Day 10 at Tiko Community Lodge, Katete
Distance 7 +7268 = 7275
Total from Amsterdam  12675

Wind howling outside at 6 am so another day here. At just after 7 am Peter went to the hospital to get his cough checked out. They took blood, checked his sugar and heaven only knows what else, but six tests done in all and was told to return at 10h00. Fortunately he didn’t have anything to eat beforehand. After breakfast I went with him to the hospital to get his results and my cough checked. Most of the lab results had been done, he just had to wait for the blood test. While I sat outside room 13 waiting to see Tim, the doctor, Peter waited at the laboratory for the results and then to see Stephen, the doctor. The next minute a lady ran into the courtyard screaming, fell to the ground and was finally subdued and restrained. When a guy came over to chat to her she wrestled with him, pushed him over into a sort of ditch and ran away. She looked very unsteady on her feet and could have been drunk – all patients waiting for treatment were laughing so she couldn’t have been too ill. I decided after well over an hour, and only moving up three places in the queue, to rather see how I feel in Lusaka and go to a hospital there, if need be.

Peter returned just before noon with the doctor telling him that the cough could be a side effect from the malaria treatment (coartim) tablets, gave him a course of pink looking pills to take 4x a day with food and that we could only start riding again on Sunday.

We had lunch and now the patient is sleeping so I need to ride to Katete which is only about 4 km away to buy stuff for tomorrow night’s supper. We have managed to buy another frozen chicken from Tiko lodge, just need some veg and rice and, of course, a few more Mars bars. While at the shops I needed the loo for a …, the closest decent place was a bank over from Fatima’s Cash and Carry. When the bank’s guard saw where I’d parked my bike he insisted I move it and I had to knyp big time.

Afterwards I collected my bike and, weak in the knees, crossed back over the road to Fatima’s to continue shopping for new lappies (cleaning rags) and yoghurt. With the wind behind me I almost freewheeled back to Tico’s. Two good goals for Nigeria and 13 minutes left for Iceland to pull something out of the bag but now in extra time and there’s no hope of Iceland winning this game. Third night of leftovers but the chicken is bubbling in a pot outside for tomorrow nights stew. Night everyone ??

– Khetiwe and Edson, the day shift kitchen staff. Edson is by far our favourite amongst the staff at Tiko

– This lady looked really stern but was very friendly. I was filming her baby blowing bubbles

– The loo in the … saga

– Street market in Katete