How I Became Royalty in Africa vA 119
Rutana, Burundi - We will be with you then if you like. - You will come with me? - Of course. Like traveling friends. - If you want. - Is it a camera? - It's a camera. Yes. - Ah, and do you have GPS? - GPS? Yeah, but I use my phone. - Ah, yes. - I'd like a yellow jacket. It's for my bike. - Ah, it's for you? I have forgotten. - Thank you.
- I have forgotten. Sorry. - No problem. Morning, my friends. All good. Come on. - A photo first. - Ah, he takes a photo. - With the good Frenchman in our country, it's good.
- Who comes to visit Burundi. - Burundi. Yes, yes. - Burundi is beautiful. - He is the son of Macron. - He is the son of Macron. I am the son of Macron now. Okay, let's go.
Let's go. Bye-bye. Allons-y. Let's go. - It's very steep here. - I don't mind if someone pushes me here. Yeah, but I can't climb here. Thank you. It's good. - It's really an honor. Whites are always protocolized.
- Protocolized. Yeah, I am very protocolized here. I have a lot of protocols for me here. - There has to be a video so that you show there, it's pleasant in Burundi, I have friends, they came with me. - So I have a safety escort to get out of Rutana. Look at this view, guys. Wow!
Hello. Hello. So I rejoined the main road. - Hey. Hey, mzungu. - All right, all right.
Quite a short day today, so today we are going to Makamba, 50 kilometers from here, for our last full day in Burundi where I'm treated like royalty. - Welcome, mzungu. - Hello. And the boda-boda escort is arriving already. - It's good? - It's good, it's good. - It's good.
- You see, they have electric scooters here. Very fancy electric scooters. Hello. - Okay. - Hello. - Hello. - Hey, man. - Yes. You're much faster than me now. Scooter. - A scooter. A scooter is... - Trottinette électrique.
- Trottinette électrique. - In French, yes. In English, it is called "scooter". Yeah, hello. Hello. Hello. - Hey, you. - Hello. So apparently, I have become the special envoy of Macron in Burundi.
And I have presidential security for my journey in Burundi now. Oh! - Yeah. - I mean... I saw it. Yeah, I lose it all the time. I need to do something. Thank you. - The horn? - Yes, it's the horn. Thank you very much. - Okay, okay. Yeah.
- Come on, come on! - It's good. - It's good. - It's vacation time. - It's good, it's good. - Yeaahhh! - Yeaahhh! - It's vacation time. It's the holidays in Burundi. Vacations in Burundi. - This is President Macron. - I am President Macron. I am President Macron now. Macron is cycling across Burundi.
Hello, hello. - Yeah! - Yeah, long live vacations. - Long live vacations. Happy holidays! - Vacations. - Happy holidays in Burundi! So that's the holidays of President Macron. - Yeah. - In Burundi. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah. - Yeah. - Yeah. Yeah. - Something funny here actually is also the... You know, the people speak French, but it's very funny they have a slight Belgian accent. Slowly. Yes, the holes... - The road, really... - Yes. Yes, yes. - African road. - Yes.
The African road. Hello. Muraho. A gang of toddlers. - Hey. - Hello. - Hello. - Yes. And in my followers for today... Actually, I have an electric bicycle, which is a quite rare sight here.
Hello. - Yeah. - Mzungu. - Honestly, Burundi is being quite an extraordinary experience. Wow. So I am soon gonna lose my presidential escort. - Yeah. - They already followed me for about 15 kilometers.
Look at this beautiful road in the heart of Africa. Hello. - Hello. - All right, all right. - All right, all right. He fell. And here, President Macron arrived in a village with a presidential escort. Hello. That's a lot of charcoal. Hello.
- Hello, man. - Good morning. - Good morning. How are you? - I'm fine. And you? - Good, good. I'm good, I'm good. - Yes. - Hello, man.
- This is where I lose my escort. You go fast. - Yeah, fast. Very good, very good. - Yes, very good, very good. So now it's the... Yes.
It's photo time with my royal escort. - Yeah. - To say "goodbye" to my escort. - Hello, sir. - Hello. - Hello. Yes. - Yeah. - Yes. - Hello, we will take a family photo. - Okay. - Over there. - Ah, yes. Okay. Okay. - Photo, photo. - Yeah, photo, photo, photo...
- Only Ladack, Ezekiel, and me. - Okay. - We do this correctly. - Like this. - Like this. One family. Voila, do this. So you have to thank everyone. - Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Okay, thank you very much. - Bon voyage. Yes.
- Thank you very much. Thank you. Where is Ezekiel? Thank you very much. - You wave like this and ride away. - Thank you, thank you. Thank you, thank you. - Thank you. - Thank you, thank you. - Yeah. - Okay, bye. - Goodbye. - Bye-bye. Goodbye.
- Bon voyage. - Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Bye. - Good luck. - Thank you. And I am on my own again. Well... I don't know if I'm gonna be really on my own. Nobody follows me.
Wow. Burundi is something else, man. Yeah, I'm not alone. That was for sure. Hello. - Hello. - Hey, man.
- Hello. - A tourist. - Wow, a beautiful cave. Hello, hello. No, I continue, I continue. Hello. - Hey, hey. - Hello. - Hello, mzungu. - Hello, hello. - Ay, yeah, yeah. - Hello. - Hello. - Hello. - Hello. Hello. - Hello.
- Where are you going? To? - Kayogoro. - Kayogoro. - Kayogoro. - Yes. - Okay. - Okay, bye. - Okay, bye. Have a good day. That's a nice toy. Hello. Hello. Bicycle shop. Hello.
This is really, really remote. Hello. Hello. Oh, man. Burundi is beautiful.
Hello. Sawa, sawa. Hello. - Hello. - Yeah.
Hello. - Yes, yes. - Yes, yes? - Yeah. Come, come, come. Go. - Hello. Hello. - Hello. - Hello. Hello. - Yeah. - My son. - Mzungu, mzungu. - How are you? - Good.
How are you? But... Ah, okay. Thank you. Murakoze. - Welcome. - Look at this beautiful river. Hello. Hello. - Hello, hello. - Fine? Fine. Oh, there's a tap here. Hello.
Look at this beautiful landscape. Beautiful Burundi. Hello. - Hello. - This — no gears? - Yeah, yeah. - No. Hello. Sometimes in Burundi, it's hard to film the landscape, because my followers hide it.
Maybe I should stop before reaching the summit for a snack, because I'm really hungry now. - Where do you live? - Where do I live? - Yeah. - France. France. - Yeah. - Paris. - Yeah. - They don't know Paris. That's not that common. - Do you live in Burundi or Tanzania? - France.
France. - Yeah. - France. - Yeah. - Hello. - Hello. - Okay, let's do a snack break. I'm starving. Ah, look at this view. Oh my God. Look at this beautiful landscape, guys. Oh, putain. Can you believe it? As soon as I stopped, it started raining.
And look what I found in Gitega. Some crackers. Nice. They are soft. I mean, the cloud is very small, so I can reasonably hope it's not gonna last for long. Look at that, guys. Well, these are my spectators, but this is a very small cloud.
It's enough to have a heavy rain already. Let's go. Whoa. Let's finish our way. Oh my God. 15 kilometers left to reach Makamba.
- Hey, mzungu. - I dropped my friends. They waited for me during my snack break, with their overloaded bicycle. Let's wait for them. Oh, here you are. A car full of cassava. Hello.
Where do you go? Okay. Food. - Thank you. - Food. Kwaheri. Bye-bye. - Yeah. - Goodbye. - Yeah. - Sorry. I know it's not good to give, but...
We are humans after all. We don't always do the right things. - Hello, mzungu. - Hello, hello. Hello. Today I might have done double the distance compared to the expected distance, because of zigzagging around the potholes. Hello. - Good morning, good morning. - Good morning. - Yeah.
- Hello. - Yeah. - Hello. - Hello. Hello. Hello. Well, you probably can't see, but it's amazing how fast the clouds are moving.
That's why the weather is changing so fast here. It's not even how fast they are moving. It's... I scared the kid by talking. It's how fast they expand actually, develop themselves. Very interesting. Obviously, heavy rain is coming soon. Hopefully, I will arrive before. Hello. - Yeah.
- Hello. - Hi. - Mzungu. - Hello.
- Mzungu. - So I have another selfie requirement, but I'm not gonna stop because it's gonna rain soon. So I would like to arrive before getting soaked. - I wanted to see you ride. - Okay, okay. - And where do you come from? - France. - You come from France? - Yeah, I come from France. - Do you know the country where you are? - Yeah, I know.
I'm in Burundi. - Burundi? - Yes, yes. - You know it's Burundi here. - Yes, it's Burundi here. - Ah, my friend. Okay, okay. I see, but it's very good. - Okay, good. Yeah. - And I like to see you. I like to see you. - You like to see me. Good. - No problem. Yeah.
- I'm happy to see you, too. - Okay. - Nice to meet you. - I will see you tomorrow there... Where you are going, in Makamba. - Okay. - Here you go in Makamba. - Yes, yes, yes. Okay. - Bye. - Have a good day. - Yeah. Good voyage. - Goodbye.
Ten kilometers left. You see the sky. Do you think I will make it before the big shower? Oh, man, there is a huge shower on the portside. You see a nice 4G antenna. Hello. - Hey, hello. - Hello. Hello, mzungu. - Hello. Matoke on the starboard side.
And a huge squall on the portside, guys. Hello. I mean, some big drops are slowly starting to fall. But I am slowly also... I'm slowly overtaking the cloud.
Maybe I'll make it. I think now it's just eight kilometers left. Mostly downhill, I think, now. Look at this matoke. Oh my God. Matoke, matoke. Hello. - Hello. - Hello. - Yeah. - I guess that's where I'm going, guys. What a view! Wow!
Oh-oh-oh-oh, shit. There's a big shower straight ahead. Guys, I was thinking I would make it, but... Well, I think it's starting to rain. I think it's coming from starboard side. This is Makamba, guys, in the very heart of Africa. It's gonna be very tight with this shower.
I am 700 meters from my hotel. Hello. But the shower is almost here. Well, why does he put the line? Come on. Ah, yes. Thank you.
Look at that, guys. The shower is just there. 500 meters left. That's a very close race. Hello. - Hello. - 200 meters.
Basically, the question was, "Will I get drenched or not?" Nonara. Right here. I am arriving here. Nonara Park Hotel. Look at that, guys. There is a whole park. That's awesome. Lodging, reception. - Sir Kino. - Muraho. Hello. - Fine? - Sir Kino? - Yes, yes.
- You know me? - Yes, I know you. You were in Kenya. - I was in Kenya, indeed. - I was following you when you were in Kenya.
- Okay. Voila, now I am in Burundi. - Welcome. - Thank you. - Okay. - It's tiring. - Yes, it's tiring. Yes. Burundi — it's up and down. - Yes, yes, yes. A lot of mountains.
- A lot of mountains. Yeah. - Yeah. - I arrived just before the downpour. - Yes, yes. There is no... Ah, there is someone at the reception. - Ah. There is someone at the reception? - Yes, yes. - Okay. Hello. - Hello. - Hello. - Do you have rooms? - Yes. - Yes. - Rooms? - Yes. After here, I go to Tanzania. - Ah, Tanzania. - I don't know if I stay one or two nights. It depends...
And the next stage, Kigoma. - Okay, Tanzania. And then? - Then I cross Tanzania, then Zambia. Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa. - Okay. Very good. - Voila. That's the program. - Can I show you the room? - Okay. Let's go. Talk to you later then.
- Wait, I'll go get the umbrella. - I'll take my raincoat. Ah, yeah. Oh, great. - Can I take a picture with you? - Yes, no problem. - Okay. - What's your name? - Simon. - Simon. - Yes. - Nice to meet you. - Fine. You are very strong. - Very good. Thank you. - Okay. - Thank you. - Okay, good luck. - Thank you. - Good luck then. - It's the first time I've seen such a type of bicycle.
- Yes, it's not common. Yes, yes. - It's the first time. - It's not common. So we are... - It's good? - Both of us. Yes. It's comfortable. - It's comfortable? - It's very comfortable. Yes.
How much are the rooms? - The rooms? 30,000. - 30,000? - Yes, Burundian Francs. - Yes. Okay, with hot water? - No. - Okay. - The water is lukewarm. - Lukewarm? - No, more cold. - Rather cold. Okay. - It's cold. - Okay. 30,000. - The towels are not dry yet. - Sorry? - We are gonna dry them now. - Ah, okay. Okay. - Towels. - And do you have rooms with hot water?
- With hot water, it's all finished. - Ah, all the rooms are taken. - All taken. Yeah. - Ah, it's all taken. Okay. Okay. Okay, then I will take this. Oh my God. This bicycle? - Yeah. - It's made in the Czech Republic. This one. In Europe. - When you came, I thought you were handicapped.
- Disabled. Yeah, yeah. Many people think I'm... - Yes. - ...disabled. Yeah. - And it was very quick you cycled. It cannot be... Because how this... The speed is very high. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's fast. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I am telling you, I was very surprised. Usually, it's a bit easier. So usually, it's more like elder people who use it. But for me, I'm a little bit lazy, so I use this one.
Can I...? Can I use this to go to the restaurant? Thank you. I will go like this. - What a rain! - Oh, you come with me. Allez. Fine? - Yes, fine.
- Quite a nice shower. I won the race against the storm. And see you for the next adventures. Ciao, guys.
2024-06-03 18:35
