Today has been a bit of an odd one really. Not huge amounts to report yet it was lovely. I can only explain this by writing about the overwhelming feeling of freedom I feel every day. This is both rewarding and thought provoking when I consider the goal of our challenge. It is rewarding because feeling liberated is in itself a wonderful sensation in which I can revel, thought provoking because Médecins Sans Frontières cares for people every day whose liberty has been compromised.
We packed up our camp early and had breakfast. We washed in a beachside toilet block and were then on the road. The route took us inland so up until about 1600hrs, we weren’t near the Med.
We passed some nice animals on the way. A big stoat ran across a track a fond point, we saw lots of beautiful seabirds and then came across some horses and a llama (not sn alpaca as he has long banana shaped ears and was big – I knew this because I’m worldly and definitely didn’t look it up on Ecosia 5 minutes ago.
On wards down some quiet tracks . They were quiet but hot, especially when the wind dropped. Temperatures are much more tolerable than the 36c of Nimes a few days ago . About 28-29c today 33c predicted for tomorrow. We drink about 5 litres per day and are limiting our rides to 30-40 miles / day to stay safe. The last thing we want is to be a burden on the healthcare system here which would be extremely embarrassing.
We arrived in Saint Pierre Le Mer about 1600 hrs , managed to get a spot on the municipal campsite and then went for food in town.
We started to write our blogs by the sea which would have been lovely but a sustained mosquito attack caused us to retreat back to the tent!
So that’s us for today. I have a couple of things to add before I close . One is about my thoughts as I gazed at the beautiful Mediterranean this evening. I couldn’t help but think of the desperate people fleeing conflict and instability who risk their lives trying to cross this water. Médecins Sans Frontières has been assisting those in danger in the Mediterranean for years. Read more about their operations here : https://www.msf.org/mediterranean-migration
The second thing I wanted to mention is the repulsive Rwanda deportation policy that the UK government seems hell bent on implementing . This is a disgraceful plan that for me evokes thoughts of the Madagascar relocation plan the Nazis proposed for their “Jewish problem”. Tracey and I were talking about this today. This is not the policy of a fair minded government nor should it be accepted by the British people. We are better than that – or we used to be.
Good night all and thank you for your ongoing support . ❤️ . Andy