I have been friends with Penny K. on FB for about three years.  We have chatted numerous times over the years and she has invited me multiple times to come to Africa to bicycle tour.  I had tentatively planned to come to Africa in July on my own and cycle the Nairobi to Cape Town route, but her and another solo cyclist were putting a plan together and said why don't I come now?  Thinking it would be much more fun to cycle with a couple of gals, I worked it out and bought my ticket.  Amanda wanted to travel with her dogs and in the end that wasn't feasible so she bailed on the trip.  It would just be Penny and I.  Looking forward to finally meeting her.  She lives in Johannesburg and has cycled a ton in Africa.  She is planning the route and I have jokingly called her my "tour guide." 

I flew from Mexico to the Seattle, Washington area which is where I grew up and spent most of my life.  Got to see some friends I have known for a long time, but didn't get to see everyone that I was hoping to see.  My time in Seattle was also spend running around with my head cut off due to ongoing bike issues that were supposedly already addressed only to find out there were still issues.  Beyond frustrating.  Also, finding a place that could provide the results of a covid test within 72 hours was basically non-existent.  I should have booked an appointment earlier, but in the end, I ended up paying an arm and a leg at an airport testing site the day before.

I needed to pick up some stuff for Africa and finding everything wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.  I don't know how, but I spent way too much money in preparation.  One of the things I bought was a Garmin InReach which can track my location and a set numbers of texts (depending on the plan you choose) anywhere in the world.  It will come in handy for my travels and offer me peace of mind (along with all my worrying friends back home.)  It works off of satellites so even without cell service, I can send a message with my location pinpointed.  Worse case scenario, it has a SOS button and it is monitored 24/7, 365 days per year.  

Thanks to Michele as well as Debbie and Bill for helping me out.  Bill loves to cook and is very good at it so it was nice to be treated to some delicious food before heading out.  

I took an Alaska Airlines flight (it's all about keeping my MVP status) to New York City, where I have about a 4 hour layover before boarding the first of two Qatar Airways flights.  I have an 8 hour layover in Doha, home of the world's best airport.  Because of covid and less travel business than usual, I guess it's common for Qatar Airways to change planes at the last minute.  I ended up on a smaller plane for my first flight and packed in like sardines.  After reading so many good reviews about this airline, it was disappointing.  In Doha, I found the "quiet room" and got a few hours of sleep, but people, I am tired.  My next flight to Cape Town, was a little more roomy, but my seatmate who had flown from Paris, said this was not as nice as her original flight.  I think it's all about the plane.

I was so happy to see some views of Table Mountain as I arrived.  I am staying at the airport hotel for my first night just to keep things simple as they have a shuttle.  Except, surprise, my bike didn't make it to Cape Town.  I was too tired to panic much initially, but definitely felt relieved as I went to make my claim and there was a sign with my name on it saying my bike had been left in Doha.  Apparently, the 8 hour layover wasn't enough time for them to get it in the right place.  Grrrrrr, if you only knew the problems I have flying with my bike.  I'm cursed.

Got to my hotel and showered and cleaned up.  Waited to go to bed until 7:00 pm to just try and get my body in sync with the new time zone.