Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It lasted for two hours and the choir was absolutely magnificent. Afterwards, I attended a
buffet breakfast and then decided to move on.
I was worried about my rear tire deflating overnight but in the morning it had held.
BeforeIleft,asistergavemealettertodropoffatthel'évêque's(bishop's)houseinKam-
ina and suggested that I should visit a Canadian sister while I was there. With their final
blessing, I pushed off at 10:00 a.m.
Within the first kilometre, I came upon several large puddles (maybe 'ponds' is a
better word) so I decided to walk my bike around them. Eventually I came to a dry section
and started to cycle. The road was relatively flat with gentle inclines and descents. I occa-
sionally looked up at the views but since there were many protruding rocks, most of my
attention was on the road directly in front of my front tire. Sadly, I had two trucks pass me
filled with Kasai refugees heading north.
I stopped to ask a local how far it was to Luputa. He looked at me confusingly and
said, “You are in Luputa!” That was a first! I guess the road's easy gradient allowed me to
arrive in less than three and a half hours. I slightly detoured off the main road to arrive at
the Belgian Parish of Our Lady. I thought that I headed out of my way and would need to
double-backinthemorningtorejointhemainroad.However,aftermeetingFatherAdrien,
he told me that if I continued along the same side-road, I would rejoin the national route.
He then quickly brought me something to eat and eventually the rest of the community
came to visit.
After placing my belongings into my room, one of the priests took me to visit the
projects they were working on since 1953. It was quite impressive. There was a home for
the sisters, a primary and a secondary school, a dispensary, a maternity ward, and a mill
wheretheygroundmaizetomakebidya.Aswestrolledback,Isawmyfirsttrain.Theroof
and doorways were completely covered with Zaïrians. Some were dancing on the roofs
while others were simply sitting and enjoying the views.
I woke up the next morning for mass. After breakfast with the community, my
departure was delayed due to a light rain shower. When it stopped, I began cycling and
quickly set a good speed….for the first 45 minutes, anyway. My catalyst was in part the
looming threat of a downpour which seemed imminent. The rain Armageddon started and
I scrambled looking for shelter. I stopped at a home where a mother carrying her infant
beckoned me to come and take cover under her porch. She gave me a chair and we sat
together in silence for about an hour watching the rain come down in torrents. When it
stopped, I gave the lady some money and was off. It amazed me how quickly the storm
passed through and soon the sky cleared.
Istopped foramoment toputonmysunglasses when,tomydismay,Irealized that
the air was seeping out of my rear tire. I proceeded another kilometre and rested under a
large tree. I stripped the bike and using a freshly made puddle from the rain, I searched for
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