As usual, packing was deferred to the last minute. Some attempts at anticipation are notable, but biking and outdoors are now so deeply embedded in my lifestyle that a sizable chunk of what I bring on tour is a part of my daily life that I cannot pack aside in advance. But I have the drill down pat β I made everything modular and activity based, so that I am confident that even in a hurry I am not forgetting anything I may want to have at hand underway.
Apart from a couple of UK electricity mains adapters, I fetched what I needed from my cupboards and I did not have to buy anything β an amazing first. A few seasons of relentless acquisition quenched my requirements for hot and moderate weather touring equipment requirements, so I can nowadays be ready for an exotic deployment in less than an evening.
On top of disassembling the bikes, sorting and packing everything, I left the configuration of the sub-notebook for the last moment and took time on top to configure an USB flash memory as a backup β so I had just one hour of sleep, but the excitement kept me going nicely. We had an uneventful flight, with breathtaking Saharan landscapes of dark rock and bright sand. Further south the clouds drowned all but the sunset largely compensated that with stunning colors.
The bag was open and the seat which was traveling disassembled in a smaller bag had escaped from it. After inquiring to a few useless luggage claim employees, I concluded that prosecuting the case in Accra was hopeless. So, as usual, the tour is therefore going to start with a wild spare part hunt β always a fun way to discover an African city. And what would a bicycle tour be without some exotic spare part problem?
After almost 40 hours up with one hour of real sleep without Pauline interrupting, I was beginning to feel a bit winded. For my first night in a country, I always spend more than average though : more than comfort, hotel prices are about service β and being disorientated and wary in an African country is not the time to skimp on service.
