Over the Namibian desert
**ONE CONTINENT, EIGHT COUNTRIES AND TWO BIKES: 2 CYCLE AFRICA **
It was not the first time that Miguel undertook a bicycle trip. He had already toured Mozambique, Canada, the United States, Cameroon, Cuba and his first long adventure, when he went from Iran to China, crossing the thousand-year-old Silk Road . This time he was accompanied by his adventure and life partner, Lucía. They both decided to embrace the unknown uncertainty of cycle through Africa for four months.
The trip, baptized as 2 Cycle Africa, was born from the desire to explore new countries and cultures in a different way, and to get to know the people who live there in depth. “On this occasion, the chosen route comes from the concern to know those corners of Africa less explored . we start in Uganda , the country that Winston Churchill called the Pearl of Africa; we continue towards Rwanda , the country of a thousand hills. Next, we proceed to the north of Tanzania , bordering the slopes of Kilimanjaro, until we reached the Tanzanian coast. After resting our legs on Zanzibar for a few days, we crossed to malawi , pedaling on the shores of its famous lake, until we reach Zambia . We visited Victoria Falls, cruised through the wild Botswana until you reach the desert Namibia , ending this journey in Cape Town, South Africa”.
Stay with the project: 2 Cycle Africa
TRAVELING BY BICYCLE, ONE OF THE BEST MEANS TO TRAVEL THE WORLD
And it brings more benefits than drawbacks. It gives you total independence and the experience is unique: “traveling by bike allows you to see a country in a much more intense way than otherwise. It is the perfect speed to enjoy the places you know, if you feel like taking a photo, you stop, and if you like a place, the same. You are free, since you do not depend on timetables or bus connections to get to the place you want to go. You just take the bike and go. It is also cheaper as you do not have to pay tickets or gasoline , allowing you to travel longer on a very low budget."
Both expected that it would not be something easy and that they would have a hard time, crossing lonely roads, sandy tracks and pedaling against the wind: “Our worst enemy, without a doubt, has been the wind when it came from the front. No matter how hard we pedaled, it was as if we were stuck in place and couldn't move forward. Some roads didn't make it easy for us either, especially in Namibia.”
However, the rewards far outweigh the small inconveniences. For Lucía and Miguel the best thing is the experience of immersing themselves in the cultures in an almost total way. “Having lived with them, Getting to know its most remote villages and their customs has given us unforgettable life lessons".
Even having mapped out a route and planned what they could, they did not know what they would find. In the end, it was much easier and more rewarding than they imagined. **They pedaled and told about it through images on their social networks and the Hit the Road Cat website **. Then, with a photographic exhibition at the bike shop that Miguel has in Madrid, Slowroom, and which, from April 7, will be at the Chic&Basic del Born hotel in Barcelona.
Lucía acted as the team's photographer, while Miguel was the logistics expert for trips on two wheels and by pedal. Because although being able to go your own way is very rewarding, it also means carrying the house on your back all the time: kitchen, some groceries, have spare parts in case something goes wrong, carry just enough in the saddlebags and count on unforeseen events such as water shortages.
Miguel among the cattle
AFRICA, WILD LAND TRAVELED AT SLOW PACE
Africa is the promised land, full of great savannahs and natural reserves unique for their biodiversity. A habitat of a varied and exuberant animal life. A mysterious continent where ancient cultures and traditions survive. “Uganda treated us wonderfully and its people are very special. It's very hilly, so it wasn't an easy start, but it gave us fast-paced training and was offset by some impressively green scenery. Rwanda conquered us since we entered finding ourselves surrounded by volcanoes and green hills. Zanzibar surprised us with its multiculturalism: we expected an island invaded by tourist resorts and, however, we found a unique society and wonderful cuisine. Namibia is like pedaling on the moon , its landscapes and its deserts have nothing to do with anything we had seen in our lives”, says the couple.
The risks have been less than the experiences for this intrepid couple, but there are always surprises along the way that mark the adventure: “In Namibia we were warned that lions were prowling the area, but luckily we did not find them. One night we camped in the savannah of Tanzania and we heard hyenas around our tent, it was very scary but it was a shock. In Zambia we also had a run-in with an elephant on the road and we had to pedal hard so that it did not reach us”, they smile.
THE COMPANIONS OF THE WAY, THE BEST GIFT
“What we like the most is Ubuntu, something like an attitude of humanity and availability towards others”.
“People have been wonderful in every country we've been to. Traveling by bike strengthens ties with people in a much more direct way. Everyone is very curious about our way of traveling wherever we go, so as soon as we entered a town it was very typical to have a circle of people interested in our means of transport and our origin of the trip. We have met people willing to help us everywhere : with food, lodging, water, calling relatives who lived in towns through which we were going to pass so that they would receive us... They even tried to give us money on a couple of occasions!”, they say enthusiastically. They have slept in churches, schools, under thousands of stars and even in a funeral home.
Thinking about what they would highlight about Africa and its people, they comment that the attitude of the Africans is what has surprised them the most “In each African country we have had very different experiences and we have met very different people. Even within the same country there are hundreds of ethnic, religious and linguistic possibilities. In Uganda alone, more than 40 different languages are spoken. However, in general, We believe they have a special energy, enviable optimism and generosity like nowhere else."
in Zanzibar
Every trip is a personal experience and his conclusion after this great challenge is that "The real failure is not trying the things we set out to do." Both believe that “just the mere fact of trying them is already an achievement. When we said here that we were going to travel around Africa by bicycle, people looked at us as if we were crazy, but We didn't back down and now we're so glad we did."
After this intense trip and living with the people of Africa, they have learned that "many times in our society we worry about things that really don't matter. We have seen people who have nothing and have given us everything. Fighting and optimistic people, who face life in a positive way. They have taught us that this is how you have to face life.
Opening your mind, observing and trying to understand things from the perspective of the culture you are in and not from your own is his main advice for traveling. “The most important thing is patience, respect and curiosity. And a big smile will make things a lot easier." In the saddlebags, the bare minimum. "It's nice to realize that it is perfectly possible to survive for months with the few things that fit on a bicycle and that the rest of the time we live surrounded by things that we believe are fundamental and we don't really need”.
Cape Town
As for their next trips, they have in mind pedaling through South America. “Start in Patagonia and go up to Colombia. The area of Southeast Asia also catches our attention , but we have nothing definitive. What is certain is that as soon as we can organize it, we will take the saddlebags and we will pedal around the world”.
Regarding the fact of traveling as a couple, for them it has been positive: “The joys are multiplied by two when they are shared and when one is more tired, it encourages the other to continue. Being able to comment every night, already installed in the tent, the experiences lived during the day is one of the best parts of the trip".
They are clear that their means of transport is the bicycle and encourage people to use it without fear “Anyone can be encouraged. The first days can be a little harder because nobody is used to traveling with a bike with panniers and the weight that this entails, but you get used to it quickly and soon you start to enjoy the places and the experience”.