Mukuku Rest Camp to Kayova River Lodge

June 6, 2022

Hannes and Ansie are headed out on vacation for a week so they will be passing me on the road. I asked them to stop with a cold water if they saw me. But first, Hannes drew me an excellent little map to get back to the main highway. I am going a different way out than how I arrived. He gave me a head start, but it was still a solid workout first thing in the morning. You see, he was also kind enough to transport my bike gear to a junction about a mile away so I didn't have to contend with a heavy load on the sand. Very nice of him as I'm pretty sure they don't do this for all the cyclists. It was much appreciated!

Ready to roll and yes, it’s a bit challenge my in the mornings.

I stayed on "less than ideal" gravel for the first 10 or so miles making my way back to the paved road. The word of the day/week is "headwind." I did good, slow but steady, but this was suppose to be the easy part of my trip since I'm in flat lands!

Forget the animals, it’s these that will get you!

A bit of different scenery over a bridge. Nice!

Ansie and Hannes stopped and gave me a nice cold water (which I quickly guzzled) as the cow parade happened relatively close to us!

Forgot the Spartan bucket carry, try this!! After I indicated they were strong, then all the smiles broke out.

The road is actually in pretty good condition. Not sure what happened here

The last five miles was also on gravel and I had to backtrack a little. I could have not backtracked, but would have been on gravel longer. That’s a bit risky not knowing the condition of the road. I actually asked a local, and they recommended the longer route.

I got a great deal on my room because they always give bikers a discount. I was also pleasantly surprised as this was called a "community lodge" so I thought it was more for the locals and wouldn't be very nice. It was very nice and peaceful! I can't remember, but I think it was partially sponsored by a church. They run an orphanage and I think a number of schools in the area as well. The lady managing the place was extremely kind. I mean, she sent me off with a coke zero and an electrolyte drink in the morning.

I actually planned to meet up with Philipp, a cyclist from France heading the opposite direction. (Forgot to get a picture, darn it.) It was nice to have company and we had dinner from the restaurant while watching a fantastic sunset from up above the river. I heard hippos, but except for one quick full head sighting, I mostly just saw their noses as they surfaced for air.

There were signs around saying "beware of snakes" and another guest asked about it. Not an issue now as the weather is colder, but I did learn that they once had a cobra up in the trees. I didn't actually realized that cobras would climb trees! They had to station a security guard by the tree as the local snake catcher said it was too dangerous to try and remove it. I also found out that the snake catcher just had his third snake bite. I think he needs a different profession! Just sayin'

On another note, I also decided to stop my anti-malarial pills for now. One of the side effects can be sensitivity to the sun. Finally figured out that's why I'm having sunburn issues (which never happens to me.) It's winter here now so a bit less risky. I will just use bug spray, cover up and hope for the best. Will revisit further down the road.

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 2,868 miles (4,616 km)

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