The late Alex Nyirenda Remembered

It is the fifth death anniversary today of Brig. Alex Gwebe Nyirenda who died in Dar es Salaam from throat cancer.

At the eve of Tanzania's independence, Brig. Nyirenda hoisted Tanzania's flag (then Tanganyika) on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro as the Union Jack was lowered at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Lt. Alex Nyirenda, with Tanganyika's flag and the Uhuru torch, at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on the eve of Tanzania's independence, 9 December 1961 (Photo courtesy of Tanzania Information Services)

Two years earlier on 22nd October 1959, former President Julius K. Nyerere, in a speech to the Tanganyika Legislative Assembly, said the following:

We the people of Tanganyika, would like to light a candle and put it on top of Mount Kilimanjaro which would shine beyond our borders giving hope where there was despair, love where there was hate, and dignity where there was before only humiliation.

That candle (which came to be known to Tanzanians as the Uhuru torch) was placed on Mt. Kilimanjaro by Nyirenda, and signalled Tanzania's long and unwavering commitment to the liberation struggle of those African countries that remained in the early sixties under colonialism and white minority rule.

Brig. Nyirenda was the first Tanganyikan in 1958 to graduate from Sandhurst Military Academy in England. He also became, prior to independence, the first African to become an officer in the King's African Rifles.

He was also related, through a common ancestor, to former Zambian President, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, which is a stark reminder to Africans that they are often closer to each other than artificial boundaries would indicate.

Valuable lessons from the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb of 2011 (post 1 of 3)

I have written before about my December 2011 of climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro but have not commented on why, in my opinion, I failed to reach the summit. That climb illustrated some of the donts that prevent climbers from reaching the summit and provided valuable lessons for those who intend to climb Kilimanjaro, whether for the first time or as repeat climbers.

The basic lesson I learnt is that training, and training, and more training, is a critical success factor. I cannot overstate its importance. I did not commit enough time to training and when the testing times confronted us on the climb I did not have the capacity to meet the challenge.

Many guides on Kilimanjaro will tell you that they have successfully led the most ill-trained climbers to the summit. Prior to that climb I managed to reach the summit with hardly any training and built this huge confidence in myself that the most crucial factor in reaching the summit is actually the will to continue pushing and exerting your body under immense physical strain. It is true, even with absence of training, if you summon your will power against Kilimanjaro, you will reach the top. But it is also true if you add some training to a will made of steel then the climb becomes much easier.

I normally maintain a daily log of the observations I make during each climb, but for some reason during the December 2011 climb I recorded only the first 3 days of the climb. However, by the third day, the recipe for what I consider my failure to reach the summit had already been cast.

The climb was jointly organized by the Tanzania Tourist Board and Zara Tanzania Adventures to mark 50 years of Tanzania's independence. I was chosen to lead the climb by TTB.

4 December 2011

During a short ceremony to flag off the climbers, the Moshi district commissioner referred to me as the "gwiji" (expert) of the climb. He said he was pleased to hear that I was the group leader of the Mt. Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb.

[Lesson 1: Mt. Kilimanjaro does not care how impressive is your record; it will decide whether or not you reach the top.]

We have an interesting mix of 24 climbers: a presenter from Clouds TV and his cameraman; two young women, one from Tanzania Association of Tour Operators' Tantravel Magazine; a long distance runner; a German film crew filming a documentary during the climb with my participation; and others who I hope to know along the way.

This would go down as the worst start I have experienced during my several climbs of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Because of the poor road condition, after we registered at Londrossi Gate the minibus dropped us at the junction to the drop-off point at the edge of the forest. Some of the climbers hopped on a Landrover and those of us who remained began to walk in anticipation of being picked up by one of the vehicles. About 15 minutes into the walk the Zara off-road truck which we boarded during the September 2011 climb picked us.

We began our trek on a muddy road.

The current rains had damaged the road so much that even the truck took us only part of the way to the normal drop-off point. It took us well over an hour to reach the edge of the forest, at around 1800hrs.

[Lesson 2: If possible, avoid the rainy season. It can introduce the most unpleasant surprises to the climbing experience. Although weather patterns have sometimes become unpredictable, the short rains on Mt. Kilimanjaro fall between mid-November to December while the long rain period lasts between April and mid-June.]

A continuous light shower continued to fall throughout our trek to the first camp, Mti Mkubwa, and the forest floor was drenched and slippery. These conditions took their toll on the porters. When we reached Mti Mkubwa camp, well after 2200hrs, a significant number of porters were still behind. Consequently, some of the climber’s bags were missing and we ate late.

It is rare for a an experienced mountain guide to falter at any stage of the Kilimanjaro climb, but today I witnessed Yahoo regularly slipping on the trail and at one time I offered him one of my walking poles which he gladly accepted.

Next post: It gets worse

Related Post:
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2014/07/valuable-lessons-from-mt-kilimanjaro.html

Riding with Ross Methven: day 18

This is the final post of my bicycle ride with Ross Methven. He  should be in Botswana by now. In his latest post on his blog he was heading towards Victoria Falls.

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 22 August 2013

I look forward to completing my epic cycling trip from Butiama to Dodoma today. Not that I am tired of cycling; it's always a huge anticipation when completing any milestone. And this, to me, is one giant milestone.

I have noticed that Singida region has far fewer cyclists than Dodoma region. For Singida it is understandable. It has extremely strong winds and is the site of the proposed wind-to-eletricity generation project.

At Bahi I told Ross I felt it necessary to supplement the chicken soup I had in the morning with tea and two chapatis.

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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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After my 'revenge' breakfast and as we were about to resume cycling a man approached us and fiilded questions on our bicylces. He said we had 55 kilometres to reach Dodoma!

Along the way Idd Maalim of the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) called me several times to find out our progress. He informed me members of Dodoma's cycling club would ride and meet us at the outskirts of Dodoma.

When I stopped next to a huge Baobab tree at the top of a long descent Ross, who had cycled ahead as usual, called me to say he was having lunch with the mayor of Dodoma. That was a pleasant surprise. Dodoma was still 35 kilometres away.

When I reached Cigongwe Ross was seated at the compound of the mayor of the city of Dodoma, Emmanual Mwiliko. Earlier, the mayor saw Ross across the road and approached to find out whether he needed some help. Ross responded he was looking for a place to buy lunch. The mayor then invited Ross to have lunch at his house.

While waiting for lunch cooked by the mayor's wife four cyclisys led by Joshua Malanda (53) from the Dodoma cycling club whizzed past on the road ahead trailing behind a truck.

I (right) stand next to Mayor Emmanuel Mwiliko and his wife and son. On the right is Joshua Malanda from Dodoma's cycling club with some club members and next to Joshua is Ross Methven. I notice that not even 800 kilometres of cycling managed to reduce my pot belly.

By the time I reached Idd Maalim on the phone to ask him to alert our receiving party they had passed us they had reached a distance of 35 kilometres.

Later Idd Maalim interviewed us at the mayor's residence for the evening's television news. we reached Dodoma in the early hours of the evening and lodged at Ulanga Guest House.

My trip was over, for the moment. In 18 days of cycling I had covered an unprecedented 853.2 kilometres. Prior to this trip I had not cycled more than 10 kilometres.

Related links:
http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/11/riding-with-ross-methven-day-17.html

Moshi's Kilimanjaro Coffee Lounge

Those climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and happen to be in downtown Moshi (the preferred departure and return point for Kilimanjaro climbs) might be interested to visit the Kilimanjaro Coffee Lounge.

Nowadays I take every opportunity that places me within striking distance of tasty cakes and a good cup of coffee, although I do not drink coffee . The last time I was in Moshi I walked into the Kilimanjaro Coffee Lounge on Chagga Street (facing the main market) and ordered a sizable cup of coffee with Chocolate cake.

The place has a piano and the owners permit those who want to show how well they play the piano to go ahead and enjoy themselves. As I waited for my order, and being the only client at the time, I sat in front of the piano and played one of a handful of songs that I learnt more than 30 years ago.

The Kilimanjaro Coffee Lounge also offers 'traditional light meals,' grilled chicken, grilled beef steaks, Schnitzels, and a variety of other dishes that I have not had the opportunity to taste.

The coffee was perfect; the Chocolate cake too sweet for my liking.

Post related to this one:
http://madarakanyerere.blogspot.com/2011/08/tasty-cakes-poor-service.html

Here's a question: where do you get the best view of Mt. Kilimanjaro? Kenya or Tanzania?

Someone at Jamii Forums recently raised a question: where is the best view of Mt. Kilimanjaro; is it from the Kenyan or the Tanzanian side? This commentator suspects there is a conspiracy by Kenyans to lure tourists to Kenya and thus the reason why such a question has surfaced.

This question should not be asked. The view of Mt. Kilimanjaro from the Kenyan side is slightly different from the view from Tanzania. From Tanzania Kibo peak is on the left side while Mawenzi peak is on the right side. From Kenya the two peaks take opposite positions, Kibo on the right and Mawenzi on the left. If anyone prefers the Kenyan view it is outrageous to claim that Tanzania offers the better view.

Kibo peak, seen from Karanga camp on the Lemosho route.

I repeat, again, that this Tanzanian pastime of accusing the Kenyans of getting more out of Mt. Kilimanjaro than Tanzanians while Tanzanians do little more than complain provides no improvement whatsoever to our prosperity.

I believe that the visitor who has traveled from abroad for the purpose of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro cares little whether this World Heritage site is in Kenya, Tanzania, or on Jupiter. The visitor is interested in the mountain and not so much on where Kenya ends and Tanzania begins.

I have climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro a number of times and the truth is that comparatively few Tanzanians climb this mountain compared to foreigners. On Mt. Kilimanjaro Tanzanians are the visitors while the foreigners can claim to be the hosts because of their large numbers. Recently on the Marangu route I even met a large group of Kenyans heading to the summit.

I would be extremely pleased to see some of these complainants don some mountain gear and join me on the next climb. Afterwards they can speak with authority and conviction on the beauty of Mt. Kilimanjaro instead of complaining and asking awkward questions.

One thing they will learn is that the best views of Mt. Kilimanjaro are right on the mountain itself. But that is only my opinion.

Riding with Ross Methven: day 17

In the next few posts, I will wrap up my bicycle ride with Ross Methven. He is riding through Zambia now.

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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Wednesday 21 August 2013

As the number of days we have cycled from Mwanza continues to rise, some of the drivers of the passenger buses that ply between Mwanza and Tanzania's other cities have begun to take notice of us and they hoot at us. I am not surprised they notice us; I stand out distinctly with my "afro" hairstyle and the plastic white rimmed sunglasses that Ross has lent me.

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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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Yesterday, Ross and I had contemplated giving up our day's-end custom of replenishing our body fluids with a few rounds of a coveted lager. At the end of the day today we concluded that what we had contemplated was irrational; it does not work in practice.

Fitness experts do not recommend alcohol consumption with training because of its adverse effects on the body although some research suggests that moderate alcohol consumption actually provides some health benefits. I can authoritatively state that we consumed moderate amounts otherwise it would have been impossible to cover an average distance of 55 kilometres each day. By the end of the day we had cycled a total of 787.6 kilometres from Butiama.

Finally, at Kintinku, I decided to replace the old front tyre with the new one I bought in Singida and which Ross had strapped behind his bicycle since leaving Iguguno. We decided yesterday that it would be unfortunate if I had a front tyre puncture on the last day (tomorrow) and fail to reach Dodoma while a receiving party was waiting for us.

With one bottle of a coveted lager in one hand, I closely supervise the front tyre change at Kintinku.

Related links:

http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/11/riding-with-ross-methven-day-16.html

Jim Whitney joins the Kilimanjaro Club

The Kilimanjaro Club lists people I know who have scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro, including those who join me every year on the annual Mwalimu Nyerere/Mt. Kilimanjaro Charity Climb and those who join me for my non-charity climbs.

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Cinematographer Jim Whitney was part of the American film crew, with Jim Becket, who took part in my September 2011 climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. He carried a video camera and shot most of the footage for the documentary Sons of Africa.

I have profound respect for anyone who has to carry a video camera during a climb and has to rely on only one hand for support through some of the difficult sections of the climb. Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is difficult enough even while using two two hiking poles.

On the first day of the climb, a few minutes before we commenced the hike to the first camp, Mti Mkubwa, Jim Whitney (second, left), was ready with his camera in hand. Others are from L-R, Jaffar Idi Amin, Jim Becket, the author/owner of this blog, and assistant guide Ludovick.

Jim Whitney becomes the 14th member of the Kilimanjaro Club. The updated list is:

No.	Name	Nationality	Age	Point Reached*	Summit Date
1.	Madaraka Nyerere	Tanzanian	48	Uhuru Peak	24th August 2008
2.	Le Huyhn	Vietnamese	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	25th August 2008
3.	Markus Geiger	Swiss	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	2009
4.	Gerald Hando	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	6 October 2009
5.	Notburga Maskini	Tanzanian	49	Stella Point	6 October 2009
6.	Dmitry	Russian(?)	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	13 December 2010
7.	Jaffar Amin	Ugandan	44	Uhuru Peak	13 December 2010
8.	William Rutta	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	10 December 2010
9.	Mary Kalikawe	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	10 December 2010
	Steve Kamau	Kenyan	25	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Jim Becket	American	74	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Andrea Wobmann	Swiss	39	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Zulfa Fadhili	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Jim Whitney	American	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011

*A climber is awarded a certificate for reaching one of three elevations: Uhuru Peak (5,895 AMSL), Stella Point (5,745 AMSL), or Gillman's Point (5,685 AMSL).

The exotic flowers of Mt. Kilimanjaro: Protea kilimanjaro

The Protea kilimanjaro is one of many variations, said to be close to 1600 species, of the plant family Proteaceae.

It looks like a unitary flower but is actually a collection of flowers that are densely packed into a bulb that opens up at a certain stage of its maturity.

An 'open' Protea kilimanjaro plant on the Lemosho route of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

While on the lower slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro's Marangu route the hiker can view this unique plant.

At maturity the flowers dry up and the lifeless form appears to have been burnt by a bush fire.

I am tired of hearing stories of Tanzanians whining about Kenyan tour operators luring tourists to Kenya while claiming that Mt. Kilimanjaro is in Kenya. I believe Tanzanian tour operators ought to counter these Kenyan operators by their own aggressive marketing campaigns.

I was surprised nevertheless while seeking information on the Protea kilimanjaro that the little information available includes an entry in the Wikipedia which describes the Protea kilimanjaro as found "...in the chaparral zone of Mt. Kenya National Park." Without any mention of Mt. Kilimanjaro? Makes you go: "mmmhhhh."

Just in case it is still not clear: Mt. Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania.

Zulfa Fadhili is the latest member of the Kilimanjaro Club

The Kilimanjaro Club lists people I know who have scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro, including those who join me every year on the annual Mwalimu Nyerere/Mt. Kilimanjaro Charity Climb and those who join me for my non-charity climbs.

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Zulfa Fadhili joined me to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in September 2011 on the 7-night, 8-day trek on the Lemosho route. She works for Zara Tanzania Adventures, one of the leading Mt. Kilimanjaro outfitters. She reached the summit and takes her place on my Mt. Kilimanjaro roll.

Zulfa Fadhili at the Marangu gate.

The updated list of the Kilimanjaro Club is:

No.	Name	Nationality	Age	Point Reached*	Summit Date
1.	Madaraka Nyerere	Tanzanian	48	Uhuru Peak	24th August 2008
2.	Le Huyhn	Vietnamese	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	25th August 2008
3.	Markus Geiger	Swiss	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	2009
4.	Gerald Hando	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	6 October 2009
5.	Notburga Maskini	Tanzanian	49	Stella Point	6 October 2009
6.	Dmitry	Russian(?)	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	13 December 2010
7.	Jaffar Amin	Ugandan	44	Uhuru Peak	13 December 2010
8.	William Rutta	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	10 December 2010
9.	Mary Kalikawe	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	10 December 2010
	Steve Kamau	Kenyan	25	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Jim Becket	American	74	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Andrea Wobmann	Swiss	39	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011
	Zulfa Fadhili	Tanzanian	Unknown	Uhuru Peak	26 September 2011

*A climber is awarded a certificate for reaching one of three elevations: Uhuru Peak (5,895 AMSL), Stella Point (5,745 AMSL), or Gillman's Point (5,685 AMSL).

Riding with Ross Methven: day 16

In the next few posts, I will wrap up my bicycle ride with Ross Methven. He is riding through Zambia now.

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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Tuesday 20 August 2013

In the early morning hours after we began cycling, with a tailwind, we probably cycled the fastest yet on this trip.

But good things rarely last; the wind changed direction - or the road turned against the wind - and during the latter part of the day's cycling we were up against an extremely string head wind.

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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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Arriving in Manyoni we rode into a sandstorm. 

At the outskirts of Manyoni we took rooms at the New Emirates Hotel. To-date, we had covered some 733.2 kilometres from Butiama.

Related posts:

http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/

http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/11/riding-with-ross-methven-day-15.html

http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/11/riding-with-ross-methven-day-17.html

Riding with Ross Methven: day 15

In the next few posts, I will wrap up my bicycle ride with Ross Methven. He is riding through Zambia now. I now resume my posts from day 15.

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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Monday 19 August 2013

This was supposed to be a 50 kilometre day, but it stretched out to 67 kilometres. At some point during the day when asking for route advice we were told that Issuna, our intended destination, was 30 kilometres away but our experience had taught us that most of the advice we received was inaccurate and we decided the remaining distance to Issuna was much closer. It was not. Throw in a powerful headwind and no lunch and this became one of our toughest days on the road to Cape Town.

Before midday, Dodoma was only 234 kilometres away.

At Issuna I found Ross seated outside a small shop with a bottle of a coveted lager in one hand. He informed me that Issuna had no guest houses but someone - Edwin - had offered us camping space in front of his oil processing plant. Edwin also made arrangements for our dinner and - if we chose - had offered to make arrangements for us to bathe. We both declined, perhaps because we had to cross a busy road for the wash. More likely, we were just too tired.

In mid-afternoon, we had covered 54 kilometres.

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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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For the first time on this cycling trip we unpacked our tents and drew a small curious crowd around us as our tents began to take shape.

At Issuna as the moon rose above we set up our tents

I did not have a good night's sleep.

Related posts:
http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/09/riding-with-ross-methven-day-14_2256.html
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/11/riding-with-ross-methven-day-16.html

Again, on the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro; to raise money for Kichalikani Primary School

I have just completed the 6th Mwalimu Nyerere/Mt. Kilimanjaro Charity Climb to raise funds for the completion of a school in Kichalikani village, Mkinga district, in Tanga region.

I was accompanied by E. Gassana and we reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on a relatively mild morning on 5th October 2013 at 0830hrs.

At the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, 5,895m above sea level and at the very top of the African continent, from L-R: Pius Yahoo, our guide, E. Gassana, the author of this post, and Assistant Guide, Musa Juma.

Residents of Kichalikani village began construction of the school in 2009 by using part of the duties raised by the village government from the village's fish market. Encouraged by these efforts, Saidi Masimango, the head of the National Social Security Fund's Information Technology Department, donated 1 million shillings. Mr. Masimango died in July 2013.

In addition, Rufiji's District Commissioner Nurdin Babu donated 33 roofing sheets to the school, while Coast Region's Regional Commissioner, Mwantumu Mahiza, donated 100 roofing sheets.

An estimated 7 million shillings is still required for the remainder of the construction works and to acquire desks.

To donate:

Account Name: Kijiji cha Kichalikani

Bank: National Microfinance Bank

Account Number: 4193300163

Branch: Mkwakwani, Tanga.

Donors are asked to send their full names and amounts donated (for publication of the full list in the Jamhuri newspaper) to:

 madaraka.nyerere@gmail.com

Anonymous donors are also asked to provide details (names will be excluded).

Donations by mobile phone should be made to this number (these funds will be transferred to the bank account, above):

+255 755 570 795

It's that time of the year...

It's that time of the year when I set off for another Mt. Kilimanjaro hike. I leave this morning on a 7-day hike on the Lemosho route.

Network permitting I will post some information on this blog as I progress towards the summit.

Riding with Ross Methven: day 14

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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Sunday 18 August 2013
It feels good to be back on the road again. My knee joints were beginning to get used to the long rest we have had.

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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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Ross said he removed a lot of grease and dirt from my bicycle's derailleur system. It rides so smoothly now that I managed to keep up with Ross for most of the short hop of 30 kilometres to Singida.

At some point along the way, Ross took a call from a friend in England. Phones are not always the best tool on a cycling trip although they have been useful to us when we needed to communicate when we were kilometres apart - which has almost always been the case.

On our way to Singida, Ross takes a call from England.

I have had to keep my phone switched on throughout our trip because, while cycling, I am also trying to supervise my daily work routine. I have answered important calls and not so important calls. I stop each time to answer a call and I haven't been too happy to answer a call and hear someone say: "I just wanted to say, 'hi'". I wish I could say: "I am busy. Don't call me until I get to Cape Town!" 

Related posts:

http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/

http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/09/riding-with-ross-methven-day-13.html
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/11/riding-with-ross-methven-day-15.html