Malawi

Ek het op 'n brug gestop en die foto geneem / I stopped on a bridge to take this photograph.

Net motorfietsryers sal verstaan hoekom die motorfiets op byna elke foto is / Only bikers will understand why the bike is nearly on every photograph.

Vrede / Tranquility

My reis in ‘n neutedop / My trip in a nutshell

1. Watter land/lande was die mooiste? / Which country/countries were the most beautiful?

Tanzanië en Malawi / Tanzania and Malawi

2. Watter land sal ek die graagste weer wil besoek? / Which country I would love to visit again?

Israel. Die rede is onverklaarbaar. / Israel. The reason is unclear, even to myself.

3. Oor watter land het my mening verbeter? / Which country improved its standing with me?

Ethiopië / Ethiopia

4. Watter pad was die moeilikste? / Which road was the most difficult?

Noord-Kenia: Moyale tot 100 km noord van Isiolo / Northern Kenya: Moyale up to 100 km north of Isiolo

5. Die grootste “rip-off” van die toer? / The biggest rip-off of the tour?

‘n Ontbyt by ‘n upmarket lodge in Malawi / A breakfast at an upmarket beach lodge in Malawi.

6. Die slegste verrassing in Afrika? / The worst surprise in Africa?

Die petrolprys in Malawi, ongeveer 1.69 US $ per liter / The high fuel cost in Malawi. One liter lead free petrol costs 1.69 US $.

7. Wat ek het saamgebring wat ek die meeste geniet? / What did I bring with that I enjoy the most?

My klein ‘netbook’ rekenaar met Ubuntu as bedryfstelsel i.p.v. Windows / My small netbook with Ubuntu as operating system (Goodbye Windows!)

8. Wat se tegnologie sou ek op ‘n volgende toer saamneem? / What kind of technology would I take with on a next tour?

Ek het nou ‘n paar boeke saam wat swaar is. Op die volgende toer sou ek ‘n ‘e-book reader’ saamneem. / I brought with a few books, which are quite heavy. On a next tour I would include an e-book reader in my luggage.

9. Watter rigting is die interessantste? / Which direction is the most interesting?

Ek dink noord-suid, na Suid-Afrika toe, is vir my die interessantste. / I think travelling from north to south, to South Africa, is the more interesting direction.

10. Watter nuwe roete sou ek graag wou doen? / Which new route would I love to do next?

Van Alaska oor die twee Amerikas tot by die suidpunt van Suid-Amerika / From Alaska across the two Americas to the southern tip of South America.

11. Op watter fiets? / On which bike?

Op my KLR! Tweede keuse sou sy kleinboet wees, die 250 cc. / On my KLR! My second choice would have been its smaller brother, the 250 cc.

12. Wat is die grootste uitdaging van ‘n toer oor Afrika? / What is the biggest challenge of a tour across Africa?

Dit is nie meer die roete nie. Ek dink die uitdaging lê daarin om met al die uitdagings en burokrasie te kan ‘cope’. Die uitdaging lê in jou kop, veral as jy alleen ry. / The most difficult part isn’t the route any more. The challenge lies in coping with all the irritations and bureaucracy. If you are travelling alone the challenge lies in your head.

13. Wat is my filosofie oor reis oor Afrika? What is my philosophy about travelling across Africa?

As jy gedissiplineerd genoeg is om van Johannesburg tot in Kaapstad teen 80 km/h te ry, sal jy dit ook oor Afrika maak. / If you can manage to ride from Johannesburg to Cape Town at 80 km/h you will manage to travel across Africa.

14. Wat was vir my die grootste ‘wonderwerk’ van die toer? / What was the biggest miracle of the tour?

Twee dinge. Hoe ek my paspoort in Egipte teruggekry het nadat ek dit in Luxor vergeet het, en hoe ek my videokamera na 24 uur in Ethiopië teruggekry het . / I have to mention two things. The way how I got back my passport after leaving it in Luxor, and to get back my video camera in Ethiopia after 24 hours.

15. Wat het my die meeste gestres? / When did I stress the most?

Die gesukkel met my Soedanse visum / The struggle to get a visa for the Sudan.

16. Watter medemenslikheid sal ek die langste onthou? / Which act of kindness I would remember the longest?

Turbi, Noord-Kenia, toe die jong student, ‘n oortuigde Christin, vir my gesê het sy sou elke aand vir my bid. Ek glo dit ook. Of miskien die vier Keniane wat ek in Tanzanië ontmoet het. Of die filosofie-leraar wat my die pad gewys het, of die Egiptenaar wat vir my in die ry druiwe aangegee het en toe later nog ‘n kruis ook. Daar was nog meer sulke gevalle. / Turbi, Northern Kenya, when the young student, a Christian, said she would pray for me every night. I believe she will do that. Or perhaps the four people from Kenya that I met in northern Tanzania. Or the philosophy lecturer in Egypt, or the guy in Egypt that gave me grapes while I was riding, and when I stopped a cross for the bike as well. There are many more.