Travel Tales

Extract from the diary: "For almost 30 continuously twisty miles it does nothing but gain altitude. Traffic consists of a conga line of trucks, buses, and vans that pass on blind curves. Not to mention the bicycles laden with bundles of charcoal as wide as cars captained by boys who tear down the hill at break-neck speeds. These �charcoal boys� take their lives in their hands several times a day. At the base of the mountain in Bujumbura, they latch on to the back of a passing vehicle, usually a truck, and sitting sidesaddle on the bicycle cross bar, they hitch a ride all the way to the top."