Great people-Great Works

This was a great lesson for my cycle trip - I realised that I needed a supply network in advance of where im heading and to replace the parts at regular intervals- There was a public holiday in South Africa then the weekend so difficult to get things in a hurry - Luckily  I found Scott from  bicycletribe.co.za who went out of his way to help me be sourcing the hard to find parts then picking them up and sending them to me asap by DHL -Thankyou so much Scott - for going out of your way to help me ! A great seed you sowed!! I was apparent that I was going to be in Lusaka for a few days so I could check the place out - it was so awesome to be staying with Derek and Julia again because I was invited to all these events , parties and breakfasts, I met so many cool people doing so many great works! Firstly Brendan Clark who lives between Australia and Lusaka and his wife Rachael - they had just had their wedding at The Victoria Falls  - The photos looked amazing! They also had adopted the cutest - I presume Zambian girl -who I think was also an orphan - these guys are cool! From our conversation I picked up that these guys were here to make a difference - They were going out for dinner with the cheif of the Lusaka area the night I met them  - the cheif commanded a 4 or 5 hundred US dollar  appearance gesture  - anyway  if thats what it takes so be it . Brendan showed me around the Malnutrition ward at the hospital - where  he is working to change and raise the standards up  too many babies are dying their  unnecessarily  -I saw what I saw and was quite moved when I considered  Brendans work and commitment - I think what you are doing is AWESOME! ! There was a party that night and I met a whole lot more awesome people working for different organisations   - Shelby who I met told me that she had been living out in a village community for about 2 years - she wasfrom Boston - wow what a contrast and what an experience!  Wait wait next night the Elephant Orphanage Charity night - what a ripper where I met Rachael ,Tanya , Dan the man , Mark , Sport  who all work with baby elephants that have lost their parents from poaching or other means -Dan and Mark were pioneering a protective shoe for an elephant who had been hacked at with a machete only its back and lost some of its function with its back leg so was dragging its foot scraping the skin off and turning it septic - Dan was originally a Horse farrier and Mark a metal sculptor - what an awesome combination! I was lucky enough to be able to hang out with these guys and to be amoungst the cutest baby elephants ! So cute

Funny times on the dance floor

Dr Dan and One of His and Marks shoes the crafted to help this orphan Elephants Foot heal from dragging on the ground !

If you are ever in Lusaka ! Check these guys out - So welcoming and a great cause !

Tanya and one of the orphan elephants

Mark one of the shoe sculptors in the back with the two ele's and myself in the front - We had to wear the green coats to keep it uniform for the baby elephants

Go Dan !!

How are you?

I just rode 120.9 kilometers! Check it out on #strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/46468565
The guys in the river were bagging up sand -I stopped to have a look and before long there was a crowd around  -its funny having white skin you really stand out and sometimes feel quite white - its so cute - all day long the little kids run out fron their huts and houses yelling and screaming "How are you ? How are you ? How are you?"  Then then kids down the road hear and all run out yelling and screaming -sometimes from both sides of the road at once ! Or the yell mizungou which means white man or one time im pretty sure I herd this woman just say white another time this guy says to me "What are you doing in Africa white man"  -These guys were selling their pig under a tree just cutting bits off weighing it and making a profit -another group were making furniture a doors with handtools- I found a lodge to stay and ordered a t bone steak - ahh meat at last!

People taking the sand from the river for building and some kids checking me out

Natural living

Some guys making doors and mattress holders out out wood using hand tools

Washing my hands after breakfast I think

Staying with a Zambian family - Very special!

Mate heres a cold coke and we just killed a pig if you want some meat sorry for making you feel a bit uneasy its just your white and well that means money

A Beautiful family  - I gave the Dad some Berroccas to say thanks

Everpresent-All powerful -All knowing -All loving GOD -Soap-frybread -Cup of Rioboos tea

I just rode 142.8 kilometers! Check it out on #strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/46355404 Constantly wowed -Love the scripture "Ask and you shall receive , seek and you shall find , knock and the door will open! "Started the day as my firsr day back cycling in about a week -walked over the road to see if I could buy some sort of food from the shops and to check out this guy who pretty much hadn't stopped yelling and making a racket since the night before I mean it was seriously laughable im talking a lot of yelling! In a quiet little village  we all had quite a few chuckles about it -I didnt know quite what to expect -- he was drunk and when he did speak his voice deepened  which Is what I thought he would be like -  anyway on the road again just keen to make a start .Stunning weather again -a few hills to go up and over for a change which was nice - at the end of the day I stopped up the top of this hill to take a photo and to have a drink -this girl came and asked if I was alright I went to approach her and this little kid ran off when I asked her for directions she couldn't really give me an answer  her dad came out and invited me to stay - it looked like such a cool place to stay so I said yes -I had been wanting to check out one of these villages -so this was definitely an answer to a request of mine! It was so awesome to be amoungst these humble people and to observe how they live  -I was given a chair and table and before long some shema with beans and fry bread  - I was quite keen for some meat so I asked if I could buy a goat off him and kill it - he wasnt as keen as I was about that idea -I asked if I could have a wash so they put a bucket of water inside a hut with a wodden plank to stand on - I couldnt find my soap and felt like a good scrub -I was so stoked when this woman appeared with some soap also!!! Its the little things- it was probably the last  thing I expected but a thing I was hoping for -Thank God.we sat around  they smoked a reefer rolled in some ordinary paper -the kids played while the goats licked the swet off my bike  the woman went  to fetch the water and everything had its time and place as the sun went down - I thought to myself gee this is special  as the stars came out -what beautiful people and what a beautiful
Place.

Some guys fishing in the river and a nice serene place to breath in the fresh air

Dried fish for sale

Beautiful and green

Local products-unique to every region depending on the skills and resources

Round 2 Ding ding ding

I just rode 19.1 kilometers! Check it out on #strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/45368841
Up and away at a good hour  - Beautiful time of day - I cycled as far as Chimusanya and realised that there was something wrong with my drive train  - I hadnt experienced this kind of problem before - but it was time to replace some of my running gear which I thought I was going to get a bit further on - allgood as I  pondered what to do sitting under a tree  - Lusaka was the only real option  so I walked back to this village and waited not long until this white double cab ute pulled over - after I waved at them to pull over - I was so lucky  to have met Peter Aagaard  on his way back to Lusaka  -   early in the morning - have to say it was a quick trip which was great it was funny to see where I had cycled the day prior -Peter was so cool in getting me to a bike shop with a driver asap .  However this bikeshop was not meant to be - more for the Local style of bike so the driver dropped me off a shopping complex called Manda Hill - I rung Derek and asked if I could stay again  - he was so cool about it all  and within 5 to 10 minutes he was there in his blue VW Beetle -what a turnaround! ! Turns out  Derek had a friend and was probably THE only guy in Lusaka with the parts for my bike- well ill be! I managed to pull my bike apart and fit it in Derek's beetle to get around to Jaco's house before he left to fly to Capetown the next day-Sheesh - cutting it fine! Jaco was so cool in helping work through the problem  - honestly such a cool guy! He washed my bike and fitted a new chain and did everything possible until we realised that my chain had stretched causing my front chain rings and rear cassette to wear mainly on my front lower ring and back three lower gears - basically the gears I use the most so I needed some new chain rings and a new cassette - what was even cooler was that Jaco invited me for a braai -got to love that South African /Zambian banter sitting around a fire in the back yard!  Jaco was so into his bikes and bike repairs - when asked if he would do what I was doing - without even thinking he straight away said yes with attitude! Love that spirit Jaco !!!  - A generous legend of a man -  Thankyou so much Jaco !! He asked if I could put his contact details on my blog : lucycleparts@gmail.com  -so if I  Lusaka you know where to go!!

Um no offence but you are not touching my bike

Bike in the back of Petes Ute on the way back to Lusaka

Jaco you Beast!!

A worn back cassette - Mainly the three smallest cogs -they got the most wear !

The Best bike mechanic and shop in Lusaka

Worn chain rings

VW rescue , my bike in a taxi

On the road again

I just rode 140.4 kilometers! Check it out on #strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/45368900 Left Lusaka in reasonable time- stopped off at the hardware store to buy a tool to fix my front dynamo hub which had become a bit loose .Lusaka looked like an interesting place but I needed to make up some time .Another day  of perfect weather and charcoal couriers, I ended up at this little village and asked the nurse Teresa if I could stay - it was a Catholic school and they had a few concrete rooms - sweetas bro - these guys made some soshema and I supplied the colas we sat on the concrete and ate with an awesome lightening storm in the background - they gave me a bucket to stand in and have a wash -I went to my thermarest while they sat out side and smoked their ganja.

A Charcoal truck under repair

1234567   8  Stacks of charcoal mate ! Making a living off charcoal deliveries the more you deliver the more you get paid , why not one more?

Spectators at my puncture repair

If you ever want to start a business heres how

Friendly guys showing me their houses

Two bottles of fizz thanks

A cute photo with the butterfly too

Lusaka

I just rode 120.7 kilometers! Check it out on #strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/45102922
It was so awesome to be able to stay with Dawn and Clinton on their farm -Thank you so much for your generosity and hospitality in my time of need!
Another absolutely stunning day - good to get away early - only 120km so no pressure.When I arrived at Lusaka and saw a big tall building , the thought crossed my mind that this could be the capital so I asked one of the security guards and sure enough it is.2 strawberry milkshakes later and an Australian by the name of Brendan came and introduced himself to me - he is organising a charity bike ride thriugh th Lower Zambezi National Park and wanted some ideas etc si we organised to meet at the intercontinental hotel for drinks.I had a place to stay also - I met Derek Pollard at Jolly boys backpackers -he was away but had organised for me to stay at his apartment - Julia was living there also and was so cool in letting me stay .

Buying some food on the side of the road - plenty of competition everytime a new vehicle rolls up

Do you want some goat mate ! Whats that thing on your head!

A Hard Working and Busy man -Clinton a Dairy Farmer from Zambia and his Wife Dawn showed me such hospitality and generosity ! Thankyou so much guys!

Stones for sale

Replacing the bearings in my back wheel - First time for everything

Let the Revolution Begin !

Couple of blokes from Downunder

Best breakdown-ever!

I just rode 114.7 kilometers! Check it out on #strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/44820798
Wow what a day ! The weather has been absolutely awesome  - sunny -settled and great for cycling!  The first people I met were some fellow cycle tourists from Holland and Latvia -They had cycled from Europe and were heading south - it was great to meet these guys and share some experiences and see how other people are travelling. Up and down the road all day there was a constant stream of bikes - big friendly smiles , hellos , how are you's  and  fist pumps . A lot of guys ride out of town to buy the charcoal of the people from the villages then cycle back to town and sell it - the great thing about my helmet mounted camera with wifi remote is that I can do interviews with people while they are riding along  so cool , this one guy cycles 30km to buy charcoal at 18 kwatcha then cycles back and sells it for something like 35 kwatcha .They also know how to slipstream and do well to keep up , one guy overtook me through Monzie  - he looked pretty happy about it -- until I overtook him and put the foot down - had to laugh!   These cool little dudes came up to me while I was pairing my remote to camera interested in my bike  so I took a photo .Another interesting thing I saw was a log that someone had chopped through - no chainsaws around here ! So I was heading to Kafue to complete a 180km day when something felt wrong with my back wheel initially I thought I had a flat tyre then on closer I spection I realised  that one of the back bearings had given out - I dont think I had even had the chance to figure out what was wrong or come up with a plan when a white ute pulled over with two woman in it -  Wow ! They were in a hurry but Donna explained to me how to find  her husband Clinton at their farm so I walked my bike back about a km and made friends with a couple of  farm works who escorted me to the farm.It was nice to stretch the legs  and see the view of the Mazabuka sugar plains 2nd biggest sugar producing region in Africa.So we pulled the wheel apart also with the help of Lou - A South African mechanic with a Kiwi wife  who also knows Darryn from Living Earth (who drives a blue Toyota Hilux)-If your reading - Hi Darryn and Lisa! Eventually the bearings came out thanks to Lou and Clinton had a truck going to Lusaka a 3am the next morning  -Who's the lucky boy cycling around the world with friends in high places! Man - Eye fillet beef , beens and carrots out of the garden , gravy , potatos -fantastic people helping me -  JESUS!!

The Charcoal express - This guy was a bit alarmed at me coming upto him

Wazzzzuuuupp!

Copper ingots

Cool Kids

A Mechanic from Churton Park in Wellington NewZealand -Classic

To guys showing me the way

A young family on the move- Sustainable living

Not many chainsaws here