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| MaunWindhoek |
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Maun, Botswana to Windhoek, Namibia
Maun, Botswana to Windhoek, Namibia – 836 kms in 5 days, with legs of 168, 140, 207, 162 and 159 kms.
Foreheads dripping, tongues slaked, this week we rode the Kalahari. Not as you might imagine in the sweltering heat. Unexpectedly, we rode in the rain. At some point in all of our 9 days in normally very arid Botswana we had moments of rain. For the last 5 days right up to the Namibian border we encountered torrential rains amidst lightning and thunder. These weren’t your typical short-lived African thunder bursts. Some of the storms lasted for 6 to 8 hours at a time. For three nights as we attempted to sleep in our flimsy tents, we were entertained by very close bolts of lightning followed by thunderous rolling claps of sound, each round of thunder releasing more drenching rain. By timing the interval between light and sound, I could tell if the storms were advancing or retreating. Awaking in the morning, we found that one camper, having failed to find high ground for his tent, was flooded. He abandoned his tent for a bench in the support truck. Rivulets ran hither and yon.
On my 71st birthday I rode 207 kms. Not only was this the longest single day’s ride for the Tour since leaving Cairo, but it was also a personal best for me – the longest one day ride I have ever done in my life!
I usually ride alone, but on this auspicious day, Cat elected to chaperone me on my journey. She is a fabulous person - a litigation lawyer from New York. As we rode we solved many of the world’s problems. It took us over 50 kms to review the history of South Africa from Chaka to Zuma, with key references to Churchill, Rhodes, Smuts and Mandela. We discussed the legal and political implications of the recent financial meltdown where Cat was involved in a very significant way, and we began the redesign of health care for 2020.
On this 207 km day we rode the first 80 and the last 20 in the rain. In between we saw storm cells to each side as they swirled about. As a cell passed, we faced the advancing head wind from the clockwise vortex only to be swept on the other side by the storm’s tail wind. This day ended at the Namibian border. For the last two kilometres the large rain droplets turned to quarter inch balls of ice.
Hail – in Botswana – it was hard to believe!
I’ve learned something about physical fitness that I never knew before. It’s probably ‘old hat’ to many of my athletic friends, but it was a new discovery for me. Advance training for this Tour in the Canadian winter allowed 5 or 6 days a week in the gym with various weight and spinning options. Then, on joining the Tour in full flight, I found myself riding 6 to 10 hour days. After 13 riding days from Lilongwe to Maun, my legs were painful and stiff.
Then, to my surprise, on this leg to Windhoek, I seemed to rediscover my rugby legs of yesteryear. I have some stiffness after a long ride, but no longer are my muscles painful.
The discovery is that one has to do a very considerable amount of forced exercise before breaking through to a new level of fitness – not one’s everyday experience of a few days in the gym or a few short bike rides.
Eastern Zambia was surprisingly hilly. Botswana, as advertised, was flat. There were hills as we approached Windhoek.
As one rider said, “the hills make you strong because of the work of climbing. But, it is the flat that makes you fit. All you do is pedal endlessly all day long.”
I’ve come to know most of the riders quite well now – too many to name them all. I’ll post a photo series later. They are a fun and fascinating group.
Guess who took the Okavango delta air flight with me? – Jessica and Lianne.
Guess the elevation of Windhoek? – 800 metres above Maun – it was a steady and relentless climb, with headwinds and rain.
Guess the universal language that unifies all races in Namibia? – Afrikaans.
I have a confession to make. I had hoped to write more about all of the thoughts and ideas that go through my head each day as I ride along, but come the end of the day, all I can do is pitch my tent, eat supper and hit the sack at 7 pm (1900 hours, as they say in Zambia)!
Breakfast is at 6 am and we’re on the road by 6.30.
It’s rather redeeming to have one’s life reduced to a tent and a bicycle!
Foreheads dripping, tongues slaked, this week we rode the Kalahari. Not as you might imagine in the sweltering heat. Unexpectedly, we rode in the rain. At some point in all of our 9 days in normally very arid Botswana we had moments of rain. For the last 5 days right up to the Namibian border we encountered torrential rains amidst lightning and thunder. These weren’t your typical short-lived African thunder bursts. Some of the storms lasted for 6 to 8 hours at a time. For three nights as we attempted to sleep in our flimsy tents, we were entertained by very close bolts of lightning followed by thunderous rolling claps of sound, each round of thunder releasing more drenching rain. By timing the interval between light and sound, I could tell if the storms were advancing or retreating. Awaking in the morning, we found that one camper, having failed to find high ground for his tent, was flooded. He abandoned his tent for a bench in the support truck. Rivulets ran hither and yon.
On my 71st birthday I rode 207 kms. Not only was this the longest single day’s ride for the Tour since leaving Cairo, but it was also a personal best for me – the longest one day ride I have ever done in my life!
I usually ride alone, but on this auspicious day, Cat elected to chaperone me on my journey. She is a fabulous person - a litigation lawyer from New York. As we rode we solved many of the world’s problems. It took us over 50 kms to review the history of South Africa from Chaka to Zuma, with key references to Churchill, Rhodes, Smuts and Mandela. We discussed the legal and political implications of the recent financial meltdown where Cat was involved in a very significant way, and we began the redesign of health care for 2020.
On this 207 km day we rode the first 80 and the last 20 in the rain. In between we saw storm cells to each side as they swirled about. As a cell passed, we faced the advancing head wind from the clockwise vortex only to be swept on the other side by the storm’s tail wind. This day ended at the Namibian border. For the last two kilometres the large rain droplets turned to quarter inch balls of ice.
Hail – in Botswana – it was hard to believe!
I’ve learned something about physical fitness that I never knew before. It’s probably ‘old hat’ to many of my athletic friends, but it was a new discovery for me. Advance training for this Tour in the Canadian winter allowed 5 or 6 days a week in the gym with various weight and spinning options. Then, on joining the Tour in full flight, I found myself riding 6 to 10 hour days. After 13 riding days from Lilongwe to Maun, my legs were painful and stiff.
Then, to my surprise, on this leg to Windhoek, I seemed to rediscover my rugby legs of yesteryear. I have some stiffness after a long ride, but no longer are my muscles painful.
The discovery is that one has to do a very considerable amount of forced exercise before breaking through to a new level of fitness – not one’s everyday experience of a few days in the gym or a few short bike rides.
Eastern Zambia was surprisingly hilly. Botswana, as advertised, was flat. There were hills as we approached Windhoek.
As one rider said, “the hills make you strong because of the work of climbing. But, it is the flat that makes you fit. All you do is pedal endlessly all day long.”
I’ve come to know most of the riders quite well now – too many to name them all. I’ll post a photo series later. They are a fun and fascinating group.
Guess who took the Okavango delta air flight with me? – Jessica and Lianne.
Guess the elevation of Windhoek? – 800 metres above Maun – it was a steady and relentless climb, with headwinds and rain.
Guess the universal language that unifies all races in Namibia? – Afrikaans.
I have a confession to make. I had hoped to write more about all of the thoughts and ideas that go through my head each day as I ride along, but come the end of the day, all I can do is pitch my tent, eat supper and hit the sack at 7 pm (1900 hours, as they say in Zambia)!
Breakfast is at 6 am and we’re on the road by 6.30.
It’s rather redeeming to have one’s life reduced to a tent and a bicycle!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Victoria Falls, Zambia to Maun, Botswana
Victoria Falls, Zambia to Maun, Botswana – 680 kms in 5 days.
I am missing my two travel mates, Jessica and Lianne. They sent their bikes back to Lusaka, rode the lunch truck with us across the Botswana border, took the Chobe river cruise with the Tour riders, before bussing on to Gaborone to see Lani, a friend from UBC Okanagan.
On the river cruise we saw elephants, hippos, a lion, Marabou storks, fish eagles, hammerkops, crocodiles, monitor lizards, kudus and more.
As we broke camp leaving Kasani in northern Botswana, we were told that we may see game along the road.
As usual, at the start of each day, the riders and racers spread out quite quickly.
On this day as we rode, Carol and Andra found themselves surrounded by a large pack of wild dogs who seemed very interested in them. The dogs circled and bayed.
Fortunately for the riders, a car approached from the rear, saw their dilemma and rode behind them for about 10 minutes. The dogs finally broke off and left, disappointed that their morning ‘meal’ was denied!
Many of us saw giraffe on the road. Patrick and Wayne saw elephants.
As I rode, alone, I saw an oncoming car flashing his lights on and off as he passed. A few moments later a safari game-viewing vehicle stopped me to advise that I was to be cautious. There was a herd of Buffalo on the roadside ahead. With that warning, he sped on his merry way. As I crested a small hill, looking down, I saw a dozen Cape Buffalo grazing on the left side of the road. About twenty feet from the road, watching vigilantly over his herd, stood the alpha male, menacing and mean. I know that the buffalo and the hippo are amongst the most unpredictable and dangerous animals on the planet. My first instinct was to look for calves – there were none. Calves would make the herd hyper-vigilant and potentially more dangerous.
Some years ago, whilst camping at a Provincial Park in British Columbia, a game warden came to advise campers that grizzly bears were in the neighbourhood. We should stay in camp if possible. If we did leave, we were to go in groups. In the unlikely and unpleasant …sic… situation that we did encounter a bear, we should stand upright and face him directly. We should raise our arms to look greater than life, and we should scream loudly. That was one’s only line of defence.
As I cycled down towards the herd and the watchful bull, I realized that my ‘grizzly bear’ moment had come. I pedalled to get maximum speed. As I approached him, I stood up and faced sideways, waving wildly, and screaming ‘yeahhhhhhhhh’.
The bull looked up, saw this strange apparition waving and shouting from moving cycle. He hesitated, and then, along with his herd, he bolted into the bush. If it hadn’t happened this way, I would not be posting this blog today!!
Reaching Maun on the edge of the Okavango delta, who of all people were there to meet me? Jessica and Lianne. They had borrowed Lani’s 4x4 and had come to join the Tour on our day off. We plan to take the flight over the delta today. Did you know that the Okavango and the Jordan are the only rivers in the world that do not enter an ocean? The Jordan with scant flow drains to the heavily salinated Dead Sea. The Okavango drains to the delta, the largest wetland in the world. The fact that it is not a saltpan is a testimony to the wonders of wetland regeneration of nature.
I’ve been riding now for 17 days, and my legs seem to get more painful and stiffer each day. The night’s rest before each ride doesn’t seem to allow me to fully recover. Apparently, this is what other riders felt early on when leaving Cairo. So……. I’ll just keep on pedalling, and maybe I’ll break through soon.
I am missing my two travel mates, Jessica and Lianne. They sent their bikes back to Lusaka, rode the lunch truck with us across the Botswana border, took the Chobe river cruise with the Tour riders, before bussing on to Gaborone to see Lani, a friend from UBC Okanagan.
On the river cruise we saw elephants, hippos, a lion, Marabou storks, fish eagles, hammerkops, crocodiles, monitor lizards, kudus and more.
As we broke camp leaving Kasani in northern Botswana, we were told that we may see game along the road.
As usual, at the start of each day, the riders and racers spread out quite quickly.
On this day as we rode, Carol and Andra found themselves surrounded by a large pack of wild dogs who seemed very interested in them. The dogs circled and bayed.
Fortunately for the riders, a car approached from the rear, saw their dilemma and rode behind them for about 10 minutes. The dogs finally broke off and left, disappointed that their morning ‘meal’ was denied!
Many of us saw giraffe on the road. Patrick and Wayne saw elephants.
As I rode, alone, I saw an oncoming car flashing his lights on and off as he passed. A few moments later a safari game-viewing vehicle stopped me to advise that I was to be cautious. There was a herd of Buffalo on the roadside ahead. With that warning, he sped on his merry way. As I crested a small hill, looking down, I saw a dozen Cape Buffalo grazing on the left side of the road. About twenty feet from the road, watching vigilantly over his herd, stood the alpha male, menacing and mean. I know that the buffalo and the hippo are amongst the most unpredictable and dangerous animals on the planet. My first instinct was to look for calves – there were none. Calves would make the herd hyper-vigilant and potentially more dangerous.
Some years ago, whilst camping at a Provincial Park in British Columbia, a game warden came to advise campers that grizzly bears were in the neighbourhood. We should stay in camp if possible. If we did leave, we were to go in groups. In the unlikely and unpleasant …sic… situation that we did encounter a bear, we should stand upright and face him directly. We should raise our arms to look greater than life, and we should scream loudly. That was one’s only line of defence.
As I cycled down towards the herd and the watchful bull, I realized that my ‘grizzly bear’ moment had come. I pedalled to get maximum speed. As I approached him, I stood up and faced sideways, waving wildly, and screaming ‘yeahhhhhhhhh’.
The bull looked up, saw this strange apparition waving and shouting from moving cycle. He hesitated, and then, along with his herd, he bolted into the bush. If it hadn’t happened this way, I would not be posting this blog today!!
Reaching Maun on the edge of the Okavango delta, who of all people were there to meet me? Jessica and Lianne. They had borrowed Lani’s 4x4 and had come to join the Tour on our day off. We plan to take the flight over the delta today. Did you know that the Okavango and the Jordan are the only rivers in the world that do not enter an ocean? The Jordan with scant flow drains to the heavily salinated Dead Sea. The Okavango drains to the delta, the largest wetland in the world. The fact that it is not a saltpan is a testimony to the wonders of wetland regeneration of nature.
I’ve been riding now for 17 days, and my legs seem to get more painful and stiffer each day. The night’s rest before each ride doesn’t seem to allow me to fully recover. Apparently, this is what other riders felt early on when leaving Cairo. So……. I’ll just keep on pedalling, and maybe I’ll break through soon.
Lianne..... 'Oh the Places you go...
Oh the Places You’ll Go…..
I think our experience as a part of Tour D’Afrique has been described by my two friends who have a beautiful vernacular, and therefore I will try to describe the experience from a humorous standpoint.
Firstly I would like to ask who thought I would be able to ride over 1000km in the African Sun??? Exactly…I didn’t either! But we all did it, and we did it gracefully. This time in Africa I have learned many things, but one of the most inspirational being the power of believing in oneself. The three of us really really wanted this bike ride and we trained and we rode hard….and the payout was the completion of a very difficult event. It goes to show that you really can do anything if you put your mind to it.
Secondly, I would love to express my passion for nursing. How we linked nursing with riding your bike across an African country is still mind boggling, but it has been done! I’ve enjoyed spending my time with the two nurses on the tour and learning the art of fluid replacement, rash management, and sadle soreology…..which I may or may not have been a patient of the later ailment.
Looking back it is hard to believe it is over. What is even more surprising is how much I am going to miss it. Who in their right mind would miss waking up at 5 am, packing up the tent again, and applying cream to a very sore bottom only to get on your bicycle to ride over 150km in the hot African sun? I do…and it makes me want to do it over again!
One of the finer memories from this trip was the noises you would hear at night…they were pretty much the typical African sounds, dogs barking, people dancing and playing music, and those darn roosters crowing all night. But wait….don’t those roosters belong to the tour staff?? On a few occasions the local staff who drove the support vehicles bought roosters to eat. However, they often took a few days to prepare the meals and riders patience would slowly be pushed as the roosters kept us up at all hours of the night.
Another favorite memory of mine was day 3 without running water…Not that bad, I know. But 3 days of riding your bike and producing more sweat than you ever have in your life and knowing you have to share a tent, that is a little more challenging. We were quite good at using the sun to “sterilize” your clothes and baby wipes to shower with. But on day 3 we stayed at a camp with a water pump. I will never forget the sheer joy on peoples face as people took turns inching themselves under the water pump for a shot of fresh skin sans salt!
On a serious note, I will truly miss the amazing food. Who would not love 4 solid meals a day with the portion sizes enough to feed a mother pregnant with triplets? The best part was the guilt free feeling that was accompanied by a hard day of riding. I am currently working on shrinking my stomach back down for my return home.
So in closing I want to express how much I have enjoyed the members of Tour D’Afrique, my fellow riders, and my two closest friends Bill and Jessica. I feel quite sad to know that this trip has come to an end, but on the positive side I am left with new outdoor enthusiast friends, stronger relations with my existing colleagues, and a deeper love for Zambia and it’s beautiful people.
I love biking. I love Zambia. I love these times of my life!
Kilimanjaro next year team?
Lianne
I think our experience as a part of Tour D’Afrique has been described by my two friends who have a beautiful vernacular, and therefore I will try to describe the experience from a humorous standpoint.
Firstly I would like to ask who thought I would be able to ride over 1000km in the African Sun??? Exactly…I didn’t either! But we all did it, and we did it gracefully. This time in Africa I have learned many things, but one of the most inspirational being the power of believing in oneself. The three of us really really wanted this bike ride and we trained and we rode hard….and the payout was the completion of a very difficult event. It goes to show that you really can do anything if you put your mind to it.
Secondly, I would love to express my passion for nursing. How we linked nursing with riding your bike across an African country is still mind boggling, but it has been done! I’ve enjoyed spending my time with the two nurses on the tour and learning the art of fluid replacement, rash management, and sadle soreology…..which I may or may not have been a patient of the later ailment.
Looking back it is hard to believe it is over. What is even more surprising is how much I am going to miss it. Who in their right mind would miss waking up at 5 am, packing up the tent again, and applying cream to a very sore bottom only to get on your bicycle to ride over 150km in the hot African sun? I do…and it makes me want to do it over again!
One of the finer memories from this trip was the noises you would hear at night…they were pretty much the typical African sounds, dogs barking, people dancing and playing music, and those darn roosters crowing all night. But wait….don’t those roosters belong to the tour staff?? On a few occasions the local staff who drove the support vehicles bought roosters to eat. However, they often took a few days to prepare the meals and riders patience would slowly be pushed as the roosters kept us up at all hours of the night.
Another favorite memory of mine was day 3 without running water…Not that bad, I know. But 3 days of riding your bike and producing more sweat than you ever have in your life and knowing you have to share a tent, that is a little more challenging. We were quite good at using the sun to “sterilize” your clothes and baby wipes to shower with. But on day 3 we stayed at a camp with a water pump. I will never forget the sheer joy on peoples face as people took turns inching themselves under the water pump for a shot of fresh skin sans salt!
On a serious note, I will truly miss the amazing food. Who would not love 4 solid meals a day with the portion sizes enough to feed a mother pregnant with triplets? The best part was the guilt free feeling that was accompanied by a hard day of riding. I am currently working on shrinking my stomach back down for my return home.
So in closing I want to express how much I have enjoyed the members of Tour D’Afrique, my fellow riders, and my two closest friends Bill and Jessica. I feel quite sad to know that this trip has come to an end, but on the positive side I am left with new outdoor enthusiast friends, stronger relations with my existing colleagues, and a deeper love for Zambia and it’s beautiful people.
I love biking. I love Zambia. I love these times of my life!
Kilimanjaro next year team?
Lianne
Saturday, April 17, 2010
So why Western Province, Zambia?
People ask me, ‘Bill, why do you go to Western Province to do your work?’
As stories go, it’s a short one……..
Five years ago, reaching a point in my life where I would be free to give back to Africa, the continent of my childhood, I set out in search of my University of Toronto Medical School classmate, Chifumbe Chintu.
He was easy to find. The Professor of Paediatrics from the day he returned to Zambia, then the only trained Paediatrician in the country, he’s now an international icon in terms of his multiple and diverse contributions to health care in Africa.
In the bowels of the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, there was my graduation class picture on the wall of his office.
At different times, most of my family members have been to Zambia with me, Rebeccah, Bev, Sarah, Mary Ellen and Rachel. I attended a Freeman Patterson photo workshop in Namaqaland in the Western Cape with Martha. Mar, you are next to come with me to Zambia.
Chifumbe directed me to Dean Mulla, who asked if I could help to develop Thoracic Surgery in Zambia. It did not take long for me to realize that Thoracic Surgery development in Zambia wasn’t going to happen any time soon. In Canada, and other first world countries, we cantilever Thoracic Surgery off a sophisticated General Surgery platform. Here in Zambia, surgical development is still quite basic, especially in rural areas.
Over the next three years, I met with several Surgery types in Lusaka but never gained any traction. I arranged to spend a month with one surgeon one year. When I arrived, he was away. He had forgotten my offer to work with him, and so I began looking elsewhere.
Along the way, I met with Dr Margaret Maimbolwa, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Medicine – and it was here that we began to make headway.
Through Margaret we saw a Memorandum of Understanding between UBC Okanagan and University of Zambia come to fruition. The long-term outcome for this MoU will likely be in the field of Nursing education and simulation lab teaching.
Through Margaret we were directed to support health activities in Western Province, sometimes known as the ‘neglected province.’
Lianne and Jessica, then recent graduates from UBC Okanagan School of Nursing, had volunteered to go to Mongu, Capital of Western Province to teach at the local two-year diploma Nursing School there.
Knowing nothing about Mongu, the needs, the suitability of such a venture, safety issues, housing options and a raft of other issues, I took it upon myself to go to Mongu in person to check it out.
It was in Mongu that I met Dr Andrew Silumesii, CEO of the Lewanika General Hospital, and with nursing school-teachers Mumbuwa Silumbu and Pelina Chibanje. Administratively, the School of Nursing also comes under Dr Silumesii’s purview.
This was just the beginning of what would develop into wonderful friendships with these colleagues and with many others.
Jessica and Lianne taught at the Nursing School for six months. They stayed with Sister Christina at one of the Catholic Orders. They built relationships with all and sundry. In doing so, not only did the citizens of Mongu take them into their collective hearts, but also they returned their affections in equal part.
They became known fondly as our ‘makuwa Lozi girls’; white women trying to learn their local language.
And then, like in Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘The Tipping Point’, as if like gifts from the gods, others signed up to join our Zambian mission; Gary O’Connor – Orthopaedic Surgeon, Linda Hawker – Family Physician, Cameron O’Connor – then UofA Science graduate, now medical student, Kim Lefevre – Neurosurgeon, Tim Murphy and Ken McKenzie - Family Physicians, Felour Berlouzi and Nicole Arnt – Registered Nurses, Glynn Jones – Hospitalist, Joan Basset-Smith, Fay Karp, Joan Bottorff, Carole Robinson and Muriel Kranabetter – all Faculty members at UBC Okanagan, Tom Kinahan – Urologist, and my daughter Rebeccah – a very experienced consultant in international development.
We teamed up with the Canadian Network for International Surgery. In October 2009 we took an Essential Surgical Skills course to train 24 local physicians, medical licentiates, clinical officers and one Nurse Practitioner. Of course, Jessica and Lianne came with us to develop the nursing components to the ESS course, something CNIS had yet to do. We stayed at a new 12 bed house run by Sister Kathy of the Presentation Sisters.
In February 2010, Fay Jess and Lianne lead a successful 7-week student elective to Mongu for 10 UBC Okanagan fourth year nursing students.
We founded the Okanagan Zambia Health Initiative as a registered structure in Canada. Check us out at
http://www.okazhi.org
Then, Jessica Lianne and I joined up with the Tour d’Afrique to raise awareness of our work.
You can see the rest of the story at
http://cyclingforzambia.blogspot.com
The media event in Lusaka on April 12, 2010, was most satisfying for all of us. As you will see from our photos, posted at the blogspot, all of our most valuable and trusted colleagues and advisors were there; Dr Margaret Maimbolwa, Professor Chifumbe Chintu, Dr Andrew Silumesii and Dr Chayza Sikambale.
This year, as a group, we were awarded the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award by the Canadian Network for International Surgery for our work in Western province. We were humbled and honoured.
We will return again to Western province this October.
I’ll post another blog sometime soon on our philosophy of medical health care support – the model that is defining our work.
For now, I’ve got to get my beauty sleep – at 06.30 hours tomorrow we ride out of Zambia, crossing the Zambezi river by ferry, entering Botswana - another one of my favourite countries…………
As stories go, it’s a short one……..
Five years ago, reaching a point in my life where I would be free to give back to Africa, the continent of my childhood, I set out in search of my University of Toronto Medical School classmate, Chifumbe Chintu.
He was easy to find. The Professor of Paediatrics from the day he returned to Zambia, then the only trained Paediatrician in the country, he’s now an international icon in terms of his multiple and diverse contributions to health care in Africa.
In the bowels of the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, there was my graduation class picture on the wall of his office.
At different times, most of my family members have been to Zambia with me, Rebeccah, Bev, Sarah, Mary Ellen and Rachel. I attended a Freeman Patterson photo workshop in Namaqaland in the Western Cape with Martha. Mar, you are next to come with me to Zambia.
Chifumbe directed me to Dean Mulla, who asked if I could help to develop Thoracic Surgery in Zambia. It did not take long for me to realize that Thoracic Surgery development in Zambia wasn’t going to happen any time soon. In Canada, and other first world countries, we cantilever Thoracic Surgery off a sophisticated General Surgery platform. Here in Zambia, surgical development is still quite basic, especially in rural areas.
Over the next three years, I met with several Surgery types in Lusaka but never gained any traction. I arranged to spend a month with one surgeon one year. When I arrived, he was away. He had forgotten my offer to work with him, and so I began looking elsewhere.
Along the way, I met with Dr Margaret Maimbolwa, Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Medicine – and it was here that we began to make headway.
Through Margaret we saw a Memorandum of Understanding between UBC Okanagan and University of Zambia come to fruition. The long-term outcome for this MoU will likely be in the field of Nursing education and simulation lab teaching.
Through Margaret we were directed to support health activities in Western Province, sometimes known as the ‘neglected province.’
Lianne and Jessica, then recent graduates from UBC Okanagan School of Nursing, had volunteered to go to Mongu, Capital of Western Province to teach at the local two-year diploma Nursing School there.
Knowing nothing about Mongu, the needs, the suitability of such a venture, safety issues, housing options and a raft of other issues, I took it upon myself to go to Mongu in person to check it out.
It was in Mongu that I met Dr Andrew Silumesii, CEO of the Lewanika General Hospital, and with nursing school-teachers Mumbuwa Silumbu and Pelina Chibanje. Administratively, the School of Nursing also comes under Dr Silumesii’s purview.
This was just the beginning of what would develop into wonderful friendships with these colleagues and with many others.
Jessica and Lianne taught at the Nursing School for six months. They stayed with Sister Christina at one of the Catholic Orders. They built relationships with all and sundry. In doing so, not only did the citizens of Mongu take them into their collective hearts, but also they returned their affections in equal part.
They became known fondly as our ‘makuwa Lozi girls’; white women trying to learn their local language.
And then, like in Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘The Tipping Point’, as if like gifts from the gods, others signed up to join our Zambian mission; Gary O’Connor – Orthopaedic Surgeon, Linda Hawker – Family Physician, Cameron O’Connor – then UofA Science graduate, now medical student, Kim Lefevre – Neurosurgeon, Tim Murphy and Ken McKenzie - Family Physicians, Felour Berlouzi and Nicole Arnt – Registered Nurses, Glynn Jones – Hospitalist, Joan Basset-Smith, Fay Karp, Joan Bottorff, Carole Robinson and Muriel Kranabetter – all Faculty members at UBC Okanagan, Tom Kinahan – Urologist, and my daughter Rebeccah – a very experienced consultant in international development.
We teamed up with the Canadian Network for International Surgery. In October 2009 we took an Essential Surgical Skills course to train 24 local physicians, medical licentiates, clinical officers and one Nurse Practitioner. Of course, Jessica and Lianne came with us to develop the nursing components to the ESS course, something CNIS had yet to do. We stayed at a new 12 bed house run by Sister Kathy of the Presentation Sisters.
In February 2010, Fay Jess and Lianne lead a successful 7-week student elective to Mongu for 10 UBC Okanagan fourth year nursing students.
We founded the Okanagan Zambia Health Initiative as a registered structure in Canada. Check us out at
http://www.okazhi.org
Then, Jessica Lianne and I joined up with the Tour d’Afrique to raise awareness of our work.
You can see the rest of the story at
http://cyclingforzambia.blogspot.com
The media event in Lusaka on April 12, 2010, was most satisfying for all of us. As you will see from our photos, posted at the blogspot, all of our most valuable and trusted colleagues and advisors were there; Dr Margaret Maimbolwa, Professor Chifumbe Chintu, Dr Andrew Silumesii and Dr Chayza Sikambale.
This year, as a group, we were awarded the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ award by the Canadian Network for International Surgery for our work in Western province. We were humbled and honoured.
We will return again to Western province this October.
I’ll post another blog sometime soon on our philosophy of medical health care support – the model that is defining our work.
For now, I’ve got to get my beauty sleep – at 06.30 hours tomorrow we ride out of Zambia, crossing the Zambezi river by ferry, entering Botswana - another one of my favourite countries…………
Jessica's second Victoria Falls blog - Why I love Zambia.
Why I Love Zambia
We have spent the last two weeks navigating our way through Zambia, and biking my way through has given me a whole new appreciation for this country. Although I have in the past driven all of the roads we have biked across, doing this trip has allowed me to see, hear and feel the heart of Zambia just that much more. Biking allows you the freedom to stop along the way and to integrate with the people. Again, I find myself continually appreciating how friendly the Zambians are…they are the reason why I am here. I have also been able to appreciate the different terrain this country has to offer. In Mongu we are immersed by the Zambezi flood plain and the sand of Western Province…in Eastern Province we got to see the lush, forest filled hills, and in the south it is the farms and sugar plantations that line the route where we cycled. What a beautiful place. Now ok back to cycling those hills of eastern province, they are really hilly! Most times the muscles in my legs sure didn’t appreciate those hills, but sure was a great way to train!
I have enjoyed my time with the other 60 riders on the Tour D’Afrique. Even though we have only been with them 2 weeks it already feels like we are one big family. There is nothing like 60 people all camping together in a bush camp…on the side of the road in Africa…with no running water…no bathrooms…to unite us together! The TDA riders are an eclectic bunch, from many different countries and all walks of life. But it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from because ALL of our bike shorts smell bad. If that doesn’t bring you together, than what does in life..right?!
I will never forget our last day of riding as we cruised into Livingstone. We had just spent the last 20 kms on pretty terrible gravel roads. I was having a hard time trying to navigate the dirt and gravel with my small road bike tires. My arms were sore from trying to keep myself stable on my bike, and my hands were cramping from clutching my handle bars so tight and trying not to fall off my bike. I kept thinking to myself ‘Why haven’t paved this road already! Then we came to the crest of the hill, and all of a sudden we are overlooking the town of Livingstone. I look up to see the beautiful mist of Victoria Falls, my motivation to just keep going! There is a reason why Vic Falls is called in the local language ‘The Smoke That Thunders’…the smoke is really thundering right now. Right now in Zambia the rainy season has just peaked, which means the waters of Vic Falls are the highest they are going to be all year. What a perfect way to finish off our bike trip, I will never forget that sight. Also yet another bonus was we hit the smooth pavement, no more gravel roads to navigate through!
Overall I am so proud of myself and my other two musketeers, Lianne and Bill. We have biked long and hard, and done better than we all could have ever expected. (especially after not having been on a bike until last year). Overall my personal lesson learned is that I can really do whatever I put my mind to. Out there on the road I had a few down times when I didn’t think my legs muscles could push myself along anymore. I just kept telling myself to keep going…and I did! The other, more overlying motivation to do this bike ride was for one thing, the Lozi people of Western Province. The more time I spend in Mongu and in Western Province, the more I feel at home. I love being able to nurse in a hospital filled with doctors and nurses with whom I respect. Nothing makes me more proud than to do this bike ride for them. In honour of our tribe living in Western Province, I wore my white Lozi bracelet the whole time while biking. Whenever I had a tough time out on the road, I looked down at my Lozi bracelet and said to myself ‘this is the reason why I am here, these are the people for why I am riding my bike across Zambia..keep pedaling!’ And I did.
We have spent the last two weeks navigating our way through Zambia, and biking my way through has given me a whole new appreciation for this country. Although I have in the past driven all of the roads we have biked across, doing this trip has allowed me to see, hear and feel the heart of Zambia just that much more. Biking allows you the freedom to stop along the way and to integrate with the people. Again, I find myself continually appreciating how friendly the Zambians are…they are the reason why I am here. I have also been able to appreciate the different terrain this country has to offer. In Mongu we are immersed by the Zambezi flood plain and the sand of Western Province…in Eastern Province we got to see the lush, forest filled hills, and in the south it is the farms and sugar plantations that line the route where we cycled. What a beautiful place. Now ok back to cycling those hills of eastern province, they are really hilly! Most times the muscles in my legs sure didn’t appreciate those hills, but sure was a great way to train!
I have enjoyed my time with the other 60 riders on the Tour D’Afrique. Even though we have only been with them 2 weeks it already feels like we are one big family. There is nothing like 60 people all camping together in a bush camp…on the side of the road in Africa…with no running water…no bathrooms…to unite us together! The TDA riders are an eclectic bunch, from many different countries and all walks of life. But it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you come from because ALL of our bike shorts smell bad. If that doesn’t bring you together, than what does in life..right?!
I will never forget our last day of riding as we cruised into Livingstone. We had just spent the last 20 kms on pretty terrible gravel roads. I was having a hard time trying to navigate the dirt and gravel with my small road bike tires. My arms were sore from trying to keep myself stable on my bike, and my hands were cramping from clutching my handle bars so tight and trying not to fall off my bike. I kept thinking to myself ‘Why haven’t paved this road already! Then we came to the crest of the hill, and all of a sudden we are overlooking the town of Livingstone. I look up to see the beautiful mist of Victoria Falls, my motivation to just keep going! There is a reason why Vic Falls is called in the local language ‘The Smoke That Thunders’…the smoke is really thundering right now. Right now in Zambia the rainy season has just peaked, which means the waters of Vic Falls are the highest they are going to be all year. What a perfect way to finish off our bike trip, I will never forget that sight. Also yet another bonus was we hit the smooth pavement, no more gravel roads to navigate through!
Overall I am so proud of myself and my other two musketeers, Lianne and Bill. We have biked long and hard, and done better than we all could have ever expected. (especially after not having been on a bike until last year). Overall my personal lesson learned is that I can really do whatever I put my mind to. Out there on the road I had a few down times when I didn’t think my legs muscles could push myself along anymore. I just kept telling myself to keep going…and I did! The other, more overlying motivation to do this bike ride was for one thing, the Lozi people of Western Province. The more time I spend in Mongu and in Western Province, the more I feel at home. I love being able to nurse in a hospital filled with doctors and nurses with whom I respect. Nothing makes me more proud than to do this bike ride for them. In honour of our tribe living in Western Province, I wore my white Lozi bracelet the whole time while biking. Whenever I had a tough time out on the road, I looked down at my Lozi bracelet and said to myself ‘this is the reason why I am here, these are the people for why I am riding my bike across Zambia..keep pedaling!’ And I did.
Jessica's first Victoria Falls blog - the Beginning.......
The Beginning……
Sometimes I have to ask myself why I decide to do the things I do. In the months and weeks spent getting ready for this bike ride, I most certainly have had the ‘What was I thinking?!!” thought more than just a few times. Probably one of the main reasons for this thought is because until a year ago, I had not been on a bike in over 15 years. Now here we are riding over 1000 kms in just only 8 days, across Zambia. Although we were training in Mongu during the two months leading up to this bike ride, I don’t think anything can really prepare you for a bike ride like this. The days of riding are long, averaging about 150 kms/day, this is a pretty intimidating number for someone like me who has never ridden more than 30-40 kms in one day. (Never mind 5 consecutive days in a row!) Also yet another challenge is the fact that we are after all in Africa, which just in itself can be a challenging experience.
To decide to ride your bike across Zambia is certainly not something I would ever have guessed that I would be doing in my life! But here I am. It is certainly not something that I would ever have done on my own, so thank goodness for my other halves in this, Lianne and Bill. Over the past couple years I have been so proud of all the accomplishments we have been able to achieve with our work in Zambia. I am also amazed at all the things I have been able to do and see all over this continent. There is no way that I would have been able to achieve these wonderful things without Lianne and Bill, we really are like the ‘Three Musketeers’. I couldn’t ask for any two better people to be embarking on such a challenging journey. The best part about the three of us is that you just never know what we are going to do next….and now here we are at it again, with the ‘Three Musketeers’ riding our bikes across Zambia!
In the days leading up to joining the Tour D’Afrique in Malawi my feelings of nervousness and apprehension began to increase as the reality set in that I would soon be riding my bike across Zambia. The same thought just kept rolling in my head…. ‘Can I really can do this?!’ As we hopped on our bikes the first morning and rode out of Lilongwe, I was excited and feeling positive. Then we hit the first hill just outside of town, and my legs were already hurting! That was just the beginning of the mental game I had to play with myself on this trip. I just kept telling myself over and over to push it, and keep pedalling. Positive thoughts and words of wisdom from family and friends back home also helped too!
It didn’t take us long to get into the biking routine out on the road. By this time the Tour D’Afrique and all the riders (who have been here since Cairo, Egypt) are a well oiled machine. The day starts early at 0500, waking up and getting yourself and your tent all packed up. The sun is still not up at that point, so as you look across to the fields, schools, or churches where we are camping along the way, all you see is a dance of headlamps as everyone is packing up for the day. I call them the Tour D’Afrique fireflies! Now normally I am not a morning person, but being on the TDA makes you a morning person. The faster you get out on your bike, the faster you get to the next camp. It also means you get to escape the burning afternoon African sun.
There is no better way to experience a country by riding your bike through it. The TDA offers that chance, and has been the best part to joining this tour. Ok to tell you the truth some of my favourite memories have come from the times when take a rest on the road during our day of cycling. The ‘Three Musketeers’ have been known to stop once or twice at a ‘coke stop’. A coke stop is a TDA created term, by definition it is a local pub or rest stop in one of the villages along the way. Sometimes the cokes are cold, other times not so much…but this is Africa right?! Sometimes it just feels like I am just trying to pedal myself from one coke stop to the other….but I’m ok with it! We have even been known to take a few minutes on the side of the road for an afternoon nap. Together we share our energy bars, and remind each other to keep up on our H2O intake. We take off our sweaty helmets, lie down in the grass and give our bums much needed rest. (those saddle sores don’t take long to develop!) Although I do enjoy the days on the bike, nothing is more satisfying than seeing the orange flagging tape that signifies we have reached the next camp. Another of cycling done! The routine continues when we reach camp, and out comes the tent to be set-up…again. Dinner comes courtesy of our wonderful cook, James and then it is off to bed. Our early mornings mean that when the day of riding is done, we are all in bed at 7pm. I fall asleep so fast, barely even noticing the fact that I have no pillow. This is the time when I reminded how I don’t need much more than a backpack, a tent, and a bike to be happy in this world!
Sometimes I have to ask myself why I decide to do the things I do. In the months and weeks spent getting ready for this bike ride, I most certainly have had the ‘What was I thinking?!!” thought more than just a few times. Probably one of the main reasons for this thought is because until a year ago, I had not been on a bike in over 15 years. Now here we are riding over 1000 kms in just only 8 days, across Zambia. Although we were training in Mongu during the two months leading up to this bike ride, I don’t think anything can really prepare you for a bike ride like this. The days of riding are long, averaging about 150 kms/day, this is a pretty intimidating number for someone like me who has never ridden more than 30-40 kms in one day. (Never mind 5 consecutive days in a row!) Also yet another challenge is the fact that we are after all in Africa, which just in itself can be a challenging experience.
To decide to ride your bike across Zambia is certainly not something I would ever have guessed that I would be doing in my life! But here I am. It is certainly not something that I would ever have done on my own, so thank goodness for my other halves in this, Lianne and Bill. Over the past couple years I have been so proud of all the accomplishments we have been able to achieve with our work in Zambia. I am also amazed at all the things I have been able to do and see all over this continent. There is no way that I would have been able to achieve these wonderful things without Lianne and Bill, we really are like the ‘Three Musketeers’. I couldn’t ask for any two better people to be embarking on such a challenging journey. The best part about the three of us is that you just never know what we are going to do next….and now here we are at it again, with the ‘Three Musketeers’ riding our bikes across Zambia!
In the days leading up to joining the Tour D’Afrique in Malawi my feelings of nervousness and apprehension began to increase as the reality set in that I would soon be riding my bike across Zambia. The same thought just kept rolling in my head…. ‘Can I really can do this?!’ As we hopped on our bikes the first morning and rode out of Lilongwe, I was excited and feeling positive. Then we hit the first hill just outside of town, and my legs were already hurting! That was just the beginning of the mental game I had to play with myself on this trip. I just kept telling myself over and over to push it, and keep pedalling. Positive thoughts and words of wisdom from family and friends back home also helped too!
It didn’t take us long to get into the biking routine out on the road. By this time the Tour D’Afrique and all the riders (who have been here since Cairo, Egypt) are a well oiled machine. The day starts early at 0500, waking up and getting yourself and your tent all packed up. The sun is still not up at that point, so as you look across to the fields, schools, or churches where we are camping along the way, all you see is a dance of headlamps as everyone is packing up for the day. I call them the Tour D’Afrique fireflies! Now normally I am not a morning person, but being on the TDA makes you a morning person. The faster you get out on your bike, the faster you get to the next camp. It also means you get to escape the burning afternoon African sun.
There is no better way to experience a country by riding your bike through it. The TDA offers that chance, and has been the best part to joining this tour. Ok to tell you the truth some of my favourite memories have come from the times when take a rest on the road during our day of cycling. The ‘Three Musketeers’ have been known to stop once or twice at a ‘coke stop’. A coke stop is a TDA created term, by definition it is a local pub or rest stop in one of the villages along the way. Sometimes the cokes are cold, other times not so much…but this is Africa right?! Sometimes it just feels like I am just trying to pedal myself from one coke stop to the other….but I’m ok with it! We have even been known to take a few minutes on the side of the road for an afternoon nap. Together we share our energy bars, and remind each other to keep up on our H2O intake. We take off our sweaty helmets, lie down in the grass and give our bums much needed rest. (those saddle sores don’t take long to develop!) Although I do enjoy the days on the bike, nothing is more satisfying than seeing the orange flagging tape that signifies we have reached the next camp. Another of cycling done! The routine continues when we reach camp, and out comes the tent to be set-up…again. Dinner comes courtesy of our wonderful cook, James and then it is off to bed. Our early mornings mean that when the day of riding is done, we are all in bed at 7pm. I fall asleep so fast, barely even noticing the fact that I have no pillow. This is the time when I reminded how I don’t need much more than a backpack, a tent, and a bike to be happy in this world!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Lusaka to Victoria Falls - 492 kilometres in 3 days!!
Lusaka to Victoria Falls – 492 kms in 3 days – you do the math!
I continue to be impressed with the riders on this Tour. Three quarters of them have run marathons – Erin has run marathons on 7 continents including Antarctica. Half a dozen or more have done Ironman contests.
But it is not these athletes that impress me so much. It is the other 25% who have never done any major contest in their lives before.
Lianne did her first bike ride a year ago – the 80 km ‘Bike and Braai’ at home – and now she rides her bamboo bike with the best of them. Jessica is fast and fit and she too excels. Andra, new to biking, rides her heart out every day, always smiling. Paddy from Ireland, never having ridden before, amazes everyone every day. These are the stars of the Tour d’Afrique!
The media event – photos below – was very successful. Margaret Maimbolwa and Chifumbe Chintu attended. Andrew Silumesii and Chazya Sikambale came from Mongu in Western Province to be with us. We were very honoured that they all came.
The ride to Victoria Falls was fast and furious. Thought of my sister Bevy as, wind assisted, I pedalled into Mazebuka at 35 kms per hour. As children we passes this way so many times on our steam engine train on our way to boarding schools in South Africa.
I spent the morning with Shinga the bird-man, saw many species and flocks of birds. The collared palm thrush is unique to this very small part of the world – saw many…….
Much to everyone’s relief, we now break for two days in Victoria Falls. We leave Sunday for the Botswana border and points south………
I continue to be impressed with the riders on this Tour. Three quarters of them have run marathons – Erin has run marathons on 7 continents including Antarctica. Half a dozen or more have done Ironman contests.
But it is not these athletes that impress me so much. It is the other 25% who have never done any major contest in their lives before.
Lianne did her first bike ride a year ago – the 80 km ‘Bike and Braai’ at home – and now she rides her bamboo bike with the best of them. Jessica is fast and fit and she too excels. Andra, new to biking, rides her heart out every day, always smiling. Paddy from Ireland, never having ridden before, amazes everyone every day. These are the stars of the Tour d’Afrique!
The media event – photos below – was very successful. Margaret Maimbolwa and Chifumbe Chintu attended. Andrew Silumesii and Chazya Sikambale came from Mongu in Western Province to be with us. We were very honoured that they all came.
The ride to Victoria Falls was fast and furious. Thought of my sister Bevy as, wind assisted, I pedalled into Mazebuka at 35 kms per hour. As children we passes this way so many times on our steam engine train on our way to boarding schools in South Africa.
I spent the morning with Shinga the bird-man, saw many species and flocks of birds. The collared palm thrush is unique to this very small part of the world – saw many…….
Much to everyone’s relief, we now break for two days in Victoria Falls. We leave Sunday for the Botswana border and points south………
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Tour d'Afrique - Not for the faint of heart! - Lilongwe to Lusaka
The Tour d’Afrique – Not for the faint of heart!
On January 16, 2010, 60 or more cyclists left Cairo for a 4-month, 12,000 km ride to Cape Town. These were the full tour riders.
The Tour is divided into 8 sections, bounded at each end by an International airport. Sectional riders can join any one or more of these sections without having to complete the whole Tour. On April 7, Jessica Lianne and I joined in when the Tour reached Lilongwe, Malawi. By now the riders had completed 7,500 kms.
They were lean, fit, conditioned and grizzled.
We were about to find out what other sectional riders before us had learned and written about when it came their turn to join, mid-stream, this relentless determined expedition – it’s tough.
In the 5 days it took us to get from Lilongwe, capital of Malawi to Lusaka, capital of Zambia, we covered a distance of 726 kms, with daily rides of 153, 197, 124, 148 and 104. the 148 km day included a 1900 metre climb!
The Tour was in full flight, and we hung on like kids having boarded a moving train! For the last three months, I’ve been reading all of their blogs. It was fun to recognize so many of the riders and to see them in action.
It’s a certainty – the Tour meets Harry’s first rule, “Break a sweat six times a week.” And then some!
The Tour d’Afrique is not for the faint of heart – especially when you're 70 years old!
On the first day across the Malawi border, I had to keep my heart rate at 150-155 just to keep up with Lianne and Jessica.
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Barker, your daughters are doing very well - they are strong and fit. As we say in Zambian understatement - “they are fine.”
Early on, a Zambian man, wearing our new Okanagan Zambia Health Initiative biking jersey, was seen standing at the side of the road. Many Tour riders noticed him and recognized the jersey, with surprise.
As Lianne and Jessica approached, this total stranger greeted them; “Hello Lianne – Hello Jessica. Welcome to Zambia!”
For the first time in their lives, they were utterly speechless!
After a time for recovery, they asked, “Who is this stranger? How come he wears our jersey?”
As I rode up, Jim said; “Hello Bill. Nice to see you – again.”
Zambian Jim and I sat next to each other on the Amsterdam – Lusaka flight. When he told me that he lived in Chipata near the Malawi border – together, we arranged this prank for the girls.
For me, my riding on the second day was diverted to the care of one rider who had experienced a head-on collision with a local cyclist. He had suffered a midline full thickness laceration of his upper lip, the tear extending to the base of his nose. From one side, a 7 milli-meter tag of vermillion lip, de-vascularised, hung precariously by a thread. Both upper incisor teeth and one lower incisor had been knocked out. This was certainly a repair for a Plastic Surgeon. A phone call to Lusaka, 500 kms away, informed us that their only Plastic Surgeon was away on holiday.
The Italian Orthopaedic Hospital declined his care; “We don’t do that kind of thing here.”
The on-call General Surgeon at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka refused to accept him, “I don’t do that sort of stuff.”
A call to an American Trauma Surgeon, volunteering in Lusaka, was quite instructive, “Don’t bring him here. He will likely be sutured by an Emergency physician or a Clinical Officer.”
Well OK, then let’s get him to South Africa. A further phone call informed us that the earliest flight to Johannesburg would depart the next day, leaving at least a 36 hour interval from injury to potential repair – decidedly too long a wait.
And so it came to pass that my Plastic Surgery career was launched.
Armed with some 5-0 sutures and some local anaesthetic taken from the Tour’s medical kit box, the patient, Tour nurse Carolyn and I proceeded 4 kilometres down the road to a mission hospital run by Irish nuns where we found a Spartan but spotless operating theatre, and all the tools we needed.
We did a little operation - and we fixed him up!
At least I dodged most of the 197 km ride that day.
One day as we rode, Jomumba caught up to us from behind. His bicycle was old and squeaky, but his legs were like iron. He could easily out-distance us, despite our fancy bikes. We rode together for about 5 kilometres and we talked about life in his village of 75. He was on his way to the next village to attend his uncle’s funeral - just another day in the life of the average Zambian.
On another day, I struggled up a hill that thrice dwarfed the Commonage to Vernon by both distance and incline. I pushed my heart rate to 155 for as long as I could. Then I tried zigzagging back and forth the way that Alistair and Stan had taught me. Finally, as a last resort, I walked and pushed my bike. Behind me I could hear a vehicle labouring up the hill. I stopped and watched as a heavily overloaded Mercedes Benz truck inched its’ way up-hill. As the truck approached, the driver waved and smiled at me somewhat curiously. As he passed, emblazoned on the back read a slogan, “Life is a journey.”
As I stood in the heat of the African sun, my eyes blurred with sweat, I mused to myself, “How apt?”
Arriving in Lusaka, the Tour riders, Jessica, Lianne and I included, were grateful for the rest day ahead.
Dr. Chazya Sikambale and Dr. Andrew Silumesii joined us for dinner. They have come from Mongu in Western Province for the media event planned for April 12. It was a joy to see them. We really appreciate their support!
More later.
Bill
On January 16, 2010, 60 or more cyclists left Cairo for a 4-month, 12,000 km ride to Cape Town. These were the full tour riders.
The Tour is divided into 8 sections, bounded at each end by an International airport. Sectional riders can join any one or more of these sections without having to complete the whole Tour. On April 7, Jessica Lianne and I joined in when the Tour reached Lilongwe, Malawi. By now the riders had completed 7,500 kms.
They were lean, fit, conditioned and grizzled.
We were about to find out what other sectional riders before us had learned and written about when it came their turn to join, mid-stream, this relentless determined expedition – it’s tough.
In the 5 days it took us to get from Lilongwe, capital of Malawi to Lusaka, capital of Zambia, we covered a distance of 726 kms, with daily rides of 153, 197, 124, 148 and 104. the 148 km day included a 1900 metre climb!
The Tour was in full flight, and we hung on like kids having boarded a moving train! For the last three months, I’ve been reading all of their blogs. It was fun to recognize so many of the riders and to see them in action.
It’s a certainty – the Tour meets Harry’s first rule, “Break a sweat six times a week.” And then some!
The Tour d’Afrique is not for the faint of heart – especially when you're 70 years old!
On the first day across the Malawi border, I had to keep my heart rate at 150-155 just to keep up with Lianne and Jessica.
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Barker, your daughters are doing very well - they are strong and fit. As we say in Zambian understatement - “they are fine.”
Early on, a Zambian man, wearing our new Okanagan Zambia Health Initiative biking jersey, was seen standing at the side of the road. Many Tour riders noticed him and recognized the jersey, with surprise.
As Lianne and Jessica approached, this total stranger greeted them; “Hello Lianne – Hello Jessica. Welcome to Zambia!”
For the first time in their lives, they were utterly speechless!
After a time for recovery, they asked, “Who is this stranger? How come he wears our jersey?”
As I rode up, Jim said; “Hello Bill. Nice to see you – again.”
Zambian Jim and I sat next to each other on the Amsterdam – Lusaka flight. When he told me that he lived in Chipata near the Malawi border – together, we arranged this prank for the girls.
For me, my riding on the second day was diverted to the care of one rider who had experienced a head-on collision with a local cyclist. He had suffered a midline full thickness laceration of his upper lip, the tear extending to the base of his nose. From one side, a 7 milli-meter tag of vermillion lip, de-vascularised, hung precariously by a thread. Both upper incisor teeth and one lower incisor had been knocked out. This was certainly a repair for a Plastic Surgeon. A phone call to Lusaka, 500 kms away, informed us that their only Plastic Surgeon was away on holiday.
The Italian Orthopaedic Hospital declined his care; “We don’t do that kind of thing here.”
The on-call General Surgeon at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka refused to accept him, “I don’t do that sort of stuff.”
A call to an American Trauma Surgeon, volunteering in Lusaka, was quite instructive, “Don’t bring him here. He will likely be sutured by an Emergency physician or a Clinical Officer.”
Well OK, then let’s get him to South Africa. A further phone call informed us that the earliest flight to Johannesburg would depart the next day, leaving at least a 36 hour interval from injury to potential repair – decidedly too long a wait.
And so it came to pass that my Plastic Surgery career was launched.
Armed with some 5-0 sutures and some local anaesthetic taken from the Tour’s medical kit box, the patient, Tour nurse Carolyn and I proceeded 4 kilometres down the road to a mission hospital run by Irish nuns where we found a Spartan but spotless operating theatre, and all the tools we needed.
We did a little operation - and we fixed him up!
At least I dodged most of the 197 km ride that day.
One day as we rode, Jomumba caught up to us from behind. His bicycle was old and squeaky, but his legs were like iron. He could easily out-distance us, despite our fancy bikes. We rode together for about 5 kilometres and we talked about life in his village of 75. He was on his way to the next village to attend his uncle’s funeral - just another day in the life of the average Zambian.
On another day, I struggled up a hill that thrice dwarfed the Commonage to Vernon by both distance and incline. I pushed my heart rate to 155 for as long as I could. Then I tried zigzagging back and forth the way that Alistair and Stan had taught me. Finally, as a last resort, I walked and pushed my bike. Behind me I could hear a vehicle labouring up the hill. I stopped and watched as a heavily overloaded Mercedes Benz truck inched its’ way up-hill. As the truck approached, the driver waved and smiled at me somewhat curiously. As he passed, emblazoned on the back read a slogan, “Life is a journey.”
As I stood in the heat of the African sun, my eyes blurred with sweat, I mused to myself, “How apt?”
Arriving in Lusaka, the Tour riders, Jessica, Lianne and I included, were grateful for the rest day ahead.
Dr. Chazya Sikambale and Dr. Andrew Silumesii joined us for dinner. They have come from Mongu in Western Province for the media event planned for April 12. It was a joy to see them. We really appreciate their support!
More later.
Bill
Monday, April 5, 2010
A letter to Kate, Lucy, Willem and Alexander - The Code for the blogs that follow!
Hello my 'fabulous four' grandchildren, Kate, Lucy, Willem and Alexander.
This is your Grandpa Bill, sometimes Grandpa Beef, checking in from Africa - Sub Saharan Africa, that is, to my Tunisian babies.
I'm in Zambia today, fly to Lilongwe in Malawi tomorrow, where Jessica, Lianne and I will join the Tour d'Afrique. We start our ride April 7.
So why, kids, am I doing this ride?
First of all - taking a page out of your book Lucy - it's fun - it's an adventure. I can just see you sitting on my handlebars, grinning, laughing, enjoying every minute of it! Every day as the adventure unfolds, I'll be thinking of you, Luce.
(Code L = Lucy = Fun and Adventure)
Second - As I ride, I'm going to have time to think. You're a great thinker Kate. You always make amazing observations and then you follow that up by figuring out how everything fits together. As I ride along, I will be thinking, contemplating, pondering about the world's most pressing problems. You are incredibly smart, I'll draw my insights about thinking from you Katy-Kate.
(Code K = Kate = Thoughts, thinking, Understanding)
Third - riding my bike is going to be a time for creativity - a time for a little of Edward de Bono's 'green hat' stuff. When it comes to creativity, Will Will, you are my hero, my source of inspiration. As I ride, I'll think of your imaginary 'lung cutters' and the fun we had 'operating' with them. I'll remember how you can spend hours creating environments, societies, mythical characters, adventures. You live in a world where nothing is impossible. Alternately stated - Everything is possible. It's going to take creativity to solve some of the world's most thorny problems, but you will be with me Will as the solutions for these challenges unfold.
(Code W = Willem = Creativity, Intuition, Problem solving)
Fourth, riding my bike through Africa will be a time for me to emote, to express and to experience my feelings, my gratitudes. I may not have told you this before, Ander, so I'll do so now. I don't know anyone else, regardless of age who is so connected to their emotions, their feelings, as you are my oldest grandchild. Conventional wisdom suggests that we look to the old, the published, the worldly, when it comes for advice or insights into our emotional world. For me, Ander, I look to you. I learn from you every day. When riding my bike, whenever I feel happy, ecstatic, sad - I'll be thinking of you. By the way, I see that the Rockets won their series with a 7th game win, but now they are behind with the Tri City Americans - go Rockets! Also, your science project was beyond brilliant - well done - I am so proud of you.
(Code A = Alexander = Emotions and Feelings)
So now you have it - the CODE!
Each day will be an experience, a quest, a journey of great significance.
Each day I will experience all aspects of the CODE.
It will be like a WALK in the park,
Get it? The CODE
WALK
W = Willem = Creativity, Intuition, Problem solving
A = Alexander = Emotions and Feelings
L = Lucy = Fun and Adventure)
K = Kate = Thoughts, thinking, Understanding)
Each day I will experience all of these codes and I will think of each of you.
I will write about all of these in the weeks ahead......
Some creativity...... a little gratitude........ a little fun...... many thoughts.....
For those of you who don't know my second generation babies, suffice it for you to know that Kate is the most intellectually alert person on the planet.
Lucy is the most fun-loving and most adventurous person alive.
Will gets the universe's gold, silver and bronze medals for imagination and creativity.
No one, any where, all ages included, has more emotionally intelligence than Ander.
One thing that you, dear reader, needs to know about me - I have no biases!
This is your Grandpa Bill, sometimes Grandpa Beef, checking in from Africa - Sub Saharan Africa, that is, to my Tunisian babies.
I'm in Zambia today, fly to Lilongwe in Malawi tomorrow, where Jessica, Lianne and I will join the Tour d'Afrique. We start our ride April 7.
So why, kids, am I doing this ride?
First of all - taking a page out of your book Lucy - it's fun - it's an adventure. I can just see you sitting on my handlebars, grinning, laughing, enjoying every minute of it! Every day as the adventure unfolds, I'll be thinking of you, Luce.
(Code L = Lucy = Fun and Adventure)
Second - As I ride, I'm going to have time to think. You're a great thinker Kate. You always make amazing observations and then you follow that up by figuring out how everything fits together. As I ride along, I will be thinking, contemplating, pondering about the world's most pressing problems. You are incredibly smart, I'll draw my insights about thinking from you Katy-Kate.
(Code K = Kate = Thoughts, thinking, Understanding)
Third - riding my bike is going to be a time for creativity - a time for a little of Edward de Bono's 'green hat' stuff. When it comes to creativity, Will Will, you are my hero, my source of inspiration. As I ride, I'll think of your imaginary 'lung cutters' and the fun we had 'operating' with them. I'll remember how you can spend hours creating environments, societies, mythical characters, adventures. You live in a world where nothing is impossible. Alternately stated - Everything is possible. It's going to take creativity to solve some of the world's most thorny problems, but you will be with me Will as the solutions for these challenges unfold.
(Code W = Willem = Creativity, Intuition, Problem solving)
Fourth, riding my bike through Africa will be a time for me to emote, to express and to experience my feelings, my gratitudes. I may not have told you this before, Ander, so I'll do so now. I don't know anyone else, regardless of age who is so connected to their emotions, their feelings, as you are my oldest grandchild. Conventional wisdom suggests that we look to the old, the published, the worldly, when it comes for advice or insights into our emotional world. For me, Ander, I look to you. I learn from you every day. When riding my bike, whenever I feel happy, ecstatic, sad - I'll be thinking of you. By the way, I see that the Rockets won their series with a 7th game win, but now they are behind with the Tri City Americans - go Rockets! Also, your science project was beyond brilliant - well done - I am so proud of you.
(Code A = Alexander = Emotions and Feelings)
So now you have it - the CODE!
Each day will be an experience, a quest, a journey of great significance.
Each day I will experience all aspects of the CODE.
It will be like a WALK in the park,
Get it? The CODE
WALK
W = Willem = Creativity, Intuition, Problem solving
A = Alexander = Emotions and Feelings
L = Lucy = Fun and Adventure)
K = Kate = Thoughts, thinking, Understanding)
Each day I will experience all of these codes and I will think of each of you.
I will write about all of these in the weeks ahead......
Some creativity...... a little gratitude........ a little fun...... many thoughts.....
For those of you who don't know my second generation babies, suffice it for you to know that Kate is the most intellectually alert person on the planet.
Lucy is the most fun-loving and most adventurous person alive.
Will gets the universe's gold, silver and bronze medals for imagination and creativity.
No one, any where, all ages included, has more emotionally intelligence than Ander.
One thing that you, dear reader, needs to know about me - I have no biases!
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