Ride time: 6:40 (plenty of stops hunting for coffee)
Climb: 1194m
Best thing: Awesome rolling hills through spectacular countryside.
Worst thing: Too tired to gun it.
Best shuffled song: Search & Destroy by Iggy Pop.
For a non-race day, today was a bit of a grind. We had a headwind most of the day which made things a bit miserable. Instead of breezing along at a good pace we had to push. Which was a shame, because I think that without the headwind and a fresh set of legs it would have been a great ride. There were some ripping, twisted descents (which were still fun) with some nice hills out of them.
Today was also the most people that I have seen on the trucks so far. Before breakfast I'd estimate that at least half of the riders were on the trucks. Even more jumped on at lunch, because there was a 300m climb to the start of the convoy into Addis. At the start of the convoy bunch of them jumped right back off for the privilege of rolling down the hill into Addis. One of the truck guys was saying that last year, one couple rode the truck for half of every day, but insisted on riding across each border. Seems strange to me, but I guess people pay a lot of money to do the tour, so should do whatever maximises their enjoyment.
No luck with the coffee for most of the day. Each place that we went to was "Boona? Yellum." If we asked where coffee was, they just pointed up the road to Addis. Once we hooked up with Addis from Addis, a local rider, we managed to grab a cup in a new hotel in one of the towns. The hotelier came over to talk to us which was pretty interesting. From what he said, and one of the other riders related from the Ethio-German Hotel, it sounds like getting construction done here is a real hassle. People work day-to-day, so you can't be sure if they are going to turn up. Kind of like Australian builders, but way worse.
Anyway, the coffee at the hotel wasn't great, but it was sweat to sit in the shade and relax before jumping back on the bike for the last climb to the convoy. The place will be even nicer when the guy gets the pool and tennis courts finished. Maybe TDA will change the route to have a layover there before Addis.
The other thing that happened was that I went to a hospital here in Addis to see if an opthamologist could take a look at my dodgy eye. Turns out no, an opthamologist couldn't look at my eye. They only run the eye clinic two days a week and I can't hang around four days until it opens back up. Doesn't worry me too much though. I think it is a manageable problem. TDA also has a better network in Kenya, so it should be easier to find a clinic with the right gear to take a closer look. The hospital wasn't the crazy bedlam that I imagined it might be. Pretty normal place. Consultation with a GP cost 110 birr, which is 22 cokes or around ten dollars.
The funniest thing at the hospital was one of the other riders. He has lost heaps of weight and is pretty hungry all the time. The cafeteria in the hospital was shut - sick people don't eat on Sundays? - but he convinced a nurse to give him part of her dinner. Fried egg sandwich. I am not ashamed to say that it tasted great.
Sitting behind the waiters' desk in the rest day's restaurant so that I can charge my laptop. Apparently they do a pretty good steak and chips. Six weeks ago, I'd laugh at ordering something like that instead of Lamb Tibs or Doro Wat. These days, my stomach is a delicate instrument and every meal needs careful consideration lest it revolt.
Tomorrow is the rest day. With luck, I will get over to the Sheraton to enjoy their buffet breakfast, do internet on their WIFI and hit the supermarket out there. Then I can spend the afternoon lying on my back in the grass, digesting all the bacon and other goodness.
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