Blog Kilimanjaro: Riding with Ross Methven: day 4

Monday, 5 August 2013

Riding with Ross Methven: day 4

Ross Methven is riding a bicycle from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently cycling through Tanzania and I am accompanying him on part of the Tanzanian leg. My Mt. Kilimanjaro guide, Yahoo, says cycling is one of the best training options for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

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Thursday, 1 August 2013
The idea we hatched over dinner last night with Yohana Ladislaus, our Ukerewe Island guide, was we would today take a short bicycle tour of the island before boarding the 1400hrs ferry to Mwanza. First, we had to take Ross to report to the district immigration office and I found the long gentle uphill cycling to the office quite challenging. I murmered to someone that my muscles were over fifty years old.

I told Yohana that, owing to my slower cycling speed, he should plan the itinerary in such a way to ensure that we return to Nansio in time to catch the 1400hrs ferry to Mwanza. He then changed the itinerary and decided that we should only go as far as the Chief's palace.

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If you want to donate to Ross' cause please follow this link:

http://fundraise.unicef.org.uk/MyPage/value-adder-to-vagabond

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So we set off on another lengthy ascent and when we began to descend on a long stretch of road that appeared to disappear into the horizon I knew I would not want to paddle up that road so I turned back and headed to the hotel while Ross and Yohana continued to the palace.

I bought a pair of training shoes to replace my old Safari boots which are past retirement age and which are extremely ill-adapted to cycling and walking. The latter of which I find myself doing quite regularly.