Hey !
I drop a short line and write you that I am still alive and doing great. Many people ask me “Why you stopped writing about your travel ?” or “I miss to see pictures from your travel?” or “Tell me the stories that you collected!”.
To all of you: Please be patient. I plan to update this website from Xmas onwards with some reports on a weekly base. You will be surprised what all happened since I arrived in Cape Town (South Africa) on 25th May 2014; and as I write it I realise that the entire year has been more than pleasant to me.
Some highlights in Africa have been:
+ South Africa so visit again and see the changes from 15 years ago,
+ Botswana and the Okawango Delta National Park,
+ Namibia and the Caprivi Strip (only short visit but an unbeatable Gemsbok filet !),
+ Zimbabwe and the Victoria Falls and great elefant viewing (Thank you Tracy),
+ South Africa and the Triumph Riders (!!!) weekend in Mpumalanga,
+ Mozambique and the beach in Tofu and Vilanculos,
+ Malawi and the lake of Malawi on several spots,
+Tanzania with the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar (SandSeaBar !!! and my 40th Birthday),
+ Kenia and Nairobi (short stop only),
+ Ethiopia with Harrer, Addis Ababa, The Danakil desert and the Erta Ale volcano (I adore), Gondor and the mountains !!! (Also an attempt of Malaria, which I will never know if it was real, but the Malaria treatment worked out)
+ Sudan and the desert experience and riding in the hot hot weather, and the ferry to Saudi Arabia.
Hitting the Arabic Peninsula:
+ The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I met a true friend in Jeddah in (Thank you Khalid !) and the 2100km ride in 2 days to UAE (United Arab Emirates) for Dubai
+ UAE and Dubai, the complete opposite from Africa in almost every sense and service of m motorbike and the local press that catch me (See press and publications chapter)
+ Oman with a great great host by Muath and the Muskat Bikers (see press and publication chapter) and the Jebel Shams canyon and the Wadi Bani Awf canyon off rd track (awesome !!!)
+ Back to UAE and into Islamic Republic of Iran that I will travel for the next two weeks, at least.
In between I met the most friendly people and hospitality shake hands and waved good-bye and felt welcome that I never imagined to be such intense and of a great experience. All this is changing you in the sense of reflecting who you are and to carry on to return what was given to me.
Now I start my last 6 weeks, since I want to be home by christmas in Germany and to keep my promise (this time).
Family and friends are waiting for me and I hope that the weather will be kind to me once more and that I make it safely and on time.
There are so many pictures to be shared. I am sorry to have non of them sorted so far. Be awake in the beginning of the year and then enjoy even more pictures and stories of my travel and insights into Africa and the Middle East.
(The tracking chapter is up to date though, where you see the exact route I took and you can zoom in for details)
[foogallery id=”1789″]
(Many more to come … just grapped a view from my mobile… the others are packed away, click to enlarge)
Be safe !
Stay tuned !
Yours Roland
