#22 The End of Stage Four, Cape Town, South Africa 3/16

Up until now I've been cycling through areas I never dreamed of visiting. Tonight, a chartered 747 will fly us to Athens to begin cycling in Europe. After six days in Greece, it's three weeks in Italy. For a cyclist who took a LOT of Roman history courses in college, bicycling the length of "the boot" is a dream come true. In the past 2-1/2 months I've had eleven rest days. Through Italy and France to Barcelona, there will ten rest days in a month. More rest means more recovery and a chance for my weary muscles to repair and grow. I've seen gradual physical changes in myself and wonder what psychological changes lay ahead. My notion of what constitutes a "comfortable" life has been downscaled: a good bed and pillow, my own shower, 110 volt electricity, cheap telephones, clean dry clothes, clean water, a clean working bathroom, and the ability to set my own pace.

What has been a tour of countrysides, with farming being the major human modification, will become a tour of human history. I've taken a mere ten rolls of film thus far with three of them taken in Kruger National Park. I expect that pace to change. I also expect the amount of "off-routing" to decrease as the costs in Europe are much higher than anywhere Odyssey 2000^� has been thus far.

Some tidbits from South Africa:

• My favorite trucking company name was Amalgamated Bulk.
• In South Africa, if there's cattle, a road and a fence, the cattle will be between you and the fence.
• In the poorer eastern areas, there is no limit to the number of people who can fit in a VW Kombi taxi.
• It seems like cars are either cheap or BMW/Mercedes.
• While I can get used to riding on the left hand side of the road, I can't get used to turning right.
• In the winter, Cape Town is the third windiest city in the world - and they brag about it!
• School kids walk for miles each way, all in uniform but not necessarily wearing shoes.
• It takes a stupid person to be a racist.
• There are essential nutrients which the body does not produce on its own and must get from an outside source, such as ice cream and chocolate. Mint Mega Ice Cream Bars provide both.

Happy Trails,
Bruce