

Felix says the road that he’s on now is very nice because it’s been fixed up properly and so he’s enjoying it thoroughly. His average speed for day 6 was 17.1km/h, and he cycled 111.65km. He spent 6:31 hours on the bike and so far he’s travelled 663km in total. He says the wind is behind him so it’s all smooth sailing. The weather has been good for 5 days but like I just said, the winds picked up today and hopefully it’s not too bad for Felix.

He’s reminded me to also keep his Facebook up to date and so feel free to write on his wall or send him messages of encouragement because I’ll make sure he gets them. And remember that Felix does have a cell phone with him so you can call him or send him a SMS if you’re thinking about him. Also if you have any questions or want to contact me for absolutely no reason at all then give me a shout. My number is at the top of the page. Oh and i'll update day 7 tonight sorry this one's a bit late. Have an ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL day. Hey there everyone. . . Sorry that these last few days updates are a bit late. But yeah. This is Africa so who can blame us. Felix is clearly enjoying his cycle and will finish his first 1000 tomorrow(day 10).

Mark was star, see you again in the future...

If you can remember my tower story lat year... they still have not replaced the fencing......



Day 7, 7th August

Today Felix woke up at 7 in his tent in the middle of the bush. A laughed at him when he told me this but he actually waits till no one can see him then he ducks into the bush and sets up his tent. This way he does’t attract too much attention. He’s going to be online tomorrow in Lusaka and then he’ll post some photos of his trip so far.


The name of the lord is like a strong tower, the consistently righteous run right into it, it is firm and strong and is above all evil.


He says there has been plenty of hills today, lots of ups and downs. Felix met a Zambian today, Wilson Pengo and he really enjoyed the company of this man because he has such a strong positive spirit. Wilson moves aroung in one of those hand driven tricycles. Then Felix also met Rob and Polly, a couple who’s cycling from Durban to England (he says they’re crazy but it’s only because Felix didn’t think of doing it first so I think he’s a tiny bit jealous). And for those of you who are environmentally conscious I don’t think we should allow Felix to do this again . . . Because he’s drinking up all the fresh water in Africa. He’s drinking 6 liters of water every day. Do the Math and that works out to about a gazillion liters of water in a month. What a silly idea this was. Here are Felix’s stats for the day: Average speed 15.3 km/h, he cycled 108.4 km in total, 62.6 Km/h was his maximum speed and to date he’s cycled 772 km. He spent 7:04 hours on his bicycle today.

Rob and Polly are cycling from Durban to England..... I like their attitude.... possitive.


Wilson wanted to cycle with me to Lusaka.... I gave him a tip, Its far...

Had to camp in the bush.

This is a warning to all the cyclist, Just before Lusaka from Katete.... a lot of up and down hills

Day 8, 8th August

After hiding in the bush Felix woke up and started cycling at 6 for the Bridge Camp. Felix was told about a place where he could buy fresh buns and so he went to this place and bought three buns and one liter of long life milk. He says he enjoyed it a lot. He also ate a couple of bananas (they’re very good for energy and sore bums). He arrived at Bridge Camp exactly a year from when last he arrived here. He was invited to stay with Graeme from Shoprite in Lusaka and says that he will probably arrive there on day 10. His stats for today were: 14.0km/h average, 39.0 km in total today, 811 km in total for the trip, and 58.3km/h was his maximum speed.

Another night at the Bridge Camp - Luangwa

Day 9, 9th August

Day 9 is Sunday, just saying this for the people who are a bit confused with the days because he’s been cycling from Saturday, it is now Sunday and yet this is day 9??? Confusing hey? Not really, just count the nights not the days, if that makes any sense at all. But enough of that let me tell you about what happened on day 9. Felix left Bridge Camp at 7 after a night of listening to fires in the hills around them. He says you could hear the fires cracking the whole evening (He’s staying close to the Luwanga River and this is were the fires were) He started his day with a 4km hill and then had about 40 km of ups and downs and finished his day with 10 km of flat cycling. He recorded his MAX speed of68.9 km/h after the 4 km uphill. His diet today consisted of 4 Big Mandasis (these are like buns but instead of being baked they are deep fried.), 2 Maheus (this is a cheap food/energy drink that can be bought all over Africa), and then he also had a couple of bananas. Felix told me that the road (the T4) is very busy because they’re busy fixing it and so there are many road workers and machinery driving round (the road is between Chipata and Lusaka). He slept in a Mud Hut Church. His averages for today were: 12.3km/h average, 94.8 km for toady, 905 km in total, top speed 68.9km/h with a trailer. He’s going to complete his first 1000km tomorrow, which is a big milestone. He has to cycle 120 km on day 10 to reach Lusaka but he said the road is good so he’ll make it without a problem.

I always try to phone Armin close to a tower,

This is a normal day in the office.. to entertain the children. (ma-sweety)

Sleeping in a holy place.... A church build with mud.

Day 10, 10th August

As I left the church I got a rude awakening.... my derailor went into my spokes again. Luckily this part of the trip I have plenty of experience, so that took not to long to repair. Later that day I also got my first puncture. An old tube's patch seperated from the inner tube. I was checked for Tsetse today by a very friendly officer called, Kaloryolo Samson. Kalo has been doing this and gave me a brief view and overview of this sleeping sickness fly. I aslo decided to make my first rest day tomorrow with Graham and Eileen. In the past I would cycle for 6 days then have agood rest on the seventh. This year I made it on the eleventh, I must admid I feel a littel run down and need the rest. The road up to Lusaka is paved but with a very corsed and rough stone. My tyres that are inflated up to 6 bar, does not absorb the shock effectively. So it made it a hard few kilometers to end my day with. The good news was that Graham and Eileen from SHOPRITE recieved me with a warm plate of food ..... and then therafter I had a soaking bath. The weather for the day was good woth no wind nor clouds. I arrived in Lusaka at 21H00 with the following averages: 14.4 km per hour average, max speed 65.3 km/h, 8H58 min in the saddle, 128.24 km for the daya dn in toatl 1033 km.

Tsetse control at Chinynyu. by officer Kaloryolo.

Road works all along the T2 from Chipata up to Lusaka.

Day 11, 11th August (rest day) For my rest day I started with a gallon of coffee, weetbix and some sugar (on the left). Graham also took me to a shopping mall where it took me 6 hours to down load pictures (don't ask).

Thanks for reading. Ciao !!!

Day 12, 12th August

This morning Felix had breakfast with Eileen and then went shopping for some supplies. He bought Peanuts and raisins, bananas, tooth paste and vitamins.

Felix called me last night and the first thing he said was, “They call me the Ice Cream Van” he should be glad they’re not calling him crazy. Felix left from Lusaka and arrived at Mazabuka in the evening. He’s staying at the Jenel Lodge; the same place that he stayed at last year on this exact day last year.

Owner and son of Jenel lodge Nelly and Rex

He’s still having trouble with his derailer on his bicycle and told me that he is going to spend the morning in Livingstone fixing it so that he can cycle hastle free. He has a lot of experience with this derailer thing because it gave him trouble last year as well.

He says the road is extremely busy, the most trucks he’s ever seen. He specifically said that they’re crazy (because of the way they drive).

His averages for today were: 128.3km for the day, 16.7 km/h average, 1162km total for the trip, 7:40 hours on his bicycle, 57.7km/h maximum speed and the temp for the day was 35 degrees.

Thanks for following Felix on this trip. Remember he’s doing this for a good cause and also doing it in the name of the Lord.

Have a wonderful day and may God bless you.
Cheers



To everyone who has tried to look at the Blog in the last 5 days i'm really really sorry that it has been delayed so much. Felix and I just kept missing each other. One day he had no signal, the next I had no signal and then my battery was flatr and I changed sim cards etc etc. . . There was just a lot of miss comunication or wait, rather NO comunication.

Day 13, 13 August

Felix woke up today to a troubled bicycle. I personally think that the bicycle realized that they hadn’t even passed half way yet and decided that enough was enough. But hey, that’s just my personal opinion. He spent about 3 hours fixing the derailer which was still giving him problems.

He tried reshaping one of the parts with a stone and it went flying off into the bush and Felix couldn’t keep his eye on it and so it was gone. Then a man names Lucky gave Felix a hand and after combing through the bush grass by grass they found it and fixed it up nicely and he managed to cycle 70.79 km that day

Lucky was a great help......thanks



His stats for that day were: 70.79 km, he cycled for 4:58 hours, with an average speed of 14.2 km/h, and a top speed of 68.1 km/h. He has cycled 1232 km to date.

Lourie and Gisela from Choma, I met them last year while cycling to Cape Town. Gisela made some home made melk tert. You have to come to South Africa to find out what that is.

Day 14, 14th August

Felix slept at a camp which if I remember correct is close to or is at Choma. I think Felix had to defrost a bit before he made any serious movements in the morning because the temperature was 7 degrees.

It heated up to about 30 degrees during the day and the next few days the weather was lovely. Perfect cycling weather says Felix (oh and um . . . I can write about days to come in the blog because I’m writing about day 14 on day 17)

There was very little traffic unlike the other days when he was cycling for his life amongst trucks. He says there are many people who come from the villages who beg from him as he cycles through their villages.

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

His stats for today were as follows: 79.92 km for the day, he cycled for 6:15 hours with an average speed of 15.6km/h and has done a total of 1330 km.

I met Markus at Moorings Camp Site close to Monze, we had a braai and good chatting. Gisela's melk tert went down well.

Day 15, 15th August

Felix had a good night rest in Mduyopi Lodge owned by pastor Sesteka. He took a photo with him and the other photo seen here is Felix at the common shop found in Zambia buying a head cape thing that neither of us know the name of (you’ll have to just make up a word and we’ll call it that from now on)

I have a tri-pot with timer on my camera. Also I can't wait for Livingstone so I can have arest day.

He had a good cycle to Zimba. They’re building a road from Zimba to Livingstone (there’s a photo of that too) There was a patch where he had to cycle off road so he also got to experience some African off-roading. He stopped at Kalome in Livingstone and bought a Hamburger and then uploaded some photos for me to put on the blogger.

His stats for today were: 135.46 km !!! today, with an average of 18.1 km/h and a max speed of 43.1 km/h. The temp for the day was 30 degrees.

He managed to cycle so far because he says he’s becoming more fit and the road was very nice. Not too many ups and downs and apart from the 80 km road works it was all good road. He spent the night at a Lodge before Livingstone.

All roads from Katete to Livingstone has been paved, this is the last part from Zimba to Livingstone. They will complete it in November 2009. Vicent a local dealer, sold me a (I don't know for my head)




Day 16, 16th August

Today Felix started cycling to Livingstone after spending the last money that he had at the lodge that he stayed at. He met Tersius and Erika at the Engen Garage who then took him to crocodile creek for a treat.

His stats for today were as follows: 16.7 km/h average, 43.8 km in total, 3:09 hours on the sadle, 1518 km in total (exactly half way through the trip)

Tersius and Erika

There he met Danelle and they all had a Potjie. His plans were to spend the night there but then he was wisked away on a white cloud to this luxury resort over looking the Zambezi River by Faan and Anmarie Fourie the owners of the Lodge. The lodge is called Taita Falcon Lodge and it over looks the Basoka Gorge, which is 230m bellow the lodge.

Faan, myself and Anmarie, they are the owners of Taita Falcon Lodge.

My room at Taita Falcon Lodge...

Nickie, myself and Dalene at the Basoka Gorge, Zambezi river just after Vic falls.

"The Gorge....... the sound of the river is amazing."

Day 17, 17th August

Felix had a rest day today and went to see Vic falls and did dome tiger fishing. He’ll be though to Zimbabwe on Thursday or Tuesday (can’t quite remember what he said coz the signal was a bit bad)

Nickie took me tiger fishing, and that is all I can say.

Thanks for reading and again I’m very sorry for the huge delay in updates. I’ll try stay on top of it for the rest of the tour.

Bye everyone. Have a great week.

Day 18, 18th August

Today Felix woke up in almost freezing temperatures. It was 1 degree. Poor man, and then he had to negotiate a 4 km sand road which is very difficult, and all this after eating Klonterige Slap pap with Daleen and Nicky at Crocodile Creek.


On my way out I saw elephant, giraffe and gazelle. Dalene’s place is situated in the Kazuna national Park
In 2007 on my way I helped a couple to repair their tyres on the way to Empamgeni, Today two year later I met the same couple, Grobbie and Suritha at Vic falls. What a coincidence, the man was joking about my trailer being a ATM and then suddenly remember he met a guys a while beck with the same motive.

Just before leaving from Crocidile Creek I got a row a mokoro on the Zambezi river.

Little Grobbie and me;
Felix sent me an SMS today saying he's made it across the Zimbabwian border safely and he doesn't think that there will be any signal for him to call me for about the next 5 days. He also said that he was a little behind on his tour but will be able to make up for it over the next couple of days because the roads ahead are good and he's becoming fitter.

Felix called me today and said that he does have signal in Zimbabwe and so he can call me over the next couple of day.

He crossed a single road bridge at 10 o’clock that crosses the Zambezi River, he says that you really just have to go rally quickly across it otherwise people come from the other side. He is cycling toward Bulowayo ( I don’t think I spelled that right) Which is 430 km from Victoria Falls.

He is two days behind and needs to cycle about 15 km extra every day to catch up if he’s going to make it in time, but the road in Zim is very very nice and there’s very little traffic so he should be able to catch up. But he also says that there’s wind blowing against him and so he’s struggling to get up to speed and when he;s up to speed he needs to work very hard to keep it up.

Felix says he had a great time in Livingstone. They went fishing but didn’t catch anything, and things didn’t work out nicely so he couldn’t go to see Vic falls. But the lodge there was wow so he says it was a nice place to chill.

For dinner tonight he ate baked beans from a can and peanuts.
His stats for today were: 101 km, 1619 km in total, 14.2 km/h average today, 45.8 km/h top speed, and he cycled for 7:04 hours in a temperature of 28 degrees.
Can I please ask everyone to send him a message of encouragement over the next 12 days. He says he needs a bit of help though the day. Just say "hey, we're thinking of you" or "keep going boet you're doing s good job"

I'm sure the encouragement will be greatly appreciated.

Have a great day and keep an eye on this spot, because Felix will call; me in the next couple of days with updates.

God bless and remember nothings too big to handle if you've got God on your side.

Cheers

Day 19, 19th August

I am on my way to Bulawayo on the A8 highway from Vic falls to Bulawayo, and I’m impressed with the road so far. On my right is the Huange national Park which is full of animals. All though I can see the evidence of animal, broken trees, left over bones of a meal enjoyed in the past, droppings of some big herbivore, it was still a peaceful cycle. Only now and then a motor will pass me but at least we were not in each others way.

Me knocking at Bushman Safaris, they are not in operation but will get there.



I started cycling at 7H30 this morning, after a good nights rest on my own mattress. To be honest when I woke up the whole structure was destroyed.



34 km from Bushman Safaris, I passed the town called Hwange, it’s the tribal name, and to some also know as “Wankie”. At Wankie there are still a lot of activities like, a power plant that’s in use and a lot of coal mining. Coal to fire up the plants. Massive electrical wires run from these plants into the distance where it disappears into the distance.

In general the cycling went smooth, good roads, trees on either side protecting me from the wind, sun shine, at 32°, and a fresh wind from the east. 14.3 average speed, 32.4 km/h max speed,117.48km for the day, in total 1736km, and I sat 8H19min in the saddle.

That night I had to book in to the sky camp where I was miss lead by a sign for a lodge. I struggled for an hour pushing my bike and trailer on sand to find this mysterious lodge. But had to give up and pitch up my tent in the middle of “who knows where”.

Day 20, 20th August

Stan my man;

After a good nights sleep I was urged to pack up camp, because Stanley a driver wanted to give me a lift back to the road. That was a very attractive invitation. So I grabbed it. Stanley suggested that he can even take me to the following town where he is at. But had to tell him that I needed to start where my entry point was for the previous day. Later that morning in the town called Gwanyi I met Stanley again cheering me on for the day. In Gwanyi I met this lovely young woman (Caroline) who treated me by warming up two pork pies, made in Harare and an ice cold cherry plum. She works for her mother in a restaurant called Musarurwa’s Restaurant.

The microwave is on the left...



Today there was easy traffic, with no cyclists, some villages and good roads. This is definitely an option when driving to Vic Falls from Bulawayo.

Today I cycled 16.1 average, 43.4km max speed, for 8H27 in the saddle, 136.7 km for the day, in total UPT 1873km and max temperature was 32°. With no wind at all and no clouds in the sky.

Day 21, 21st August

My favourite breakfast...........bake beans in tomato.



After another sleep in the bush I started my day at 7H00. In a town close to my starting point, I met Bigboy who starts his day with a Chibuku beer.

Bigboy.....big beer


Today I will reach Bulawayo and definitely going to find a lodge with a big bed and a warm bath.
It was cold when I reach Bulawayo at night and had to do a few hours of cycling in the dark. The days cycling was exhausting. I also had to negotiate a few up and little down hills to get to Plumtree road (the main road for tomorrow on my way out to Botswana). Just as I arrived in Bulawayo I met a guy called Cuthbert. Cuthbert with his van generously took me through the city closer to the A1 highway for the next day.

I had to sit in the saddle for 7H50, with an average of 14.6km/h, max speed 49.4km, 115.12km for the day, and totaling 1988km a few km short of 2000. The max degrees were 32°. No clouds and little wind from the east.

Day 22, 22nd August

A good nights rest and a bag full of money for the lodge I left to go south onto Ramakgwebane, the border post at Botswana. The A7 highway from Bulawayo to the border was a good cycle with the wind slightly pushing me from the left. The well used high way carried more cars than I was used to the last couple of days.

I also had my long awaited puncture; broke two spokes, after my derailer went into my spokes and damaged my chain, without me noticing. So today I had to do a lot of pit stops to try and repair the damages. At one stage I had to make a decision to strip the bikes gears completely and repair it with more caution. This didn’t work well, my chain jumped of the gears as I was putting pressure on it. Also by now I had spoken to the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit on what the problem coupld possibly be. With one of my rests I slowly went through all the motions to get to the root of the problem. And was softly reminded that God is still there for me. When my chain derailed, I bent one of the links of the chain. This caused the chain to derail. Blessingly I had a piece of another chain in my repair bag and replaced the evil one with what god gave me.
The last 4 days, my diet consist of Maheu, peanuts, bananas, 6 litters of water every day and when available bake beans. With only R60 (ZAR) and $2 (USD) on me, I decided to treat myself to a halve chicken and chips. This was an expensive treat, but it was well worth it.

The place I bought my chicken is certified to accept currency.

To cross the Botswana border I was loaded with R10 and $2. The cell phone coverage was not the best in Zimbabwe, with only a few towns had towers to cover cell phones.

My trip to the border took me 6H58min, 16.6 average speed, top speed 32.5, 115.98 km for the day and in total I have 2104km. Temperature was 32° with some clouds.

The road map indicated that I was 130km from the border. But to my surprise it was closer. Both border activities went smooth with a lot of interest. Just a few kilometers outside Ramakgwebane I found a lodge (no name) to have good shower and well deserved rest.

I missed Mark's company today.

Day 23, 23rd August

Let me tell you about the “Lodge” It was actually a brothel. The only means of payment was my credit card and after a few hours struggling to swipe it trough pay point I had to make a promise to the manager that I will pay the outstanding money into their bank account.

The brothel, throughout the night I was awakened by this banging noise. Firstly I though that someone was at the door, then I though someone was hanging up pictures and then I realized……… On the Holy Bible in my room were not just a couple of condoms but a bunch of them. They must read the instruction first in the Bible before using it.
So I decided to report portrait hanging noise, I found that I was in a stacked with all sorts of condoms. Well all I could do is go back to sleep with my head under the pillow, but unfortunately all the rubbers in my room has holes in it.

After two punctures and some gear tuning I reached a town called Shashe later that night. Shashe is after Francistown (75.71km from the border) where I got some money out of the wall and stocked myself with some goodies.

Francistown



Francistown is just to close for comfort for I have to start moving on to catch up with my trip. Sunday the 30th is just around the corner and I have a few miles to cover.
I slept in a respectable lodge called Barake Valley Lodge. The manager Mpofa all Eiland treated me with and pumpkin and union soup made by his cook called Keamogetse from Tonota, Botswana.

Mpofo and me at Barake Valley Lodge



…….This is the recipe: Fry Pumpkin and unions with celery for about 20 minutes, and then liquidize it with milk to give it a better texture. Little salt and no other spices. This is “lekker” …..
16km/hour, 23km/h max speed, 6H21 in the saddle, 101.91km for the day, 2207km in total and 30° with an strong wind from the east.

Day 24, 24th August

I did not have a good night sleep, for the gears of my cycle were troubling me. I do not know why this was influencing me, but at 3°clock that morning I decided to strip it again and reset all the gears. This effort turns out to be an idée and as the sun came up I was happy with all the settings.

At least the hospitality and soup made up for the little sleep I had and at 8H00 I started with my days cycling. The gears were good. From Shashe I was planning to reach Palapye, 140km away. This will be my longest cycle for this trip and with my badly bruised bottom I had to gather a lot of guts to see myself through the day. This morning with my devotions to God, He ensured me that I can do this. The I-pod Game Malawi has donated to me, turned out to be a great help yet again. With a lot of teachings and Gospel songs I started and ended on a good positive note.

Almost there.........



On the A1 route from the border to Gaborone, traffic is hectic and luckily for me there are two things, not three things on my side. One, a nice comfortable shoulder on the left, and two, the old road is still in use running perpendicular to the new (Not fit for vehicles, but is for cyclist) and three, in my first year of travelling, God promised me that He will be the shadow on my right hand (Palms 121:5).

I reached Palapye well into the night, and got to a Hotel called Palapye Hotel, and next to it a “Wimpy”. Well, how fast can a man not be tired? Wimpy coffee, chicken and chips. And then I’ll look for a suitable place to stay.
Total km for the day 137.74km, 16.4km/h average, 8H23 in the saddle, 31.9 max speed, 2345 total UTD, and 32° for the day. But a nasty wind coming from South Africa (East) was starting to bring in some clouds.
Earlier this day a few South Africans blessed me with Coke, sweets and peanuts.

Thanks Kobus, Jenn, Kyle, John, Mary, Gerrit, Joey, Joe and Olga, all from Centurion, Pretoria.

Day 25, 25th August

Last night leaving the Wimpy I arrived at a Lodge called Palapye Guest House. I decided that I will take a rest day to finish my 2009 trip a day later. Gaborone is around the corner and then my South African leg will end it on Monday the 31st.
Awakening, the weather was miserable, clouds wind and cold. I could not have chosen a better time to take a day off.

My planning for today is;
Wimpy, washing, Stanbic Bank to pay the brothel, FNB, where the brothel keeps its money, E-mails, and updating my blogger (that’s what I’m doing now) and then back to the Wimpy.

I don’t know why I always struggle with a T-spoon, but today I going to buy one. It must be a permanent fixture to my gear for the future.

I trusted God for T-spoon, so I can eat my bake beans...........



.............the rest is history

Palapye Guest House..... I had a good rest and time with God.



Day 26, 26th August

I accomplished my to do list for yesterday and have new strength for the last few days.

Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and the humble He teaches His way

After a good nights sleep in Palapye I started my trip to Gaborone +- 270km. The weather is perfect for cycling and totally different to yesterday. I'm currently in Mahapye 72km from this morning to sort out my mobile phone. They have barred it, whatever that means. I will push on to do another 60km for the day so that I can reach Gaborone tomorrow night.

These two guys came to my rescue to fetch me some water; they are Sedimo and Kapare on the left. Both of them work for Water Affairs in Botswana. They protect the massive pipelines coming from the north to feed Gaborone.



My camp site where water affairs helped me

Day 27, 27th August

Felix just sent me an sms saying that he's sleeping in the bush again 80km from Gaberone. He says there has been a head wind from the south the whole day.

He cycled 81.39km today, and has done a total of 2551 km. His average speed was 14.9 km/h and his top speed was 24.7. He cycled for 5H26 in 38 degree weather.



The tropic of Capricorn in Botswana, they have built this small monument to explain how the son will shine on the 22de of December 12 minutes after twelve. Exactly on that time the son will shine vertically into the tube to reflect on the plate down below… use it… don’t used it.

This brother and sister team; Moses and Lindah, stop meat me temp resting place thinking I was selling ice-cream. They introduced themselves by asking me for toilet paper. Moses and his sister works in the copper mines up north. They also blessed me with a bottle of mineral water and some money for the project.

Felix says; that his body is tired but he's okay and also that there was a lot of traffic on the road today. Probably the most since the start of his tour.

His number now is +26775221212 . . . Please send him messages of encouragement because I think he's starting to feel it now and needs help through the last few days.

Bye. God bless you all.

Day 28, 28th August

One of my hobbies is to collect the unusual sign post. There are a large amount of donkies carts in Botswana. And this is one of the signs that warn motorist to look out for them.

By now you all know my favorite restaurant is Wimpy, on my way in Grant invited me to have lunch at the Wimpy in Gaborone, We had a great fellowship together, and the name on the back of my trailer got his attention. The name of Jesus makes a lot of friends but it is also a stumbling block to many. I always pray that I will represent Him as a great savior.

Slept in Gaberone, St Joseph area at a guy called Matt Simpson. I met him two days ago while cycling.

18.5 Average, 40.9 Top speed, 84,48 km for the day, 2636 in total, 4H37 in the saddle with a max temp of 35 degrees.

Day 29, 29th August

Earlier this morning we had breakfast with Bret, Kate and daughter Pixie Warren. We had a few laughs last night and enjoyed the dinner at Matts place
I only started cycling at 10 and need to get going.

Not a normal family



Border passing went well and the road was pleasantly lonely. Only one thing is that the roads did not have a proper shoulder for cyclist.

Border crossing from Botswana to Sout Africa



I had to cycle well into the night and only arrived at a Hotel called “Kranze Hotel” in Zeerust. Just before the hotel I pop into a – use to be a Spur. Where a few well oiled people sang karaoke…. It hurts to listen to that. But when my spare ribs arrived I could join in to have a giggle.

I also met Ed and Pauline from Café Verre in Groot Marico. All these people were so relaxed and friendly and made a commitment to re-visit them. Nice quite holiday town, reminds me of Pelgrims Rest.

Ed and Pauline from Groot Marico, Cafe Verre



16.1 Average, 51.5 max speed, 7H50 in the saddle, 128.25km for the day and in total now 2764km. The temp was 30 degrees, no clouds and a slight wind head on.

Day 30, 30th August

On my way to Zeerust, South Africa. Had a great time in Botswana. Will have a new number soon. The old number can still receive SMS's though. This is the sixth day that I've been struggeling with my phone.

Matt returned from Groot Marico where they have participated in a off-the-road race.

Two days ago Matt invited me to sleep over at his place.



The hotel upgraded me to a executive room late in the night because the heating system did not work, so I had a good rest, bath and watch some TV before I went to sleep.

I need to reach Rustenburg. At this stage og my trips I get this sense of urgency to finish, this what I feel now.

15.3 ave, 54.5 max speed, 8H29 min in the saddle, 130.20km for the day, 2894 in total. good weather and little wind.

Day 31, 31th August

Last night I slept in a Road Lodge hotel after having a nice dinner at the Wimpy. I arrived at 21H00 hours and was well rested this morning and eager to finish my third trip. In total I have cycled 10500km in two years.

The last 100km.... feels good



After 123.72km, 7H46 in the saddle with an average of 18.8km per hour and reaching max speed of 36.5. I totalled 3018km and that is how I planned it from the beginning.

Arriving in Pretoria



This trip was good and nextyear the Irish sirkle.