The first section of the day we rode through thick , thick sand . Afterwards we drove through extremely narrow paths with high grass growing on both sides and running through the centre of the track . On one painful fall I snagged my foot through the tough weeds and went hurdling to the ground . On another occasion some cows , which had been very impressed by John ’ s loud Akrapovich exhaust , but were completely apathetic to mine , crossed right into my path , causing me to swerve and fall again . Though I lost my balance often , I gained confidence and began enjoying the ride . I prefer riding slowly and carefully . I often receive advice saying to ride through thick sand as fast as possible . That advice is good – if you are riding a small , light bike , which you can pick up if it falls , you are close to home , it won ’ t be the end of the world if something breaks and there are probably no wild animals running through your path . But my bike is extremely heavy , I can ’ t pick it up , I am in the middle of Africa and not close to home , and if it falls and breaks that might mean the end of my trip . So sometimes slow and steady wins the race .
It was a hard ride , but every time we stopped it was impossible not to be amazed by the views around us . Tall grass billowed in the breeze , acacia trees dotting the plain and occasionally some wild ostrich in the distance . We could see white clouds rising from the pans , motivating us to keep riding .