Biking

There are 2 main reasons i in biking more then I ever have before. For one, like I explained, I am responsible for thirteen villages that surround my own. Also, I live a relatively short 30 km away froo the provincial capital.

For the villages in my catchment area, I cycle out to all of them at least once a month for the under five clinic that they hold. The villages are of varying distances. A couple are only a few km away, and the furthest is about 20km. Aside from the under five clinics, I also have to travel out to each to train each village health care worker. I have found some very motivated people, and that makes of want to in out there even more.

When it comes to the provincial capital, I don't have an option other then to bike. The road my village is on is hardly a road. It is more like a compacted dirt path that is wide enough for a car. Although a car could technically fit, no cars take that road. So, biking it is. The other problem is that, since i am in Kasama district, which includes Kasama, the provincial capital, i have a lot of work that involves visiting offices in town. This often means that in one day i will ride out to Kasama, hold my meeting, and ride back the same day. That makes 60km in a day on a mountain bike through mostly sand, gravel, and stone.

For the trips to Kasama, the ride up is grueling. Mostly up hill, it feels like forever. The way back is way better. This is really ideal because when I stock up on supplies and load up the bike, it is nice that it is mostly down hill.

So I make the trip up to Kasama at least once a week. All in all, between some cycling in the US, and everything I am doing here, makes of think that I will be reaching the 10,000km mark by the time, or soon after, I get home. Pretty cool. And this is on road biking, bush paths are not quite as fun as speeding down pavement on a super lite road bike. Bikes here have to be more like tanks. Gotta have spare parts on hand, mud guards, and a steel bike rack on back to support forty pounds or more you strap on it.

All of this also means that I have gotten good at bike maintainence. I re-tool my bike at least once a week to ensure smooth rides.

Anyways, at least the rides are getting easier!