Day 215
Sleeping location: Kolping Hotel, Mityana, Uganda
Distance (km today/total): 81 / 13739
Estimated climb (m today/total): 900 / 104100
Goodbyes: many
Distance (km today/total): 81 / 13739
Estimated climb (m today/total): 900 / 104100
Goodbyes: many
Day in three words: Back into it
Finally it was time to leave Kampala. Even though we were mostly packed we still didn’t leave the apartment until 10, then had to cycle via shops to the clinic to do an official goodbye. Maggie felt new and handled differently, probably a result of new tyres and new weight distribution*, and rush hour Kampala was a great place to test this out. At the clinic we had a big goodbye with lots of hugs and pictures, then wobbled off into traffic with waving hands in my rear view mirror.
In total it was 25km before we left the city, and 30km until we hit actual countryside. It seemed a lot at the time but I guess not so bad when compared to London/Istanbul/Cairo. The traffic was the usual craziness but surprisingly unterrifying, I guess because we were used to it by now. The lorries and buses had the usual religious slogans but some also now sported football terms, including “Chealsea” and “Old Traford” (The Theatre of Drems?). Once we hit countryside things got a lot quieter and soon the shoulder reappeared and all was peaceful again. We were both in the mood for easy cycling because of our fresh legs and matching colds, but sadly the terrain didn’t cooperate and served up endless low hills. The countryside was low level pretty, with lots of trees and smallholder farms but nothing that was nice enough to stop and take a picture. The people seemed very friendly, especially the little kids, who were very excited and gave us lots of waves and smiles. At one break a swarm appeared and sat quietly near us, smiling shyly whenever we tried to interact with them.
Rebecca was not feeling good due to a mixture of illness and a new riding position; she had swapped her stem for a much longer one and played around with her seat position, and whilst getting the setup right she was putting strain in some previously unstrained places. We decided to stop short of the 100km we’d initially aimed for so we could ensure we were in a town with a proper hotel for maximum rest. We found an appropriate place after a couple of tries and, rather than going out for dinner, made spicy bean stew with brown ugali and avocado in the room. Hopefully being able to cook properly in Kampala will have encouraged creativity on the camping stove. We went to bed very early in an attempt to recover some strength.
*Which was quickly changed once I clocked that I now had one heavy front pannier and one light one, which drastically worsens the handling.
Finally it was time to leave Kampala. Even though we were mostly packed we still didn’t leave the apartment until 10, then had to cycle via shops to the clinic to do an official goodbye. Maggie felt new and handled differently, probably a result of new tyres and new weight distribution*, and rush hour Kampala was a great place to test this out. At the clinic we had a big goodbye with lots of hugs and pictures, then wobbled off into traffic with waving hands in my rear view mirror.
In total it was 25km before we left the city, and 30km until we hit actual countryside. It seemed a lot at the time but I guess not so bad when compared to London/Istanbul/Cairo. The traffic was the usual craziness but surprisingly unterrifying, I guess because we were used to it by now. The lorries and buses had the usual religious slogans but some also now sported football terms, including “Chealsea” and “Old Traford” (The Theatre of Drems?). Once we hit countryside things got a lot quieter and soon the shoulder reappeared and all was peaceful again. We were both in the mood for easy cycling because of our fresh legs and matching colds, but sadly the terrain didn’t cooperate and served up endless low hills. The countryside was low level pretty, with lots of trees and smallholder farms but nothing that was nice enough to stop and take a picture. The people seemed very friendly, especially the little kids, who were very excited and gave us lots of waves and smiles. At one break a swarm appeared and sat quietly near us, smiling shyly whenever we tried to interact with them.
Rebecca was not feeling good due to a mixture of illness and a new riding position; she had swapped her stem for a much longer one and played around with her seat position, and whilst getting the setup right she was putting strain in some previously unstrained places. We decided to stop short of the 100km we’d initially aimed for so we could ensure we were in a town with a proper hotel for maximum rest. We found an appropriate place after a couple of tries and, rather than going out for dinner, made spicy bean stew with brown ugali and avocado in the room. Hopefully being able to cook properly in Kampala will have encouraged creativity on the camping stove. We went to bed very early in an attempt to recover some strength.
*Which was quickly changed once I clocked that I now had one heavy front pannier and one light one, which drastically worsens the handling.
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