Fi Ramsden

Kasane 05/08

Today we cycled from our camp in Pandamatenga to Kasane. Last night the boys were teasing me for always being the last person to rise, so I foolishly told them that they just weren’t waking me up properly. I regretted saying this almost as soon as the words left my mouth. Like a red-rag to a bull the scheming began for this morning’s wake-up. As it turns out it was me that rose the alarm. At about 4am I found myself being charged by a herd of angry elephants through thorn bushes in the grounds of my old school, with a few characters from Shaun of the Dead thrown in for good measure. Mark was there, wearing a fireman’s outfit. At this point I think I started to realize I was dreaming but I felt paralysed and couldn’t move a muscle. I was trying to scream out for help. As it turned out I was screaming, well wimpering it seems, enough to wake almost the entire camp. Eventually I woke to my tent being shaken by a bleary-eyed Stuart.

“Er, Fi, I think you’ve been having a bad dream…”

“Ahem, yes, it would appear so. Sorry everyone”

I think I’d been subconsciously worrying about what the guys had in stall for me. They graciously let me off this time.

I was pretty knackered, and late to rise, as usual, so I let Richard and Stuart head off without me on the tandem. I drank about eighteen cups of caffeine, watched Mark clear up, then jumped in the truck with him and we caught up with Thandie after about 20km. Richard and I swapped places for a bit of a change so I rode the tandem and he took my bike. It was a long slog to Kasane. but the road was much better than yesterday. It was pretty flat and the potholes were much fewer and further between. We kept a close eye out for animals, particularly elephants, but only spotted one, who was thankfully interested in neither the us nor the bikes. We made it to Kasane by mid afternoon with enough time to shower, set up camp and do some laundry before we hit the G&Ts and dinner which was all generously given to us on-the-house by Angela and her husband Chris.