March 22

Well I have put another country in my rear view mirror.  Today I left Tanzania and just entered Malawi!  We will only be in Malawi for a little over a week as it is a small country.  It seems to be a poor country.  Once we crossed the border the look and feel of the place was very different.  There are very few cars, the people get around on bicycles.  Rickety old bicycles that seem to have seen their day already.  That and the clothes they wear are rather tattered.  The children come running when they see a bike rider and start shouting...  money, money, give me money.  It is a bit reminiscent of Ethiopia, unfortunately.

We rode another century today.  We had a 102 mile day with 1,130 meters of climbing!  I was on the bike for 10 hours! It was not only a 102 mile climbing 1,130 meters kind of day.  It was also a strong headwind day.  Sustained winds were above 20 mph with gusts of over 35 mph.  You gotta love those kind of days!!!  (that was sarcasm in case you were wondering :)

Actually, I really did love today.  The scenery was breathetaking!  We started off with an awesome view of rugged mountains with variations of the ridges and valleys being accentuated by the angle of the rising sun's rays.  That and the top of the mountains had a beautiful white blanket of billowy clouds resting on their crown.  The only thought that kind of tainted the picture was that we had to go up and over those mountains.  :(

The climbs were tough but each twist and turn of the road offered up a new and ever more beautiful perspective of the scenery.  As I said ...  what a day!

And there was more!  Once we gained the altitude towards the mountain crest, we actually entered the clouds that engulfs it.  There was a misty rain that wasn't really rain but the moisture in the cloud itself.  And it was cold.  The temperature had dropped very significantly.  So much so that I had goose bumps, or as the Dutch riders say ...  chicken skin (has something to do with the translation of it).  

I have learned that I have earned a nickname in the group.  It is:  the tow truck.  That is because if I come upon someone who is struggling or wants to quit...  I pull up and tell them to hop on my tail and I'll pull them.  I didn't realize that I do it that often.  But I guess I do.

All in all a tough day but a good one.

This picture doesn't begin to show what I saw as the ride began this morning.  But you can get a feel for it.

The valleys up in the mountains have banana trees everywhere.

Huge stacks of bananas are at road side stands waiting to be sold or picked up and taken to market.  In the towns you see women walking with whole stalks of these on their heads.

This was one of those things that just stands out when you see it.  A large escarpment just stood in the middle of a valley.  It had to rise at least 100 meters above the valley floor.  Anything that lived on top of it had to be totally isolated.  Very unusual...

One last thought...  there was a large road sign at the bottom of one of the downhills.  It read:  Leaving Dangerous Zone!   A little voice in my head said...  well finally!!!  :)

But then again, I am still in Africa and this isn't my little neighborhood that I'm used to.  It's Africa!