Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lagejustastherainstoppedabout30kilometresfromKamina.Istoppedataroadsidestall
andmetatruckdriverwhotoldmehowgreattheroadwastoLubumbashi.Hethenoffered
me a lift but I quickly declined for I wanted to savour the experience of cycling on a good
road.Ithenmetayoungmanandaskedhimtotakemetothechiefofthevillage.Heasked
mewhyandItoldhimthatIwantedpermissiontospendthenightinthevillage.Hesmiled
and said that in fact he was in charge and welcomed me into his home. I was taken to a hut
where I changed out of my wet clothes. Nothing was as sweet as finding dry clothes safely
stored in plastic bags in my panniers. I sat with my host and his family for a communal
meal but had very little energy to eat let alone converse. They brought in a wooden bed for
me to sleep on and when I went to bed, I fell asleep in utter mental, physical and spiritual
exhaustion. A quick aside about Africa: never once did a chief refuse me a place to stay
when I asked. This hospitality, I was told, was extended to anyone who traveled through a
village.
Pulling Another MacGyver
I packed up my bike in the morning and spent some time filtering my water before
moving on. Without eating anything, I pushed off. What should have proven to be a quick
30 kilometre cycle became a walking marathon.
The first 10 kilometres were quite slow due to the innumerable puddles. Just as the
road was clearing of puddles and a beautiful freshly graded road lay ahead of me, I noticed
a rubbing sensation every time a certain part of my rear wheel passed the brakes. I stopped
to investigate and saw a massive bulge on the left side of the tire. There was a gash several
centimetres long on the sidewall of the tire just above the rim. The bulge was in fact my
tube ballooning outward through the double tire. I quickly lowered the tire pressure and
took the string from my cycle shorts and tightly tied it around the gash and the rim. When
I added the air it held.
However, as soon as I started to cycle, my added weight caused the tube to balloon
out again. I immediately jumped off the bike. I had to improvise. I took the lid off my hard
plastic tube repair kit and covered the edges with electrical tape. Then I wedged it between
the inside of the rim and where the gash was. I tied the string around it and re-inflated
the tire. I loosened the rear brakes so that they would not touch my makeshift repair job. I
decided not to worsen the condition of the tire so I walked the last 19 kilometres. It was
emotionally painful for me to walk for the road was absolutely perfect for cycling. Even
though the road was calling me to ride I didn't want to take the chance of having the tube
explode.
Atthe10kilometre-to-go mark,Iboughtsomemangoesfromapasser-bywhichhe
cut up for me. I then came to a road block and talked with the guard. His friends wanted
some medication but I explained to them that my supply package was stolen in Kinshasa
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