Ethiopia

Ahh, Our first rest day after the Seven Days of Misery. It feels good to me that I stuck it out, and alas I am tired, to the core of my existence tired. Like I just finished two back to back Alaska Crossings trips Tired. One of the trucks broke down yesterday, actually the breaks broke on a down hill section and they had to use the engine to slow the truck. Luckily no one was hurt but the truck was left behind to get towed in, which means AN EXTRA REST DAY!!! Horray!

Today's ride was very tough. The total elevation gain was 2500 meters. UP and UP and UP we went. I averaged a little under 10km/hr for the day, 107km. Another very long day. The longest hill was 20km with parts on a 13% grade. I didn't think it could get any worse until we approached the top and it became unpaved!! Wow. My heart got the workout of a life time yesterday. When we finally arrived in Gondor we passed the Dashun beer brewery on the way in, four of us decided since twenty riders hadn't even ridden the day and several riders got picked up over the course of the day that we would stop and have a beer before reaching the finish line. Questionable whether this was a good Idea with 14km left, 3km of which took us to the hotel and campsite on a mountain overlooking Gondor. After the one beer I defiantely felt a little wobbily on my bike. Arriving at the hotel felt amazing, just to know we had accomplished the day and for that matter the trip. We learned one rider had crashed into a rider, breaking his collar bone. Really crappy luck. This trip is taking riders out left right and center at this point and people are needing to be very very careful. It was a long day of riding by hundreds of children as the yell "You You You" And "Where are you go?' and then if you don't answer and for that matter, even if you do, they will chase you and grab you and try and take things from your bike and worst of all throw rocks at you...
It is exhausting especially as you move at 7km/ hour uphill...

Ethiopia is beautiful, the Simian Mountains and landscape so different from the deserts of Sudan and Eygpt. I am so happy to be here, experiencing this place this way, despite the difficult riding. This morning we visited one of the riders Charities, Link Ethiopia and had a ceremony at a school he helped pay to build. They put on an amazing ceremony for us including roasting us coffee and hand grinding the beans. It was increadible. We all gave some money to help buy thirty children at the school uniforms and books. It was great to see the difference some of the riders are making for places. It feels really good to give back to the countries that are hosting our ride. We are awaiting anxiously the distances and difficulty of the next week of riding.