Today has turned into a relaxing and restful day in Harare, thanks to the kindness of Anne and her family who I am staying with, while Andrew stays with friends and has meetings with the Youth Hub. Anne has a lovely place and it has been a real treat to rest up, shave off two weeks of beard and catch up on news and emails.

It also marks the half way point in the Cape2Kigali and it’s got me thinking about the first two weeks of the trip.

When you plan for something like this for a year as we have, you imagine all sorts of things and you anticipate it keenly. Yet, the adventure has been beyond anything I could have dreamed. The majesty of creation has been simply stunning and we’ve seen parts of it that very few people do. From the jewel encrusted beauty of a Kalahari Desert night to the heat and wildness of the Caprivi Strip; from the burning edge of the Namib to the vibrant Okavango Delta, we’ve seen incredible things in a somewhat unusual way.

I hadn’t realized what a stir our bikes would cause, but everywhere we’ve gone, people have been interested and have wanted to talk to us. Every service station has a conversation about where we’ve come from, where we’re going and why we’re doing it, normally with laughs of disbelief when we tell them. Every campsite has led to conversations where people have recommendations to stop next or tips on the route ahead. We’ve had offers of food and accommodation from the most unlikely places and all sorts of advice from all sorts of sources.

It’s led me to one clear thought. People are beautiful.

We haven’t heard much news until today, but I watched BBC and heard a litany of bad news from around the world, acts of evil and war, political betrayal, moral and ethical bankruptcy. Yet this stands in juxtaposition to the everyday people we are meeting. People like Josephine, a worker here in Anne’s house who talked to me about her family as I showed her pictures of mine. Her face lit up as we told each other stories and tales. I’m still not sure she believes me when I tell her I’m going to Kigali on the bike parked outside, but it sure made her laugh. She can’t do enough to help me today and despite my attempts to assist her, attempts that she seems to find hysterical, I’m being fed, having my clothes washed and enjoying coffee on tap.

I think that at heart, people want to help, to do the right thing. We don't always get it right but we are made in the image of God and sometimes, that shows in almost subconscious ways. There are a few contrary examples we’ve come across, but by and large, those we have met can’t do enough for us, from the waves of almost every child we whizz past, to the stern policewoman who ends up breaking into laughter as we try and charm our way though road blocks. People want to do good and be loved in return.

This trip is reminding me once again that we are all part of Gods creation, That we all deserve dignity and respect, that no one is above another whatever their circumstances, that we are all in this together and we all need to stand in support of one another.

Tomorrow we will head up to the Eastern Highlands near the Zimbabwe Mozambique border where, after rethinking the hugely long day we had planned, we will camp, before heading across Mozambique into Malawi. Over the next two weeks we’ll head to Lake Malawi, then ride North up the Great Rift Valley, with Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda still to come. We are only half way and have wonderful things to see ahead. But I’m pretty sure the most wonderful things will be the people we meet and the stories we will briefly share as our lives intersect.

People are beautiful and it is a deep privilege to be meeting so many luminous examples that prove this to be true.

 

When I was a kid I always wanted to ride a motorbike into my school assembly. I don't know why, I just used to daydream about it. Today I got to live the dream. I was asked to speak to the 600 pupils of Petra High School this morning and as they met under an open canopy, I rode across the playing field and into the assembly on the bike, making sure to give it a throaty roar as I dismounted. Never felt so cool in my life, though I was half expecting the bike to fall over or something as it was way too good to be true. Thankfully it didn’t and we had a wonderful and funny time, taking about adventure with God and how to withstand peer pressure.

Peer pressure is a huge issue here in Zimbabwe where there is so little for the nations youth to do, something we found out about yesterday as we took part in a facilitated discussion about youth ministry with some youth leaders from across Bulawayo. There are huge pressures here and we heard about some terrible things going on that are profoundly affecting the youth they are working with. Andrew got to share about the Youth Hub and The Wordspace App which is a great resource to help them figure out God in a digital age and we also talked about giving youth a cause to believe in and the fight for justice. Just as in North America and the UK, doing the same old things won’t work anymore and we have to move beyond entertainment in asking young people to follow God.

It’s been a great time here engaging in youth work again, but it’s time to move on, so today we hit the road, travelling 450 km to the capital Harare. We’ll rest up there a day then take the longest ride of the trip, up to the border, across Mozambique and on to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. Our aim to do the two borders and 760 or so Kilometres in one day, but we don't know if we’ll end up camping on the way.

Live is never dull. Now I wonder if I can live my other day dream, riding the bike into the middle of a church service that needs livening up….

Yesterday morning we left Botswana, where this time I noticed the elephants by the road, and crossed into Zimbabwe. We had stayed at a wonderful campsite on a farm run by the very gracious and hospitable Hayden and Bronwyn, who offer a rest place to missionaries and weary travellers.  As we lit a campfire that overlooked a beautiful flood plan under the stars, Bronwyn and I had a fascinating discussion about education and her desire to help the local schools that are in great need. It's a subject close to my heart and the work we do at Wellspring, so we agreed to stay in contact.

After what seemed an age at the Zimbabwe border post, we were stopped almost immediately at the first of many road blocks, where, despite our protestations, we were fined for not having reflectors in the correct place….hmm. After giving my address [1, The Mall, London, that's two L’s officer, you can’t miss it, big place with a fountain outside] and my work address [10 Downing Street, ask a policeman at the gate and they’ll let you in], then signing my name [Mr. M. Mouse which seemed highly appropriate] we rode on to the beautiful Victoria Falls. It's a stunning and thunderous sight and Andrew and I wondered what Livingstone must have felt when he first saw it.

By the time we got back on the road it was getting late, so we flew like a couple of fighter jets, down the 450 KM road to Bulawayo, trying to beat the setting sun, hunting for an open gas station. Passing one, we tried to turn around and unfortunately at slow speed, my bike caught a lip of tarmac that sent me crashing to the ground. I was pinned underneath it in the middle of the highway on a blind corner. Superhero Andrew got me out from under before anything came. Nothing hurt other than my pride, but it was an exciting few minutes.

We lost the race to the sun of course and so we had a high speed night ride into Bulawayo, glued to the back of the tail lights on front of us. Now I know what formation flying in blind cloud feels like. It was a devil and the deep blue sea situation as we never normally ride at night and for very good reason, especially  not on this particular road, but there was nowhere safe to stop. We made it, but we sweated off a few pounds on the way.

Andrew is staying with friends Jay and Sarah and I am with my dear friends Sheunesu and Susan, who lead Zimbabwe Youth For Christ, who I have worked with in the past. They are amazing people who have such a heart for the youth of this beautiful, yet dysfunctional and impoverished country. They are particular concerned for children with HIV and told me the stunning fact that the local hospital has over 16,000 HIV positive youth patients. Just one hospital! It shows the hidden scale of this disastrous situation. They work closely with a group of a hundred plus of these children, most of whom feel they have no future and no options. Sheunesu, Susan and their team try to show them dignity and worth, that they are loved and cared for and that God has not passed them by. I feel so humbled to know them and as we stayed and talked into the night at the camp they run, I felt moved beyond words by the compassion and love they show to these marginalized children.

There are such luminous, good people in the world. And we are having our lives made richer by meeting some of them on this amazing trip.

“Did you see that herd of 25 elephants by the road?” Asked Andrew “What elephants?” I replied. I had ridden within 100 meters or so and had been scanning the other side of the road apparently. Sometimes you just go into your own head when you are riding hundreds of kilometers a day and somehow I missed them!

The one thing I couldn't miss though was the material poverty I saw all around me. We were riding through the Caprivi Strip, a narrow but long ribbon of land in Namibian territory that we needed to cross back into to get towards Zimbabwe, one that separates Botswana and Angola. It’s very arid and sandy, with not much fertile land, yet as in everywhere in Africa, people eke out an existence there, living in rough huts and clearings, surviving, as people do.

I have seen enough of the world that this is not new to me but I still find the evidence of the disparity between my life with theirs deeply shocking. We whizz though on our motorbikes at 110Km an hour heading for a good meal in the lunch stop I am writing this from. But this is their everyday existence.

I truly believe that God loves these people. That He has a heart for the poor that pours itself out in scripture and in reality. That we are called to do all we can live justly and to prefer one another. It’s why I work for Wellspring and one of the reasons why Andrew is pursuing the Youth Hub idea. People matter, no matter where they are born. We are all humans. No matter what our background. They deserve dignity, the same dignity that Jesus always treated people with, no matter what their race colour or creed, and we should do all we can to make sure we give it to them.

On of the things I have loved about this trip is meeting people. They may be restaurant or lodge workers, campsite attendants or people we meet on the road, and just stopping to talk with them is fascinating. Everyone has a story, from the young South African student cycling to Cairo, to the guy in the village yesterday who is trying to set up a business to feed his nine children. Everyone is human and we are all in this together. There is no “other”, there is just us

For those of you interested in the mechanics, the bikes are holding up great. A few minor issues but nothing serious. l love this old KLR with a passion! We are over 3,000Km in now and have a rest day planned tomorrow just near the border of Zimbabwe. We’ll cross over there on Saturday and visit Victoria Falls on the way to Bulawayo.

I’ll try to keep my eyes open for elephants on the way.

 

 

Last night we went to sleep to the sound of Hippos snorting 100 meters away and this morning a monkey stole our coffee creamer. Just your average day on the Cape to Kigali ride

Yesterdays ride was 350km to a place we had heard about called Drotskys cabins, in a remote location on the banks of the Okavambo. It’s an amazing place. An incredible isolated lodge carved out of the forest with superb camping sites where we pitched our tents.

We are camped right next to a lagoon off the river where Hippos like to sunbathe. The can’t get up to our camp because we are about 20 feet up an incline, but it’s which is quite comforting The wild life is stunning. There are troops of monkeys hanging around and kudu in the forest along with all the water creatures, including crocodiles that mean we’re not swimming in the river. Andrew went to the shower block last night and was joined by a huge owl which just stared at him for ten minute.

In the evening we took a river boat in the twilight to dinner at the lodge. Andrew laughed at me for saying this but I tell you. It was like a déjà vu experience…of the Disney Jungle Cruise! Pop culture has ruined me for real life.

The ride continues to be an adventure. We have some great Go Pro footage of the tracks and roads we’ve been down [and a nice shot of me dropping the bike in a sand trap] but the internet connection isn’t good enough to load them. Maybe later.

We’re tired and grungy so we’re taking a rest day. Andrew is working on a few things on his bike while I am trying to sew one of my saddle bags back together that didn't like the sand pit dropping idea.

Today marks one week on the road and so far, we’ve travelled 2,700Km. I have loved every one of them. Apart from the sand traps that is. We continue to head North in this beautiful country of Botswana that we are captivated by. In a couple of days we’ll cross briefly back in Namibia and then into Zimbabwe where we’ll both see some old friends. Andrew will be having a meeting about the Youth Hub and I’ll be speaking at an assembly in a school with my old YFC colleague Sheunesu. I think I’ll talk about faith in Jesus and the adventure that that leads us on. That seems to be appropriate.

 

 

Thasabu of the San people doesn’t mind if you call him a Bushman, even though it was too cold to wear his bushmen clothes. In fact he likes to be called that. He told us that as we walked with him through the Kalahari desert. He was teaching us how to find water from tubers buried underground, how to know which plants were good medicine and how to work out the age, how fresh and the gender of the tracks we were seeing. He knows so much that we in the so called developed world have no clue about.

We had just ridden the Trans-Kalahari road before tackling a strength sapping sand trapped track to the reserve he lives on and were staying as guest at Dqae Qare lodge. It’s a social enterprise project that allows the San people of the Kalahari to make a decent living and also to preserve their culture. The night before, we had been stargazing with Greg, the project manager, a wonderful guy who is deeply committed to the San people and the future they envisage. Greg by the way is an avid amateur astronomer and brought out his telescope for us to look through. The Southern skies have so many more stars and we stared in amazement at the ring nebula, a cloud of a million white dwarfs and the rings of Saturn. It was literally a luminous experience.

Over dinner, we had helped Dinah, one of the San cooks light a heater [it’s been incredibly cold] and she had apologised for being unable to read the directions. She who could be dropped anywhere in the middle of this wilderness and happily survive, who knew what plants cure earache, kidney disease, or indigestion. Who could track game and find water in this parched land. Apologising to me, who would die in two days if left here alone, for being unable to read.

The San people are a beautiful people who have been abused through the ages by settlers and other tribes, yet they have a wonderful culture, possibly the oldest in the world, but sadly it is one that is that is being eroded. It feels like this would be a loss to the entire human race, so thank goodness, for Thasabu, Greg and Dinah.

As I write this we have traveled another 200 Km and we are in the Okavango Delta. The sun is rising  over the river we are camped by and the dawn chorus of birdsong has awakened us. We are having a life experience every day, from racing herds of ostriches along the side of the road to tackling crazy tracks that turn into sandpits 2 feet deep, to meeting incredible people. We never know what’s coming next and to be honest, we like it that way.

Jesus talked of living life in all fullness and that has many connotations, but here, in this place, on this bike, with these people, I am starting to understand a little of what He meant.

 

If you ever decide you want to ride through Africa, let me tell you, you’d better take Andrew Vaughan with you. There are many reasons for this, from his extensive knowledge of the local birdlife and his great way of lighting a fire [here’s a tip. Soak half a toilet roll in petrol], to his ability to laugh at almost anything. But first and foremost, you need him around for emergencies.

Like for example when your front brake locks up in the middle of one of Windhoek’s busiest intersections.

We had replaced the broken brake lever and were just riding away when the new one decided that without any help from me, it wanted to show just what it could do. Cue screeching locked front wheel, skidmarks of various kinds and serious burning smell. Fortunately I was just coming to a halt at a traffic light so it wasn't terminal. But it did mean I was stuck in the left turning lane unable to move the bike, with a lot of irate drivers making clear their displeasure in some very imaginative ways.

But cometh the hour, cometh the man. Andrew leapt from his bike. Diagnosing the problem in a split second, he ran back across the road, got his tool kit and whipped off the brake lever in 60 seconds, allowing me to get across the intersection and park up, so that he could put the old one back on in another 60 seconds. It was a full on Formula One Silverstone pit stop and I half expected two guys to run out and change my tires, while another gassed me up.

This is the same guy who, as we walked to the nearby gas station for breakfast bent down in excitement to pick up a nut and bolt on the side of the road “It’s a number 10 Andy. Never pass up a very usable nut and bolt”. Somehow I think he’ll find a use for it before the trip ends.

It’s been that kind of a day really, including a little adventure on a sandy track that had me doing a very unplanned and extremely exciting 10 seconds of off-roading before I got it back under control. We started the day in a guest house that we stayed in because it was so cold last night and we woke to find that due to the the freezing weather, the pipes had burst. They tell us the weather is very unusual, but It was that cold. In Africa!

We had a great day riding though as the weather heated up and this morning, crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. We've just camped by a beautiful lake and are having a brae under the stars. We’ve got 1,700Km under the belt now and tomorrow we’ll cross into Botswana, where we’ll spend the first night in a social enterprise project run by the San people, before heading into the world renowned Okavango Delta.

Namibia has been wild and wonderful. So deserted, it's hard to believe that places like this exist on the Earth. As I rode through sands and stones, over dried out river beds and past barren hills, I had these verses from Psalm 63 on my mind.

You God, are my God

Earnestly I seek you.

I thirst for you,

My whole being longs for you,

In a dry and parched land where there is no water.

This trip is a pilgrimage in a sense and I am enjoying talking with God as we ride along together. I have thirsted for Him and although Andrew and I are riding together, there are many stretches where one of us is way ahead of the other,  and the sense of  wild aloneness is almost surreal. It’s at those times God and I talk about all sorts of things and at those times He reminds me what this trip is all about. Not just for my personal pleasure and the sheer adventure, as wonderful as that is, but for the joy of discovering who He is and how He loves the people He has called us to serve.

I’m looking forward to more time with Him as we journey onwards.

And to a brake lever that behaves itself.

See you in Botswana!

 

 

Well, I have to say, I never expected to be hypothermic in Africa. A cold front has come into Namibia and we rode this morning for three hours through heavy winds and low temperatures that with the wind-chill at speeds of 100Km plus, made us feel like we were in Antarctica. The cross wind was so strong and the bikes were crabbing at such an angle, I felt like I was leaning of the edge of a sailboat in a forty knot wind. By the time we stopped at the first town we came to, which was 250Km in, we were shaking so much we must have looked like a blur to Stuart, Andrews friend who met us there. It was all we could do to hold a cup of coffee and get it to our lips without spilling it all over ourselves. I should have brought my Kilimanjaro gear!

The afternoon ride was a little warmer as we turned West and we did our first off road, about 30km of sand and gravel. Andrew is an old hand at off road riding but for me, it was pretty exciting, trying to control a heavy bike as it slid all over the place. No falls today though!

The track led us to the Quivering Tree Forest. With such an evocative name, I was half expecting the Whomping Willow from Harry Potter, but what we found was a beautiful piece of Namibia, a unique ecosystem that is isolated from the world, a serene place surrounded by Aloe plants and the most unusual tress you could imagine. It felt very special to have the experience of walking through it.

Namibia has a wild beauty unlike any other place I’ve ever been. It’s sparsely populated and magnificently desolate. We’ve seen three small towns in 500 Km and if you think that America is big sky country, you need to come here.

It also has a frontier side that makes you feel like you’re in the old American West. The nice caretaker at tonight’s stop in Mariental kindly showed us his 9mm pistol while proclaiming it was “medicine for Skellums!’ Apparently a Skellum is a nasty man and our Caretaker fancies himself as Wyatt Earp. Yep. The Wild West lives on!

Tomorrow we head further West towards the border with Botswana. One more night in Namibia first though. Which is just fine with me. I like it here. As long as the Skellums stay away.

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After a fantastic first day of riding 750Km we made it to Namibia. We rode away from Cape Town on a cold and cloudy winter morning and we rode so far that we are already sitting here on a warm Spring day. We rode through some of the most stunning scenery in Western and Northern Cape and into a sunset through the desert like hills that lead up to the border. We rode through the winding roads and through the passes, and we rode through the crests of the hills that were tinged with burnt ochre as the sun sank. Last night we camped under stars that were the brightest I'd ever seen, as though we were looking through the lens of the Hubble space telescope. It was enough to take your breath away.

The border was easy, no hassles and we reached our first camp on the banks of the Orange River at Noordoewer after dark, where today we’ll rest up and make sure the bikes are working fine, before heading off in the morning,

All the gear is working well and the bikes are purring. No major mishaps except I [Andy] developed an interesting way of horizontal parking in uneven parking lots. I may patent it as long as it comes with two guys to help you pick a heavy bike up. The KLR is really loaded and the centre of gravity has changed a bit. We didn’t have time to get any practice with all the gear strapped on, but it’s all a learning experience and I had it mostly worked out by the end of the day. The bike is a robust old beauty so there is nothing damaged except some pride and an easily fixable brake lever. Other than that it’s already been an amazing time.

As we rode I found myself singing at the top of my voice [ thanks for the awesome playlist Louise] and thanking God for this amazing journey. It really feels surreal to be here doing this and I feel so exceptionally privileged. I am so looking forward to sitting down and meeting all the fellow travellers and visiting the projects as we work our way North.

Internet is possible here but we may be quiet for a few days after we leave tomorrow. We'll post as we can so talk soon!

Well, it’s been a crazy few days but the bikes are modified and ready, the gear is packed and strapped on and all that remains is to get a few hours sleep before we get underway at 6am tomorrow. The first days plan is a very long ride, around 700Km the length of the West Coast of South Africa, right up to the border where we’ll cross into Namibia, then camp on the Orange River. We’ll stay there for a day in order to give the bikes a thorough going over to make sure all is working well, then head through Namibia to three different night camps, with our last one being at a social enterprise project run by the San people of the Kalahari.

We’re looking forward to the adventure but this ride is about more than that. We’re riding to support the work of Wellspring and The Youth Hub because both our organizations are passionate about helping young people in their social, personal and spiritual development and are exploring innovative ways to make a difference in the lives of the young people we connect with. We both believe that good education is vital to developing young people and we are both grounded in an African context, looking to develop local resources to fit the context of young people’s lives in a way that makes transformation possible. Fundamentally, we believe that very child deserves the dignity and love that God bestows on them and every child is precious to Him, no matter where they are born.

We'd love your support as we work towards that. You can donate by sponsoring the ride and also get regular updates by subscribing and when we are in cell or data range, you can also track our location.

Thanks to all those of you who have donated already, or have signed up for the blog updates. We’re really grateful to have you on the journey with us.

So that’s it. We’re ready. It’s going to be a trip and who knows what around the corner! The road is calling, so why don’t you join us as we travel, and come along for the ride.

See you in Namibia!