Riding the Desert with a DR

For me, riding a motorcycle symbolizes freedom. In everyday life, as a self-declared nerd (and no one who knows me would argue), I respect laws. I will wait on the sidewalk until the light switches to green and only then cross the street, even if no cars are on the road. If there is a…

Conclusions Part 1

So this is it! i have traveled 25,000 kilometers over five months and 11 different countries. I’ve been caught in the middle of a violent protest on South Africa’s Wild Coast. I’ve lived with a Namibian farmer, tracking wild animals by day and drinking beer around the fire at night. I’ve ventured into, and been…

I’ve (almost) made it!

It has been almost two weeks? It doesn’t feel like that. Time seems to be standing still when you are traveling. So I apologize for not haven written lately. I left Harare for the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe on Monday morning, towards the town of Mutare and then up into the Vumba Mountains, which translate…

Zim!

The wear on my gear is my only indication for the passage of time. Almost every piece of cloth from my pants to my saddlebags, the netting of my tent to the straps that tie down my bag – is fraying, strings hanging out, small holes appearing. My cable net is snapping bit by bit,…

(Wo)Man Up! (Where I Take on the Sand and Win!)

You know how when you first hear a new song the first day you are very excited by it. “Wow, that’s a pretty nice song.” On the second day you replay it 368 trillion times in a loop, make all your friends listen to it and go around shouting “Best song EVER!”. And then on…

Rwandan Roads Are Like Music

Rwandan roads are like music – curve after curve in the road swinging you out and around, another wave of joy, lulling you into a trance, so mystical, so right. From one side to the next. Bend right, bend left. Swing low, towards the ground. Don’t let go – don’t change the angle of your…

So You Want to Know What It’s Like to Drive a Motorcycle Around Africa, and also: The Week of Impressive Bodies of Water

So you want to know what it feels like to ride a motorcycle across Africa? Well, here are a few tips on how you can recreate the experience right at home! First of all, sit on a pogo stick and don’t stop jumping up and down, occasionally really hitting the floor hard and shaking your…

The Masai Mara

Border Crossing Day is no ordinary day. It is a day filled with the excitement and anticipation of arriving at a new and unknown country and the trepidation and apprehension involved with battling through two borders. You must get up early and account for at least two hours of border-ing. You must pack the documents…

The Travel Gods

This post goes out to all my travel gods! You know who you are! 1. The ATM God! Because there is no sweeter sound to a budget-traveler-whose-credit-card-has-been-malfunctioning-lately’s ears than that whirring sound the ATM makes when it is about to divulge wonderful, essential cash. 2. The No-Mechanical-Issues God! The one who makes sure (almost every morning) that…

Tan – ZANY – ia

Riding into Dar Es Salaam from Morogoro I had the wonderful company of Hussein, a local biker, who took me through Bagamoyo. Bagamoyo, translated as “Lay your heart down”, was the historic setting-off point for expeditions into the heart of Africa and a major slave trading port. We had lunch on the beach in front…

Mal – Wow! – i

I usually wake up several times a night. By five thirty I begin regaining consciousness, realizing where I am and that I need to get up. It’s still dark outside. I crawl to open the tent, put on my sandals which are waiting outside and stumble to the “ablution block” to brush my teeth, comb…

Zamb-Easy

Zambia feels like the real Africa! From the minute I drove down the ferry plank I was surrounded by at least 10 guys, mentioning to me and shouting “Park here! No, no, park here!”. “Thank you, really, but I don’t need a fixer. Don’t follow me around or bother me, because I will not pay…