Month: March 2019

We used our break from cycling in Arusha, Tanzania to do a 2 day safari in the Ngorongoro Crater. Our guide referred to this Unesco World Heritage Site as a “natural zoo”.  In that category, it falls 2nd only to the Galápagos Islands in our experience.  Ngorongoro is a world of singular beauty that stands apart in our tour from Cairo to Capetown so far.  

We loaded a subset of our stuff (George Carlin reference) into a ubiquitous Toyota Land Cruiser and set off to camp overnight at the rim of the crater some 180 km west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania.  This set us up for a sunrise safari. 

The blue-green views from the rim are almost worth the trip itself. At 19 km wide, Ngorongoro is one of the largest unbroken calderas in the world that isn’t a lake. Its steep walls soar to 600 meters and are a backdrop for virtually every photo (especially because we are not equipped with the requisite safari telephoto camera lens).

Animals graze and stalk their way around the open grasslands, swamps and acacia woodland on the crater floor. Minutes into our sarfari we came upon a lion napping next to a recently killed buffalo – temporarily satiated we assume. The victim was still largely intact. In the periphery, hyenas and feisty jackals were patrolling, waiting for their turn at the carcass.  We were witnessing a well established heirarchy.  

Over the next hours we saw wildebeest, zebras, black rhinos, hippos, elephants, warthogs, flamingoes, secretary birds, Thomson’s gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, Sacred Ibis, Crowned Cranes (the national bird of Uganda) and many other species.  Ahead of us in another vehicle, fellow TDA riders saw a group of lions bring down a zebra – an event very few get to witness.  

In 13 years on the job, our guide Ezekiel has seen an increase in the number of animals in the crater, thanks to better management and the eradication of poaching. Nice to hear some positive environmental news for a change.  

The Tour d’Afrique 2019 has pulled up in Arusha, Tanzania. We have crossed the equator and rolled past Mount Kilimangero, the highest peak in Africa.  Riders have 3 days off to enjoy various excursions which originate here in East Africa’s safari capital.  Next up is the 44th of 88 stages, the first of 7 straight days in the saddle which will bring us closer to our final destination of Capetown than our starting point Cairo 2 months ago. 

TDA labels the 4th section of the tour “Masai Steppe”. It began with a turnover day in Nairobi, where we visited a wildlife trust for orphaned baby elephants and rhinos, as well as a rehabilitation center for Rothschild Giraffes. 

Giraffe kisses

Caring for orphaned elephants

There is no regard for cyclists in the horrific traffic of Nairobi. Some routes feature speed bumps on the shoulder (where we are often forced to ride) rather than on the road itself, to keep drivers from Using them to pass other vehicles.  Some of us have nevertheless been passed on the outside while hugging the side of the road! We have become hardened to these conditions, but 2 new “sectional” riders who followed us out of the city with were injured when forced off the road less than 5 km into their inaugural TDA ride.  10 km later another rider crashed and dislocated his elbow, putting his tour on hold  for at least a month.  All of this pales in comparison to our returning rider and “mule” (he had returned to Canada for his mother’s 100th birthday and been imposed upon to return with supplies for those already here).  Tom arrived in Nairobi on the same flight, same plane, 24 hours before the Ethiopian Air crash that killed all 157 on board. 

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Entering Tanzania added a new chapter to our border chronicles. We were asked to show original proof of yellow fever vaccinations, but could offer only the photocopies we had brought of our booklets. “Look, the requirement is marked right there”, the young official scolded us, motioning towards a scrap of loose leaf taped to a wall above his head.  “Otherwise you have to buy a booklet for 50 U.S. dollars!”  

Lenore eventually half convinced him  that we had not had a recent opportunity to read the border notices, and that transposing the information from our photocopies to his regulation booklets (with his crayon) did not in fact constitute any additional guarantee that we have the necessary yellow fever antibodies. We say half convinced because his next move as as the mouthpiece of the United Republic of Tanzania was to knock down the price of the booklets to $25! Imagine bargaining for leniency with U.S. border security. 

With more time, and perhaps somewhere other than in Africa (and Italy, of course), we might have taken the matter “up the ladder” to make the argument that our documentation must have been sufficient if the remedy was negociable. We have learned to accept over paying in small measures in the interest of saving time and stress. 

We didn’t have to wait long after the border event  to bring this new found wisdom into play once again.  Rolling  in to Arusha after store hours, we took the advice of a “handler” (the usual hustler who spots tourists in the city and has the solutions to all their needs – and then some) and bought SIM cards from a street kiosk where we suspected that the price had been enhanced.  It was.  We also bought some “art” from the handler to thank him for showing us to the nearest ATM and used the expensive taxi driver he introduced us to before ducking into a cafe he recommended. All in all, for a small premium we freed ourselves of administrative tasks the next morning, had a bodyguard for our money matters, had a great meal and were whisked home safely.  Bargaining is an unfortunate necessity in some cultures. We try to keep it to a minimum.

Once out of the city we returned to our reason for being here with a spectacular ride into Arusha. Early on, baboons made themselves known in large numbers, but the highlight was a giraffe which some riders were lucky enough to have cross the highway in front of them. Mount Meru presented itself gradually on the horizon and we mistook it for Kili.  As we drew closer its silhouette was filled in with rocky contours and finally shadows and  shades of green. A Masai herder enlightened us on the local geography by pointing out the snow capped peak of Kilimangero far off to the east.

A tough stretch lies ahead. We’ll be seeing much more of the Masai tribesmen, and hopefully more wildlife.  At Babati we’ll be pulling our bigger tires out of the “permanent bag” when we trade the tarmac for the ascents and descents of the Masai Steppe – mostly on rougher gravel and sandy roads. Rains – which are in the forecast- could make things messy. 

Thanks for reading. 

These past days we have been making our way south from the Ethiopian border through northern  Kenya, home to some of the most marginal lands in East Africa. 

In the not too distant past for the natives of this region, Nairobi was just some far fetched idea of a place in Kenya. The progressive paving of the Nairobi-Addis Ababa Highway all the way to the Ethiopian border over the past 10 years has turned a multi day journey by car into a matter of hours.  We could see the rock and dirt road that our TDA predecessors had to contend with running parallel to the new tarmac at points. As we said in our last post, thank you China! 

Pastoralists have eeked out a sparse existence here for centuries. Cycling through the  bleak lava rock of the Dida Galgalu Desert, the only signs of life we encountered were the odd nomad and his camels. At the tiny village of Turbi, we purposely lingered at a coke stop in order to delay our arrival at camp in the scorching badlands just to the south. 

The next day’s ride to Marsabit proved to be our biggest test since the blast furnace of Sudan. We have learned that statistics alone cannot forecast the difficulty of the ride that awaits. On this day, it was heavy crosswinds that turned the 122 km and just over 2000 meters of vertical into a real grind.  We spent the morning cycling in an “echelon” pace line with 12 of us in rows of 4 angled in a formation that cut the wind for those on the inside. Riders rotate in and out of the wind blocking outside position, where peddling takes much more effort.  This requires some concentration, and is hardly a way to enjoy the scenery of Africa, but it is an effective way to save energy.  We were unable to keep pace with some of the stronger riders in the afternoon, but formed some new alliances and arrived at a reasonable hour, exhausted, sweaty and caked with the grime of the desert.

Continuing south to Laisamos we encountered members of nomadic tribes such as the Rendille, the Borana and the Samburu wandering with herds of camels, goats or cattle. They motioned for us to stop on our bikes to let them drink from our water bottles, which we did when we were confident that we had enough to meet our own needs.  In the town itself  we encountered women whose heads were adorned with spectacular weaves of beads, flowers and coins. They are people of the Samburu tribe, distant relatives of the Maasai, nomadic peoples  whose movements (for this group) have been altered  by the construction of a permanent water source. 

In this part of Kenya water is so scarce that families can literally spend all their time and energy sourcing and collecting it. This means that they never settle in one place and kids never go to school. The lack of an education assures that the cycle repeats itself.  Part of the objective of aid organizations in building a well is that a community can form around it and break that cycle. 

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For many, a lone acacia silhouetted on the savannah against the horizon stretching into eternity is the iconic image of Africa. The place that invokes that image is often Kenya.  

We have yet to see that terrain. Our point of entry into the country means that we will have to be patient.  But we will get there, and in the meantime we are seeing and learning much along the way. Paul Theroux wrote in Darkstar Safari:

“I reflected that a person who has not crossed an African border on foot has not really entered the country, for the airport in the capital is no more than a confidence trick; the distant border, what appears to be the edge, is the country’s central reality.”

The Tour d’Afrique is a far cry from a safari vacation in Africa:  transfers to a hotel and game park and a checklist to mark off the “Big Five”.  With so much to take in before we get there, Nairobi remains, even for us, some  far fetched idea of a place in Kenya. 

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From Laisamos we were bussed to the frontier city of Isiolo – this to keep us safe from the bandits and tribal unrest that have presented problems along this stretch.  Gazelles,  ostriches and warthogs were spotted en route. Back on the bikes the next day, the miles to the equator at Nanyuki felt like we were in the foothills of the Rockies in Alberta.  As we gained altitude, fields of wheat and corn (large acreage farms are left over from British soldier settlement schemes after WW1) stretched before us, along with a dramatic snow capped  Mount  Kenya, the 2nd highest peak in Africa. We happened upon a cafe that offered home style brownies, milk shakes and lattes – western treats we have not seen since January.

The lone acacia  will surely follow soon. 

Thanks for reading. 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

 Margaret Mead

We did not originally plan to use our trip as a platform to collect money for charity, but our eyes have been opened after 5000 km on the road, and we are appealing to readers to help us make a difference for a community in need in Kenya. We also have a story to tell. So, this time around we are going to ask you for something.  Please read on.

When our 3 daughters were young, they had the good fortune of attending “Miss Darlene’s” nursery school in Ste Anne de Bellevue. Darlene Anderson was like a second mother to the children she cared for. Parents knew they were fortunate that they could rely on this generous, kind-hearted person. Darlene made a big difference in our busy existence “back in the day”,  but she would no doubt say that her real mission in life was still to come.

Our youngest daughter, Devon, attended Miss Darlene’s with the son of Dr. Ebi Kalahi Kimanani. Ebi grew up in Itegero, Kenya. She worked with her local church and community on the West Island of Montreal and lent support to her village back in Africa. She was a statistician and biomedical research consultant, and was involved in establishing ethical clinical trials for vaccines to combat malaria and AIDS in Kenya and Uganda. Tragically, after returning from a 2005 work related trip to Africa, Ebi herself succumbed to malaria.

You read that correctly. There are not enough exclamation points in existence to put after that last paragraph.

We knew Ebi only casually through Miss Darlene and our girl’s music recitals, but anyone affiliated with her at all soon became aware of this great loss for communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

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SUITCASES FOR AFRICA

As happens so often, out of tragedy comes good. A diverse group of Ebi’s friends founded Suitcases for Africa in her memory. It is a grass-roots charitable organization with the goal of improving the living conditions in impoverished rural Kenya.

Please explore the website at for the whole picture at http://suitcasesforafrica.com. It tells the story of a group of committed local volunteers who, in the early stages of the charity they founded, travelled to Ebi’s home village with 50 suitcases of clothing, books, supplies and medical packs. The tremendous welcome and obvious need for assistance lead to projects in nearby communities, including providing clean accessible water, orphan feeding programs, and educational support including scholarships, school uniforms etc. An emphasis was placed on self sustaining and income generating projects such as the raising of poultry and cows, growing of food crops and women’s sewing projects.

Suitcases For Africa became a Registered Canadian Charity in July 2010, with Darlene Anderson serving as its president. The hands on approach of the organization, its focus on core needs, task completion and nod towards sustainability stand in contrast to the high administrative costs and dependency creating policies some charities are accused of.

We made our customary gift to Suitcases For Africa this past Christmas in the name of a family member,  as he does for us,  in lieu of presents. The next day a hand delivered card and a tax receipt arrived in our mailbox. When the cost of a stamp matters to an organization, it is a sign that the larger ticket items are being well-managed.

LENORE & GERRY’S PLEDGE

We have committed funds to SFA to build a well for the Shamoni community in Kakamega, a village near Ebi’s original home close to Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. Details of the project may be seen here: http://suitcasesforafrica.com/event/shamoni-community-water-project   We are asking for your help.

Water is at the center of so much that goes on in every village and household on this continent. We have seen it pumped from the ground and pulled out of reservoirs into every metal drum and plastic container imaginable before being carted off on donkey carts and the backs and heads of (almost always) women. Our TDA crew is on a never-ending mission to source water. We have been without it on many nights for washing, but we can only imagine what it would mean not to have potable water for drinking.

The available water sources for the Shamoni Community in Kakamega are unreliable and to far away. There is a high incidence of diarrheal disease and a risk of rape for women who go off in pursuit of water in the evening or early morning hours. We ask your help to end these preventable risks that target a population of approximately 1050.

Please go to this Canada Helps link to make your donation and help us realize this project. Make sure to select the Shamoni Well Project. A contribution of $25 and over will get you a tax receipt. Should SFA be fortunate enough to receive a single contribution of $8000 we will commit to financing a second well.  Of course, any donation will be appreciated.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/13271

Thanks for reading as usual, and this time thank you for considering a donation to this worthwhile cause.

The top tier challenges of the Tour d’Afrique have presented themselves one at a time.  

The 1st one came before even  setting foot in Africa: preparing for a trip of this length and magnitude  – fear of the unknown.  Once underway, our customary way of life required some retooling in order to  deal with certain realities/inevitabilities of the Tour d’Afrique: desert camping (farewell water & electricity), extreme heat (mid 40’s) followed by stiff head winds piled on top of the heat which made for a trying 3 day stretch in the Nubian Desert.

Then came Ethiopia.  

During our 17 days there (the longest we will spend in any country) we reached the highest elevation we will see on the tour (3122 meters) and climbed the mountains to get there.  Lots of mountains. We experienced the intensity of villages swarming with natives, not all of them well mannered. We were scrutinized at lunch stops and camp sites by large gatherings, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, restricted by perimeter ropes. We had one of our riders return home (hopefully temporarily) with a bone fracture after a serious fall. We took the plunge and sampled the unique Ethiopian cuisine and drunk the coffee of the nation where it was invented, paying the price with gastro issues requiring antibiotics we are loath to take. We washed them down with ubiquitous bottles of coke and 2nd rate sugar snacks (no Miss Vickies Salt & Vinegar chips on the shelves here) that we would normally avoid but are mandatory fuel here. It’s all good. We’re more than happy to have died just a wee bit for the stunning beauty of this complicated and enchanting place.  

We entered Kenya at the cross border town of Moyale with the usual drama. This time our “money exchange man” had been vetted beforehand and outfitted, for identification purposes, with the orange tagging tape wrapped around his forehead (our crew uses it everyday at intersections to mark our route) – another frenetic scene with wads of cash being exchanged in a throng of humanity and  African style mayhem – this within view of evidence of a tribal uprising which the military had put a violent end to recently, although any chalk outlines related to the “investigation” of the dozen or more fatalities had long since dissolved into the red earth. 

The British were in charge here once upon a time, and as a result we’ll have to get used to riding on the left side of the road. We have a long straight shot down the Addis-Nairobi Highway, so we have an easy adjustment period.  There are more top tier challenges ahead, however.  In Tanzania – if not before – we will have to deal with the rainy season. Finally, the outstanding road conditions we have had (for the most part) on our journey will hit some speed bumps.

Northern Kenya is a lava rock desert that  had terrible rutted roads in earlier versions of this tour. We rode into the market city of Marsabit yesterday on smooth surfaces.  We can expect good conditions on our route throughout Kenya.  In Tanzania we will encounter 500 km of dirt through the middle of the country.  It will be muddy if it rains.  We will switch to wider mountain biking tires for this section. As our route takes a turn westward we can expect good tarmac until we reach Namibia. In that country most of the 1400 km are a mix of sand, hard-packed clay, dirt, loose gravel, and corrugation. The TDA literature we signed off on warns us to “be prepared at this late stage in the tour to be challenged once again”.

The 1st riders of this route back in the early 2000’s had to deal with much tougher road conditions – mostly gravel (and worse). We have foreign governments to thank for the improvements, with China at the head of the list.  That country’s remarkable growth has fueled a steadily rising demand for oil, minerals and other primary commodities, many of which are abundant in sub-Saharan Africa. It has become a major development partner for countries throughout the continent, and its trade, investment, diplomatic, and political relationships continue to strengthen.

Some accuse China of behaving like former colonizers as it acquires raw materials like oil, iron, copper and zinc to fuel its own economy.  Its supporters, on the other hand, say that initiatives to build and improve infrastructure such as roads, railways and telecom systems have been a boon to Africa’s manufacturing sector, freed up domestic resources for other critical needs such as health care and education, and aided everyone doing business on the continent. The colossal ($3 trillion eventually!) “One Belt, One Road” project – a “Silk Road” type network of land and sea links connecting Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa is expected to benefit the African countries along the route. China has already financed and built a $4 billion railway between Djibouti to Addis Ababa, the continent’s first transnational electric railway. In Kenya, a Chinese firm has built a new railway connecting Nairobi to the country’s port city of Mombasa. 

We are not going to comment on what this means for this continent or the world at large (but we can’t resist pointing out that while this is going on the Americans are spending their $ and energies on building a wall).  We saw many Chinese factories south of Addis Ababa taking advantage of the cheap labour that “made in China” once implied. Some might call this progress. On the other hand, a Chinese built soccer stadium we saw erected in Costa Rica “over night” involved an exchange for fishing rights – this seems a little short sighted, at least. 

Within our sights is the road ahead, and we are happy that it will be on excellent pavement. We may be just 1st world tourists passing through, but as we ride through an endless string of villages on our way to Capetown, the impact on air quality and commerce that a paved main artery entails is blatantly obvious. The natives here are not questioning where the money for this is coming from.  Stressing over world domination is not among their day to day concerns.  We are happy for them.

Thanks for reading.