My (Ad) Addis

Greetings all. This post has to be short, as I need to get back to camp to get ready for tomorrow's ride. I'm in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and the newly designated capital of Africa. The Ethiopian terrain and kids have taken there toll on the riders. We have had two rest days in Addis. And we have done just that: rested!!! Today, I went to the Sheridan to have my first taste of western living since I left. Simply decadent. Pool loungiung and buffet eating. I 'm currently typing from the Sheraton Business Center that charges 20x the price as local cafés, but the connection is pretty quick. CNN is playing in the background.

Four days ago we cycled down the Blue Nile River Gorge (think: Africa Grand Canyon), and then cycled back up. I'll try and get pics to bonz and have him upload to the sight. It is difficult to describe, and frankly the pics do not do it justice. I'm sometimes frustrated by trying to explain this experience because I never feel like I can do it adequately.

Thanks to all who have donated so far, but w e need to raise more money. Please donate, and I'll keep riding. www.gogoswami.com.

We have about 10 more riding days in Ethiopia, then we will take a bus back to Addis and fly to various places for two weeks and then reconvene at the Tanzanian side of the Tanzanian-Kenyan Border. During those two weeks I plan on climbing Mt. Kili and doing a short safari (all plans subject to change).

I hope all is well with all of you.

-over for now, Goose

"I want a refund of my $10 Live Aid Donation"

I'm in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. I never thought that I would miss the Sudan, but I do. Even though during the last few days of riding in Sudan the temperature has spiked. Road temperatures were above 124 degrees, and about 110 degrees in the shade. The sun feels so much stronger here. The good thing about riding is that you have a breeze; but as soon as you stop riding (for mechanical problems, or if there is a road-side truck stop for a coke) your skin feels like its roasting.
Ethiopia so far has not been as enjoyable as the Sudan. The biggest reason: the kids. They look adorable, but looks deceive. The kids here throw rocks--hard! They also try and ram sticks into riders' spokes as they pass through. The kids are truly menacing. Makes me regret $10 donation to Live Aid. The kids also are quite good at stealing. We have already lost a few cameras, bike speedometers and other items that kids have taken off the bikes while we have been riding on the climbs. The climbs have been difficult and amazing. According to one rider, the aggregate climbs we do in Ethiopia are more than twice that of Everest. The second biggest reason why Ethiopia has not been as enjoyable as Sudan: Illness. It seems that every day at least 10-15 riders become ill. Dehydration has become a problem, and each rider is learning how to appropriately hydrate. Too much fluid is not a good thing either, so we are all trying to strike the right balance in our body
Unlike the kids, the scenery in Ethiopia has been spectacular. The steep climbs may be tough, but they always reward with a bird's eye view of the landscape below. Sometimes the landscape makes you feel like you are at the Grand Canyon, and other times it looks as if you are in Switzerland. I really do think that I have become spoiled with the views. The climbs also reward with some kick ass down hills that are pure adrenaline (especially on dirt and gravel roads). There have been a few major wipeouts but no major injuries to date.
We have six more very tough days until we get to Addis Ababa. We will be taking a new route from Addis to the Border of Ethiopia and Kenya (the TDA decided to "challenge" the riders since we were not able to do Kenya, and so we will be taking even less paved roads). From the boarder we will be bussed back to Addis and from there I will fly to Kilimanjaro, which I'm 85% sure I will attempt, but still the idea of just vegging out on the island of Zanzibar seems tempting.
Keep on emailing me. I love the support.

The Great Depression - Kenyan Style

Two days ago we got word that we are almost certainly not biking through Kenya which dashed the dreams that most riders have of cycling through the African Continent. For a few days the TDA was trying to work an alternate route through Uganda, but given the recent turmoil in Uganda, they did not feel comfortable with going that route either. We have been told that we will ride to the Kenyan border and then flyover to the Kenyan/Tanzanian border. I was really depressed by this. Some riders have talked about stopping in Addis, but I don't think they are serious. Even worse is the fact that we have two wait two weeks w/o our bikes so that we keep the same schedule as there are sectional riders who have already booked tickets to join at specific dates in the future. I’m not sure what I will do in those two weeks, but it is likely that I will try to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and perhaps go on a safari. I’m also a bit nervous of losing the cycling legs that have taken great effort to attain. I guess this means that I need to return to Kenya at some point to finish the job. Any interest in joining me in a few years??

Anyone interested in climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in a few weeks? I'M DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT THIS. Come on, do it for Toto.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

We entered the Sudan at Wadi Halfa and left the paved roads of Egypt behind. The first three days were provided some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. They also provided the most demanding physical/mental challenge I’ve faced. The first day out of Wadi Halfa I felt as if we were on a different planet. The soil/sand was bright red and the hills were made of jagged rocks. In the morning both the sun and the moon were in the sky. Truly spectacular. Parts of the way were paved (I’m told by the Chinese who have made a large investment in Sudan), but most were unpaved. Worse than unpaved roads was the sand. Riders were wiping out constantly. Yours truly ate it about four times a day. Many of the parts were simply not rideable and therefore we would just walk our bikes in the desert sun. The toughest part was not knowing how much of the day is left. 30k could take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. I’m really stoked that I finished every day. Just to give you a sense of the difficulty about 12 riders each of those days did not finish. The sand has also taken its toll on electronic equipment. At least 8 cameras have taken their last photos due to the sand.
The people of Sudan have been, in general, very very nice. I don’t miss Egypt one bit. The Sudanese are much less pushy, and much more hospitable.

Today I’m in Khartoum. We've cycled 1,225 miles so far (hold the applause till the end of the show). Khartoum definitely has a different vibe than the few smaller villages we’ve passed through in Sudan. It’s strange that the large metropolitan area feels much less tolerant than the smaller villages, but that is certainly the feeling I get about Khartoum. Also strange is that I have not seen the mass poverty that I’ve seen in India. At first, I thought that perhaps we were just not going through the poor neighborhoods, but after spending 2.5 days in Khartoum, I don’t think the slums exist to the extent they do in India. I want to be careful not to paint the picture of Khartoum as a thriving western city. It is not. But I have not seen any starving, and very few beggars and disabled persons. There also is much more foreign investment and wealth than I expected. Unlike Egypt, most of the privately owned cars are very new. There are Toyota, Tata, Mercedes dealerships that rival those of NJ.
The group is really starting to gel. Most riders are slowing relaxing and learning to take it one day at a time (I’m still not quite there, but am making progress). People are also feeling much more comfortable around each other, which for the most part has been great. Some have taken the comfort to unwanted levels by dropping trow 10 yards away from the campsite and pinching off a freshly baked loaf (so far this phenomenon has been limited to the Dutch, who are very nice but still mostly segregated from the main group). Yes, much of our day is consumed with talking or thinking about poop. . . and to think that I thought this trip would help me mature. We only have 5 more days until Ethiopia and the rock throwing children. I’m looking forward to the food. Hope it is as good as the Ethiopian restaurants on 10th ave. mmmmmm . . . .10th ave.

Please send me your email address

First thing first: THANKS SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO HAVE WRITTEN ON THE GUESTBOOK. Please be sure to put your email address in the message so that I can respond. I don’t have all of your email addresses with me and I’m not sure how to get them from the guestbook. Please keep the messages coming. I look forward to reading them. Secondly, I’ve received many requests for photos; it takes *forever* to upload pics from here, however, a friend spent five hours yesterday uploading so I will have Bonz post the photos and send an email out to the group when available.