In October 2013, I informed my boss that I was going home and would not be back. Over the next few days, I brought my clothes to a charity shop and sold the rest of my possessions.
Less than two weeks later, I was looking for a second hand bicycle in Cape Town, South Africa. The bicycle, a Trek 820, cost US$150 which was $50 more than the tent I picked up later that day.
As I had no previous cycling experience, I asked a local bicycle shop to teach me the correct way to fix a puncture. The very next morning, I left the hostel and began cycling to the edge of the city. It would take one year to ride a bicycle through Africa.
Here are some photographs from the trip - one for every country through which I passed.
Kilometre #7 Leaving Cape Town. Table Mountain in the background.
Kilometre #870 Cycling through the Namib Deesert. It was beautiful to camp beneath the stars each night but relentless heat and desert winds made it difficult to cope with the loneliness.
Kilometre #1,920 Travelling endless roads with this Chameleon in Botswana. The scariest part of the trip - wild camping alone in lion country.
Kilometre #2,850 Reaching Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe was a huge milestone. Listening to the sound of the falls on my approach was unforgettable - the Smoke that Thunders!
Kilometre #3,000 Zambia was incredibly green and full of friendly locals. Beautiful children were always on hand in Africa which certainly helped on the down days. So much spirit and love to give!
Kilometre #3,800 Malawi is known as the warm heart of Africa. It’s true - I feel embarrassed when I think of how kind natured the people are in Malawi - and they have “nothing” - according to the western world.
Kilometre #4,800 Tanzania - The young boy on the right is a member of the Masaai tribe - they wear white face paint and black clothing in this “coming of age” period.
Kilometre # 5,800 Northern Kenya was a stunning wilderness. They say there is nothing up there but bandits and emptiness - I disagree - it was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
Kilometre #7,300 Climbing through the Simien Mountains was an epic experience. This land honestly feels like stepping back to medieval times and to be able to climb these mountains on my heavy bicycle was a sign of how far I had come since Cape Town.
Kilometre #8,900 One of my favorite and saddest photographs of the trip. Travelling on the ferry across lake Nasser from Sudan to Egypt was like waving goodbye to Africa. I slept on this boat overnight with the stars up above and counted my blessings.
Kilometere # 10k+ - Reaching the pyramids did not feel like the end. In fact, I had a very strong feeling it was only the beginning ....and I was right.
I hope I have earned the right to ask you to upvote my first post on Steemit. If you would like to follow my next adventure - Hiking 4,125km on the Pacific Crest Trail - I will be posting both here and on my Facebook page for Microadventureworld.
Hey man such a great post and what a awesome adventure ! I myself are trying to get a community going and if you wish to join check out #cycling4steemit ! In fact I am in the planning phase of cycling europe and the west Africa down to Cape town! amazing pictures and well written, gonna resteem you so you can get some more exposure!
Patiently waiting for when you shall start your journey.
Hey Holm, great to hear from you and thanks so much for the support! Have you done any cycling in the past? Cycling touring? I think my biggest realization in terms of logistics was the difference between planning and doing the actual cycling lol ;) Thanks for the comment and esteem - hugely appreciated!
Hey man I did a 5 months trip through Europe, so I have some experience at least:)! how did you manage food and water? I'm going by the west side of africa but still could give me a clue on what to expect! by the way I am featuring you in a post coming up today. You deserve it, great first post man:)
You are upvoted and resteemed by Thank You Bicycle - SteemIt Cycling Community!
It is our mission to spread good vibes of cycling across Steemit. We support you!
Keep those wheels rolling and enjoy the ride!!
If you want to know more about our mission click here.
If you want to join us, click here.
If you do not like our activity, reply with STOP to this and we will leave you alone
So awesome!!! Thank you for promoting my story ;)
You are brave! Congratulations on this great achievement.
Hi chiama, thanks very much - to be honest, until I got halfway, many people said I was stupid !!
When some tries something new, only people with foresight can see the greatness.
Its okay for people to be afraid of an adventure they feel is impossible but they should also know that it is possible.
I want to see more of your adventures 😊.
♥
Hi, just stopping by to inform you that your quality post is featured in Thank You Bicycle Spotlight - Issue #1 !
Wow this is so awesome. Thank you for supporting me, Dejuan - I really appreciate this feature!!!
Thank you mate for sharing it with us! It is truly inspiring and big story, and you should write more about it. You have some amazing photos, and your style is very good. It will be a pleasure to spread your story to reach bigger auditorium.
Also, consider putting your stories on Steemit World Map (@steemitworldmap) as I am sure that they will find a place in their #TravelDigest or #swmchallenge They are a group of amazing peeps who do a lot for creators of travel blogs. They helped me in the past and still do that for almost every travel blog I post.
Do not hesitate to ask any question or ask for help, for fellow cyclist I am always available ;)
Cheers and see you around!
Epic is the only word I can use to describe this. Must have been an incredible experience!
It really was - all of it - especially breaking away from the life I thought I was supposed to be living ;) Thanks for the comment, Captain !
That is a thrilling journey filled, I'm sure, with great stories!
Hi celestal, there are many to be told indeed! Thank you for coming by and taking time to leave me this comment!
What an experience!
Hi MackMck, It was one to tell the grandkids alright ;) Thanks for the comment!
Wow what an awesome journey. Pretty daring to do without much prior cycling experience. It's posts like these that make me want to extend my weekend tours.
Maybe you should extend them!! I contemplated extending my own trip from Cairo but Beijing would have taken another year ;) Thanks for the comment!
Sounds like one crazy adventure. You have given us the inspiration to do something just as nuts. Good luck with your future travels!
Hi bluefoxy, thank you so much for the best wishes and for taking time to leave this comment! Derek
You made my day!
... and you are my hero as well :)
Great story mate, and some amazing photos. I cannot wait to read more!
PS. I will discuss with other curators of #ThankYouBicycle but it seems to me that we have the first featured post!
Hi thankyoubicycle, wow that would really be something to be featured with you - and in only my first post. :O Really awesome, I hope we can make this happen!! I have plenty of video too if you would like me to make you a short video trailer for your channel instead - like a Steemit exclusive :) Either way, thank you for the comment - Derek
What an amazing experience it must have been.
Fantastic. Lost for words. Respect to your adventurous spirit, hopefully the inspiration from you will get me back on the saddle!
All the best for future adventures :)
Thank you very much for the comment and for such nice words!! I think you should get back in the saddle...even a quick evening midweek spin to get started ;)
Congratulations @derekcullen! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPAbsolutely epic photos and story man!
Hi Paul, I am really glad you think so - thank you for leaving me the comment!!
Your journey is incredible and so inspiring. As I said in a previously read post of yours, I´m in the very early stages of planning my bike year and for 2018 I will do only day trips or overnight trips but in the near future I can see myself crossing borders like you.