Guinea - The Lions on the Road: Cycling London to Cape Town - page 117

Slowly the town came into view and needless to say I was overjoyed. Even though
I needed to reflate the front tire again at a police station on the outskirts of the city, nothing
could dampen my spirits. As I wrote in my journal:
Well hey, hey, hey- here I am in Labé. I have successfully completed 260
kilometres of grueling, sweat-soaked, fly-biting, heat-driving, view-inspir-
ing, gloriously-motivating, spiritually-exhilarating cycling. (24/09/92)
I arrived at the Catholic Mission to visit the church to say a quick prayer of thanks
for my safe arrival in the town. I then met the Dutch couple who bought my stove earlier.
They were glad to see me and were happy to report that the stove worked like a charm and
how nice it was to be able to prepare and eat a hot meal. We made plans to meet up later
so off I went to buy some foodstuffs. I returned to the mission to eat in the shade and rest.
Lisa, whocame to Labé byvehicle, met me at the mission and invited me to meet the other
PeaceCorpsvolunteers.WewalkedovertoMaryFroehock'shouseandIwasgivenaplace
to sleep.
Now, the news at 11: That evening, my health took a turn for the worse. The un-
treated water I drank at Lisa's home returned to wreak havoc. I had a rough night which
includeddiarrhoea,gas,painfulburpingandvomiting.IwasincrediblyfortunatethatMary
was a nurse and I ended up lying on her couch for the next six days. She told me that I
hadamicroscopic amoebacalledGardiaLamblia thatcausedallmyproblems.Thankfully,
there was an excellent pharmacy in Labé, and Mary went to buy medication for me.
A quick note about Mary: She was by far the kindest person I have ever met who
never once complained. She had an abundant amount of energy and had such an incred-
ible attitude toward living and working in Guinea. She immersed herself completely in the