Gondarlink | BikeEthiopia

BikeEthiopia

Sponsored cycle ride from Britain to Ethiopia

GondarLink website

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15 countries 5,500 miles 7 months £12,000 raised

Congratulations Paul and Kate!

Dear all,

You wouldn’t believe it but we’re actually in Gondar. We arrived on time but in keeping with the BikeEthiopia tradition the diary entry is a little late! We have ridden nearly 5,500 miles to get here and in doing so have raised over twelve thousand pounds for the work of GondarLink. To try and bring you a little up to date, the following is a bit of a cut and paste job from our final diary entry which is now on the website...

When the day of the 29th finally dawned... the culmination of nearly two years effort... we prepared ourselves for the final leg of our journey. We were definitely different characters to when we had started, and we were both a lot slimmer (it’s amazing what a week of Typhoid and Dysentery can do!).

Although we had been promised a memorable welcome, nothing prepared us for the fantastic reception that awaited us... our ever increasing convoy was as follows: a taxi decorated with BikeEthiopia balloons was ahead of us; followed by us ‘intrepid’ cyclists in our red GondarLink t-shirts; a mini-bus also bedecked with balloons carrying some of our loyal followers; then the scores of eager cyclists with pro Kate and Paul and BikeEthiopia slogans posted on their backs; and bringing up the rear, a procession of teachers and well-wishers’ cars...

The roads were lined with uniformed school children and their teachers who were all clapping and cheering... we went past shops and cafes with cheering locals before finally turning into Meskel Square in the heart of town.

We couldn’t believe our eyes, literally hundreds of people were sat around the edges of the square and on the walls above it; everyone was cheering and clapping. On the main central stage was a mass of blue uniforms with little children holding banners and flags and singing our welcome. They were completely surrounded by hundreds of BikeEthiopia balloons (thanks mums, Million and Abebe for your plentiful puff and patience!).

New to BikeEthiopia?

Let us explain. We are Paul Testa and Kate Williams and on the 29th August 2004 we set off cycling from the gates of Paul's old school in Amersham, England... Our destination? The gates of the Fasiledes School in Gondar, Ethiopia where Paul taught several years ago.

As you can see from our site, we made it! And we have been able to raise a large sum of money to help the work of GondarLink which helps the young people of the Gondar area to have better lives and a decent education.

Do spend some time browsing through our website and learn about our epic journey - it's never too late to make a donation towards GondarLink's work! (click here)

When the speeches of the official ceremony had finished we sat down amongst the gorgeous children of Rekebnaha School (remember those blue uniforms) so that we could watch a special performance by the wonderful Azezo Circus. This was a grand finale to our reception and as they made their final bows the crowd went crazy.

All of a sudden all the children were running and clambering over everything (including our bikes!) to get to the colourful balloons that were strung up in the square. As we tried to retrieve our still fully laden bikes and make a discreet exit, things became a little more manic as the children turned their excited attention towards us.

Now, the famous BikeEthiopia cards were being thrust in front of our faces and autographs were being demanded. It was the strangest experience and we were glad to be finally escorted away by our bodyguards (parents and Million) to the quiet comfort of the Quara Hotel for a well deserved Pepsi and samosa.

Even after this wonderful day the people of Gondar have treated us so incredibly well and the numerous receptions we’ve had at the different schools have been overwhelming ...you can read about them in our final diary. We did say once at the Rekebnaha School that if we had known how amazing our reception was going to be we would have cycled twice as fast!

Thank you everybody in Gondar and especially those who are working with GondarLink. Also, there’s no way we could ever forget everyone at home who has supported us throughout this trip. Although we have said this loads of times, without their love and support we would never have managed such a mammoth task.

Thank you everybody and if you get a chance, take a look at our new photos and diary on the website. We look forward to seeing you all in a few months’ time!

Paul and Kate xxx

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