100 000 visitors!

Hello to all of you!

It is a beautiful Friday up here in Limpopo. Although it is officially already autumn our temperatures are still like in summer.

Today 3 years ago I was in Nairobi, preparing myself for the hardest bit of the ride north.

A year ago I was in the final phase of my preparations  for my ride down Africa.

And now, 2011? Now I am enjoying to see so many people preparing to go on a ride of a lifetime.

During November 2009 I did a presentation on my ride up Africa at CyTech in Johannesburg. One guy came to me after my presentation and introduced himself Ronnie Borrageiro. He made the impression of being a loner, like me. He told me that he was planning to ride around the world.

On March 1, 2010, I received from him an email, telling me that he was leaving on his trip. On my ride down we passed each other somewhere between Ethiopia and Sudan.

This year on the 1st March I received an email from him. The subject line read: Year 2, Day 1. The first line of his email read “Yesterday marked the completion of my first full year of my Journey Around the World!!” I felt like crying. I could imagine him sitting in Kathmandu, sipping a cup of coffee and writing the email.

Ronnie, well done!!!!!!!!!! Have a safe and wonderful ride around the world.

This week I received an email from Eben Human, the editor of the Buite section of the Burger / Beeld newspapers. He had a meeting with four people from the Eastern Cape. They are about to leave on their KLR’s across Africa, inspired by one KLR who travelled so far. I wish these four guys a wonderful trip with many unforgettable experiences along the road.

And then there is John Byett from Cape Town. He called last Sunday and had a long chat. He and three other friends on KLR’s plan to leave Cape Town during January 2012, going north, from Egypt east. Who knows where to? Also to John and his friends a wonderful time of planning and preparing, and then a safe and enjoyable ride up our continent.

En dan is daar Ernst Bester van Brey in die Noord-Kaap. Hy het baie met my per epos gesels. Hy en ‘n vriend gaan met hul motorfietse op ‘n toer ewenaar toe en terug. Hul vertrekdatum is 2 Mei en hul gaan geld insamel vir die Kankerkamer in Malmesbury. Hul webblad: http://www.talanahills.co.za

Ek wil Ernst en sy vriend van ons almal ‘n wonderlike en veilige rit en baie donasies toewens!

Yesterday my website http://www.naboom2germany.co.za had its 100 000th visitor! After my first tour in 2008, on the day I got back home, the website registered its 20 000th visitor. Now, two years later we are on our way to 200 000!

Last year in my last emails to my friends before I left, I quoted James Dean: “Dream as you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.”

That is my wish to all of you on your bikes, in your cars, at home, dreaming, planning, doing. Live today as if it were to be the last day.