I am finished riding a bicycle solo across Africa, sleeping in the wild and conquering some of my deepest fears but one year on, I have now reached the Pyramids of Egypt AMA

What was your biggest motivation to keep going? Also, it'd be great to hear your favorite story from the trip.

To be honest there were times when I had no motivation at all and kept going for the sole reason that staying in the same place wouldn't change anything! Other than that my motivation was usually bourne from the fact that my life was in a downward spiral before the trip and the longer it went on, the more my attitude changed :) Thanks for the question....many of my favourite stories are on the Facebook posts but one that stands out was a particularly crap day in Ethiopia...the locals had brought on intense attention and were quite often not very friendly with me for the six weeks there; but one particular day I had to climb 1500 metres asl out of Abay Gorge and the locals began applauding, giving me cold drinks, cheering and kids began pushing me from behind. It was a bit of an emotional moment :)))

I've been following you on facebook since you did the first ama, and must say that I'm really impressed by you and your journey. Now, to the question; What was your favorite place in Africa and would like to you visit it again? :)

Thanks Slashed, chuffed by your words !! I feel no reason to go back to Africa before I see another part of the world but it is undoubtedly the most amazing place I have ever experienced. My favourite places were always in between ie. not the touristy places....too many favourites but I loved Lake Malawi for so many reasons and cycling with the wildlife in lower Tanzania :)) cheers

Oh yeah Tanzania is beautiful! I stayed pretty much only in the northern parts when I was there :) Wish I'd gotten out from the touristy parts more but I was 15 and was travelling with my family

Northern TZ is incredibly beautiful too though Slash. Yeah when you go back, get off the beaten track - it has been the best part of my trip every time to tke a chance on going somewhere less known ;)

Did you have any sex at all?

Only with myself

How much did you spend approximately during the whole trip? (Essentials such as food and water)

Also, what was the most difficult thing you faced during your journey?

I'm trying to get my bank balance online for the final figure but it was less than $4,000 spending over one year - approx $11 per day

Most difficult without a shdow of a doubt was the loneliness, it is still a problem as I am cycling up through France at the moment enroute home to Ireland and unable to converse with having no French :( Cheers Liam

That isn't as high as I would of thought considering the time and the position you was in. $11 converts to around £6. I can imagine how difficult that is. Especially without knowing French. I remember back at school they taught me French, I can't remember a word of it to this day!

Well done on the huge accomplishment. I hope to do something similiar, and extreme once I'm older. I would do it now but I'm only 16 years old.

Good man Liam and you should definitely do something similar. My greatest lesson was how the challenge/adventure changed me personally - I could never have expected how much it did.

Good luck with your adventures pal! Derek

What advice would you give to people who want to travel to Africa? (in terms of money, packing, and what to be prepared for)

Tks Frik, Unfortunately you need to take cash $US is king everywhere.

Take a Visa or Mastercard too but definitely cash to exchange. Dont take travellers cheques no matter what a tour company advises (this is bullshit)

Dont wear a "bun bag", hide your money in diff places - I put it in socks, empty sunscreen bottles, empty lipsol

Be prepared for? Cold water, horrible toilets, no toilets and in general bad sanitation. Africa is special and beautiful in so many ways but for some reason many visitors seem to forget its a third world continent.

Locals in touristy areas can be tricky and dishonest but when you move away from that they are the most open, heartwarming and kind people....I say this having being vulnerable and open to it every day for a year ;)

What was the most dangerous situation you had during your adventures?

Probably cycling past the Bull Elephant on the side of the road - there was a distinct feeling of "this is actually happening, holy shit what am I doing??"

Realistically the most dangerous was in Namib - bit of more than I could chew one day and with no shade, got absolutely crucified by the sun. Luckily I reached a building when heat exhaustion set in, I couldnt move for 24 hours and spent another 24 hours in bed after that - it was harsh lesson.

Did you have any run-ins with Africa's wildlife?

Yeah a very close one with a Bull elephant, after one hour waiting near Makgadikgadi pans botswan I was left with a choice to go past him or risk being caught out there in the dark with god knows what. I have pics on the site and video in the trailer too ;)Otherwise it was often scary in the tent alone listening to the sounds and not knowing what they were...i shivered one particular nihgt near the botswana border - frightened!!

Sounds amazing. I'll check out the Facebook site tomorrow.

Cheers dude, thanks again! Derek

Amazing! What was the most memorable part of it all? What motivated you to do this "untrained and inexperienced"?

And hey, I live in Cairo, so if you're bored and are looking for anything to do, feel free to contact me!

Thanks Ronny, for the offer too - Im in France now cycling home ;)

Most memorable part has always been the people, taking me into their home, lifting my spirits, asking to be friends...the children wanting to talk, to touch, always smiling - the most memorable part was how an entire year of experiencing this feeling from locals changed me completely!

What motivated me; I was a bit lost in life, no interest in future goals, bored, very unhappy with the person I was becoming - I wanted a challenge that interested me but also one I felt would help to change me and my attitude aswell. Thnks again

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood you. Have a safe trip home!

Has the journey done what you expected it to? Has it made the future a little clearer?

Man this journey has changed my life completely and I know exactly what I need to do now.

My final blog should be up next week which will explain most of how it changed everything - in a nutshell it wasnt my life that needed to change, it was me that needed to change ;)

What was the most interesting thing you saw on your latest bike ride?

In Africa? I stopped with the bike at a roadside tea shop near Cairo and a group of elders came over in Jallabeyas (white robes). They all stood around like a panel of judges and began asking where I was going etc...I just sat there and watched them joke around about the bicycle like a bunch of school children. They loved it, it just seemed impossible to them that I was about to ride it "all the way to Cairo" - I smiled because I hadnt the heart to tell them I had come from Cape Town ;) To me these sort of moments were more interesting and beautiful than any scenery/sight! Thanks Nj

This is amazing.

Have you had any troubles with theft?

What were the roads like? Bumpy, Smooth, Non-existent?

Hey! I hate to admit this but I got mugged in Addis Ababa by two adults and a swarm of streetkids. I managed to catch the ringleader and the police still let him go lol

Anyway I was so annoyed because this was the only time anything like this happened and it was in a major city, without the bike, in broad daylight on a busy street. Otherwise I found most people were too afraid of the strange looking bearded guy on the bicycle so no problems haha

Roads were great actually, sometimes they were shite like in Ethiopia or dirt roads i Malawi - Northern Kenya is also called the "road from hell". But for travelling such a long distance I have to admit they were surprisingly good condition!

Which country had the best looking women?

Yeah nice question :))) I was afraid of the risks so unfortunately have gone one year without !!!

Ethiopian women are insanely good looking - after that IMO Kenya!

Are you secretly hoping someone tries to make a movie about your journey?

I'm not sure anyone is ugly enough to play me....but no lol I hve hours of footage I might make something small myself ;)

I was thinking about doing something similar, but the African continent is quite scary, with wild animals, politically instable areas and the possibility of getting murdered at night.

How did you avoid these situations? A few tips as well would be highly appreciated.

Wild animals is what scared me the most but honestly, even my complete irrational fear of them was not enough to stop me realising that they dont want the confrontation anymore than we do.

Unstable areas can be avoided for example; I avoided South Sudan by travelling up through Ethiopia and into Northern Sudan.

The only real danger for where I went was probably Northern Kenya and that turned out to be fine. When it comes to warring tribes for example; we are not the enemy. HOwever terrorists are another story....My advice would be to skip anywhere you are unsure of, you can always find a wy of hitching if you need to.

Getting murdered; it's more dangerous in Europe than most of Africa. I honestly mean that, this year completely changed my view of people,strangers and the risks you are asking about. I hope you do it, since arriving in France, the cycling has been quite boring lol Thanks for the q

Do you miss the rains down in Africa?

Are you there now? Cause its gonna take a lot to take me away from yooooou

Did you ever think of giving up and head home? What made you go on? Also, what was the most terrifying experience?

Yeah every single day in Ethiopia, it just got so intense - the grabbing, shouting. To give you an idea, the morning I entered Sudan it felt like going on Yoga retreat after being stuck in an Ibiza nightclub for six weeks! All of this was without the fact that the mountains were some of the biggest in Africa

I kept going at that point because I knew from earlier in the trip; every single time I was low, there was always something that would happen afterward that would make it feel worthwhile. In ethiopias case, I left feeling a lot more humble and grateful for how difficult there lives are and how easy is mine.

Most terrifying; Shivering in the tent listening to animals around it and not knowing what they were. A praticularly paranoid night near the Botswana border. Thanks Perhapslater

Next summer I'm planning on doing the American challenge, a ride from east to west across the US, so what is some of your tips for cycling trips that long?

Take an ipod, keep drinking water esp when you don't want to and esp when you finish riding (ie the rest of that night). Use the experience to prove to your body, through your mind that you can do fr more thn you thought possible.

It will change you,delighted to hear you are doing this - Best of luck with it

What are your deepest fears ? Favorite food? Favorite book? Thanks!

Specifically Hyenas for which I had and still kind of do have an irrational fear. I woke up so many times in the night to sounds around the tent and convinced myself it was a pack of Hyena! Otherwise, I was quite concerned in Northern Kenya re bandit & terrorist threats - Al Shabab are in that area. In general I was afriad and nervous of being alone & vulnerable on a bicycle

Favourite food: Ethiopia all dishes, unreal, spicy and different to everywhere else I travelled.

Favourite book; I got absolutely slted in the lst AMA by people comparing me to Chris McCandless but I will still admit my fav was "Into the Wild" - doing this trip I could completely relate to how he felt. Unfortuntely I agree he prob went too far though with his fateful journey.

Thanks ;)

My biggest goal in life is to travel. How much culture did you experience in each country you visited on your trip? Where do you recommend to visit in Africa, and finally, will you be doing this again, say across the States or maybe through Europe?

That was the best thing about travelling by bicycle, you are forced to experience the culture :) I slept outside African huts, in locals houses, ate with them - you are almost always immersed with them when travelling by bicycle which can be difficult but its also the greatest part. I spent a lot loinger doing this (one yer) than other groups do and very happy I did so now.

Visit Namibia for scenery, Tanzania for animal safari, Malawi for people :)

I'll be doing more trips on www.facebook.com/nohangingaround but not for a period this long. I am currently cycling up from France enroute home to Ireland via UK ferry ;) Thanks iDobo

I've always wondered something about people who do this kind of journeys, travelling for a whole year: how about the money? I'm guessing you had no income during this year, right? So, how can you afford not only to make this trip, but also to survive after it? Do you have a job waiting for you when you return?

No working while on the road, I spent less than $4,000 for the 12 Months - most people on minimum wage could save this much if they tried ;)

I've been offered a job labouring back home (building site) Tks

So many questions!

How would you describe your daily routine?

What was the most useful thing you brought with you, be it tool or supply? (Besides the bike)

Get up cook oats, pack the tent, leave early to watch the sunrise (and cycle with less heat). Try to get a bit of distance done in the morning, listen to music, wave, wave, wave,wave, talk to locals, take photographs, wave wave...lol think you get the point. Keep an eye out for places to get water all day and possibly lunch....in the afternoon start thinking about where to sleep ie. a village or the bush. In the second half od the trip I was too tired to camp and there were often too many people though.

Best tool; Go Pro camera for unintrusive filming so handy), ipod, kindle and the tool that takes the casette off the rear wheel. lol I had a right time trying to replace broken spokes the first time without the right tools to take the wheel apart and hd no clue what i ws doing!!

Awesome, thanks for the reply! Shameless followup question: Was there anything you -didn't- bring with you that you regretted not having/would bring next time?

A kindle - I ran out of books early on and have since used my netbook as a kindle but its not ideal at all. Theres nothing to do down here but read sometimes so it becomes very important haha

Otherwise, next time I do something for a whole year I'll bring someone to talk to lol

[deleted]

I hope not, I have pints of guinness planned for the 8th November in Ireland

How much did your legs grow?

I thought they'd be like the tree trunks you see on the pros but they look average to me now still. In saying that they are still 100% muscle and I cn cruise up hills with a 60kg bicycle no probs anymore ;)

In general I didnt put on any weight not because of the exercise but because I couldnt sustain enough eating to keep up with it! - make sense? cheers ;)

Would you do it again?

No!

Which person in your adventure impacted you the most? Congratulations on completing your trip successfully!

Thanks reduce! wow shit that's really really difficult!!

I had a terrible time in Ethiopia, locals often gave me hard time (unknowingly) but at one of my lowest points in a small town one elderly homeless man shouted after me in the street one day "Hey Ferengi, I love you"....it picked me up no end.

In general it was always the unexpected and random acts of kindness that made me think differently (i know how cliche this is but its true). Ive been offered food, water, safety, beds too many times to remember and they never asked for anything in return either - experiencing this would chnge anyones life or outlook!

Out of genuine curiosity, what ethnicity are you? I'm only curious because I want to do something similar and my African friend said "those guys will rob your skinny white ass so fast, you'd be lucky to make it out alive".

White, Caucasion, Irish, huge beard

I refer to myself as a skinny white bearded guy on the bicycle in my blog all the time. Trust me if anyone stands out, its me! The locals will love you for coming to visit their land

How many spokes did you break?

Looooads, always on the back - approx 30?

How often were you on a road compared to the wilderness? Is the infrastructure there as bad as everyone thinks? How common is electricity/Internet?

Well the roads ran through the wilderness but yeah theres people everywhere, even in the desert. The most remote places were probably Namibia, Botswana and Northern Kenya - but still there were usually people or villages every 50 - 100km.

Internet is booming in Africa, theres even little huts with computers in places youd never imagine. I just bought a sim for each country and the data was really cheap with good coverage.

To give you an example, in North Kenya I saw nobody for the first day but 100km up the road there were lots of little huts. They gave me water and I put the tent up next to their village - you can do this almost anywhere really

What is the greatest danger you have encountered?

Probably the heat, I know this is not what you were probably expecting but there have been a few times I suffered severe heat exhaustion and ws in a pretty bad way.

Otherwise, having to cycle past a huge bull elephant in Boswana on the roadside was a hairy moment...he wasn't too happy about it either! tks rpt

How many tires and tubes did you go through? Was it difficult to re-supply on bike parts?

Only had pprox 25 puncture believe it or not!! carried six spares and no I actually carried ll the spare parts from the beginning except spokes which were esy to find ;)

Will you share your equipment list?

I used to have it on the .com site but honestly there are so many websites out there who offer this sort of information I asked myself why was I doing it and instead deleted it!

Didn't carry anything out the the ordinary; clothes, wet gear, tent, stove, pot, food, water, netbook, bicycle spares

What is your next big challenge?

Struggling to decide this one myself, moving to Canada in January for a change in lifestyle/new experience but in terms of Outdoor Adventure - I don't really know

Long term; a long hike or climb through particularly challenging Wilderness appeals but nothing on the scale of what I have just done.

In the interim I'm thinking of a mini challenge back home in - to cycle around Ireland with no money (3 weeks, no cash, no credit card, just the bicycle and tent) Thanks Stooooo

What's next, South America?

I think that's the end of it for the bicycle. Looking into trekking/camping somewhere remote for the next one but undecided. South America would be great but its been a long year alone and I thikn the bicycle would like a break from me talking at this stage :))!

Have you read The Alchemist?

Yeah I have, actually I listened to it on the road with the ipod. Brilliant!

What is the length of your erect penis?

how long is a piece of string?

What were the border crossings like? Any standouts?

Nah all easy really, I had to post the passport home from Kenya to get a visa for Ethiopia and then spent weeks getting one for Sudan but the crossings were fine,

Kenya/Ethiopia was funny, they had to open the buildings on both sides and didn;t believe me when I told them I already had a visa :D

Do you have any awesome stories from the trip you'd like to tell?

Heaps, I usually post the best ones to the facebook page above ^{^}

All the locals in Ethiopia helping me up the hill trying to get out of Abay Gorge was a great one - cheering, clapping, kids pushing the bike

Otherwise; On new years eve last, I was asked to take part in a rescue party of an elderly group who's safari vehicle had gotten stuck in the middle of Mackagadigadi pans. I went but when we reached them it was apparent their vehicle ws going nowhere. As a result the elderly people took my plce in the rescue vehicle and I, with four others slept in the open on their "stuck" safari vehicle overnight. I say slept, it rained and was freezing, none slept.

Anyway, they were able to call us the next morning to advice the flooding was so bad that no vehicles could come in to get us. We were literally stuck in the wild, approx 50km from the road....We spent New Years morning walking out of the African bush by following tyre tracks. It was in the papers in the Uk at the time...crazy way to start the year!

What language would have been the most useful to know apart from English, and how useful was English?

I suppose English was better than Spanish but mostly useless outside of tourist areas!

Swahili would be good though - Tanzania & Kenya

Thanks

You're an inspiration to us all. What made you dream of cycling solo across Africa, and what were the events that ultimately led up to it?

Cheers.

I quit my job one monday morning and realised I had no interest in the future. I felt i wasnt doing what I really wanted and was convinced tht if there really was some meaning to life, then it had to be out there somewhere to experience.

I decided on this challenge as a means to change myself, to chnge my attitude. I used the loss of both parents some years ago as an excuse to thread a very self destructive path and enough was enough.

I loved Africa, I knew it would be lesser unknown , I chose the bicycle as a cheap and challenging way to travel - it became my dream because everyone told me I couldnt do it and I felt like saying "but I WANT to do it".....so I did lol :)

How did you plan your adventure?

I didn't, I was in Cape town a week after quitting my job - bought a bicycle, tent, supplies and started cycling lol

true story ;)

tks

What would you say was the most common European nationality you encountered trough out Africa? And also, what was the most frequent foreign security personal? I'd love to know! Thanks for doing an AMA and sharing your impression

I didn't meet a whole lot to be honest, even the tourist spots were very quiet but I imagine....English or australian....met quite a lot of swiss in Sub sarahan africa too!

Most frequent foreign security was British army in north Kenya but thats because they have a training base there. Near Nanyuki. Saw heaps of UN vehicles but not much else ---- you'd have to travel into the more danger zones to see it I guess

What's your next goal?

Not to let the habits I formed this year die and become a more positive influence on the lives of others

I feel a great admiration towards your accomplishments and could only dream of doing something as adventurous as this in the future. I have two questions, what were your highest points during the trip and what were the lowest? Thanks for having this ama! :D

hey I relly appreciAte you saying that, honestly thanks!!!

Highest points were usually the people but other than that Cycling with giraffe in the Tanzania wild was incredible, so too was the feeling of making it through Northern Kenya & Ethiopia!! The lows always revolved around loneliness, having no conversation, none that understood what I was feeling......there were many dark dark times :(

Honestly thanks again, you really should go do something big. I said the same as you before doing this !!

What have you gained from your experience riding throughout different nature and culture?

Hey thanks!

Just realised fully that people are the same everywhere, same hopes, same dreams, same ideas. I had the devastating realisation that the world didnt revolve around me afterall and learnt that at the moment you stop living for yourself and start doing so for other people, is the moment that life actually begins ;)

How did you navigate? GPS? Maps?

Had no maps after Zambia as I couldnt find them usually but in general Africa is so simple to navigate there are so few roads! France is a diff story Ive been here a week and have been lost so many times!

There were roadsigns so once you dont turn off that road or go the opposite way...youre golden ;)

What kind of issues did you have with your bicycle and how did you manage to fix it - especially how do you get spare parts in the middle of nowhere? Ever had to pull it for long distances? Love bicycling trips myself, but you're fucking crazy :)

Broken spokes was the most annoying (from the weight). Punctures not that often surprisingly enough....thats all really!

I carried spares for EVERYTHING, spare brke pads, spare cassette, cables, tubes, tyres - you name it ;)

haha thanks dude thats a great compliment!! longest I did was around 160km but keep in mind that was with 60kg wieght and approx 35 degree

Hi nohanging, First, congrats on succeeding on such an challenging quest. It takes many admirable strengths to commit to something like this, specially when being unexperienced on biking. I rarely stop by reddit, but your post has been sent to me as I have had this idea of riding around Africa for some time now. The questions that bug me the most have to do with crossing borders and being prepared with visas. I have heard before that crossing a border in Africa can be extremely expensive but it doesn't seem you faced that problem. Is there any read you could recommend about this matter? How did you prepare for this? Thanks

Nah the visas are at a set price but for example SA, Namibia,malawi and BOTS are all free

Crossing borders is fine, just bring us dollars to pay for them, have your yellow fever card, passport - never any issues at all. Honestly its not even worth researching, tourists go through these oplaces on buses,trucks all the time ;)

Do you intend to bike any farther?

Back to Ireland, maybe around Ireland but naaah I think small day activities aside I would prefer to adventure in a different way next time ;) tks brunes

Which bicycle do you use?

13 year old second hand Trek 820 lol

Very basic, 21 gears, no suspension etc - just a solid frame !

You mention a bunch that you did this because you had no goals or direction. Has that changed now? Do you have some new outlook with a new direction for your life?

Yeah, my website doesnt cover the boring travel blog concept of A to B

I write entirely about how it feels or how the experience would change a person.

In short it changed my life because it completely changed my thought process and all of this was done not through reading, advice or anything else other than real challenging life experiences.

Hope that doesnt sound big headed. If you read the blog or facebook page you'll see exactly what I mean. Thanks

Which country had the worst roads?

Parts of Ethiopia but hands down Northern Kenya

In your travels, what hs been the most interesting/bizarre flavor of potato chips youve seen?

Cant remember the name of it but Ethiopia hd one of their national dishes as a flavour ----equivalent of say "Irish stew" (only in the capital)

What kind of wildlife did you see?

First person to ask!"!

Elephant, buffalo, zebra, baboon, warthog, dik dik, gemsbok, ostrich, camel, kudu, springbok, hippo,...prob more :)

What's your favourite flavour of ice cream?

Purple flavour

Do you actually have cell signal in case you are in danger and or to post this AMA?

I've arrived in France now but in general internet/signal is simple in Africa now - telecom providers are all over and its cheap.

you re never completely alone, if you are in trouble there will be someone along or someone not too far away that will help.

I once climbed a 1000metre high mountain near my home in Dublin, if something happened there it would be no more isolated or different ;)

How did you plan your route?
Did you travel on main highways? How was the traffic? What was your budget like? Did you cook your own food? How often did you stay in hotels/hostels? What suggestions do you have for someone who's considering this trip? (bear in mind im pretty experienced bike touring in the developed world). Also how were the language barriers in africa? What precautions did you take to avoid animals trampling your tent?

Lastly,

thankyou for this ama

I just picked West to East Africa and decided to keep going North really, not much planning - I had no map from Zambia to Egypt.

Highways - there are none really, well not the ones like at home. Traffic there was mostly none which was great although lower Tanzania was dangerous. Budget $11 per day incl accomodation. Yeah I cook on a stove mostly noodles/pasta/beans.....Id guess that half was guesthouses the other half tent (got too tired in second half to put up a tent).

Suggestions: Get ready to deal with loneliness if you go alone -the language barrier causes this one. But re the language, I find Africans extremely patient with this, they want to communicate and understand - they never say or react in a way that says "I dont speak English sorry".

Re animals, hey just tend to stay away once they know you are there. My problem was not starting fires, going asleep and waking up to startle some poor animal who had no idea i was there in the first place lol.

Biggest advice is to be patient, everything is done slowly or not done at all. It grinds you down over time but you need to keep reminding yourself its nothing personal ;)

Thanks for the questions!

What were you most scared of during this journey....the wild animals, nature in general or HUMANS?

Failing! not being able to do what I dreamed of...

Otherwise, animals I have a very irrational fear of animals!

Did you get Ebola?

Is that on the Xbox One of the playstation?

How did you finance it?

With money, you can work for it or win it in the lotto - this one cost less than $4,000 ;) Cheers dude

How did you begin? I mean.. How you found out the courage to start. I have his problem called starting trouble. Between congrats.

I quit my job on a MOnday morning September 2013, I asked myself why I was unhappy? wht was the problem, what did I really want to do? What was I GOING to do?

I WAS the problem. I wanted adventure. I loved Africa and motorbikes but didnt have the money for the Motorbike and thought it would be less of a challenge

A week later I was on a flight Dublin to Cape town, bought a bicycle and left.

I was shitting myself lol

Congrats for the achievement and keep safe. Would you consider a motorcycle trip next time?

ha yeah I have a BMW F650 in Ireland....it would be an absolute joy to go on one after the effort of this past year

Any run ins with dangerous animals or dangerous people?

Lots of animals around the tent at night but dont know what they were lol Had a close encounter with an elephant (hes in the video⁾ but otherwise it was fine.

Some people in Ethiopia got a little too touchy aggressive....nothing serious. Cheers ;)

What bike(s) were you riding to conquer this epic quest? What are a couple things that were invaluable to your trip that make the trip easier for the next person attempting this?

Thanks ;) Trek 820, it was 13 years old and second hand when I bought it in Cape Town for $140

Take a kindle, you wont find one in africa lol

I'd probably take a gps for peace of mind (i had no maps even)

Remember that no matter how hard it gets, something beautiful and amazing is always around the corner. I learnt this on countless occasions ;)

Did you die at any point during your trip?

No but I once saw a baboon scrathing his balls

Amazing! How was waking up every morning on your own, in a new place, maybe into the wild? What sensations did you feel?

Yeah......alive, always alive. Waking up to the sound of the wild is such a nice feeling. I got sick of living in a tent to be honest but being in a new place every day made it easy to leave behind my inhibitions, my old self and everything I wanted to be rid of.

We could all do with being a bit more adventurous huh?

Thanks ;)

Hope it's down hill on the way back to SA...

How many flat tyres did you get?

Miraculously not that many, I had Schwelbe Marathon tyres which were ridiculously strong.

Actually rode approx 4,000km between Zambia and Ethiopia without a single puncture. Then there were days I got two in one lol

Approx 25 overall

What kind of bike do you ride?

13 years old, second hand, Trek 820

What was your feeling after just completing the journey?

Just gratitude for how much it changed me.

I went to "find myself" in some ways but that happened a midway through the trip so by the end I was just thankful for learning through an incredible experience what my life was ll about and the great people I know.

Sound cheesy? I feel proud that a normal person did something that others said he couldnt do

Do you wanna do this trip around others continents too?

Not really, I haven't ruled it our but would like to try a new type of adventure if possible ;)

Did you get Ebola?

Is that on xbox one or playstation?

Do you worry the Muslims will grab and hold you for ransom? or worse?

No it's not muslims who do, it is terrorist factions who happen to be muslim.

But not going to lie, I stopped watching the news last month (ISIS) because I could sense it building on my paranoia and EVERYONE kept asking about my ginger beard (its HUGE) and asking was I muslim too?? This usually let to an arwkward conversation.

It did start to worry me but only becuse I had been alone for a year and desperate to go home unhindered. Thanks window