I stuffed myself with spaghetti bolognese last night for dinner. After a week of diarrhea, I thought I’d need some energy and forced myself to finish my plate. That was a very bad decision. I felt sick from the moment I got up from the dinner table, and felt absolutely terrible this morning.

Unable to even look at food, I started my riding day without breakfast, and that had a terrible impact on my energy levels. Even though it’s been a relatively easy riding day, I’ve been suffering all day long. By the time I reached camp around noon, my morale had reached a new bottom. I’m generally a healthy person without medical problems, but I’ve been sick more on this tour than my past five years. I’m sick of being sick!

NB: Fortunately, my mental energy restored during the afternoon. Unfortunately, my diarrhea would return at night. It’s not pleasant when you wake up in your dark tent in the middle of the night and struggle to make it to the bathroom in time. Have I mentioned I’m sick of being sick?!

Stage 36: Kigali – Kayonza (Rwanda), 76km

Road & traffic condition:

Good roads, hilly, respectful drivers.

Weather:

Mostly overcast=pleasant.

Culinary highlights:

Our camp had a really nice coffee shop. Thus we kept entertained chilling over our favorite coffees and eating pastries during the afternoon. Even I—religious non-bread eater—ordered one of their cinnamon bread rolls, and it was delicious for sure!

Group highlights:

Camping at Eco Camp—an ecologically run camp that focuses on sustainability and also empowers women. Some riders went for a tour through the camp (I skipped that unfortunately).