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April 22- Nigeria

From Niamey to Nigeria ,

After 4 days of hanging around in Niamey we continue with good spirits and visa for Nigeria and Tchad in our passports. The road is excellent and not very busy, even the wind is not totally against us. Actually, the only drawback is that the landscape is kind of boring, flat and no large trees only bush.

In Dosso we buy some aspirin as Saskia has a headache. For two days she is not feeling well and we stop early but can still manage more than a 110km per day. We arrive in Dogon Doutchi, the landscape is a bit more inspiring over here, there is even a small climb with a good view at the end. We camp in some gully close to a hill.

My bicycle has broken down, the back wheel ax is finished, actually it is the connection between the ax and freewheel. Impossible to repair here and spare parts are not available also. What to do? We decide to have a new wheel send to us by DHL to their office in Niamey. But first we need to get to Birni-n Koni, from there we should be able to get a bus back. Early in the morning we start walking hoping that a car will stop and take us. After 1 hour a green land rover stops and a man steps out. After a few words he notices that we are from the Netherlands and starts speaking Dutch?? He is American but married to a Dutch lady. He brings us to Birni, bicycles on top of the car.

There we board a bus and leave the bicycles at the camping touristique in the town. Traveling by bus is just hell, hot, stinking and uncomfortable. Now we know again why we are cycling.

After a small week the package arrives in Niamey, thanks to our family, we are happy. We return to Birni-n-Koni, repair the bicyle and continue the expedition.

This is tough, after a week without cycling the legs feel funny, especially when I get of the bike it seems as if they collapse, how strange. The next day my muscles ache everywhere. Saskia has the same problem only not so severe. For four days I am suffering. On the third day Saskia is mostly cycling in front of me against the strong eastern winds, this is rare. Luckily after 4 days things improve.

Everyday we manage to do more than a 100 km as we had planned. We pass Zinder and the road becomes smaller and quiet. This is dessert country again. In some parts the sand dunes have covered the road but never for more than 50 meters so it is not too bad.

The villages and town we pass are in fact oasis, green patches with palm trees and vegetable gardens in a barren land, very pretty and we like it. Luckily people are not asking for gifts anymore here, before Zinder that was very disturbing.

Just before Zinder we are passed by two 4X4's, A little bit further they wait for us on the side of the road. They are two American couples on their way to South Africa . They offer us nice cold water, lovely. (see www.africaoverland.org).

Diffa, this is the place where we will leave Niger. The towns people are relaxed and after 10 days of camping we sleep in a hotel again, hoping that we can take a real shower. We have to do we a bucket water shower though.

We cross the bridge into Nigeria and are welcomed by the duane. They are surprised and tell us that, as far as they know, cyclist have never past here before. They ask many questions and give us information about the routes. We have to get used to the English after so many months of French.

The road to Damasak is a track, sandy in some parts but ok.. It must be a lot worse in the rainy season though. After 30 kilometer we enter the Town and arrive on the tarmac. We take some drinks, it was very hot on that sandy road.

The road is good. Are all the roads in Nigeria like this? We take the direct road to Baga, although some people have said to us that it is not good. Why would it become worse if it is so good here, not even potholes. Not many trees here, finding a camping spot which is a bit invisible is difficult so we ride a few hundreds of meters into the grassland behind some low hills. In the night I hear automatic gunfire…… Saskia thinks it was a dream. I don't think so.

We arrive in the village Gouzomale. Many, many children come to watch the cycling whites while we drink and eat. The crowd is watching, even adults, never did I experience it so bad. Good thing is that they don't ask for anything, they are just looking and when we leave they make room for us and then run after us till we are out of the town happily waving at us.