Living the Dream Solo Around the World Trip
- Thread starter schalk vd merwe
- Start date
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Jammer om te hoor jou trippie is kort geknip. Daar kom nog meer RR, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana en Suid Africa. So hou dop en groete.Happyfeet said:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Dankie my maat daar kom nog baie RR en baie foto's. Sien pos hierbo. GroeteHB 9 said:
wildside
Pack Dog
Schalk, this RR of yours really had me captivated last night and I finally finished reading it. What I enjoyed most was reading about all the different characters and their generosity along the way. This is what makes a trip like this so special and memorable. The clay pots filled with water for the weary traveler fascinates me. Thank you for enlightening us on what beauty is out there in Africa....I'm sure this RR will encourage a few Wild Dogs do get out there and experience what Africa has to offer.
This report has planted a little seed!! :
This report has planted a little seed!! :
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Hi Wildside yes I think it is every adventure bike riders dream to ride through Africa but one of two things always holds us back, it is either money or time or both. I was going to postpone my trip by one year but when I came back from holiday in December I heard that Lodi de Jager died on Christmas day and a friend of mine who is 10 years younger than me had Parkinson’s. Then I decided to rather do it sooner than later. Not the time or the money was right for me but I decided to go regardless. It is amazing but things just falls into place when you do something with faith. A lot of people thought I was mad to do a trip like this solo at my age but I always believed that I could do it and that is what I found out, that one can do much more than you even think you can once you are thrown into the deep side. I am still going to report on 8 more countries on the way down. So keep a look out.wildside said:Schalk, this RR of yours really had me captivated last night and I finally finished reading it. What I enjoyed most was reading about all the different characters and their generosity along the way. This is what makes a trip like this so special and memorable. The clay pots filled with water for the weary traveler fascinates me. Thank you for enlightening us on what beauty is out there in Africa....I'm sure this RR will encourage a few Wild Dogs do get out there and experience what Africa has to offer.
This report has planted a little seed!! :
George77
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe said:
Nice way of taking a selfie.... :imaposer:
Baie baie baie cool en baie mooi!
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Ja meer as een way to kill the cat ne'George77 said:
NoRush
Pack Dog
Hallo Schalk,
Ek is nou eers half pad gelees aan jou RR, dankie dit herstel my geloof in afrika so bietjie.
Maar bygese, ek let op jy sien die glas half vol in plaas van half leeg. En dan neem n man se geloof
ook oor en dinge val in plek soos jy se. Dankie :thumleft:
Ek is nou eers half pad gelees aan jou RR, dankie dit herstel my geloof in afrika so bietjie.
Maar bygese, ek let op jy sien die glas half vol in plaas van half leeg. En dan neem n man se geloof
ook oor en dinge val in plek soos jy se. Dankie :thumleft:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Dankie my maat, ja ek is 'n ewige optimusNoRush said:
TVB
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Ja nee Schalk het somer op en af gegaan en die vorige trip was mot tot in Uganda as ek reg onthou? So ja, welgedaan en n moet op n adventure biker se bucket list. Dis net te duur vir my anders was ek sommer gou aan die ry☺
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schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Ja ek moet nog 8 lande se RR skyf, gaan dit binne kort doen hou net dopHillman said:
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Ek ry ook nog saam Schalk, ek waardeur al jou moeite met die RR so ver.
Voorstel: Pos weer daai email en details van jou boek op bladsy een van die thread, dan kan ons hom makliker kry om die boek te bestel as jy hom klaar geskryf het :thumleft:
Voorstel: Pos weer daai email en details van jou boek op bladsy een van die thread, dan kan ons hom makliker kry om die boek te bestel as jy hom klaar geskryf het :thumleft:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Hi Mr Zog my e mail vir die boek is [email protected] Die boek gaan moontlik so twee honderd rand wees en word heeltemal oor geskryf. Ek sal weer die bostaande details post as ek die RR klaar geskyf het. Ek werk tans hard aan die boek. Groete.Mr Zog said:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Kenya
Leaving Ethiopia and entering Kenya at the Moyale border crossings went smooth. Leaving Ethiopia where petrol was a scarce commodity and entering Kenya for that reason alone was a relief. I went into the dusty town of Moyale to fill the bike at the filling station. From there it was 100km of gravel road with the new tar road under construction next to it. This old road used to be called the road to hell. Here in Kenya you travel through the Dida Galgalu Desert but although the desert is very dry in places it is nothing in comparison to the deserts of Sudan from Atbara to Karima and on to Dongola. Since leaving Sudan I could not feel hot again and going through Ethiopia I wore my rain suite jacket often to try and warm up.
It was a windy day and I was trying to make Marsabit before sunset. At the small town of Turbi I stopped at the same shop where I tasted Camel milk for the first time on my up ride. I enquired about the Muslim guy Masai who previously offered to sell some of his cattle in order to help finance my trip. I obviously turned his offer down but I promised I will come back and look him up one day. As it was weekend the same lady of the shop was not there and no one there knew him. What a pity as people like him are the gems of Africa.
I stayed at the same hotel than before just 2km before the town of Marsabit which is quite a neat place by African standards.
The next morning after breakfast I pushed on as I wanted to make it close to Nanyuki on the Equator of Kenya. The Zap family gave me the name of a farmer where they stayed for free before but in the end I decided rather to look for accommodation as what is meant for them is not always meant for someone else and each one write his own history books. At the T junction where the road split to Meru my chain came off. I then refitted it and pulled it tighter as the chain had a lot of wear and tear by now with over 20 000km on and it was not always oiled in time, my intention was to try and get a replacement in Nairobi. 20km Before the Equator I found a little lodge with rusty little chalets on a river. It is also close to Mount Kenya and one day I would like to explore the area little bit more. The lodge belonged to an Indian family and their young son was riding all over the show with his bicycle and popping in every so often for a chat. I offered him a ride on the back of my bike but instead he rather wanted me to join him for a ride, him on the bicycle and me on my bike. We did an off road trip until he was exhausted.
The dinner was good that night and I chatted to two Indian reps that buy flowers in the area for the export to Europe.
After breakfast the next morning I was off to Nanyuki on the Equator for some photos. Some curio sellers took some photos of me while I was doing some posing.
Then it was off to Nairobi for the last 200km to Jungle Junction again. My intention was to stay for a day or two and service the bike and try and get my abandoned tyres back from DHL which was supposed to have been sent to Addis Abeba from Nairobi but that never realized. Also the tax would have worked out to about R1750. The tyres were originally sent to Nairobi by my wife.
Arriving at Jungle Junction I decided to book into a dormitory room instead of putting up my tent. I was alone in the room and that suited me fine. The next day I went to DHL and to my surprise the tyres was still there. It took me nearly the whole day but in the end I managed not to pay the R1750 tax on the tyres. My front tyre on the bike was already badly worn after only about 6000km where the first one lasted 17 000km, so it was a blessing that these tyres were still in Nairobi.
The next day I managed to buy a chain in Nairobi and service the bike although I did not have new filters as I did not know that I was coming through Africa for a 2nd time. I fitted a new front tyre and the chain but the front sprocket was worn really badly but as there was no replacement for my bike I just had to make do.
At Jungle Junction there were many other over landers at the same time. There were a German guy in a 4x4 VW combi and he has been traveling around the world for the last 5 years and then there was another German Guy that has been traveling around the world for the last 20 years. Then a couple from Slovenia on two Yamaha 660 Tenere’s, they have already done 120 000km on each of the two bikes. Then there was a German guy on a 250cc Yamaha. He started off from Germany around Africa on a bicycle and then 30 000km on a Chinese Bike until that fell apart and then he bought the Yamaha in Durban. On the way to Kenya he ran out of money and he then phoned his previous employer in Germany to borrow some money from him to make it back to Germany. His previous boss then lend him the money under the condition that he must come and work for him again when he gets back to Germany.
The next day I was off towards the Uganda border crossing the Equator more than once unknown. I just managed to miss the rain all the time with heavy cloud most of the way. At a spaza shop I managed to get a cup of boiling water for free and made my own cappuccino in my own cup. After some more travel and just before sunset I booked into the Salient guest house in the Kenyan town of Aldoret for R250 for the night. Next will be Uganda.
Leaving Ethiopia and entering Kenya at the Moyale border crossings went smooth. Leaving Ethiopia where petrol was a scarce commodity and entering Kenya for that reason alone was a relief. I went into the dusty town of Moyale to fill the bike at the filling station. From there it was 100km of gravel road with the new tar road under construction next to it. This old road used to be called the road to hell. Here in Kenya you travel through the Dida Galgalu Desert but although the desert is very dry in places it is nothing in comparison to the deserts of Sudan from Atbara to Karima and on to Dongola. Since leaving Sudan I could not feel hot again and going through Ethiopia I wore my rain suite jacket often to try and warm up.
It was a windy day and I was trying to make Marsabit before sunset. At the small town of Turbi I stopped at the same shop where I tasted Camel milk for the first time on my up ride. I enquired about the Muslim guy Masai who previously offered to sell some of his cattle in order to help finance my trip. I obviously turned his offer down but I promised I will come back and look him up one day. As it was weekend the same lady of the shop was not there and no one there knew him. What a pity as people like him are the gems of Africa.
I stayed at the same hotel than before just 2km before the town of Marsabit which is quite a neat place by African standards.
The next morning after breakfast I pushed on as I wanted to make it close to Nanyuki on the Equator of Kenya. The Zap family gave me the name of a farmer where they stayed for free before but in the end I decided rather to look for accommodation as what is meant for them is not always meant for someone else and each one write his own history books. At the T junction where the road split to Meru my chain came off. I then refitted it and pulled it tighter as the chain had a lot of wear and tear by now with over 20 000km on and it was not always oiled in time, my intention was to try and get a replacement in Nairobi. 20km Before the Equator I found a little lodge with rusty little chalets on a river. It is also close to Mount Kenya and one day I would like to explore the area little bit more. The lodge belonged to an Indian family and their young son was riding all over the show with his bicycle and popping in every so often for a chat. I offered him a ride on the back of my bike but instead he rather wanted me to join him for a ride, him on the bicycle and me on my bike. We did an off road trip until he was exhausted.
The dinner was good that night and I chatted to two Indian reps that buy flowers in the area for the export to Europe.
After breakfast the next morning I was off to Nanyuki on the Equator for some photos. Some curio sellers took some photos of me while I was doing some posing.
Then it was off to Nairobi for the last 200km to Jungle Junction again. My intention was to stay for a day or two and service the bike and try and get my abandoned tyres back from DHL which was supposed to have been sent to Addis Abeba from Nairobi but that never realized. Also the tax would have worked out to about R1750. The tyres were originally sent to Nairobi by my wife.
Arriving at Jungle Junction I decided to book into a dormitory room instead of putting up my tent. I was alone in the room and that suited me fine. The next day I went to DHL and to my surprise the tyres was still there. It took me nearly the whole day but in the end I managed not to pay the R1750 tax on the tyres. My front tyre on the bike was already badly worn after only about 6000km where the first one lasted 17 000km, so it was a blessing that these tyres were still in Nairobi.
The next day I managed to buy a chain in Nairobi and service the bike although I did not have new filters as I did not know that I was coming through Africa for a 2nd time. I fitted a new front tyre and the chain but the front sprocket was worn really badly but as there was no replacement for my bike I just had to make do.
At Jungle Junction there were many other over landers at the same time. There were a German guy in a 4x4 VW combi and he has been traveling around the world for the last 5 years and then there was another German Guy that has been traveling around the world for the last 20 years. Then a couple from Slovenia on two Yamaha 660 Tenere’s, they have already done 120 000km on each of the two bikes. Then there was a German guy on a 250cc Yamaha. He started off from Germany around Africa on a bicycle and then 30 000km on a Chinese Bike until that fell apart and then he bought the Yamaha in Durban. On the way to Kenya he ran out of money and he then phoned his previous employer in Germany to borrow some money from him to make it back to Germany. His previous boss then lend him the money under the condition that he must come and work for him again when he gets back to Germany.
The next day I was off towards the Uganda border crossing the Equator more than once unknown. I just managed to miss the rain all the time with heavy cloud most of the way. At a spaza shop I managed to get a cup of boiling water for free and made my own cappuccino in my own cup. After some more travel and just before sunset I booked into the Salient guest house in the Kenyan town of Aldoret for R250 for the night. Next will be Uganda.
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
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