August 30th
121km (66m vertical)
Tougher day today. A few small changes made a big difference: First, our tailwind became a headwind. Thus, instead of cruising at 30km/h we were struggling at 20km/h. Second, the clouds disappeared and the sun was out. And third, the roads got a bit rougher. It was still a dead flat ride, however the monotonous scenery did little to distract us from the wind and heat. Thankfully, the temperature only got to 102F by 1:30pm when we reached the hotel, which seemed fair enough given the stories we've heard of 125F days!
Before lunch the police decided to stop riders again and gather us in a group. I'm really not sure what they were trying to accomplish. Within 5 minutes of letting us go, the faster riders were out of sight of the slower riders. And the road that we're on is the only thing cutting through the dusty landscape. Where do they think we'll go other than where the road takes us?
The precise directions to the hotel were supposed to be given out at lunch, but no one's cell phones worked so the tour leaders at the hotel couldn't send the directions back to the tour leaders at the lunch truck. Instead, flagging tape was put at each turn, and our local guide met us as we entered Mary and told us where to go. Even with these two navigational aids, 200m down the road the police flew up beside us – full lights and sirens blaring – and waving madly for us to follow them to the hotel.
Managed to successfully order dinner at a restaurant without a picture menu or english speaking staff. (The key was communicating “Which of these dishes do you think is good?” with hand gestures.)
The hotel has no internet connection. Its tough to reach the outside world here...which is clearly deliberate. Someone is even blocking our cell phone signals. The phones have coverage, but a message shows that the calls are being blocked. Big brother is watching.
Lonely road through the desert:
Smart cows find shade in the middle of the day:
This guy has 2 camels in his backyard!
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