Cape 2 Cairo 2 Cape Blog

The Impressions of Rob Noel

What is your overall impression of the trip so far–

The trip is like life; it’s what you choose to make of it. It is an exceptional life experience and I am really privileged to have had this chance. It has been bigger than anything I expected.

What was the most difficult part of the trip so far –

One would normally say the Marsabit Moyale road, and this is indeed where I got injured; however, I got more stressed and took more strain doing the 02h00 run to get around Kampala; in dust, darkness, headlights and dangerous roads. Horrific. Nearly spoilt my whole trip, psychologically. Getting to Lalibela on wet mountain roads in one hit from Addis and finishing in the dark in slippery muddy roads was also a humdinger!

What was your most enjoyable moment so far –

Seeing Ethiopia has blown me away; the ‘ancient people’ in modern times; the mountains, landscapes and scenery! Seeing the Gorillas ‘in the flesh 2 meters away in the Rwandan jungles was exceptional!

How does your impression differ from before you went on the trip in contrast to how it is now about Africa – how did it change–

We are spoilt in South Africa for our abundant access to many things; luxuries, comforts, basic amenities. Africa is a tough and sometimes ruthless environment. I never expected to see the scale and scope of development going on in Central and East Africa; and the associated volume of Chinese involvement. This trip has taught me to fear the unknown in Africa less, and given me the confidence to voyage into Africa on my own again in future. I also never expected to see so much tar. What a relief!

What are your general impressions of the people in Africa that you interacted with –

They are gentle and caring people mostly. Simple people with basic needs. The people are generally engaging and friendly and very inquisitive. Like all society there are the skelm and rough elements which one must watch out for. One must not underestimate the entrepreneurship and opportunistic nature of Africans in pursuit of survival. 

How well do you think you were prepared for this trip-

Ray Muller and his team did everything to prepare me. I made a point of attending every Ride the Dump, Ride Africa, Recce Run and TFA event I could over a period of 18 months. It has all benefited me immensely. The roads and unexpected circumstances thrown at us by Africa on this trip have been similar to much of my experiences in the training. I think it should be mandatory to train and ‘get uncomfortable’ during training to be properly prepared for such a trip!

How did you feel about the mixture of bush vs hotel accommodation, would you prefer doing one more so than the other –

Hotels are welcome after 3 to 4 days for washing, some ‘civilization’, good meals, sleep and bike maintenance. There could be more bush camping but this must be weighed carefully in the light of distances, exertion and weather conditions. Personally I am not a fan of camping and one carries a lot of extra gear for this purpose…but there have been some special moments shared by a good bush camp, like the night after Marsabit Moyale!

If you were to re-do the trip, what motorcycle if not the same (or if the same) would you choose and what would you do different in reference to the types of accessories, pannier set up, amount of gear, etc –

 The BMW R1200GS has been really tough and reliable! It is key to have a bike which is lighter…and to even carry less gear if possible. I would recommend an 800cc minimum. The 650’s don’t cope with these distances, terrain changes and speeds, especially when trying to keep up with the 1200’s. Personally I am watching the Triumph 800XC that has performed exceptionally well and is very light. This would be my next choice for trans-Africa. 2^nd I would go for the F800GS as the next best option.

Would you recommend this experience to any motor cyclist –

 This is an experience of a lifetime. It is packed full of experience and adventure. So much happens on a daily basis that keeping a daily diary becomes a challenge. This is an essential experience for riding through exceptional terrain and testing your personal endurance and riding skills, in many scenarios. Then of course, there is the critical exposure to Africa and much of what it has to offer. Awesome and well worth the investment!

A few of the days photos of the crew’s adventures in Gonder:

We took our time leaving as it was only the crew and the Bermans who were left at the Hilton hotel. Ray and Alain had made a stop back at the IVECO service station to check on the back up vehicle that we had trucked in the previous day with no good news upon their return. As we decided the day before if the truck wasn’t in working order we were to leave it in Addis until the return. If they didn’t have the spare parts that we required it could take up to six months for them to arrive! We had to be in Cairo before August, so we had no other choice but to leave it behind and hope it was fixed by the time the second group returned.

Navigating through the city had not been as difficult as Nairobi and Kampala, as I guess everyone has grown more accustomed and patient with African traffic. When we escaped the city limits the twisty roads started which would ultimately foreshadow what the rest of the road would be like. The road was incredible with only a few pot holes to watch out for, the biggest risk factor was the amount of people and animals in the road which was exponentially larger than any of the other countries we had visited so far. Everything happened on the road, and everyone used it to their full advantage. Heards of cattle, donkey carts, bicyclists, and even people in self propelled wheel chairs were not uncomon.

Ethiopia could possibly be one of the most fertile countries in Africa, almost every square kilometer of earth is checked with plowed fields or green crops. The incredible part is that we ony saw about 2 tractors on the entire trip through Ethiopia- most of the plowing was down with a sharpened wooden plow pulled by cattle. As we drove higher in elevation the air temperature was much cooler than that of the soil causing all the vapor from the fields to rise into a mist – it was an illusion of smoke seeping from the ground to the un-trained eye. It was a beautiful experience but the fog had thickened so much that it turned all our wondering eyes straight to the road.

It had gotten so thick that visibility was down to about 3 car lengths and some how truck drivers convinced themselves to be reckless enough to pass each other. A glance from my eye piece was all that saved me from being flung across the bus as we swerved completely off the road to avoid an oncoming taxi bus with only meters to spare. All our nerves frying we all sat awake trying to see into the shapeless fog. I heard a little bit later that night that the same thing happened to Les and also had his pannier fall off and bounce clear across the road. If it weren’t the cars it was the animals we had to avoid, both of which was a formula for disaster.

The drive seemed more like a test than anything else, it seems like anything that could happen did happen that day. After driving for not too much longer we started going down the plateau with beautiful hairpin turns these huge 30 cm steps started coming out of no where. We hit one so hard (because they were almost impossible to see, that we put a tear in the frame as we nose dived and bottomed out the shocks. A little after that we were put to the ultimate test where a truck burnt out his engine and had taken up all space on the road so that almost nothing except tiny cars and motorcycles could pass. There was a crowd gathering from the waiting busses and as soon as we arrived we started making a plan to get at least us, past the hold up.

There were two big problems, the one was that there were cement posts on the edge of road that acted as a barrier between vehicles and a thousand foot drop to the river. There was about a meter and a half of usable dirt that we figured could be driven on if there was a way to pull the cement barrier out. After about 10 minutes of digging with a shovel the pole was out and layed on its side to match the 3 inch lip of the road. As I sat watching the car and taking photos, Ray, Doc, and Archie managed to get the entire crowd of what now looked to be more than 150 peple to help them gather rocks to lay across the new hole. After a squeeze between the truck and the ledge that was so tight that our trailer screeched against the trucks bumper we were free!

As we sat at the bottom of the pass watching the cars pile up we drank tea at a roadside tea stand that was actually one of the highlights of the day. We sat with 2 military personel and their AK’s whch they had been firing while we were up at the pass, obviously exhausted fro all the hard work they all stopped by for tea. The woman had all her glasses on a small cabinet where she kept all her money and had about 4 pots which she brewed tea and coffee. In a small little self made well with extreamly dirty water there was a stash of cokes and sprites being chilled and next to it was one half of a plastic petrol container where she washed all the dirty dishes.We pulled up another pass and figured that there was almost a kilometer of cars backed up behind the truck on either ends. I guess people didn’t take our lead or the ones who wanted to were blocked out by the bigger busses who just naturally push into any space they can find. Right before we pulled into the town in which we ultimately would spend the night Archie ran over what seemed to be a tiny rock that almost shredded the back tire in half. After a quick tire change, and only one spare on the truck until Egypt, we knew we’d have to be extra careful while driving for the next 3000 km. With most of the trip behind our backs, it’s difficult to imagine that we’re less than 2 weeks away from Cairo, the time might have gone by fast, but it’s certainly been a trip which would replay in our minds forever.

A mosquito that was fussing so loudly around my ear that I was rudely awakened from my slumber. I knew it was just about time to leave for Addis so I didn’t mind the early wake up call, I did however paste myself with the bottle of Tabard because I’m not the biggest fan of itching of insect bites. So I lay thinking about the long day ahead, until what seemed like 20 minutes later the driver started banging on our doors for us to get ready to leave. I dreaded sitting in the rattling vehicle while being towed for what I assumed would be at least another 4 or 5 hours, none the less, being on the road was much better than sitting around in Gerba- at least a shower sounded appealing because it had been 5 days since my last legitimate shower if you don’t count the “pitcher and bucket” back in Marsabit. I was so covered in dust and dirt that I actually managed to convince myself it was a sun tan but I was ready to face reality.

The driver took his sweet time getting us to Addis, constant stops for food and drinks seemed to be on the top of his to do list which was the complete opposite of mine. By “breakfast time” I was ready to toss him in the shakey back seat with Doc and just drive there myself. The both of us were “gat vol” after sitting in the inclinded back up vehicle for at least 18 hours of driving. The old FIAT truck that the guy owned was like the old and busted engine that could, it pulled us, just at a snails pace. By the time we got to Addis I was ready to jog out the last 20 km, and finally Archie brought a sigh of relief by contacting us on the radio. It meant that we were close to civilization and close to our Tours For Africa family again. The bond that you form with people whom you travel with is quite big once you are left in the dark without them, it’s funny how things work.  What’s 20 days in ones life time? Yet you still miss these people who were strangers to you not so long ago.

As we pulled into IVECO’s repair facility we were quickly brought to the reality of how the rest of the trip is going to fare. After unloading all 8 tires to get the rims banged back into place and to fix the ripped tires with tubes and gaiters. Before running them to the repair guys we made a call right then and there on what the next two weeks were gonna look like with the backup crew, if they didn’t have the spare parts for our vehicles it would take 6 months to order and get the parts. With that said, we decided to leave the primary back up in Addis, we were all going to do the rest of the trip in luxury, in the VIP van.

The motorcyclists have started pushing north toward Sudan where we would regroup again on the 21st of July in Gonbar. With Les and Rob still working on their bikes after having taken a beating on the Isiolo-Moyala road we had the last remaining item to complete their fix- the new shock for Rob.  The crew along with the 2 remaining guys will hit the road tomorrow morning sharp. The road is forcasted to be good with a slight chance of rain, sight seeing will be at it’s best regargless as we move our way through the highlands.

I think on a trip like this whether you’re on bike or in a vehicle the best thing you can do is have a positive attitude toward the little obstacles that are sure to come your way. I personally see every obstacle as another way to experience something which is out of my control and out of my comfort zone which is the perfect opportunity to learn and grow. I think when things go wrong and you turn them right it’s what you can call “an adventure”, and let’s be honest, those are always the best stories to tell.

Impressions of Bruce Jones

What is your overall impression of the trip so far

Tough, fast, very little time for sight-seeing, would be nice to get off the beaten track a bit, also if we could stay out of the large centres.

What was the  most difficult part of the trip so far

Isiola/ Moyale road

What was your most enjoyable moment so far

Drinking coffee and having my boots cleaned on my feet after a spectacular breakfast in Moyale (Ethiopia) after crossing the border at the end of the Isiola / Moyale road and after the bush camp in Ambush Alley.

How does your impression differ from before you went on the trip in contrast to how it is now about africa- how did it change

See 2 above, also, I am astonished by the poverty and level of populations throughout Africa.

What are your general impressions of the people in Africa that you interacted with

Poverty-stricken, un-educated, but enjoying the trappings of the first world (health-care, mobile phones and modern transport), while forgetting the responsibilities that come with these, such as limiting the number of children, air pollution, over-grazing and other environmental issues.

How well do you think you were prepared for this trip?

Very well

How did you feel about the mixture of bush vs hotel accommodation, would you prefer doing one more so than the other

I like a hot shower and Christian toilets, but enjoy bush-camping as well. I don’t like the big centres and would prefer comfortable accommodation outside of the large centres.

If you were to re-do the trip, what motorcycle if not the same (or if the same) would you choose and what would you do different in reference to the types of accessories, pannier set up, amount of gear, etc.

My bike (800 GS) is perfect for this. If there is no dirt, the 1200GS (not Adventure). Panniers are an evil necessity, but if we could pool all heavy items such as toolkits and pumps, we could lighten things up a bit. The shocks seem to be a big issue and need to be thoroughly tested beforehand.

 Would you recommend this experience to any motor cyclist

Yes.