Europe - The Lions on the Road: Cycling London to Cape Town - page 50

I did have some good news when I arrived in the port town of Tarifa. I intended to
go to Algeciras to catch the ship to Morocco but discovered that a ship actually left from
Tarifa to Tangier. So, I found a room for 1500 pesetas and went to visit a most beautiful
church. I met the pastor and he told me that the ship was to leave in the morning.
I indulged myself and went to a supermarket which had a hardware section. Stand-
ing before an array of locks for my bike, I contemplated whether or not I should buy one.
In the spirit of what I was doing and my trust in Holy Mary to watch over me, I put the
lock down and never purchased it. I also reasoned that if my bike were to get stolen, that
would be a sign for me to stop the tour (I wouldn't buy a new bike). I must add here that in
my entire tour of Africa, I nothing was ever stolen from my bike, even when I left it unat-
tended to go inside the local markets and stores. Ironically enough, it was in Toronto, that
my bike was stolen. It was locked and under camera surveillance during my second day at
university.
Instead of buying the lock, I bought 1 litre of ice cream and foodstuffs for Africa
and washed my clothes. I cashed in some of my travelers' cheques and then prepared for
the most anticipated yet frightening moment in my life: entering Africa.