Peter Gostelow has just completed his epic cycling trip from London to Cape Town. He pedaled through 24 African countries, each one bringing new terrain to conquer, languages to dispel, and challenges to meet. Along the way he has raised money for the Against Malaria Foundation, and taken time to distribute mosquito nets to remote communities.
Despite the inevitable ups and downs of a trip like this, Peter only thought about giving up once, after being physically attacked in Dakar. An unfortunate experience, but after much thought he decided to power on through. In his two years of cycling after the Dakar incident, he did not experience anything similar. Peter jumped on his bike in August, 2009 and pedaled out of his home village in Dorset. It took him just shy of 3 years to bike 34,000 km's (21127 miles). Here are some excerpts from his final trip blog:
For me, arriving in Cape Town was just like another day on the road, and when you've been going so long, taking detours and moving slowly with no real rush to finish, there is no sudden sense of 'this is the end and I did it'. It kind of sinks in slowly.
Once the skies brightened up it was time to cycle out to Cape Point. I had company from another South African, who also recently cycled from the UK-Cape Town, but in less than six months. The ride was spectacular, and it is easy to see why so many Capetonians get out on their bicycles, and others are drawn to the city with its inspiring coastal location.
The late afternoon sun shone down as I wheeled my bike up for a customary photo at the Cape of Good Hope. This had more of an end-to-an-epic-journey-feel to it as I popped open a bottle of bubbly and revelled in the delight of finally making it, before a tour bus arrived and I found myself surrounded by Japanese tourists.
Read all about Peter's "Big Africa Cycle".
Inspired to jump on a bike and ride through Africa? Here are some resources to get you started - Tips About Cycling in Africa.
I have spent the past three months immersed in the colonial lives of the first white settlers in Kenya (or "Keenya" as they liked to call it). It started off with a re-read of Beryl Markham's excellent West with the Night, and I just got carried away with the genre. If you loved watching "Out of Africa" or "White Mischief" and have become enchanted with the Edwardian drama Downton Abbey, you may enjoy reading the list of books below. They are ranked in order of my personal preference.
One of the first things you'll notice when you arrive in Africa is that nearly everyone has a cell phone. And I really mean everyone. That includes the Maasai warrior dressed in a traditional red shuka blanket, complete with rubber tire sandals on his feet. While tending cattle on the shimmering northern Tanzanian plains, he'll have a stick in one hand and a Nokia phone in the other. In Ghana people love their phones so much, they can actually be buried in a cell phone coffin.
It's zany zebra Monday and I'll start with a question. Are zebras white with black stripes, or black with white stripes? Turns out that in the womb, teeny tiny zebra embryos are in fact brown. Their white stripes develop a little later on and their brown stripes turn black as they mature after birth. Another big zebra question is - Why? Why the stripes? Scientists have been puzzling over this one for many decades. A recent scientific breakthrough shows that it could be a way to ward off biting insects. Does this mean that our safari khakis should really be a more racy black and white outfit? Because I've had plenty of tsetse fly bites ruin a game drive, and a simple striped solution would suit me just fine. I'd also love to see game rangers sport some stripey shorts.
The 2012 Africa Cup of Nations has been a fantastic tournament so far, African soccer at its most compelling, muddy and entertaining. The biggest surprise of the first round has to be co-host nation Equatorial Guinea's spectacular start. Who said lightning doesn't strike twice? The Nzalang Nacional (National Lightning) beat a shocked Libyan side 1-0 and, then went on to crush Senegal 2-1. You can credit a home crowd advantage, and even the million dollar payout by the President's son. But whatever the reason, the lowest ranking team in the tournament outplayed their opponents to make it through to the quarter final on Saturday (Feb, 4 2012), where they will face the Ivory Coast. This will be a tough match for the home team, since the Ivory Coast's Elephants easily won their first round matches (albeit against weak teams).
It may be winter in South Africa, but that's not stopping lots of festivities taking place this July. Durban hosts its annual film festival, Stellenbosch celebrates its fine wines, and Grahamstown celebrates the arts. Zanzibar will host East Africa's premier film festival, a week long event. You can enjoy music, arts, literature, film and more, from all over Africa and countries bordering the Indian ocean. Dhow races take place throughout the festival.
There are some wonderful festivals coming up this February (2012) in Africa. Zanzibar will come alive with the sounds of Swahili music during the annual Sauti za Busara music festival. Cape Town will get gussied up for its annual Gay Pride event. These festivals are preceded by an inspiring cultural festival in Mali, held on the banks of the mighty Niger River.
Senegal's historic town of St Louis is hosting an international Jazz festival this June. Morocco's finest traditional musicians are gearing up for no less than three important cultural festivals in Fes, Marrakech, and Essaouira. South Africa's livestock is getting trimmed, brushed and ready for their big Royal show in Pietermaritzburg, which starts at the end of May.
If you happen to be on South Africa's eastern coast during the winter months, check out the Sardine Run. It takes place along South Africa's Wild Coast and is hailed as one of nature's most spectacular events. It's an underwater version of the great annual migration of wildebeest in East Africa. Every year millions of sardines spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank (south of South Africa) and move northward to the warmer waters, just along South Africa's east coast. It's not unusual for shoals to be 4 miles long and 1 mile wide, they are clearly visible from the surface of the ocean.
There's often confusion about Yellow Fever vaccination requirements when you travel to Africa. An outbreak of Yellow Fever in 2011 in Uganda led to speculation that the vaccination would be a requirement to enter Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Both the Ugandan and Tanzanian embassies confirmed that everyone does need to be vaccinated in order to enter, regardless of where their travel originated. The Kenyan embassy in Washington DC however said it was not mandatory, if you are traveling from a country where the disease is not endemic. It's a good idea to double check with your tour operator to make sure you will not be crossing borders at any time during your trip. Many safari itineraries will combine a visit to two or three countries in both East and Southern Africa.
You're looking at a lovely Umbrella Thorn Acacia tree in one Africa's best national parks. The great annual migration of millions of wildebeest, zebra and impala pass by this tree. Hot air balloon flights will give you a wonderful birds-eye view of the landscape and are a "must" when you visit. This is one of East Africa's most popular safari destinations, but with 5,700 square miles of wilderness at your finger tips, you can easily avoid the crowds. In Maa, the name of this park means "land of endless plains". Where is this?