The last two weeks have whizzed by since leaving Jollyboys backpackers in Livingstone, Zambia. I’ve ridden just under 900 miles through Botswana quickly despite stopping in the capital Gaborone and arrived in South Africa, the country of my final destination, Cape Town. The time spent at Jollyboys backpackers thoroughly enjoyable, staying longer than originally intended…
Finishing off my relaxing time in Lusaka, lazily doing not a lot, riding into town meeting Dave Conroy for another beer and despite being told I’d die cycling at night, riding back to Mike and Jills house after. Taking note of how the local cyclist in Zambia ride, Salmon style, upstream on the wrong side…
Really, that many? Time has flown since departing the UK. I have now cycled in 13 different countries, 1 British Territory, Gibraltar and crossed 16 borders since the middle of May. Looking forward there are not that many more to go! After seeing an abundance of wildlife near Mfuwe, Zambia my next target location was…
Arriving back in Mzuzu the air feels cooler, coming back up over 1,000 feet in elevation the temperature difference is very noticeable and welcome. The lower altitude temperature by the lake being much higher, but then there is a lake to jump into if you get too hot. Before travelling to Nkhata Bay and Mayoka…
Malawi and the Lake The Sahara difficult? No it was easy, much easier than I thought it would be. Now parts of Tanzania, er yes parts of Tanzania have been hard. Hot, dry, arid and in some places windy, mostly blowing from the wrong direction oh and hilly. Whilst food and water stops are easy…
After resting for a few days in Karen it was time to hit the road again. Staying at Jungle Junction an over lander site was great, I wasn’t feeling so good, the weather started to turn. It made sense to stay put for a while. While at the camp I met several other travelers, all…
Bamako BMX Fun and Skills This child shows his Bamako BMX fun and skills during my time in in Bamako, Mali I came across this talented child with a worn out BMX and no shoes or decent pedals displaying some outstanding skills on his BMX. The brakes didn’t work, the headset was loose and the…
Two countries I didn’t envisage seeing when I set out from the UK was Mali and Burkina Faso. Like nearly every other cycle tourist in West Africa, I was going to follow the coastal route through many of the smaller West African countries. Guinea Conakry, Sierria Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast etc. Ebola and its repercussions…
On 22nd September the route I’m taking should change significantly. Months before I left the UK and not long after the initial outbreak of Ebola I was aware that this could cause problems for my original route. In previous outbreaks borders have closed and this outbreak continues to grow with the understandable restrictions on travel…
After riding through most of The Gambia, I thought there wouldn’t be that much more to see in this small country. I continue to be drip fed surprises and new things as the travel continues. It’s always a highlight to see animals in the wild not seen before, like a troop of baboons, a mongoose…
While staying with Cherno and the cycling club, we were able to catch up on some things like washing clothes, bike repairs and taking time to see the beach at Gunjur. Cherno and his wife fed us well with African food, rice with fish, black porridge (rice with sugar and groundnut) and Cherno’s wife’s famous…
After a lovely week resting at 7 Palava, it was time to get going again. Another cyclist from Belgium Wouter arrived a couple of days before and he was planning on heading further into Africa. Wouter had been in contact for a while after being told by a Moroccan Gendarmerie checkpoint that there were cyclists…
After spending over two months on the road to reach Senegal, I thought it maybe time to allow myself a proper bit of R&R. The Campsite Camping 7 Palava near St Louis I had read about on more than one travellers blog. After spending some time in St Louis after crossing the border from Mauritania…
If I were to be asked to sum up Mauritania in five words from my experience up to Nouakchott they would have been: 1. Desert 2. City 3. Iron Ore 4. Railway Line 5. Sand The country is mainly desert. After receiving my Senegalese visa I was able to leave Nouakchott and continue on the…
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Riding into the Sahara during summer isn’t something most cycle tourists do, most go through either before or after (I’d originally planned before). Luckily the route you take which starts in Morocco, follows the coastal route for much if the Moroccan part which helps to keep temperatures at a manageable heat. Throughout the crossing the…
The Youth Hostel Cloud 9 I stayed in (yes I know I’m not a youth, oldies are allowed as well!) was great. It was my first stay in such a place and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Cloud 9 is situated right in the heart of the Medina, near to everything…
The workaway week in Rabat with Ana and Salah at their school near the Barakas in Rabat was an experience I never thought I’d have in a million years. Only a couple of months ago living in the UK with a comfortable job and taking lots of things that we in the UK take for…