Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tomydismay,Ihadaslowleakinthereartire.Idecidedtoinflatethetireandcon-
tinue cycling. After 5 kilometres or so I had to stop and re-inflate the tire. I did this again
after2kilometres andthelasttimeafteronekilometre. ItwasthenIdecidedtofixit.Since
I was only 18 kilometres from Lubumbashi, I didn't rush. As I repaired it, I chatted with
the locals who stopped to watch. Within several minutes, I was back on the road.
The road was in excellent condition especially as I neared the city. I arrived before
6:00p.m.andfoundtheSalesiancollegerathereffortlessly.IstayedatFatherCarlo'shome
where I quickly was given my room. By 7:00, I was changed and by 7:01, I was called to
dinner. I sat and ate with 24 medical students and sat around and chatted. Then I went to
my room and fell asleep almost immediately.
After breakfast, my first task was to drop off the letters I carried since January 11
th
.
The priest at D'Aten Parish in the city was moved to tears of joy when I dropped off the
letter. In it, there was a picture of his cousin's ordination that he couldn't go to because of
themilitary situation. IthenwenttodropoffamessagewiththesisterstotellSisterLouise
I arrived safely and that I delivered her letter to Felix's parish priest in Likasi. I then went
to deliver another letter to a Jesuit priest from the priest in Mwene Ditu. The other letters
that I carried were given to Father Carlo (where I was staying) and he promised to deliv-
er them. All said and done, I had one letter left and that was to be eventually delivered in
South Africa.
I went for lunch with one of the medical students and met his girlfriend in the city
centre. On our return, we took a taxi which meandered through the streets. Back at the col-
lege, I played the piano in the dining room and I taught one of the medical students “The
Rose”. I went to my room to lie down and could hear the birds outside my window as a
light breeze shifted the curtains. I thanked God for His patience with me and for my safe
arrival in the city. I wondered if delivering those letters was the reason for cycling through
Zaïre or was there a deeper meaning?
Ash Wednesday would be my second last full day in Zaïre. I attended mass in the
chapel at 6:30 a.m. and had ashes placed on my forehead. I had breakfast with the commu-
nityandatethepreviousnight'sleftoverspaghetti.Theypackedmealunchof12bananas,
a loaf of bread and cake. They recorded me playing “The Rose” on the piano and after 20
minutes, I picked up my gear and said good-bye. I hugged Father Carlo and he provided
me a guide, a student named Mbidi Kosango, to take me to the road that would lead me to
the border. After several kilometres, he stopped and we shook hands and waved good-bye
to each other.
It was relatively easy cycling for the road was only two years old and was well
maintained with a lot of construction happening en route. There were no major inclines/
declines until half way to the border town of Kasumbalesa where the last Salesian home
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