I’ve been asked if I’d do this trip again, my answer, “Not in a million years!”  

However would I recommend this trip to others, absolutely.  

Every experience, from meeting the 60 other crazy individuals in Cairo, riding away from the pyramids, desert crossings of Egypt and Sudan, that crazy ferry trip across Lake Nasser into Sudan. Suffering through the Dinder debacle, unanimously reffered to as The Dinder Fucking National Park of Shit (thanks Erin). Dodging and not so luckily connecting with the millions of stones thrown at us in Ethiopia as we cycled up and down the mountains there. Northern Kenya and trying to cycle over a lava rock desert. Endless sunsets and a glass of cask wine. Milkshakes in the few modern cities, hot cokes in the desert. smiles from our friends as we rode together and waves from villages as they looked on in surprise. dirt roads and endless tarmac. The lake of Malawi, and its annoying mosquitos, aka my stint with malaria. Zambia and the snakes and bush camps. Victoria Falls in full rage (the water was high). Elephants on the side of the road in Botswana. James the cooks never ending stew. The colour of the scenery in Namibia, it really was pink and purple! and the endless rain in South Africa as we cycled towards the finish. The final day and sunshine and gathering in view of Table Mountain to end this crazy adventure we had started together. Smiling, a tear or two and loads of hugs as we finished the 2010 tour d'afrique

It's time to go home now and luxuriate in the feeling of everything we left behind to do this. Family, friends, our homes.

Thanks for reading our adventure, thanks for sharing every sweaty mile with us.

Patrick

Finished , May 15 2010

Namibia is a country of wide open space, vast desert and mountain vistas and a palette of pastel colours. It has a German heritage where Afrikans is spoken almost exclusively and like Botswana a small and thinly spread population. After Botswana I knew what was in store for us but I believe it was an unexpected surprise to most other riders. One thing that has surprised me this entire trip is the little that many riders know of the countries through which we have passed but then some did come simply to ride. We left Botswana and the landscape changed very slowly over the 200 or so kilometres until we reached the capital Windhoek nestled amid rocky ridges for our rest day. The order here was haircuts and western food. When 70 or so TDA riders and staff arrive even in a town of this size it’s impossible to avoid each other whether you stay at the allocated camp ground or like many of us opt for hotel accommodation. As had become the norm  the night prior of our next departure delivered yep you guessed it, another massive thunderstorm. Those who stayed in their tents complained of another awful night and packing up of wet tents which is no fun at all.
We pedaled off out of Windhoek and after approx. 15km were back onto the dirt which would stay with us now almost to the Namibian/South African border. Riding the dirt is something that divides the riders some love it some dislike it, as for me, i enjoy it. We probably saw more ‘critters’ roadside from the bikes in Namibia than in any other country. On one occasion a herd of perhaps 100 Springbok split and crossed the road directly in front of us twice within 1km. We also had a small herd of Mountain Zebra follow us. These are now quite rare and neither of us knew of their existance. The road usually remains visible stretching for miles to the distance and often presents amazing vistas. 

We were headed for a ‘place’ called Solitaire (it existed of a petrol station,camp ground,bakery & motel) which is pretty much all you come across in Namibia.  We Patrick,Sam,Annalise & I) reached the top of a pass and a gasp inspiring view appeared before us partially because of it’s vastness and partially because of the massive storm in the distance directly where we were headed. We watched the rain and the lightning, took lots of photos and began the steep downhill. 

At the previous nights rider meeting we were informed there was a ‘coke stop’ at a place called Camp Gecko about 20km into the plain ahead. Camp Gecko is a tented camp Namibian safari style and was we were told run by an interesting couple. About 5k out it began to drizzle and we both got pretty wet, then just as we got inside the door it bucketed down. Sam and Annalise arrived about 10mins later soaked thru, 15 minutes after that 4 other riders arrived all throughly soaked. Hot tea, coffee & biscuits were ordered. The very unseasonable weather was discussed with our host, a character direct from a movie screen. Just as an indicator to how little rain falls here the main reception area had windows but no glass and plastic was placed to protect the collection of knives and the examples of jewellery and crafts our hosts hand make. Somehow during the conversation it was discovered this gentleman had a vehicle which may be able to transport 8 very wet riders the final 30kms to Solitaire. This vehicle turned out to be quite something and we along with 6 bikes on the roof and 2 inside headed off to camp. The tour director and crew fell about laughing on seeing our arrival. It was commented that we are some of the few riders who really get it right.

Namibia has this thing for old vehicles as ‘landscape art’. Various unexpected placement of vehicles inside and outside of travellers ‘stops‘. It’s a little bit bad old western movie set and a little bit speedway battleground. 

Our next rest day was at Sessriem the entrance to the National Park at Sossusvlei. The andbeyond Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge beckoned. It was a short 30 minute car ride from the park entrance and in 2 days time the TDA passage continuing south would pass right by the lodge entrance. Two nights in any andbeyond lodge is a wonderful break and tho I had stayed here previously it is such a great location that I was happy to return to with Patrick.

Food as always excellent, exceptional seamless service, Quad biking, sundowners amid the dunes at sunset and of course the return to the wonder of the massive dunes at Sossusvlei.

We climbed the massive dune known as Big Daddy which took us up behind dead Vlei and spectacular views to the horizon and had fun rolling,sliding and leaping our way to the base.

Namibia is known for it’s clear skies and this lodge has the largest telescope in the country and has visiting Astronomers. On this occasion we had Tom, a very informed young Astronomer from England who spent an hour with us showing and explaining to us the ‘wonders of the universe’. From Mars and Saturn (complete with ‘rings’ and moons) to treasure chests and jewel boxes of stars impossible to the naked eye. It was an unexpectedly satisfying and informative hour. The accommodation at Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge is created from much of the surrounding rock and sits discretely into the surrounding landscape and when you return to the room after dinner a metre and a half glass skylight has been unveiled directly above the massive bed and you can lie and watch the movements of the night sky. For us this was brilliant as the skies had been so clear each night, well right up until about 4am when the almost full moon rose and the entire room was lit up. Every night shooting stars can be seen(not always from bed) but I always try to take a few minutes anytime i’m awake at night to go outside and feel the cool fresh clean Namibian air on my face and body and take a few minutes to watch the skies. The private outdoor shower option is very popular at the better end lodges in Africa and this one was no different. To take a piping hot shower and steam rising on these cool night out of doors is invigorating and somehow liberating.

A few more days of dirt riding and a camp nearby to the Fish River Canyon, the 2nd largest/deepest canyon on the planet (between you and me,a term i have heard used in a few different locations) but pretty impressive all the same. I stayed until sunset and hitched a ride the 10kms back to camp with as luck would have it a group of retired Australian farmers on a 17 day tour and got a little bit of news from home. I was in their good books being from Oz for a start but was also in the right place when they wanted group photos at the canyon. 

Back at camp we had  bit of a thrill when a jackal visited the camp just as we were enjoying our oft taken glass of red wine with Dianne and Jeff over dinner.

Africa had proven to be of endless amusement with signage throughout the trip. Brightly coloured and often miSspelledd* names or really awful hand painted likenesses(ish) of familiar figures. Whitney Houston or Bette Midler on the side wall of a tiny hairdressers were smile inducing examples. One of my favourites was in Botswana, a mens roadside tin shed hairdresser about 1 metre x 2 in size featuring the likenesses of 4 USA vocalists/rappers. 3  of whom had bald heads !! .... occasionally the phrasing is just not quite right and requires a neck jerking second glance which is never a good idea on a bicycle in Africa.

Fashion* headwear has gradually sneaked into the TDA riders camp also. Toward the end of the trip I am noticing more and more handkerchief style headwear being worn by some of the male riders. Unfortunately for most the finesse required to get the ‘serious cyclist’ look just right is missing and we are curiously getting each day more and more of the ‘greek fishermans wife’ look .... a look not always flattering, even in Greece.

Felix unite was our last rest day of the tour, after an exhausting but fast and lengthy dirt ride to just north of the South African border. It was just what we needed and where the 'room wars' finally came to a head !!

After Victoria Falls and Zambia came Botswana, an African Independence success story and a country of about 2 million population with some amazing natural landscape, including the Okavango Delta, Chobe, the Magkadikadi Salt Pans and the Kalahari  Desert. We were both looking forward to seeing more than our last visit when we stayed only in the Okavango Delta. Botswana is  usually described in terms like dry, arid, blah blah, well not for us. It seems that the 1 in a hundred year double storm we experienced in Egypt was a strong indicator of things to come, the early rain and storms that persisted in Ethiopia (perhaps these went a little unnoticed because it was hailing rocks on us at the time) was yet another warning and just in case we missed those there was the entire washing away of villages, villagers and part of the landscape in Northern Kenya .... so my point, yes thats right a point .... it rained every day and/or night in Botswana, not just rain, but some mist (go figure), storms that surrounded us on 3 sides while riding, 1 evening storm that ran with lightning and thunder for about 6 hours directly overhead with a single thunderclap that woke every single person from their sleep with an intensity that sounded like it had actually occurred inside your tent. Then to top it all off as we arrived at the border one last storm delivered hail !!! ... and to quote 1 rider who raised eyes to the sky and said, “Hail ?! are you *ucking kidding me ” !!!
Outside of the rain there was some entertainment to be had in Botswana, the border is  crossed on an old fashioned punt or speedboat unloading from one dusty road onto another where 3 countries meet.

A day trip (which surprisingly only 12 riders elected to take) into the Okavango Delta. After a light aircraft flight (sensational because they fly so low & wildlife is easily visible) we were met and allocated 2 persons to a mokoro (a locally made wooden canoe) and spent some time being guided through the waterways getting exposure to the smallest examples of Delta life, an almost transparent frog, various birdlife, water lillies, then a lengthy walk of about 2 hours on an island attempting to ‘sneak up’ on warthog, baboon, various buck but the freakiest sighting was a Black Mamba. If you thought that snakes were not fast this guy will change your perception entirely and suddenly you understand the respect with which they are regarded !

The riding in Botswana was pretty crap all up to be honest .... long and flat or long and flat and wet. Low scrubby bushland just high enough for a rider not to be able to see over or for a change fields that stretched for acres to the horizon. Having said that we did experience a few Elephant moments by the roadside, giraffe and a buffalo herd were also seen. Our afternoon in Chobe was spent on a relaxing cruise from which we spotted Lion, Elephant, Hippo and various buck.

We stayed close to the Magkadikadi Salt Pans (another night it stormed) at a great lodge - have you noticed we are well and truly over the tent thing - but decided to forego the opportunity to see them as we want to return and spend more time here. It’s becoming quietly amusing now as so very many riders are regularly taking rooms where they are available and bolting from the limited and restrictive surrounds and offerings of TDA. The call of a comfortable bed, actually any bed at all and a hot shower is loud and clear and heard by many.
We did see and of course climb (well Sam and I did) the Giant Ardvark, (yep .. who knew a giant ardvark would be a crowd pleaser but there it was roadside) and along with Sam dropped into Planet Baobab for chocolate cake and Ice cream. Planet Baobab is a ‘lodge’ I had read about & so was keen to see.

While riding I like to observe the changes from country to country in living conditions outside of the main cities and towns. Each has it’s own style which seem to be developed by local social custom and native environment. Ethiopian,Sudanese,Tanzania,Zambia and Malawi all have their peculiarities, the villages or clusters in Botswana are no different. I kept my eye open for one that looked good and might be open for a visit and a few photos. With luck i found one that seem like it might suit, so I did the usual big wave, awaited a response and  when a favourable one was forthcoming I whirled the bike around and headed over. There had been a group of kids  waving at us by the roadside and as i headed toward the village so did they somewhat hastily as clearly they belonged here also. The person who had responded to my wave was Mavis, Mavis was a woman of indeterminate age but had enough english to answer my few questions. She explained that related family were living in this ‘compound’ and introduced some of them to me. She proudly showed me her small house, impeccably clean and featuring all that was hers and that was valuable to her. Her linen was crisp and spotlessly clean and her bed perfectly made. It was difficult not to be impressed by the ordered placement and care shown with every item and i found myself to be humbled by the experience. It can be the smallest things that make the biggest impact and this moment with Mavis has i’m glad to say stayed clearly with me. 

I was shown the chicken run which was also clearly of pride and value and today the washing was underway.
Then it was photo time for young and old with all the hilarity and antics that accompany it before i thanked Mavis and family (gave her all the protein bars i had with me) and made my farewell.

These experiences are the ones that add such a wealth to the ride.

As we are nearing the end of the trip and so many of you have commented on following our journey we thought it might be an opportunity to tell you things we may not have mentioned ....... so if you have any questions for us send an email through the website  and we will print them and answer them here for you.

I've included this blog by Annalise. Most of what she has written we did together. We are sitting here in Felix Unite just across the border from Seth Efrika swapping blogs and pics and appreciating our last rest day of the tour & the 'postcard' view from the cabanas here overlooking the Orange River (thats right 2 more nights free of the smelly tent).

So here is her Blog I hope you enjoy it....

Down to the Final Four – that is last four countries of the Tour d’Afrique and at this point, there is so much to tell you, and not sure where to start……….?!?!??!?! At the beginning of the tour, and what seems like an absolute age ago, there was a whole lot of pain, sickness, suffering and punishment. The word “miserable” became a catch phrase of this trip as it was used so often. Now as we travel south, it was all worthwhile - this part of the tour is sensory overload, sights, sounds, places to see, absolute fun, lots of laughs and everyday I am having ohhhhhhmigawwwwwwwwwwwwd experiences!!! And all from the seat of my bicycle…! Last blog we were on our way out of Malawi (minus the Madonna sightings!) and heading towards the Zambian border. Before I left, a couple of the South African contingent of the tour, Michelle and Andre, invited four of us to have dinner with the South African High Commissioner to Malawi. The High Commissioner didn’t know them, but had become aware of their fundraising efforts. Not knowing what I was in for I gratefully accepted the invitation. We were picked up in the biggest blackest (I mean REALLY black!) chauffer driven BMW…complete with the South African flags on each corner of the vehicle. These blew in the wind as we were whisked through the city of Lilongwe – nothing like a fast moving vehicle and a couple of flags to feel VERY important!  We arrived at this very razzy restaurant that was of course run by South Africans, and had an exquisite dinner with the High Commissioner and her husband. Hubby was no slouch – he was the previous South African Ambassador to Iran. They met long ago as members of the South African Parliament. When he was fulfilling his Ambassadorial roles, she played the role of “spouse” and mother and now that he had retired, it was her time to shine. They laughed about the “payback” and he was wonderfully supportive. It was a great story, love it! Anyway, amazingly interesting couple who were very open, generous, interested and warm. The following day, the TDA Foundation donated 70 bicycles to charities in Malawi and the High Commissioner was so supportive of what we are doing that she cleared her diary and came and added a whole lotta star power to the event! Fantastic! Just before we crossed the border the following day, a group of us broke the ride up by calling into an orphanage which was en route. I got a huge kick out of the warm response we received. The children and staff were chuffed that we were so interested to meet and see what they were up to. We hadn’t made an appointment, we showed up on our bikes and they were so welcoming. They sang and danced for us – a wonderful experience I will always remember. We crossed the border into Zambia and the capital of Lusaka provided much excitement to the group…… this was our first real sign of Western influences. There were shopping malls, movie theatres, fast food chains in abundance and things that we take for granted back home were absolutely coveted! Not unusual to come across a bunch of riders onto their fourth or fifth milkshake, all consumed in one sitting…..!! Haha! We then made our way towards Victoria Falls, known as Mosi-oa-Tunya in the Kosolo language - “The Smoke that Thunders”. For me, this was been one of the absolute highlights of the tour so far and lived up to its name.  The Zambezi River at this time of year is flowing really rapidly. The huge volumes of water create a mist that shoots up towards the sky and creates the most magnificent sight and spectacle. Not only was there huge anticipation, but we also had two rest days rather than the usual one…Ahhhh! There was so much to do and see in the town of Livingstone. Top of the list for me (and probably of little surprise!) was the helicopter flight over the Falls – well, this did not disappoint and was absolutely knock your socks off, brilliant!!! I loved it!! 

With a group of other riders, I traveled over the border to Zimbabwe to stay at a safari lodge that is run by &Beyond (formerly C&C Africa). This company is privately owned by the Rothschild family and has a number of private game parks throughout Africa.  It provides guests with the most exquisite, personalized and amazing African experience. Their modus operandi focuses on ecotourism, animal conservation and giving back to the local community. It was an absolute treat to stay there…the elephants popped by my villa at four in the afternoon and the hippo’s came and grazed on my front lawn at night!!! This was their home and I was just lucky enough to witness it!! The days were filled with safari game drives that I can never ever get enough of…!

We then headed east towards Kasane and Chobe National Park. Again an absolute viewing bonanza for African wildlife. What made this different though is that we did a river safari down the Chobe River. Here we able to see the animals come to the river at sunset. Not only are the African sunsets brilliant, but the interaction of the animals with the waiting crocodiles was something that I had not witnessed before…

Next stop Botswana. When describing Botswana the tour books usually start with something like….. “Botswana is an arid country, drought prone in most areas…..” Just as we experienced in Eqypt and Kenya, when the TDA comes to town that is all mucked up….we experienced seven days of torrential rain and even hail. NOT fair! This section of the tour has the longest days and distances….roads are dead straight and mind numbingly flat and the scenery is not exciting. Our average day is about 180kms of nothing-ness. We skirted around the Kalahari desert, so the vegetation was similar to that in Australia - low shrubs, dust and dirt….blah! This week was really special too, as the oldest rider on tour had his 71st birthday! Yep, correct 71…good going huh? His name is Bill Nelems and he is a Canadian man who was born in South Africa. He is passionate about everything that he does, passionate about Africa and passionate about life! He is a leader in the medical field and was the first doctor in Canada to do a lung transplant. He now places his time and energy into an NGO that he started that educates and trains local doctors and nurses in the Western Provence of Zambia. It has had extraordinary success with the myriad of health issues that affect this very poor country, so much so that the government has requested that the program be rolled out to other areas of Zambia. Anyway, Bill decided that he was going to fundraise for the NGO by doing the Tour d’Afrique…and it just happened to coincide with his birthday! The day of his birthday he rode the whole 208kms and crossed the border of Botswana to Namibia. At the border post, the immigration officials were so blown away with what he was doing (and his age!) that they broke into spontaneous song! He has so many wonderful and interesting stories about his time spent in Africa and I have learnt so much about the health issues that riddle and affect this huge continent.  His history lessons are always dead set entertaining too! He is really an amazing man who is sharp as a whip, quick witted, loves young people, funny and has boundless energy. I have loved getting to know Bill and he has inspired me in so many ways – but to ride your bike across Africa on your 71st birthday?? WOW!

We are now in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia and the feeling on the tour is a little mixed. There is this HUGGGGE excitement that in just over two weeks we will be in Cape Town, be seeing loved ones and the tour will be over. But then the other side is that it will be sad when this whole experience and the adventure is over. We have spent 24/7 with the other cyclists for the last three and half months. We have seen each others good sides and we have seen the flaws, there has been many fun times, lots of laughs and there has been fights……all to be expected when we have lived in each others pockets for so long. Life long friendships have formed and relationships have blossomed, but in three weeks time it will all be over and we will have all gone our separate ways… back to the different pockets of the globe and will never again get the opportunity to be together as a group again. In some ways this is very sad. In other ways, that is life and we realise that we have been so incredibly lucky to have had such an amazing experience and one that we will cherish fondly for the rest of our lives!  Onto Cape Town we ride….!

Caroline

Dana

Eric D'

Carolina

Jim

Cat* ... Catherine

Nevada Dan

Victoria Falls , at 2 days the second longest scheduled rest of the 4 months and Cheryl was flying up from Johannesburg to spend the time with us. We planned 2 nights at Matetsi Water Lodge in Zimbabwe and the final night at the Royal Livingstone Hotel in  Zambia. We were curious about what to expect from Matetsi even though it was an ‘andbeyond’ Lodge as things in Zimbabwe have been pretty tough to say the least for some time thanks to Mad Bob. We need not have worried. The staff were obviously pleased to have guests and the company standard was maintained throughout our stay.
The last time we were here was about 5 years ago and the town of Victoria Falls was virtually empty of tourists this time however it was immediately obvious that things here had improved. The ‘Water’ lodge is beautifully sited on the Zambezi River split into 3 smaller camps.

The rooms were as good as any I have been in. Spacious, private, great design, each with a plunge pool and of course luxury linen, bathroom products and perfectly sited. Game drives, sunset cruise and the all important inclusive food and drinks and we were happy campers. Meals were as always sensational and taken together outdoors by the river, peaceful at dawn for breakfast and relaxing at night. This week we were told was the busiest they have been for 10 years. The 6 of us in 1 camp and 2 rooms taken in each of the other 2 camps also.

There was plenty of action in camp as warthogs visited, hippo’s snorted all evening and 3 of the largest elephants i have seen to which we of course we got far closer to than was safe or advisable. Unlike Annalise we abided by the African safari advice of “whatever you do don’t run” when we were mock charged and after the 2nd time carefully backed away. Those things are big up close and even more so when angry !!

The other big game thrill was a wild dog sighting. Now I have to preface this by saying Wild Dogs are rare and endangered, they are exciting to watch and move quickly in a pack across a huge area, for all these reasons their sightings are always met with a great deal of excitement .... unless of course you are Cheryl,Patrick and Wayne who have seen just about every wild dog on the planet. We have been incredibly ‘wild dog’ fortunate. Embarrassingly our initial reaction to the guides enthusiasm was underwhelming and for him a little confusing as it was not quite what he had expected. We explained our uncanny wild dog history and we headed off to find them, which we did happily making their way along the main road which bisects the park.

Our final night was at the Royal Livingstone Hotel. We visited ‘the falls’ and got completely soaked again. For the third time for me and the second for Patrick we have been at the Falls during the high water season so we again failed to get access to Livingstone Island and the Devils Pool (so we will have to return yet again - poor us) but it is spectacular from the point of view of sheer volume of water and sound but at times the spray is so dense the view completely disappears. The spray rises and absolutely soaks all those anywhere near the ‘falls’ edge and you can get closer to the ‘Falls’ than is safe or would be allowed in most developed countries.

The Royal Livingstone Hotel is among my very favourite hotels, beautifully appointed and in an unsurpassable location right on the Zambezi River, slightly upstream from the ‘Falls’.
It has an unmistakable feel of yesterday in it’s style and furnishings and provides a killer afternoon tea. 

Drinks had been arranged with a handful of riders at the Royal Livingstone Bar which sits literally in the Zambezi River and catch the sunset. An indulgent dinner was then had on the terrace with Bill, Jessica, Leanne and of course Cheryl.

The hotel currently has a new addition to their small resident Zebra herd in the form of a 1 month old calf. Vervet moneys playfully await opportunities for a snatch and run snack and 3 giraffe and a few ‘buck’ make up the hotel total. I was also taken to the giraffe feeding station by the animal handler.