Potpourri

A few weekends ago I biked 20 km to spend the weekend at my friend, Amanda’s site. I have come to the conclusion that biking in 100 degree weather is not the greatest idea, especially when your bike dies on you. Die, you ask? Yes, this may seem a bit dramatic but die it did (chain, flat tire, and tube). Luckily, after a few minutes of waiting (not really sure what for), a couple of bicyclists stopped to help. In my best French, I tried explaining that my bike had died and there was no possibility of reviving it—at least on my end. In my long explanation of what had happened there were lots of pointing, hand gestures, and me saying it would not work. They asked if I was headed into Ouahigouya and I told them I was headed to village about 10 km outside of the city. One of the men said if I hopped on the back of his moto he would take me to a mechanic in village. While I was appreciative of the offer, I had to decline because of Peace Corps policy. You would think that I had to decline because it is Peace Corps policy not to hitchhike, but nope, I had to decline because I cannot ride motos. Anyway, I seemed to have gotten my point across because they proceeded to stop a random bicyclist that was heading in the opposite direction. They informed him he would need to give me his bicycle so I could ride it into town. I got on his bicycle and headed into the next village with my entourage of three guys on their bicycles/motos. They led me to a mechanic in the next village where they stayed with me until I assured them I was okay.