I have taken one small step towards training

I have taken one small step towards training. The distance I covered is laughable, but worth writing about because it's a start. I hope it will be the successful beginning of my latest preparations for that giant leap of reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro again. 

I always look back at the long arduous track of my failing willpower to begin training, logged before I took the first step towards the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and nothing since has surpassed that record.

It took me close to ten years from the day I decided to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to the day I reached the summit.

It has been over two years since I last set foot on Mt. Kilimanjaro and that hiatus has been mirrored on my rather irregular and sparse training sessions.

But - and here's the small step - about two weeks ago I hiked some 8 kilometres on a round trip to Mtuzu Hill with Neema, my cousin. She has also shown interest in joining the next climb scheduled for September this year.

Here's the view from the top of Mtuzu.

It was a morning hike and we didn't come across any wild animals. There are hyenas and baboons on Mtuzu Hill.

Music is an excellent distraction

Music is an excellent distraction from the challenges of outdoor activities, including cycling, my preferred method of training.

No wonder it is illegal in some countries to wear headphones while cycling. It endangers the safety of the cyclist.

I have read articles suggesting how Kilimanjaro climbers can ease the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro by listening to their favourite music as they negotiate through the difficult sections of Kilimanjaro's routes to the summit.

I attest to the effectiveness of this advice because I find that cycling while listening to music reduces the intensity of the challenges that I face.

What works all the time for me in shifting attention from the immediate challenge is to concentrate on the lyrics and the instruments, as if I am rehearsing for an exam on the song.

When I rode with Ross Methven from Butiama to Dodoma he told me he does not like to listen to music while riding. He does not permit his mind to wander away from the challenge. He prefers to concentrate on the challenge head on.

Riding into a wind swept Manyoni during the ride to Dodoma. (Photo: Ross Methven)

In my case music is an excellent distraction from the challenges of outdoor activities.

The training continues....

I continue with my cycling routine as part of my training schedule. In the third week of this new effort, I am already feeling considerable improvement in my level of fitness.

I still have some discomfort tying my shoe laces - there's that bulging obstacle above my waist that compels me to make an extra effort to reach at my shoes.

After cycling with Ross, he recommended a cycling app called MapyMyRide that I have used since and as I resume my recent cycling routine, I have attempted to log my routes with this app but not without some disappointment. The past few sessions went unrecorded because I had made an error in the settings and instead of logging hours of cycling I recorded hours of crunches and leg lifts.

The other good news is I am already cycling on a 22.2-kilometre route, something I had planned for December and only after I got used to the 13-kilometre route.

That perennial question of motivation for training

Remember one of my recent posts announcing that I am resuming training? Read here. It has not happened. The training, that is.

The training was as brief as the post. But I am not giving up. It's all in the spirit of facing the challenge of climbing a mountain. Giving up should not be in the climber's vocabulary, but props up regularly all the way to the summit.

To seasoned mountaineers, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is an easy task, but to any ordinary individual who has little training, Mt Kilimanjaro is a tough proposition.

So, as I prepare myself (again!) for the next climb, probably in June 2017, I applaud those who did not give up and reached the summit. I equally applaud those who tried as much as they could but did not reach the summit.

Reaching the summit is great achievement, but it is not everything.

Back to square one on training

In my penultimate post, I wrote of my preparations for the January 2016 Mt. Kilimanjaro climb. I missed the climb because of a loss in my family and that loss kept me off training for a long time. Now, I begin the arduous task of reminding my mind and my body of the direct link between adequate training and reaching the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro.

This author suggests that once the brain is reminded that training is worthwhile (read worthwhile as also meaning "enables one to reach the summit") then it becomes easier to jump into that routine.

Kibo, as seen from the Marangu route.

Here are more ways to motivate yourself to exercise (written for women, but works just as well for men).

Training, at an extremely slow pace

Since my last post, I have logged less than 50 kilometres of cycling. As a measure of what distance I should log in my cycling schedule, it is a pittance.

During my last bike ride I can report on some good news, and some bad news, and more bad news but not necessarily in that order.

The good news is that, after having repeatedly cycled on the mildly challenging 12+ kilometre Muryaza roundabout route, I finally mustered the courage to raise the challenge slightly by resuming the 22+ kilometre Mwanza Highway junction route. This route involves a long downhill ride to the turnaround point and then an almost constant uphill ride all the way back to Butiama. 

Part of the scenery along the 22+-kilometre route.

In better times when I regularly cycled it was an easy route. Having lapsed into a long period without training, I discovered it was a huge challenge. That was the second piece of bad news.

The first piece of bad news is I broke my headphone MP3 player as I was about to begin my ride. Both earpieces had broken apart, but I could still play the music. I managed to hold the earpieces in their original positions and placed the headphones over my head and the inward tension held the broken pieces firmly over over my ears and I cycled off to the music of some of the best musicians that I acknowledge including this one.

Finally, the training is on for the January 2016 Mt Kilimanjaro climb

I finally managed to cycle some 8 kilometres a few days ago, beginning my preparations for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in January 2015. Too late? It is not the Butiama to Dodoma trip by any stretch of the imagination, but much better than not training at all.

I cycled through part of what has been one of the easier routes on the several routes that I have used in the past. What I call the Butiama to Muryaza roundabout route takes me to the nearby village of Muryaza where I circle the only roundabout there and return to Butiama. It is a 10+ kilometre run, but I cut it short to about 8 kilometres because I stopped along the way to visit this elderly woman (also in photo, below).

Although I have not cycled for a long time, I felt I had a potent reserve of energy. I hope to clock at least 500 kilometres before I climb Kilimanjaro in January.

Related post:

http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2015/11/how-not-to-and-how-to-train-for.html

How not to (and how to) train for climbing Kilimanjaro

I have yet to find a good way of preparing myself to tackle Mt. Kilimanjaro. I am due to climb Kilimanjaro again in January 2016 and I have not yet surprised myself by any drastic behavioural change in my training schedule. Avoiding what I have done, and concentrating on what I failed to do, should provide guidance to a better way of training for Kilimanjaro.

Cigarette smoking

Once in a while, I smoke a cigarette. That in itself is the worst thing for preparing to climb Kilimanjaro. The trouble begins when one cigarette becomes a few, and before long it becomes a whole packet. My cigarette craving normally lasts for a few weeks and I have always possessed the will-power to quit smoking. This time it took a little bit longer and stretched to a few months. Quitting became a formidable challenge.

Cigarette smoking and mountaineering is not a good combination. The higher one climbs the less oxygen is available in any single breadth, and I felt when breathing that I was gasping for enough oxygen at the height of my smoking spree - even without the endurance of mountain climbing.

Photo credit: Philippa Willits

One study reports that smoking at high altitudes can impair acclimatization, and if inadequate acclimatization produces mountain sickness then a pleasant trek could very well become a nightmare. Ideally, a climb should be enjoyed. It should not be an agonizing experience.

But I do not need findings of medical studies to realize that smoking has far more detrimental effects to the body than merely messing up an enjoyable climb.

If you need suggestions on how to quit smoking read this excellent article:

How to Quit Smoking

Length of training

I always suggest to first-time climbers to devote at least three months of training prior to climbing Kilimanjaro. I admit I find it easier to prescribe this "medicine" then to take some yourself. So, as has become my custom now, I have not devoted enough time to any serious training. I plan to begin within the next hour and I hope I will report back about that great leap of willpower in the next post.

Mountain biking only

I have concentrated most of my training around cycling on my mountain bike. From my experience, a three-part well-rounded training regime requires a combination of building:

• lower body strength (the bike serves this), 
• upper body strength exercises (I hardly do these), and 
• a good dose of exercises that builds cardiovascular fitness (these I rarely do, although cycling provides some benefit)

My problem is that I travel regularly and it is only when at home that I can train on the bike. Professional trainers would offer the best advice to meet the objectives that I mention.

On Google Search one can find a lot of useful information on these three areas:

• Lower body exercises
• Upper body exercises
• Cardiovascular exercises

The effects of alcohol on training

This blog is not only about my Mt. Kilimanjaro climbs, but also, suggestions on how best to get to the summit and that includes proper training. I have learnt that alcohol and training - and ensuring that one reaches the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro without effort - do not mix.

Photo credit: kilo2kili

Here are a few reasons you should not drink when training to climb a mountain such as Kilimanjaro:

1. Alcohol serves no useful purpose to a healthy body. There are less positive factors than negative ones. The effects of alcohol remain in the body for a while and all these affect better performance of the body. Climbing mountains requires maximum performance.
2. Drinking strains your kidneys because water in your body is directed into your kidneys to metabolize the alcohol.
3. Your mental capacity is limited by the presence of alcohol in the body. The brain receives less glycogen and your general alertness is reduced - a factor that inhibits your training.

I used a few facts on the deleterious effects of alcohol from this source:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/swordchucks3.htm 

but there are numerous other links you can read:

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/healthy-lifestyle/can-alcohol-affect-sports-performance-and-fitness-levels
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/question-of-the-week-alcohol-and-fitness
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2014/apr/23/how-does-alcohol-affect-athletic-performance

There are some benefits to consuming alcohol but, in general, the negatives effects outweigh the positive ones.

How do you summon willpower to begin training?

As my next Kilimanjaro climb approaches (September 2014) I am confronting, yet again, the dilemma of breaking weeks of inertia and resuming my training schedule.

I can authoritatively say that I have perfected a method of effortlessly reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro without any training. Here's how: you trek as slowly as humanely possible and, in the process, consume so little energy every day that each time you wake up in the morning you have just about enough energy to take you to the next camp. And so on and so forth until you reach ths summit. However, I do not recommend this method to any novice climber; it takes a lot of experience to accomplish. Experience at doing nothing.

And yet for all that experience I still have not found an easy method of overcoming the inertia to train for the climb although I believe I may be just about to obtain a solution. I call it jumping into the deep end. If you jump into the deep end of a swimming pool you have to swim.

It works like this. You place yourself in a sitiuation where the only way out of it is to train. Three months after I cycled with Ross Methven from Butiama to Dodoma, I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for the 8th time in September 2013, experiencing one of the easier climbs since I began in 2008. I was in relatively good shape.

Packed to go.

My jumping into the deep end involves traveling as far as time permits away from my base in Butiama and then cycling back. So, I hop on my bicycle from Mwanza tomorrow, cross to Ukerewe Island where I will spend two days of cycling and sight seeing and also to update itineraries for my cultural tourism activities, and then I head east to Bunda and catch the main highway to Musoma and return to Butiama, preferably in better shape.

How do you overcome the inertia to train?

Unscheduled training with Lelo Munis

Lelo Munis, the globetrotting Tanzanian cyclist, is back in Tanzania and about to conclude his tour in Moshi at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

At Nyamisisi I parked my bicycle while waiting for Lelo Munis

Today, after a spending a few lazy weeks without training, I have cycled to Nyamisisi to meet him and find out what it takes to accomplish a feat that has taken him through more than 50 countries.

He is riding from Bunda to Musoma.

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

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

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

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

Riding with Ross Methven: days off

Sunday 11 August 2013
As I had told Ross in Mwanza on day 5 of our cycling trip, I traveled back to Mwanza by bus to catch a plane to Mwanza and a flight to Dar es salaam the following day to attend a meeting.

During the bus ride to Mwanza a ticket inspector who boarded the bus in Shinyanga asked me where I had left my bicycle. I later told Ross that in those 11 days of cycling we probably began to attract the notice of the bus drivers and other bus employees who travel daily on the road between Mwanza and Dodoma.

During our 11 days of cycling so far, from Butiama to Iguguno, we had lodged an average of 52.84 kilometres per day (32 miles). I thought it was insignificant - because we planned a minimum of 55 kilometres of cycling daily - until someone at the meeting in Dar es Salaam commented that I looked extremely fit and was overflowing with energy. Then I decided 52.84 kilometres was good enough for me.

Almost a week later, I returned to Iguguno to resume our daily dose of cycling.

Related posts:
http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/09/riding-with-ross-methven-day-13.html

Caught up in a cycle race

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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On day 11 of riding with Ross in Tanzania, were were caught up in a bicycle race sponsored by Tanzania Breweries Limited's Safari Lager Brand. To some spectators along the way our presence in the midst of this cycle race drew curious comments, some sarcastic. I could tell the comments were impolite because when I slowly cycled past a group of spectators the entire group would laugh. 

I suspected the prevailing comment was: "In what year will these two super slow cyclists complete the race?"

Those comments did not prevent Ross from reporting who was the ideal race leader.

Related posts:

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

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

Riding with Ross Methven: day 13

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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Saturday 10 August 2013
Today we confronted cycling's breakfast climb. The old road from Shelui to Singida passed through the famous steep Sekenke mountains where, because of the sharp incline, it was a place where heavy duty trucks occasionally failed to pass through.

The new road avoids Sekenke and has a less severe incline - for vehicles. For cyclists there is little relief. Even Ross admitted later today that he also was forced to get off his bicycle and walked. I was relieved to hear that; I thought there was something wrong with 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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Comparing cycling with climbing Kilimanjaro I notice one significant contrast. On Kilimanjaro, when I stop to pause while climbing through a steep section I suffer a great deal when I resume the hike. My heartbeats increase considerably for the initial few minutes and it takes a while for the heartbeat rate to settle down to a comfortable level. Consequently, on Kilimanjaro I prefer to rest at the top of a ridge and it becomes less stressful when I resume walking.

In contrast, during this cycling trip, when I stop for a few minutes at an uphill section I get a huge relief on my aching leg muscles and when I resume, except for 2 minutes of added stress, the rests provide a welcome relief.

The next village following the long Sekenke climb was Misigara. There we had one more round of tea and chapatis: I had three; Ross had one. Food is a necessary fuel to a cyclist. And the more regular it is consumed the easier it is to cycle for prolonged hours.

We also bought from a machinga (itinerant trader) two daggers, adding to our collection of self-defense tools. I told Ross: "No one with evil intentions would get close to if you hold one of those." Unless he is crazy. I cautioned him to remember to pack his dagger in his checked luggage during a flight. I said: "Airport security will not permit you to take that inside a plane."

Getting caught with such a memento from his Tanzanian trip would be, we agreed, one of the surest ways of getting on a free private jet flight to Guantanamo Bay. And it doesn't help that the edged blade gives it an arabic character.

The memento from Misigara next to my bicycle.

Having cycled 60-plus kilometres to Iguguno, our destination, Ross explained that he normally rides for 3 - 4 days before resting. The fact that we cycled for 7 days without a rest is no small achievement, even for him.

Next: days off

Related posts:
http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/09/riding-with-ross-methven-day-12.html

Riding with Ross Methven: day 12

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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Friday 9 August 2013
I felt much stronger as we cycled the 30-or-so kilometres to Igunga on our way to Shelui.

Today we paddled the longest and toughest stretch yet. Ross noted we covered 49.5 miles, approximately 78.4 kilometres, to Shelui.

The approach to Shelui was the most difficult yet, with a strong head wind throughout the day. Throughout the day I kept watch for the mountain range located some kilometres beyond Shelui which, once sighted, would signal that the end of our longest cycling day would soon be over. I saw the mountain range early in the day and was relieved by the gradual but slow approach I made. Ross had cycled ahead of me as we had agreed.

My spirits were lifted each time the road turned directly towards the mountain range but I was also, time and time again, hugely disappointed as the road turned away from the mountain range. The end of the day was near and yet extremely elusive.

Just after 6:00 PM, the elusive range of mountains was visible in the horizon and the day's cycling seemed to me nearing completion.

At the edge of Shelui, I saw a bright light approach from the opposite side. I thought it was a motorcycle; in fact, it was Ross. Although there was adequate daylight, the sun had already set and he had set off to meet me and ride ahead of me to illuminate the road ahead in case darkness caught me on the road. I did not have bicycle light.

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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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It was the Moslem festival of Eid today, the end of the fast, and Shelui was in a festive mood and milling with people. It took a number of visits to guest houses before I found rooms at Beach Hotel (there is neither sea, nor ocean anywhere near Shelui. I didn't even notice a pond.) for Shs.10,000 each ($US 6.25). The attendant said: "I have to warn you, women guests are not allowed in your rooms."

"After almost 80 kilometres of cycling? You cannot be serious." That was our mutual reaction, but we kept the reactions to ourselves.

For dinner we ate chipsi mayai, a Tanzanian specialty which is basically an omelette mixed with chips. It was the best I had eaten.

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