a fat man stole my boots so now I'm riding my motorcycle barefoot

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i've driven like a fiend straight down, across, through and around and now out my hotel window is shining, strange maputo. it's a city that is still learning how to be a city, the way that africans in general seem to be learning how to be people, people from the television. if there was never a television imported to africa these africans would not know about wearing their hats backwards, or low over their eyes, or about walking with a swing step, or about building and living in cement. everyone says it who has come here, that the problem is wherever the west goes, along with it goes the problems of the west. the question is if the original problems of africa are worse than our replacement problems. the original problems... disease, famine, poverty... they can only kill you, where as the problems of the west will trick you into killing your self.

my shoes have been stolen, by accident, by a fat old man who checked out at four in the morning to catch a bus, hung-over and for whatever reason took them without leaving his own. they were ancient torn up leather boots, canadian military boots, and i was very proud of them. the fat man also took my socks and my book. the book was heart of darkness. the night watchmen described this fat man to me and how he took my things. because i had left these things out in the common area before going to bed the night watchman collected them and placed them on a counter so that the owner might find them easily upon waking. the night watchman took this fat man for the owner when the fat man picked up the shoes and book.

what use does a fat old man have for a worn out pair of boots without heels, a ripped up book and a pair of socks that have not been washed in a month. i left that same morning, barefoot. if a fat old man will steal my boots then i will ride my motorcycle barefoot. at first riding a motorcycle barefoot does not seem like the best idea but if you realize that you only ever put your feet down when you have more or less stopped and never at any other time, then you can also realize that the danger, because the only way for your feet to touch the moving pavement is by crashing, is the same danger for your whole body. i have resolved to remain barefoot for the rest of my motorcycling.

here in maputo i dragged myself into a very pretty hotel and ate a big meal and had a hot shower and washed my feet.

tomorrow i will go into swaziland.

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Photos

125 cc
my bike, it keeps breaking down, i don't know if it's going to make it to cape town

a fat man stole my boots
my former boots that were resoled on zanzibar

someone else barefoot
a fat man stole my boots so now I'm riding barefoot, like this guy