tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711781369107924586.post1575461878085811253..comments2024-02-28T18:31:09.088-08:00Comments on George the Cyclist: Matatiele, South AfricaJeff Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03790219160140511776noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711781369107924586.post-62454988241602300182009-02-09T14:28:00.000-08:002009-02-09T14:28:00.000-08:00i am glad to hear that you are well after this mos...i am glad to hear that you are well after this most trying experience. keep riding man. best, aaron.Yonder Vittleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12086023579811227657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711781369107924586.post-71716729688201953112009-02-09T11:48:00.000-08:002009-02-09T11:48:00.000-08:00What a startling and distressing experience. What ...What a startling and distressing experience. What supreme and amazing help you had on the heels of what could have been the ultimate setback. The first thought that ran through my head was so cliched. "Oh, I am SO glad he is alright!!!" Well. Not quite accurate. Your physical injuries as described are not extreme. You still have the most critical necessities for travel. But having one's sense of safety throttled so harshly is quite an injury, one less tangible and harder to treat than obvious things like cuts and scrapes and bruises and bent derailleurs. So when I say that I am so glad you are alright, I really mean "I am thrilled to hear that after all that craziness you are alive and relatively intact and a bad situation did not play out to it's extreme. I know your encounter and it's consequences could have been different and I am delighted that you can chose to continue.... Here's hoping that the familiar rhythm of riding and breathing brings you closer to a sense of balance, and that the remainder of your journey abounds in good fortune. DebbieIshkadebblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09995336882042684294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711781369107924586.post-60239770483115854522009-02-09T10:58:00.001-08:002009-02-09T10:58:00.001-08:00I’m so sorry to hear about this miserable experien...I’m so sorry to hear about this miserable experience. I’m glad it wasn’t worse, that you didn’t lose your ID, camera or other essentials. Or more importantly your injuries weren’t more severe.<BR/><BR/>Speaking as a person who’s had the shit kicked out of him by random strangers on more than one occasion, I can say it will affect your peace of mind for some time. You should allow yourself some emotional space to be distrustful and over-cautious. Feel better knowing that these jitters will pass.<BR/><BR/>Your use of this experience as an opportunity to assess what you might do differently is 100% right on.<BR/><BR/>And the fact that you were among friends repairing your bike less than 48(?) hours later is a estimate to your expertise as a traveler.<BR/><BR/>Godspeed, my friend.T.C. O'Rourkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16146929726820396795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711781369107924586.post-66429517027005480852009-02-09T10:58:00.000-08:002009-02-09T10:58:00.000-08:00Based on what just happened, I'm thrilled you're a...Based on what just happened, I'm thrilled you're all right, that you weren't severely wounded or worse, and that your bike was repairable. You were fortunate to be on a bus route and so close to a friend who just happened to be such a skilled bike mechanic and one so familiar with a biker's perspective on where you were heading next. If ever you needed a friend, this was it. That man is to be commended as we all owe him our thanks. This is obviously a less romanticized excursion, one that places you on alert at all times, forcing you to use your wisdom and best judgment. Your experience echoes the sense of desperation that pervades throughout so much of Africa. You are able to ride on to your next adventure, while so many remain stuck there, hopeless and utterly impoverished. Just the sight of you traveling through exudes a sense of freedom that many of them will never experience. Some obviously resent it and can strike maliciously. I can only hope that the next section of your journey is so phenomenal that it helps erase some of the bad memories from what you just experienced. May the force be with you, George.<BR/><BR/>RobertRobert Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01081919135288570394noreply@blogger.com