chromedome

You almost make it sound like an insult! But no, not right. Yes, been there, done that. I do something somewhere else now. But that IS what I do, to stop and meet the people along the way. I meet the honest ones, and the dishonest ones. They are workmates, collegues, business associates, neighbors. Some are trying to get their next meal, and others are robbing relief agencies and governments blind.
But I thought you said you've never been to Sudan? But now you tell us there are people in those huts.....Which is it?

IronMac

The first was done by a couple who got robbed at one point and commented on rough roads.
The second was done by an even larger group.

Both of the above were done about 2-3 years ago.

amaferanga

What's difficult about Ethiopia? Look at a map - mountains. Mountains, very rough roads, bad food and kids that chuck rocks. The Blue Nile Gorge.

You're spotting holes in my "story"? What story is that then? You're saying I didn't actually do what I am Saying I've done. Think what you like mate. Everything I've claimed to have done I have actually done so can't see where these holes would be appearing other than in your imagination.

amaferanga

One finished last year, the other finished in 2005.

Now if you want current up-to-date stuff go have a look on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree On Your Bike branch.

chromedome

Thats OK. I've been rude to him also.

IronMac

You've got to be joking. There's no info going back at least a month and it's not even remotely searchable. Flic doesn't have enough time to prep let alone go through all of those threads.

Rowan

I realised pretty well right after I started posting here that Flic was not going to be swayed from her desire to undertake this tour, despite all the advice to the contrary and her difficulty in getting her head around certain issues relating to cycling in particular.

While I don't condone the constant urgings by some posters -- because they have the sniff of irresponsibility about them -- I also take the view that, if she is determined to do this tour, then it is a responsibility of the BikeFourms Touring community to ensure that she is aware of all possibilities and risks, adn to equip her with as much knowledge and implied skill as possible.

I also think it appropriate to provide advice on how those possibilities and risks can be managed to ensure she remains safe and enjoys what she intends to do.

Like every single tour that was ever intiated, there will always be a mountain of negative things forecast that may never come to pass... but having knowledge and skill to recognise when those negative things may arise could well contribute to preventing them from causing damage.

I and others have offered practical advice; for mine, it has been in the area of cycling touring. Despite Flic's previous proclaimed travel experience, she is deficient in important knowledge that, in *any* country, could put her at risk.

However, there is no way anyone on these forums except one is going to know if that information is at all useful. The exception is Flic herself. One can only hope that she has absorbed enough to recall, when she needs to: "I remember someone saying something about how to avoid this".

Undoubtedly, her motives and belief in doing this may have been shaken. That is good in its own way, because hopefully it will make her think a bit more about exactly what knowledge she needs to have. And yes, it's probably made her resolution even stronger. I just hope the resolution, the stubborness, doesn't overtake reality.

And until she gets on that plane, we need to continue providing advice, and recognise that each has something to contribute whether we agree with that advice or not. It's up to Flic to decide.

chromedome

Sounds like a good place for a young woman to go on her VERY FIRST bike trip. By herself.

Maybe she can give you a call on the phone if she has any problems and you can get in touch with some of those people you know there and they can go fix her bike, change her flat, take her to the next town to the doctor, get her some meds, find inexpensive rooms, feed her clean water and food, find a bus that goes in the right direction, help her find replacement bike parts, provide her with familiar personal products, give her more insect repellent. And most of all, provide her with some honest-no-strings-attached companionship periodically while she is far from home for the first time on the road peddling a bike in unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar languages and foods and customs and ailments. Along with givng her some tips on clean drinking water.

chromedome

You're right. If she is bound and determined to go, we can at least give helpful advice.

If Flic has any particular questions, she is certainly welcome to ask.

jibi

Other ladies traveling alone Now

https://murl.se/19092

_________________________

About cycling in Africa
_________________________

Trentobike cycling journals about Africa

https://murl.se/19089

Up to date Dec 2006

Aren't we all a friendly lot in here,

I'm glad I haven't met some of you on the road, But then you spend so much time in here instead of on the road it isn't very likely to happen.

Trying to discredit the witness!!!! Personal attacks and insults.

Opinion is not the same as experience.

flic good luck gal.

you have a dream, you are daring, you are doing.

george

Cyclist0383

I'm suggesting that just because you have the intelligence, common sense, and inner strength to do solo journeys off the beaten path doesn't mean that other have those abilities the first time they tour.

Flic

Mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! There was so much to read there it took me ages and ages you know!!! I kept thinkin' things I wanted to say all thru it, but I've forgotten most of them by now (I guess thats a sign of how little attention I pay to detail and how that will **** me up for touring right? - I'll say it in advance to save it being said later)

mmm I don't know why anyone would be questioning Amerferanga's authenticity... he's legit, not that he's concerned, but like the guys been to Africa loads, he seems like a pretty reliable source to me...

Some of the responses seem to indicate that this forum has been my only source of information. It hasn't. For example the bloke who emailed me yesterday when he arrived in Khartoum after having cycled down from Wadi Halfi... I posted here because I wanted advice on a bike. I happened to get a lot of other information along the way...

Its nice that I've had a bit of information from crew who have been to Africa, but when it all comes down to it, I'll probably just figure it out as I got along. Like Amerferanga said, the not knowing is part of the adventure. You just prep yourself as best you can, which apparently in my case, isn't very well... and then go...

Some of you guys get this, but I'll just say it anyway to clarrify yeah? I've not cycle toured before but I think it sounds like fun. I bought a $300 bike (with $100 tyres!) so that if it gets stolen I won't have lost too much, and that if i don't like it, I can sigh, ditch Edward, mutter "geez that 100km was expensive!" get the finger from Rowan and move on via public transport. I plan on taking public transport for some of this trip. Like getting out of Cairo? That'll be PT up to Alexandria, and a lot of the Western Desert in Egypt too, before I hit the Nile and start cycling... I'm used to traveling with a bulky inanimate object (eg a surf board)...

For anyone whoose interested, here's how things are progressing... Today I had to work til 6:00 and after that went surfing and gashed my foot on a rock, it bled a lot. I bought a bag that I'm going to turn into my handlebar bag, and a personal alarm to clip onto it, I figure when I'm riding I will leave it there to maybe frighten away dogs, but otherwise leave it hidden away, there's no point having some $5 gadget hanging off your bag to attract attention, and I got a new money belt, and I got an inflateable pillow, which I'm not sure about, but since I won't have enough clothes to turn into a pillow it might be handy, we'll see. Tommorow I'm borrowing a book on Ethiopia and getting some visa's and getting the last of my vaccos, the day after that a mate's teaching me how to take the wheels off my bike and I'm seeing Blood Diamond :-)

amaferanga

Some of the experienced Africa cycle tourists posting on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree:

sacrylookingthug - was in Cairo in November, currently cycling south to Cape Town, probably by a very similar route to Flic.

BigDan - completed Cairo-Cape 2005

Endorphinadventures - lives Libya, cycled various parts of the continent

Tulkas - was in Egypt December 2006, heading south

Sebbie - veteran of 2 multi-year transcontinental trips.

Jaukariken - another veteran

Englishwildman - aka Alistair Humphreys. Spent 4 years cycling round the world, including Cairo-Cape.

Others who have cycled in various countries:

Iambaisekeli
pq
tailwind
PhilipD
PaulDupont
mudyshox
pathbikeguy
iviehoff
pbekkerh
basickellystriker
Afrowheels
Africabybike

And you may find this - https://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/me...entid=0&from=1 - interesting and note poster #2.

So you see, the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree On Your Bike branch is actually a good source of information on cycling in Africa, though the search function is crap.

jibi

ama

doesn't crossing Back Sail Pass in December in the dark with a loaded bike seem easy now:-)

https://murl.se/19095

I , for one, am glad you didn't listen to the naysayers

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

george

amaferanga

Easier than convincing some folk that Africa is actually quite nice it seems

sunday driver

Africa is quite nice. And can turn into a nightmare in a hurry. We just wanted her to understand that.

I like the comment about that which does not kill us, makes us stronger (which has been the sales slogan for Stella beer in Egypt.) That is certainly true, most of the time. But we felt some concern about the first part of that slogan.

Machka 

If you want to throw quotes around, here's one for you:

"A life without adventure is likely to be unsatisfying, but a life in which adventure is allowed to take whatever form it will is sure to be short." - Bertrand Russell



And contrary to what a couple of you believe, it is NOT a good idea to tell anyone that everything is going to be all rosy and nice when they are embarking on a trip like this ... or any type of adventure. Instead, it IS a good idea to bring up and discuss as many things as we can think of which can possibly go wrong. Why? So that the person embarking on the adventure (in this case Flic) can think about these possibilities and can decide what she will do if she encounters them.

She may not have any problems ... but if she does, hopefully it is something that has been discussed by those of us who are responsible enough to bring up the issues ... with their corresponding solutions ... that any cycle-tourist touring any country/continent may encounter ... and especially, in this case, someone who is unfamiliar with cycling.


Before I embark on just about any of my rides ... nevermind a long tour ... I give some thought to the difficulties I may encounter.

I think about the nutrition and hydration issues ... given that a cyclist needs to eat 250 calories per hour while cycling, and drink at least one 750 ml bottle of water and/or sports drink every hour, I calculate how much food and water I need to bring with me. If I'm doing a long ride where I know my water isn't going to last, I have a look at the map and see if there are some likely looking towns along the way where I might be able to pick up some more. Here in Canada, it can be a very long way between those likely looking towns, and I don't want to get caught out with no water.

I think about weather. Here in Canada, the weather can be extremely variable. At the beginning of a ride it can be snowing ... a few hours later it can be +20C. Or I can head out on a gorgeous +25C day with not a cloud in the sky ... a few hours later I can be caught in a massive hailstorm with marble-sized hail, and a temperature drop of 15 degrees. Yes, those things have happened to me. Therefore, on any ride I do, I pack clothing that will get me through pretty much anything the weather might throw at me.

I think about the towns I will ride through and people I might encounter. For example, on one 400 km brevet I did, I knew I'd be going through one particular little town on a Saturday night, right about the time that the bars let out ... and I had been warned that the residents of the town and surrounding area can get a little roudy about that time. Therefore, my father came out in his car and leap-frogged me through that section to make us both feel more comfortable out there.

I think about the wildlife I might encounter. I've been chased by individual dogs, and "herded" by packs ... and with the number of stories of cyclists who have been bitten, that's always a rather frightening thing. Noise doesn't seem to scare them off at all, therefore I carry a type of pepper spray with me. Here in western Canada we've also got other, more dangerous wildlife. A grizzly killed a woman out jogging in a town which I had cycled through during the time the grizzly was around. That's probably not a big concern while I'm actually riding my bicycle, but it makes me pick my spots to make my ditch stops carefully. Even more worrying is the increase in number and presence of cougars. I've seen one ... it ran across the road, crouched on the embankment on the other side, and watched me cycle by. And it can be a very creepy feeling, especially when riding along at dawn and dusk, thinking that I could be watched by any number of them and knowing that they have attacked people. Those are some wildlife concerns I have in Canada. When I went to Australia, my concerns were more about the spiders and snakes. Just about every country has some sort of wildlife to be aware of.

Hopefully Flic has had the sense to look beyond those who are just saying soothing and nice things to her, and to really think about what she is doing. Hopefully she has sat down and run through some "What if" scenerios ... and hopefully she has a few Plan B's or Plan C's up her sleeve.

Rowan

amafarenga, I ask again... how many of the seven people you met doing Africa were single, white solo female bicycle riders? And among the list you posted? They all seem remarkably like male names and handles to me.

And I found Lonely Planet's forum to be pretty short on detail about Africa in itself.

I don't doubt your experiences in Africa. What I do doubt is the ultra-positive spin you have put on your encouragement right the way through until your posts that started to talk about difficult.


Flic, what about your pedals?

Flic

So I don't actually think everything is gunna to be 100% wonderful... But I'm hoping it will be pretty bloody close! Like sure there's a lot of things that can go wrong, but I'll just deal with them if they crop up... I know you guys are just trying to prepare me, and It's really nice that everyones taking so much time to inform me, but again, a lot of whats being mentioned are things I've already thought about... Nutrition, Water, Dogs, Corruption... I'm not concerned.

What about my pedals Rowan... ?!

Cyclist0383

Do you have any experience with giving baksheesh?

amaferanga

None. If you asked me before I didn't notice and I really can't be arsed to trawl through the previous posts to find the question. And yes the majority of the posters on the TT OYB branch who've cycled in Africa are male. And your point is what exactly? The majority travel alone though. I should add that the reason I've met so few Cairo-Cape cyclists is that most of my cycling has been off the main route that most of the Cairo-Cape cyclists take. I prefer the untrafficed roads and the roads that don't appear on maps. So I've only really met the Cairo-Cape cyclists on the occasions I've been on the 'standard' route or in cities on the 'standard' route.

Since the search function on the TT is so crap then the only way to get good info is to ask a question or to PM people. They're a remarkably nice, knowledgeable and realistic bunch of people (with but 1 or 2 exceptions). There's absolutely no doubt that its a better source of information for the more obscure destinations than any other forum. I'm certain that Flic will have sent PMs to some of the folks I listed (including myself - she asked intelligent questions about water carrying and for some general advice) and so will know more than any of us here about such things as up-to-date practicalities of Egypt and Sudan.

I have at no point said that cycling in Africa is easy or that things are always perfect. Far from it in fact. That's why I keep going back. But the experience is second to none and all I've done is try to balance a bit of the advice given by others. Cycling in Africa is challenging for many reasons, but probably not for the reasons most think. You don't need to eat insects to survive! There's coca-cola in almost every village down the main routes. Actually there's usually a choice of coca-cola, fanta, pepsi, marinda,..... 99% of people are extremely friendly and helpful and honest. I doubt you could say the same for the UK or the US, particularly with regards being friendly. With a multi-fuel stove there's no reason ever to go hungry, and I do believe Flic will have such a stove. David Moser from ibike (see link above provided by jibi) I think does a good job of addressing the myths about cycling in Africa. A number of posters on this thread have demonstrated their belief in such myths. Incidentally, there's a particularly detailed section on the ibike site about cycling in Zambia. I wonder who provided that information?

If I were Flic I'd be somewhat offended at how stupid certain people seem to think she is. She doesn't know a great deal about cycling, but as I've said at least once previously, neither did I when I first set out cycling and I survived. I don't think there's anything exceptional about me in any way so see no reason why any other determined individual (be they male or female) can't do the same.

I did ask a question many moons ago regarding the **** of tourists in Africa and encouraged anyone who knew of such an occurrence to tell everyone about it. No-one did, not even an instance of **** in a tourist resort (though I'm sure that there have been). And (I've said this several times already but please take note this time as I'm getting bored) if Flic doesn't take to cycling she can catch a bus or hitch so there's really no big deal.

Good luck Flic and just remember its all character building.

I'm getting tired of talking to this brick wall.

amaferanga

Baksheesh almost certainly won't be necessary on the East coast route. Another myth. Someone on a bike is seen as being poor (relatively speaking). If anyone has to give kito kidogog (a little something) it's the aid worker/rich tourist in the 'cruza.

Rowan

You do know how to take them off the bike... because you will have to when you pack it in a bike box? You do know which way to turn the spindles to remove them? You do know that you need at least a 6" shifting spanner to have with you to either remove them or snug them down tight when you reassemble the bike?

You see, it's these little things that get in the way of having a good time on tour that involves packing a bike. It's not just about riding the bike.

As to amaferanga... you really don't get it, do you? Travelling as a male in *any* environment is always going to be different to travelling as a female. And this is not continent specific, as evidenced by Josie Dew and other female travellers.

Flic

Nup Rowan, I've got no idea how to take the pedals off(!!), but when I go and pick up my bike box laster in the week from the bikeshop I've already planned to ask. I know I need a 6" shifting spanner because amerferanga told me so a while ago, and since then a few other people have mentioned it...

I'm really not concerned about packing the bike or putting it back together. There are loads of people in Australia who can help me pack a bike, and I imagine that if at the other end I really am having trouble, then I'll be able to find someone to help me there too. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not the kind of person who goes around expecting things to be done for me, but I just can't imagine being unable to find help if needed. I'll learn as much as I can before I go (which doesn't appear like it will be a lot!) and the rest I'll figure out as I go. Maybe this is naive, I dunno... but I sort of figure theres no point worrying about things because if there's a problem, well something will happen, it might not be good, but at least it will be something...

IronMac

Earlier, you were talking about "hundreds" doing it every year.

I decided to look into this:

For South Africa:"South Africa has a very high level of crime, including **** and murder. However, most cases occur in the townships and in areas away from the main tourist destinations." Interesting given that Flic won't be traveling in the main tourist areas...
https://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?...=1013618386433

Incident of a gang **** in December:

"The report follows the gang **** of an official of the French swimming team attending the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) Swimming World Championships.

The 26-year old French national had decided to go for a walk with the Belgium swimming coach on Tuesday night when they were attacked near the city's beach front paddling pools.

The Belgian, a man, was allegedly held down while she was gang *****. "

https://iafrica.com/news/sa/534225.htm


For Egypt: "If you are travelling alone or in small groups, you are advised to take extra caution, as there have been reports of harassment, the majority targeting women, especially on the streets of busy cities or at the beach resorts. "
https://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?...=1013618385875