Living the Dream Solo Around the World Trip

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capetowntocairo said:
A real pity that you happened to be in that part of the world on a motorbike just when all hell broke loose there - for motorbike riders, anyway.  Please keep sending pics and information during your return trip - you are our eyes and ears!  And find some geocaches!  God speed and safe return to SA.
Thanks will keep on posting. Have done my first 450 km today on my return trip from Cairo to Hurghada in 45 degree C heat. I suppose things happen for a reason. Thanks for the support.
 
1ougat said:
Well when life throw you lemons you make lemonade ... so maybe you not driving the pristine roads of Europe now ... don't worry that is for another day .... now enjoy Africa , its people , its issues , the life in it .... it still is an off-road paradise and your home ... be safe and as soon as possible have someone who at least have seen a stetiscope have a look at that injuries also I did not mention the worst drivers in the world .... be save and above all stop and smell the daisies and all the stuff around you as often as possible  :thumleft: :thumleft:
Will do Europe next year after the European winter. I am actually looking forward to do Africa again.
 
How about going to one of the ports, Sudan, or Mombasa, and trying to find a ship that will carry you to Oman, Salalah, or Muscat? Or flying from Nairobi?  It cost us 1450 Euro, to fly 2 bikes from Amsterdam, to Nairobi!!
 
FlyRide said:
How about going to one of the ports, Sudan, or Mombasa, and trying to find a ship that will carry you to Oman, Salalah, or Muscat? Or flying from Nairobi?  It cost us 1450 Euro, to fly 2 bikes from Amsterdam, to Nairobi!!
I have decided to bring the bike back to SA then it is also easier to ship it next year to Europe and I will have the use of the bike for the six months that I am SA
 
schalk vd merwe said:
FlyRide said:
How about going to one of the ports, Sudan, or Mombasa, and trying to find a ship that will carry you to Oman, Salalah, or Muscat? Or flying from Nairobi?  It cost us 1450 Euro, to fly 2 bikes from Amsterdam, to Nairobi!!
I have decided to bring the bike back to SA then it is also easier to ship it next year to Europe and I will have the use of the bike for the six months that I am SA

Agree, it is cheaper to ship from SA than other African Countries. Their customs is very fristrating to deal with, and their is always delays and the delays are based on how much money you will offer the customs official as a 'donation' in order to get your stuff.......I hope SA Customs will never turn into customs I have experienced up in Africa. South Sudan was the worst as everything come down on barges on the white nile.....Bliksem tonight I will probably once again have a 'africa customs' nightmare!
 
Hillman said:
schalk vd merwe said:
FlyRide said:
How about going to one of the ports, Sudan, or Mombasa, and trying to find a ship that will carry you to Oman, Salalah, or Muscat? Or flying from Nairobi?  It cost us 1450 Euro, to fly 2 bikes from Amsterdam, to Nairobi!!
I have decided to bring the bike back to SA then it is also easier to ship it next year to Europe and I will have the use of the bike for the six months that I am SA

Agree, it is cheaper to ship from SA than other African Countries. Their customs is very fristrating to deal with, and their is always delays and the delays are based on how much money you will offer the customs official as a 'donation' in order to get your stuff.......I hope SA Customs will never turn into customs I have experienced up in Africa. South Sudan was the worst as everything come down on barges on the white nile.....Bliksem tonight I will probably once again have a 'africa customs' nightmare!
Yes I think they can make anybody tied. I spend 3 weeks here just to sort things out and got nothing right. I am back in Aswan to get a new Sudan Visa then I am out of here.
 
schalk vd merwe said:
Happyfeet said:
Wow Schalk, jy moet die braafste Dog wees wat ek ken! Ek dink elkeen van ons voel elke ontbering saam met jou en wens ons kon meer vir jou doen (ek sal net met drukkies kan uithelp).
Sterkte jong, jy is 'n groot inspirasie vir baie!
Die drukkies sal veseker help plus al die aanmoediging van al die Dogs. Ek kom dalk Kaap toe vir daai drukkie hoor.

Great! Extra groot druk as jy dit in die Kaap kom haal!
Sterkte met daai skouer.
Ook gewonder of jy nie sommer 'n tuisgemaakte "speed control" kan maak om die hand (en tennis elemboog) bietjie ruskans te gee nie. Het al so iets gesien en dis eintlik baie eenvoudig.
 
Happyfeet said:
schalk vd merwe said:
Happyfeet said:
Wow Schalk, jy moet die braafste Dog wees wat ek ken! Ek dink elkeen van ons voel elke ontbering saam met jou en wens ons kon meer vir jou doen (ek sal net met drukkies kan uithelp).
Sterkte jong, jy is 'n groot inspirasie vir baie!
Die drukkies sal veseker help plus al die aanmoediging van al die Dogs. Ek kom dalk Kaap toe vir daai drukkie hoor.

Great! Extra groot druk as jy dit in die Kaap kom haal!
Sterkte met daai skouer.
Ook gewonder of jy nie sommer 'n tuisgemaakte "speed control" kan maak om die hand (en tennis elemboog) bietjie ruskans te gee nie. Het al so iets gesien en dis eintlik baie eenvoudig.
Dankie ja vir die drukkies. 'n Bietjie ver vir die speed contol, geen parte hier nie. Sal maar moet deur druk nog net 13 000km huis toe. Groete
 
"Dankie ja vir die drukkies. 'n Bietjie ver vir die speed contol, geen parte hier nie. Sal maar moet deur druk nog net 13 000km huis toe. Groete"


Nee man! Ek meen maak jou eie. Hulle gebruik sommer:

'n O ring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmwkuzbsiOg

'n Cable Tie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXk9WeVgxUo

Tuisgemaakte konkoksie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D56qOgvVqJE

'n Stuk gebuigde draad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEmMvNYEq2o

Ek het klaar meeste van die werk gedoen deur 'n klompie links vir jou te laai - kyk wat is maklikste vir jou om in die hande te kry. Behoort nie meer as 'n paar minute te neem om te maak nie en dit sal regtig help om daai seer (en oorwerkte) parte van jou 'n breek te gee.
 
Happyfeet said:
"Dankie ja vir die drukkies. 'n Bietjie ver vir die speed contol, geen parte hier nie. Sal maar moet deur druk nog net 13 000km huis toe. Groete"


Nee man! Ek meen maak jou eie. Hulle gebruik sommer:

'n O ring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmwkuzbsiOg

'n Cable Tie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXk9WeVgxUo
Hi Happy

Tuisgemaakte konkoksie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D56qOgvVqJE

'n Stuk gebuigde draad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEmMvNYEq2o

Ek het klaar meeste van die werk gedoen deur 'n klompie links vir jou te laai - kyk wat is maklikste vir jou om in die hande te kry. Behoort nie meer as 'n paar minute te neem om te maak nie en dit sal regtig help om daai seer (en oorwerkte) parte van jou 'n breek te gee.
Hi Happyfeet dankie ek gaan probeer, baie goeie idees daar op U tube. My arm is juis weer seer van gister se lang pad wat ek gery het van Hurghada tot by Aswan deur die Woestyn. Baie dankie groete
 
Ek kan nie glo jy kan nie uit Egipte uitkom nie. Nou dat die kanaal oop is en niemand het hulle aangeval nie dink jy nie daar is dalk kaans dat jy nou sal kan deurkom nie?
Ander opsie is gaan in Libia in, elke dag op die nuus wys hulle hoe honderde imigrante van daar af opgepik word op die see en aargelaat word in Europa in (grappie net)
 
Hi Happyfeet dankie ek gaan probeer, baie goeie idees daar op U tube. My arm is juis weer seer van gister se lang pad wat ek gery het van Hurghada tot by Aswan deur die Woestyn. Baie dankie groete
[/quote]

Plesier ou dier  :thumleft: - nou sal jy die drukkie in die Kaap moet kom haal!  >:D
Veilig ry en sterkte!
 
JFE said:
Ek kan nie glo jy kan nie uit Egipte uitkom nie. Nou dat die kanaal oop is en niemand het hulle aangeval nie dink jy nie daar is dalk kaans dat jy nou sal kan deurkom nie?
Ander opsie is gaan in Libia in, elke dag op die nuus wys hulle hoe honderde imigrante van daar af opgepik word op die see en aargelaat word in Europa in (grappie net)

Jong ek hoor van die priaat civil engineing manne in Libia het hulle werkers huistoe gestuur (SA Expats) Ek weet nie wat broeie daar nie, maar Noord Afrika op die stadium bietjie ongemaklik. Schalk het die regte besluit gemaak. Kom huistoe laat die dokters daai skouer uitsort en rus n bietjie, en skip die bike dan. Glo my, dis goedkoper van SA af!
 
Hillman said:
JFE said:
Ek kan nie glo jy kan nie uit Egipte uitkom nie. Nou dat die kanaal oop is en niemand het hulle aangeval nie dink jy nie daar is dalk kaans dat jy nou sal kan deurkom nie?
Ander opsie is gaan in Libia in, elke dag op die nuus wys hulle hoe honderde imigrante van daar af opgepik word op die see en aargelaat word in Europa in (grappie net)

Jong ek hoor van die priaat civil engineing manne in Libia het hulle werkers huistoe gestuur (SA Expats) Ek weet nie wat broeie daar nie, maar Noord Afrika op die stadium bietjie ongemaklik. Schalk het die regte besluit gemaak. Kom huistoe laat die dokters daai skouer uitsort en rus n bietjie, en skip die bike dan. Glo my, dis goedkoper van SA af!

Ja ek kom eerder huis toe en deel met shipping mense wat eerlik is en dan het ek ook die gebruik van my bike vir 6 maande. Ek glo nie ek sal nou 'n Visa kry om deur Libia te kom nie. Groete
 
JFE said:
Ek kan nie glo jy kan nie uit Egipte uitkom nie. Nou dat die kanaal oop is en niemand het hulle aangeval nie dink jy nie daar is dalk kaans dat jy nou sal kan deurkom nie?
Ander opsie is gaan in Libia in, elke dag op die nuus wys hulle hoe honderde imigrante van daar af opgepik word op die see en aargelaat word in Europa in (grappie net)
Kyk my maat as jy 3 weke lank probeer om uit 'n land te kom en jy kan nie dan is jy 'n bietjie gatvol. Behalwe dit word ek by elke pad blokade aangesien as 'n terroris met my pak bagasie want hulle dink ek is 'n moontlike selfmoord bommer. So ek kom huis toe sak en pak al kos dit my 6 of 7 weke se ry. Die extremiste operate nog steeds in die Sinai. Hierdie ding gaan nog lank aanhou. Groete.
 
Update 10/08/2015.
I was in Cairo for the 2nd time on the 6/08/2015 and stayed with a lovely Dutch couple Bas and his wife Esther in New Cairo, they were introduced to me by the Zapp family. They live in a very up market area in a complex very much like Eagle Canyon and Cedar Lake Estate in Johannesburg. The following day Bas organized through a friend for my shoulder to be scanned at a hospital as I was worried that maybe the muscles has come off the bone on my shoulder (called rotative cuff) like I had two years ago on the other shoulder as the pain was the same.  It turned out negative but the doctor recommends that I get treatment for my injury.  I also went to Cairo airport to try and extend my carnet but they had a 4 day public holiday and were closed. They had so many public holidays here in one month that I lost count.  In Hurghada before I came back to Cairo I also wanted to extend my Visa but they told me that I would have to sit in one place for 6 weeks and go nowhere else while they are busy with the process.  So this and the Carnet  made me finally decide to rather ride back to South Africa as I also could not get out of the country up north and east for 3 weeks now.  The following day I went back to Hurghada for the 3rd time, this time to meet up with the Zapp family for the last time. They have been traveling around the world with their 1928 Graham Paige car for 15 years now and have done 250 000km and all their children were born on the way. We have become such good friends by now and they felled like family to me. They also could give me the best advice as they are the most experienced adventurers that I know.  It is about 450km from Cairo to Hurghada but the extreme heat make it feel much further. Egypt and Sudan are basically two deserts and Cairo lies in this desert and the Red sea where Hurghada is have the desert on the one side and the sea on the other side with the road running next to the sea for most of the way. The combination is actually quite beautiful.  So arriving back in Hurghada for the 3rd time I booked into the same Ela Rosa Hotel for 100 Egyptian pounds per day. There is no camping here but that is about what you would pay for camping in Africa. My room even overlooked the sea and across the road is a restaurant where at least you can buy a beer. Not many places in Egypt where you can find that. I had dinner with the Zapp family and their lovely children for two nights in a row and then it was the final goodbye to them. Sunday morning I was up early as I had a long way through the desert to Aswan. I had no breakfast just a cup of coffee across the road before I left. I went past Quseir to say goodbye to Oscar the manager of Flamenco Hotel resort and his wife also lovely people. I stayed there a while ago for two nights. Then it was down all along the Red sea to Marsa Alam. There I filled up the bike and the instead of turning to the desert I went further down along the Red Sea and I travelled 41km before I stopped as I thought I was on the wrong road. When I checked the maps I saw I was indeed on the wrong road. Without a GPS and all the signs in Arabic it sometimes is a battle. So that mistake cost me 82km and some valuable time as I wanted to make Aswan before dark and there is a desert in between.  There was an extremely strong desert head wind blowing going back to Marsa Alam. The wind was so strong I could not hear the bikes engine or the knobblies on the tar, sounds that I normally would hear. The wind was so strong that I had to go back to 4th gear and push up to 115km an hour before going to 5th gear. At Marsa Alam I filled the bike for the 2nd time right to the top. As I did not have anything to eat yet I had a bottle of water, a Yogi Zip type of drink and a fruit juice all in a row as by now it was boiling hot and I was still next to the sea. Then I hit the desert road. I could feel that today it was hot; the heat was all around and when I open my visor of the helmet the heat almost burns your face. It is a dry dry heat. After one hundred kilometres I stopped in the desert and bought a cold coke and water from an informal shop and swallowed them in no time. Then it was on the road again and after 50km I stopped at a type of a house where they have clay pots like in Sudan with cold water for free. I poured the water into my helmet and over me wetting myself completely like I have done in the Sudan deserts. The guys there spoke in Arabic and I in English and we made small talk. They wanted me to stay longer and chat some more but I indicated at the Sun and said Aswan Aswan meaning I want to make Aswan before dark. I am one that can take heat but when my cloths and helmet dried out I got a slight headache something I normally don’t get. Eventually when I got closer to the Nile River it changed from desert to green field where the people plant crop and vegetables.  The sun by now was sitting low on the horizon and I was still 100km from Aswan. At the Nile I turned south and then it was village after irritating village with thousands of speed bumps.  It started to get dark and the Egyptian people do not believe in driving with head lights on. My dim light must have fused during the day and now I put my bright on with this nation that does not belief in head lights. My Visor is completely cracked up from a previous desert where the wind blew my bike over when I parked next to the road and the handle bars crushed my visor. So when these Egyptians get upset about my bright’s they flash their lights and completely blind me with my cracked up visor so eventually I had to ride with my visor open. There is so much sand on the road that would come into your face and the heat was still extreme even the sun was down. Just outside Aswan I stopped and bought another Yogi Zip as I felt dehydrated even after all the liquid I had for the day. As I entered Aswan I stopped at a café where I previous bought a beer and bought 3 beers. I told the café owner that I am going to drink at least one there on the pavement. He gave me a plastic bag to put around it as it is a Muslim country and they don’t like to see people drinking alcohol. So there I sat on the pavement having a beer in a plastic bag like a tramp when I checked my messages and saw one was from Herman Zapp and the other one was from Oscar. They both were worried as it was the hottest day ever in Egypt that day. In Aswan it was 48 degrees C and no wonder I was battling through the desert. I was 11, 5 hours in the saddle and covered 735km for the day. I booked into the same St. George hotel than before for 120 Egyptian pounds for bed and breakfast. So today Monday I went to the Sudan Embassy to apply for a Visa again as it is the only one that I need for my trip home except Uganda and  Rwanda of which I can get at the borders. My Ethiopian Visa is still valued and the other countries I do not need a Visa for. So by Wednesday I will ride to Abu Simbel and sleep over. Thursday I will catch the ferry across the Nile and also cross the border into Sudan Yippee. By leaving Egypt it means I can get my 200% of the bike value deposit back which I lodged with the AA in JHB in order to get an Egyptian Carnet.
 
Photo 1 Full moon rising over Quseir
Photo 2 Herman and Candelaria Zapp and Oscar and his lovely Cuban wife and me
Photo 3 Seven year old Paloma singing Karaoke 
 

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Photo  1 The Zapp kids welcoming me back
Photo  2 Seven year old Paloma made me this welcome back note.
Photo  3 Wallaby with his little naughty face. He got this name because he was born in Australia while his parents were doing their              around the world trip
 

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