From Being Hit by a Car to Flying Off Bikes, It Was an Adventure Part 4

From Being Hit by a Car to Flying Off Bikes, It Was an Adventure Part 4
I slept so well at Jenny's house that night. I thought about taking a
day off the trip and spending the time in her village, but by 8:30, I
decided to leave. (Which was kind of silly since I had waited for the
heat.)The ride started off so beautiful. The coast was so nice and
scenic. Then the road turned. I started following the river, and
eventually had to cross it. The water was up to my thighs as I waded
through it. The road kept going uphill, and in the heat I took many
breaks. When I finally reached the top I was excited, as it was such
an amazing view. I began going downhill as slowly as possible. The
road was made of only rocks, with big rocks jetting out of nowhere.
My bike is already too big for me, and I could not reach the ground
even on my tippy toes because of the inclination of the hill.
At one point I heard a metal clunk sound. I didn't stop to see what
it was because if I were to get off my bike at that time, the only way
off was to crash, and I care too much about my body for that. I found
out later the clunk was my kickstand. Although I really like having a
kickstand, it is not worth hurting myself on that hill.
When I got to the bottom I was in the village that Survivor was
filmed. I was almost there. I saw Manono island in the distance and
knew that there would be a ferry there, then a ferry to Apolima, and
then the wharf for my ferry at Mulifanua, where I had started two days
before.
The last stretch of road was flat, and easy as can be. When I got to
the wharf, I met up with someone who volunteered to take my bike to
Salelologa. I bought the ticket for my bike, and ended up seeing
people from the village next to mine. They asked what I was up to,
and thought I was strange for riding my bike around the entire island.
I didn't care I was proud.
I was cloud nine as I got on the bus to Apia. I wanted to go out for
a celebratory lunch. I had been dreaming of pizza for quite some time
at that point and was really looking forward to it. I contacted John
the Welder, a former volunteer, and he agreed to meet me.
When we got to Apia, the power was out on the entire city, so pizza
was out of the question. I settled for a big burger at a place we
found that still had power to cook.
I was so proud of myself. In three days I had ridden around Upolu,
and was planning on finishing up Savai'i this week. (Because of
cyclone warnings I decided to put this off.) I really love living in
the little country of Samoa. Travelling on a bike has made me really
appreciate the beauty that lies on these two islands.
I just wish I could ride my bike with no handlebars…