Daily Routines
Currently we get woken at 06h30 by the bus horn and Duncan walking around blowing a whistle.
Two nights ago some police car decided to blow his siren at 03h56 in the morning. I heard Darrel rummaging around but thought nothing much about it. It turns out he got up at that hour and started dismantling his tent thinking it had been the wake-up call. When it dawned on him that it was still quite dark and no one else was around he went in search of his cellphone to check the time ... ;-)
Some people get up a little earlier - pack and leave on the trek for the day - one can leave at anytime after sunrise. Basically we need to eat breakfast (provided), get dressed and pack up camp to leave at eight. 08h00 is the time the racers all leave ... the fast and the slow racers. We have to register as a racer before each section and it basically means that our time will be recorded - not necessarily that we will be going for a win ... we will let Chris and Adri fight that out over the next four months.
Once on the road we will encounter the lunch truck somewhere roughly half way along the day's route where we get some energy bars and sandwiches and drinks. Then we head on to the end of the day's cycling. I generally head off with all the fast guys - and Janet. This bunch tends to break up along the way with some screaming off ahead and others dropping off behind me.
Once at camp we get our kit off the bus, put up our tents and get changed. I tend to have a quick wash in the tent. Then we lounge around, fiddle with bikes, read, snooze, re-pack, organise, go swim (the last two days), etc. Just after sunset (about five thirty I think ... don't wear a watch after the ride) we have a rider meeting re problems and the next day's route. Then a very big dinner and off to chill before bed ... about nine - give and take.
Toilets have been over this or that sand dune with a shovel and a roll of toilet paper ... and yes we were supposed to bring our own toilet paper ... aahh how much I miss the two ply with the little puppies printed on it.
