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speaking,Zaïrewasunder-utilized.Ithadsomuchnaturalandhumanwealth,itexcitedme
to think of what Zaïre could become if there was true leadership in the capital. Of all the
countries I travelled in so far, my heart bled here the most.
In the morning I went to the earliest mass presided by the bishop. Then I sat down
for breakfast and exchanged addresses with Edmund. I started my cycling by singing
Happy Birthday to my dad which put me in a good mood. Under blue skies and a cool
breeze, the first two hours were quite fast and were void of any steep inclines or major
sandy sections. My road (keep in mind this was the national route), would at times shrink
to the size of a footpath and then would expand back to a normal two-lane width. This was
a testament that very few motorized vehicles passed through the area. I crossed the railway
line about three times in the morning and only had to deal with one stretch of sand. As I
pushed the bike in the deep sand, it was only near the end that I realized there was a foot-
paththatthevillagersusedlessthan2meterstomyleft.Thelocalsneverbotheredwiththe
road! After that, I kept an eye out for such footpaths whenever I hit subsequent patches of
sand.
I rested after 30 kilometres under a tree enjoying a freshly cut pineapple. As I con-
tinued soon after, I noticed an assortment of exotic smells from the greenery around me.
The vegetation grew quite thick on the edges of the road and overhung above me. Even in
the centre of the road there was tall grass, quite the indication on how seldom the roads
were used. At times, the views of the foliage reminded me a little of the Humber River
Trail in Toronto which gave me solace. As I cycled, many small animals would scamper
across in front of me or rustle the bushes as I passed. To suppress any paranoia about what
wasactuallyinthosebushes,Iwouldthinkof
The Jungle Book
andsingsongsfromthean-
imated movie, “Oh, oh, the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities. Forget about your
worries and your strife…” oops, sorry. These tactics actually did have a calming effect and
it helped me to deal with the constant unknown.
I arrived at the Catholic mission in Katenge and met a Haitian priest, Father
Leclerc-Jacques Eyma. He welcomed me and quickly gave me a room and something to
eat.Letmerephrasethat,hegavemeafeast.Iatebidya(alsoknownaslukuwhichisheavy
dough made from potato and corn flour), soup, goat meat, bread, vegetables and orange
pop! I then visited the church to say the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross and returned
tomyroomtowriteinmyjournal.Fromoutsidemywindow,soundsofchildren'slaughter
carriedin.Iputdownmypenandwalkedoutsidetowatchthemengrossedinplay.Toobad
this was not captured on the infomercials that begged for money.
Duringthe next morning'sbreakfast, Ididn'tdrinkanywater which Inormally did.
Thisproveddisastrouslateronintheday.Unknowntomeatthetime,itwouldbemyhard-
est day of cycling yet in Zaïre.
From the start, the width of the road frequently fluctuated in size. The dense veget-
ation obstructed any panoramic views so I spent my time looking at the road directly in
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