When? It’s the big question. When will I be cycling out of Dakar following the machete attack that left gashes in my left wrist and foot just over a week ago? I’ve been asking myself this every day since waking up from the operation. The simple and frustrating answer is I don’t know.

The good news is that I’m walking again. For the first three days following the attack I took permanent residence on my host’s sofa. When crutches finally became available (courtesy of the magical French woman who rescued me at the roadside) I was already hobbling around, and soon after walking with a limp. This is fast disappearing.  Read more... (811 words, 1 image, estimated 3:15 mins reading time)

I’m typing this using my right hand. The other is swollen and my arm is bandaged. There is a large gash just above my wrist and another on the side of my left foot. I don’t think this is so deep, but at the moment I can’t put any weight on it.

I probably would have walked away unscathed had I not put up some resistance. It was a natural reaction to hold onto my camera bag and ruck-sack as they were being pulled out of my hands. I let go when the machete slashed through my wrist.