I woke up to the sound of another bird but luckily it wasn't cockadoodling right by head and the song was much more pleasant combined with the lake. As the sun started to cook me in my tent I unzipped the door to let the cool breeze in and rolled over for another hour. No night from hell last night and instead I was well rested.
I had a wash in the lake and can't tell you whether the lake was fresh water or not as I rinsed off yesterday's sweat. I was too tired to do it yesterday and a lot of the time it is pointless when you can't wash your clothes as regularly as you like so I figure, if I'm just going to put my salt stained T-shirt back on then ill save the washing for when I have a decent shower.
I had a steep push to start the day and it wasn't a good sign that I still felt weak. The egg sandwich for breakfast probably should've been tripled but I figured I would be ok as I only had around 40km. I was wrong, and I was back in struggle mode after just 10 miles. The thought of every time I rotate the pedals meaning the closer I get to my goal was the only thing preventing me from stopping.
As I got closer to Shashemene I turned the constant "you, you, you" from the locals as calls of encouragement and motored my way through the last few miles as if I was cycling towards the Champs- Elysees. Shashemene is well known for being the first Rastafarian dwelling in Ethiopia. The Jamaican accent was a sure sign that I was getting closer and I was on the look out for the Rift Valley Hotel.
I initially cycled past it and at a glance it looked a bit fancy for me compared to what I've been staying in so I was going to head on further into town. Then I had a change of thought and would just enquire the price and go from there. I was getting a bit sick of the standard room with a bed and a chair and despite the beds being surprisingly comfortable, the last couple of rooms seemed to have some lively sheets and the crawling feeling over my body that I initially tried to imagine was a new age massage technique didn't really ease my aches and pains.
By the time it took me to carry Nigel up the 10 steps to the reception I had already convinced myself I would stay one night. The outside courtyard area looked decent, nice looking bar with a nice restaurant and when he showed me my room that would set me back just £6.50 then I already had 2 nights stay in mind. As much as I am an "action" man and I enjoy a productive day, I think in this case it'll be good to get fully fit before what would be a pretty unenjoyable week getting across to Kenya if I don't ensure my body is in good condition.
The hotel do very well to simulate a tropical feel with lots of trees around the courtyard. The monkeys and the strange parrot-pterodactyl things (I've named them Parrodactyls) help give this illusion as well but the truth is you're just 50m from the concrete building site of Shashemene. I did enjoy sitting at the restaurant and eating in the courtyard as the monkeys and hawks provided good entertainment as they stole the food from unsuspecting locals. One monkey stole my tray of ketchup as I dived to save my bread but I didn't mind as I had finished my chips. Monkeys are basically muscles with teeth, the last thing I want is to be bit by one whilst diving to save some ketchup.
Despite the hotel facilities being average by most standards and the fact i had to pay extra to take away my food when i was staying 20ft from the restaurant table, I was still prepared to stay here until I felt fully fit, however long that took!
I did have the bonus of movies in English and football all day tomorrow which I will be making the most of. All in all it was a short day that dragged due to poor health and lack of energy. It would've been much more enjoyable if I was on form so I will aim not to have a repeat performance in the future.
I'm still alive though and I'm safe, that's the main thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment