Me and my motorbike - a Love/Hate relationship

OK, so motorbike training last week had its good points and its bad points. I was able to start the thing and balance well. I found I could change through the gears and not stall the bike or fall off. I love the feeling of being on the open road with no traffic, goats, children, chickens, dogs, donkeys etc. to make me have to think about the mechanics of the beast. It’s fantastic to be independent and be able to get to places like beautiful beaches off the beaten track without having to walk miles in the sweltering heat and I’m really happy that I have cracked a new skill at my age. On the down side - it scares me to death. I fell off five times – nothing serious – and found it really difficult to manoeuvre round corners at slow speeds. I didn’t succeed at the downhill exercises and if it wasn’t for Sal my trainer I would have given up on the Thursday. On the emotional/psychological side, I am on two wheels, not strapped in feeling vulnerable as a soft boiled egg in the middle of the traffic in The Gambia.

This is a place where cars do not need MOT certificates, indicators have been replaced by horns hooting at everything that moves and overtaking mirrors are a thing of the past.

I’m sure that as I get more used to the red devil – YAMAHA AG 100 for anyone who is interested – I will learn to conquer my fears but at the moment I’m wondering if I will ride it at all. Old dog – new tricks! - photos to follow.

I had a particularly restless night last night due mainly to the fact that I start my motor bike lessons tomorrow. The worries are:
Will I roast to death in the helmet and jacket?
Will I have to ride along Kairaba Avenue (the equivalent to Marble Arch)?
Will I fall off?
After considering all these options my concentration shifted to the various noises coming into the bedroom from outside. It struck me as a kind of African trifle with many different levels of noise that continued all through the night.
At the bottom end were the hundreds and thousands of bull frogs with their deep resonating croak.
Then you have the dogs which bark to each other all night long.
In the middle are the various insects and grasshoppers which sit in trees making a constant chirruping noise reminiscing of old western movies.
The cockerels of course, have to join in with the conversation as do the birds as dawn approaches.
And finally at around 5am the Imam calls the faithful to prayer through his very efficient PA system.
I lay there remembering with fondness the double-glazed UPVC perfectly fitted windows of my little bungalow in Poole. Where one silent, gentle movement of the handle would eradicate all noise forever.
The next thing I knew it was morning and the African trifle had somehow lulled me off to sleep.