Day 20 - Jan 28

Had a rough night and day today.  I could strangle the little bottle refilling bugger.  I made many "runs" (no pun intended) out to my favorite tree last night to dig a hole and make a deposit.  I marked them by putting a rock on top, that way I wouldn't dig up any prior treasures.  By morning it looked like I had a neat little rock garden.  If I were in need of a colonoscopy, I would be ready to go.    (Only those that have had one would understand). Can't be anything left in there.

Couldn't quite get my self to eat breakfast as the thought of food was unsettling.  I did east a hard boiled egg as I thought it would be quite neutral.  It sat in there like a lead brick.  I did go for the ride today because the thought of just sitting around and riding the truck seemed like a bad idea.  I made it to the lunch stop at 87 kilometers but that was all she wrote.  I stopped at a coke stop about 10K before that because something sweet sounded so good.  I drank about half of the coke and decided that wasn't such a good idea after all.  A couple of hundred yards from the coke stop the lead brick of a hard boiled egg and the coke started a fight in my stomach.  Not sure who won but they both made a break for it on the side of the road.  That cemented my decision to ride no further past the lunch stop.  Well that and it was already in the 90"s, it was heading to well over a hundred and the wind was picking up sand and starting to sand blast.  I feel confident I made the right decision for me.  I heard the voice of my daughter in my head... Now Dad don't be silly and keep going after EFI, you need to take care of yourself and be safe.    So safe I am, take care of myself I did.  :)

Now on to a more positive note...

Here is a picture of Africa's version of a one room school house.  The teacher is teaching a class of boys from the area.  Saw this as I was riding this morning.  The girls are not taught in the same class as boys.

As we are riding along we periodically see groups of camels grazing and feeding on the trees and shrubs.  It appears as though they are wild and roaming as there are no houses or dwellings nearby.

Yesterday we stopped in a local market/bizarre/souk.  It was definitely not a market where they see westerners or women.  Myself and a woman from the trip went into the market.  We were the talk of the place.  People would come from other parts of the area to see the foreigners in the market.  The woman I visited the market with asked if I saw any other women there.  No not a one.  We saw many little nooks of goods for sale.  This market apparently was for all the area people to bring their wares to sell to the other locals.  The butcher had meat hanging on hooks out in the open in the blazing sun and covered in flies.  I watched the butcher sharpening his knife then wipe it off with a clothe.  Then he blew his nose in the clothe, sharpened his knife some more and then wipe his knife with the clothe again.  The health standards are at a different level here.  Brings back the thought of that saying...  whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger.  They are not dead so they must be ever so strong!