There's something in the act of setting out that renews me, that fills me with a feeling of possibility. On the road, I'm forced to rely on instinct and intuition, on the kindness of strangers, in ways that illuminate who I am, ways that shed light on my motivations, my fears. - Andrew McCarthy

27 January 2020, Kaolack to Diourbel, 65.2km
Hotel Balkan 20,000XOF (R488)

We had to flag down a mini-bus taxi 15km shy of the Hotel Balkan to transport me and mine to town while Charl cycled on alone in the burgeoning heat.
We awoke this morning to find my back tyre was flat, then I got another flat on the road, and then the tube Charl had repaired this morning, the last of our tubes, went flat too shortly after we had inserted it. The very first vehicle we waved at, stopped. We removed my bags and flasks, and the bike was hoisted onto the roof rack and I and the bags installed in the back. Luckily, I had seen the Hotel Balkan advertised on the main road into town on Google Maps, so I knew what to ask for and Charl knew where to find me. The two young men who managed the taxi, unloaded me directly opposite the hotel, and although it is more expensive than we like, I took a room, attracted particularly by the advertised pizzeria.
After months in Africa, I am inured to less-than-perfect conditions at hotels. In fact, I never expect perfection, hoping merely for good-enough. But when I am paying more than usual, and perhaps also when I am tired and a little irritable, I confess to finding fault. Particularly when a hotel in Africa (meaning north of Namibia) is the same price as a known alternative in South Africa where I KNOW I would get much more. In this price range at home, I would expect a small fridge and coffee-making facilities, perhaps even breakfast. Two towels, of course, and a fully-functional bathroom. And some care taken about how a place looks. Our room at the Balkan has a large and comfortable bed, and a good fan. However… Its window fronts onto a passageway; its incredibly ugly television stand does not sport a TV; the plug points are hanging loose and look dangerous to use; a door that ghosts and will not stay closed unless you double-lock it; one towel only, of course (the norm, for some reason, is a shared towel); A TINY shower in a biggish bathroom making it impossible not to wet the floor; the usual missing loo seat; no bin; and absolutely nowhere to hang damp towels or one’s clothes. HOOKS. Hooks are the answer, and cheap to install… On the other hand, a staff member was sent off on his scooter to hunt down new tubes, saving Charl the hassle of scouring an unknown town for replacements. And our pizza was good-enough, just the meat being a little tough (also the norm).
Before leaving Kaolack, we bought milky coffee from a mobile stand, and deep fried cinnamon cakes, still hot. Our road, once out of the city, was perfectly smooth ride-able tar, no shoulder, but little traffic. And it was predominantly flat. The wind blew, either directly in our faces or in from the right, but not as strongly as yesterday and carrying less dust.
The scenery has changed completely in the last few days. Flat open plains dotted with trees and bush and farmland. Baobabs in pleasant clumps, and mimosas (acacias) lining the road, distinctive in their green bark and beginning to display their deep-yellow fluff-ball flowers.
We saw cattle and sheep herded across the road, and disturbed enormous vultures just beyond the verge. When they took flight, we estimated their wing-span at nearly a metre. We could not see what had attracted them, but the smell of it assaulted us. The huts here have thatch roofs with elongated cylindrical tops, the garages offer a mosque - essentially a room where drivers can stop to pray, and we are seeing again the advertising on hut walls promising access to satellite TV for 10,000 villages, a local government / Chinese initiative.
By late afternoon, it was over 40 degrees, whereas yesterday was a considerably more comfortable 33. Yes, I have grown so accustomed to the heat that I can now call 33 degrees “comfortable”.

For today's route see below photos
For overview route, click on ROUTE tab above…