To Monze: long flat roads.

October 20, 2015

"I'd be crying if we were riding in the other direction," Patrick says at our rest break and halfway mark to our destination today.

At first light, we leave Mazabuka "the sweetest town in Zambia" and see the sugar cane fields. The road follows the railroad line and is a long straight flat hill for most of the day. The wind comes up early and is a crosswind until the road changes directions slightly and gives a little tailwind. Last week, we heard from cyclists going the opposite direction fighting a headwind. Going East to West seems the better direction riding.

There is nothing in between Mazabuka and Monze. No shops to buy fanta or villages with water pumps, though we see women carrying water containers on their heads. Sporadically, there are small collection of houses and buildings between the road and railroad, and charcoal being sold along the side of the road in this sparsely populated stretch of road.

The Moorings campground is 2kms off the main road and still 10kms from town. We decide to continue onto town, since these 12kms added to tomorrow's mileage makes the tomorrow's ride very long.

We reach Monze by 1000. Stopping to check the Golden Pillow Lodge just on the outskirt of town, we are too early to check into a room. We go on through town, checking a few lodges and decide to cycle back to the Golden Pillow. Rachel did laundry in the bathtub and Patrick rode back into town to shop for supplies. We watch CNN on TV in an air conditioned room.

Life is good on the road.

Long straight roads south of Mazabuka. We see some of the sugarcane plantations that feed the local sugar industry.

Every morning there seems to be a rush-hour of charcoal cyclists heading into town.

It is not as bad as Western Tanzania, but burning of the dry country side is still going on.

Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 8,097 km (5,028 miles)

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