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they were expecting some money but nothing was previously discussed. So, I just said,
“Merci” and left.
By 7:00 a.m., I started. The temperature was rather cool, so for the first time I wore
my track pants the whole day. The road conditions in the first 70 kilometres were excellent
and I was elated to see construction crews every five or so kilometres working on the road.
I stopped for lunch at 12:30 in a small village and sat under a tree to eat. For entertainment
I simply watched some children make sleeping mats from bamboo.
Those mats were calling me to take a nap for I felt so drowsy. I was actually going
to take a nap but when my eye caught sight of several sand patches on the road just ahead
ofme,Isnappedawakeandthoughtitwouldbebesttogetthemoutoftheway.Istoodup,
and walked my bike to the road. The sand patches were very tough. At one point the sand
was so deep that I left the road and pushed my bike between the trees. As I made my way
through the forest, I was attacked by hundreds of flying ants and horse flies causing me to
practically run with my bike dodging the trees until I could rejoin the road.
I hopped back on the bike and continued to cycle. A short distance later, I stopped
just as the road curved sharply to the right. I surveyed the road ahead of me and noticed
mud. The road descended in a straight line and at the bottom it gently curved to the right. I
took a deep breath and started to descend but stopped within a metre. A thin layer of mud
made the surface exceptionally slippery. Even with my wheels locked and my feet on the
ground, I slid. I carefully dismounted and walked the bike over to an agricultural school
that was to the immediate left of the picture.
I met a few of the teachers (classes were not in session) and they invited me to sit
and chat. Within a few moments, they asked me to send them a solar panel for the school
when I returned to Canada. I politely told them I would see what I could do but promised
them nothing. They introduced me to the family of Father Mwah of Kabombo and invited
me to spend the night with them. After my typical African dinner, I tried something ex-
traordinary to eat. The children gathered termites and encased them in a mud ball. Then
they put it in the fire. After the mud dried, they cracked open the mud ball and shared the
dry-roasted termites with me. I must say that they tasted great…very much like sunflower
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