Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
With the grace of God, I arrived at the Bena Leka mission. Father Ntumba wel-
comedmeandgavemesomecoffee.Ipiledinthesugaranddrankit.Istayedinmycycling
clothesandtalkedwithhimforatleast3hours.Thepaininmyheadandbodyslowlywent
away and then it was time for dinner. The meal was simple but Father Ntumba and his
brother were very sociable and were a lot of fun to talk with.
I must note here that in all of Africa, I haven't seen so many dads actively involved
in child-rearing. I have seen them singing to them, preparing their lunch, feeding them and
playing with them. The women worked in the fields as the fathers minded the children.
ThenextmorningIwenttomassandthenhadbreakfastwithFatherNtumba.Ialso
drank a lot of water not to make the same mistake from the day before. I then spent 15
minutes prior to departure listening to a Neil Diamond tape in Father Ntumba's office. The
orchestrations helped me relax and when the last song was over,Isaid goodbye and started
my day's cycle.
It was very cloudy in the morning and the road's quality was at times relatively
good. For much of the 60 kilometres, I cycled off-road. I utilized the footpaths that went in
and out of the villages always mindful of the huts' roofs. Even though my pace was slow,
I didn't have to worry about the sand. These footpaths also helped when I came across any
hairpin turns. I simply cut across them as I descended. One stretch of the main road was
a bit daunting though. The road hugged the side of a hill and was only 3 feet wide with a
15-foot (4½ metre) drop. How trucks negotiated this stretch of road (let alone pass oncom-
ing traffic) was beyond me.
The inventory of issues I had with my bike was increasing. Since my fall from the
day before, there was now a creaking noise from the gooseneck every time I cycled out of
the saddle. I feared that I may have cracked it (I found out in South Arica that this was in
fact thecase.) All mytires were badlyworndownandneeded replacing, andmychain was
old and worn. Aside from these issues, 'One Gear' was a fighter!
As I continued, thunder could be heard behind me as the sky clouded over and the
possibility of rain imminent. I kept my pace and remained calm even though to my back
left, lightening flashed more frequently. There was a massive steep climb before me and I
was afraid the strain of climbing would break my chain. So, I decided to push the bike up
instead.
As I was climbing someone said to me that a policeman was coming. I looked back
and saw the top of his hat as he was walking up the previous hill. I quickly hopped on the
bike and just as I was cresting my hill, I heard him shout “S'il vous plaît!” I pretended not
to hear him and just kept going. If I stopped, I was sure to be hit by the massive storm
heading just behind me. It wasn't the fear of getting wet that urged me on, it was what the
rain would do the road.
IarrivedattheCatholicmissioninDembabyearlyafternoon.FatherJulesNaesens
welcomed me and gave me a room where I placed my bike. As he escorted me back to his
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