Distance: 105.2 km
Ride time: 5:42:27
Average: 18.4 km/h
Max speed: 56.2 km/h
Total: 52561 km
Cycling through this part of Ethiopia involves at least two things; hills and rain. Today my altitude went up and down between 1700 and 2400 meters while the weather was nice and dry in the morning until the rain showers started at 2 pm.
The road was new, the view nice, and even the kids are behaving much better in this part of the country – all in all a very pleasant day on the bike.
For lunch a stopped at a restaurant in a small village and was surprised to meet another westerner. The guy turned out to have lived in in Ethiopia for 20 years – telling stories about the huge development the country has experienced lately.
Back on the road I got caught out in a big rain shower 10 km from Bure. I was waiting out the shower under a small roof next to the road where also a couple of kids and two horse carriage drivers had stopped. We couldn’t really communicate, but the atmosphere was nice and friendly as we waited for the rain to stop. Once again I couldn’t help thinking that cycling is such a unique way to travel through a country.
Half an hour later I could continue the last 10 kilometers into town. The temperature was 10 degrees and everything was wet as I checked into my hotel. Luckily the hot shower was working today!
That road sign, warning of a steep descent, was a little inaccurate, I’m guessing. 🙂