Missive, January 10, 2017

Note to self, preamble

On May 23^rd I first heard about Globerider’s inaugural African motorcycle tour from the southern portion of the continent to the north. Starting in Capetown, South Africa on January 15, 2017 and ending in Cairo, Egypt 65 days later on March 18^th, it is a 15,000 km journey. Helge Pedersen is the principle of Globeriders and is one of the world’s most respected adventure motorcycle tour operators. Having completed the 12,000 km Silk Road trip from Istanbul, Turkey to Xian, China in 2011 I can attest to that first hand.

I got excited about this trip pretty quickly and made some calls the first being to my good friend, lifetime friend really, Chris Banks. Chris and I went to Glenlyon together way back in grade 5, then Shawnigan and have been pals ever since. He has lived in Africa for the past 45 years, mostly in Nairobi, Kenya. He speaks 6 languages, has a Kenyan wife called Jackie and two grown kids who attended Shawnigan and live and work in Victoria. In addition, they own a trucking company and move freight all over the continent. Who better to converse with than Chris?

Chris was immediately excited about the Globeriders journey and very positive about my participation saying it would be the trip of a lifetime and a truly great experience travelling through one of the world’s last continental frontiers.

Next I spoke to my Silk Road pal Mike McNulty who coincidentally also owns a trucking company in Southern California. Although our riding skills are similar I have to say that Mike is out there a bit more than me on the adventure travel tangent. Mike has been all over the world with Helge and was on the ‘exploratory’ Africa trip last year in a group of four. They were the third contingent mapping out where we should go and how we should do it. Following their posted journal let me know a bit about their trip, some of their hardships and what would not be repeated!

Mike also was very positive about the African journey and frankly, he was my litmus test for even signing up. He said it was right up there with the Silk Road experience. Less on the history and the culture but more on the scenery, beauty of the countryside, the wonderful people we would meet along the way and the variety of the countries we would be traversing.

Based on Chris and Mike’s say so and Waan’s important blessing, it became a cautious ‘go’.

Further research has fuelled my enthusiasm for the trip but also tempered it with caution. I have read and highlighted nearly all of the Economist magazine articles covering Africa for 2016. I have read two fine books one by Alex Perry (The Rift-A New Africa Breaks Free) and another by Paul Theroux (Dark Star Safari- Overland from Cairo to Capetown, 2004). Armed with a tiny bit of history and understanding of this immense and diffuse continent of over a billion people (very approx 1.2 billion) I have discovered that its land mass of 54 countries is huge: the U.S., China, India, Mexico and Europe all fit into Africa with no problem. Africa is three times the size of the United States and three times the size of Canada.

We will be travelling through the following countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe (to see Victoria Falls only), Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. These 11 countries comprise approximately a third of the population of the continent, 43% of its GDP (Africa has a GDP of $2.3 billion or approx. $2230 per head) and 31% of the continental land mass. There are over 2000 languages spoken on the continent. Clearly we will only be scratching the surface of this huge place and incidentally the cradle of civilization that seems so imposing on our globe. One last tidbit, the average age in these countries is about 18 versus 40 years in Canada, 27 in Mexico and 35 in China so longevity is not really and issue here.

Thankfully, our journey takes us through countries that are (mostly!) hospitable. I am not sure that the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and many in the western area of the continent would be quite so welcoming.

Apart from a reasonably significant investment for a trip of this nature, I under estimated some other requirements. The vaccination process for typhoid, meningitis, tetanus, yellow fever, rabies and malaria etc. etc was time consuming and expensive. Likewise, the visa process; without my good friend Myrna Arychuk at the Ukrainian Travel Service in Vancouver I would have been a goner. Myrna expertly shepherded the myriad complexities of dealing with foreign embassies and in particular the Sudanese embassy in Khartoum and Ottawa which was well nigh impossible, thanks again Myrna! Lastly, all the little details- not to bore anyone but there are almost infinite things to think about when preparing for a trip like this: not only a well stocked inventory of the essentials required on a motorcycle journey like this which requires maximizing the use of small spaces but also medical supplies, educational preparation and good physical fitness to endure the rigours of the road and maintain alertness at all times. 

Therefore, with some trepidation, anxiety, fear of the unknown and a healthy degree of awareness of some of the risks, I undertake this ‘life experience’ adventure with enthusiasm and commitment. There are many other voyages one could choose however, I really do want to get out and explore the world while the resources and inclination to do so are alive and well. There is simply no better way to do this than by motorcycle; the sights, sounds, smells, proximity to life on the road and viewpoints are non parallel. It is my fault entirely that I enjoy this form of travel.  I found this out on the Silk Road and have re-read my journals; this has also emphasized the importance of taking time and effort to record thoughts and observations along the way not only for my readers but also for my own benefit when memory recall becomes a bit hazy. Hopefully my experiences on that trip will bode well for a safe and exciting journey on this one!

This started out as a ‘note to self’ and morphed a bit; I would like to invite you to explore the Globerider’s website www.globeriders.com. It is an excellent compendium and information source for those interested and contains some of the most fabulous photographs anywhere. Our collective journey will be posted here.

I am sending this along to family, friends and those that might also like to follow the trip. It is my plan to send a periodic diary every ten days or so outlining all manner of things relating to the journey.  Please let me know if you would like to be excluded or else just do a quick delete and carry on; thanks a lot, pass the journals along if you feel like it and hope you enjoy the reading as much as I will the writing!

Best regards,

Nick G.

Ps the country entry and exit dates are as follows:

South Africa               January 15-19

Namibia                      January 19-27

Botswana                    January 27-29

Zambia                        January 29- February 2

Malawi                        February 2-7

Tanzania                     February 7-16

Kenya                          February 16-21

Ethiopia                      February 21- March 1

Sudan                          March 1-7

Egypt                          March 7-18