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  • More from Oman: Mwanza-Muscat Part 16 January 29th, 2016

    I shall start where I left last time, which is somewhere in the Omani desert around about Christmas time. No real festive spirit in this part of the World, just a lot more beautiful camping spots, mountain climbs, historical towns and memorable encounters to enjoy as 2015 came to an end.

    Beach camp at nightSunrise in Southern OmanSunrise at campA sandy ChristmasSunrise at camp  Read more... (2158 words, 79 images, estimated 8:38 mins reading time)

    This is a preview of More from Oman: Mwanza-Muscat Part 16. Read the full post (2158 words, 79 images, estimated 8:38 mins reading time)
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  • Congo Journal: Part 5 May 5th, 2011

    “On the march rain is very disagreeable: it makes the clayey path slippery and the loads heavier by being saturated, while it half ruins the clothes. It makes us dispirited, cold and wet.”(H M Stanley)

    20/04/11 Distance Cycled 27km  03°08.292S    026°00.657E    No name village

    One of those annoying days when you want to hit yourself for being an idiot. I leave my wallet behind on the road – top of a rear pannier more precisely whilst taking off trousers. Only 15-20km further on do I realise what I’ve done. Fortunately not a huge sum of money– 6000CF or so ($7), but it annoys me and I only have my stupid self to blame. Other than money and wallet there were just contact cards with website written on, a key to padlock (have 2 spares). Could have been much worse.  Read more... (2496 words, 13 images, estimated 9:59 mins reading time)

    This is a preview of Congo Journal: Part 5. Read the full post (2496 words, 13 images, estimated 9:59 mins reading time)
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  • Talking gear: 20,000km April 4th, 2011

    Time for another gear review as my cycle computer approaches the 20,000km mark. Some 10,000km ago I wrote this as I waited for the uncertainty surrounding the Presidential elections in Guinea to pass over. Now I’m in the Congo waiting for a boat to transport me up the river here (I was when I wrote this).

    I shall follow the same layout as the last review. If there is a piece of kit or aspect of the journey you’d like me to pass comment on after 20,000km on the road please let me know. Also, any advice, tips or recommendations regarding any aspect of gear is highly appreciated. As I consider myself more a traveller than a cyclist please forgive the lack of specific bicycle terminology and simplicity in some aspects of gear.  Read more... (3022 words, 3 images, estimated 12:05 mins reading time)

    This is a preview of Talking gear: 20,000km. Read the full post (3022 words, 3 images, estimated 12:05 mins reading time)
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  • Journal entries from the Central African Republic February 12th, 2011

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    ” A traveller who has just arrived in a new country where everything is new to him is held up by the difficulty of making up his mind” (Andre Gide: Travels in the Congo)

    I continue to keep a hand-written journal of my journey and may include a few more of these excerpts as blog posts over the coming months. Here are several entries from the last 10 days.

    02/02/11: Distance cycled 44km.

    Location Godeambole:   04°04.274N  016° 05.157E

     Read more... (2371 words, 2 images, estimated 9:29 mins reading time)

    This is a preview of Journal entries from the Central African Republic. Read the full post (2371 words, 2 images, estimated 9:29 mins reading time)
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  • Where I sleep on the road November 11th, 2010

    Not knowing where to sleep at night can be a stressful experience when it starts to get dark and you’re out on the road. The suitably discreet spots for camping you saw earlier in the day have now gone and you have no idea how far it is until the next village or town because your map is rubbish. Do you keep looking in the dying light for somewhere to secretly pitch the tent, or continue to the next inhabited place where there might be a guest house or someone to safeguard your security in camping? It’s an all too familiar scenario these days.  Read more... (727 words, estimated 2:54 mins reading time)

    This is a preview of Where I sleep on the road. Read the full post (727 words, estimated 2:54 mins reading time)
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  • A well-worn weapon September 4th, 2010

    The end of the road in Liberia is close. Another 20km from here and a river divides the country from it’s Francophone neighbour – Cote d’ Ivoire.

    Stretching to either side of me are two long palm-fringed beaches and I’m surrounded by the ghostly remains of large war-ravaged buildings. The town of Harper here in the far south of Liberia is now a sad shadow of what before the war must have been a prosperous place, for a minority anyhow.

    Harper: Liberia  Read more... (434 words, 6 images, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)

    This is a preview of A well-worn weapon. Read the full post (434 words, 6 images, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)
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  • Talking gear: 10,000km in June 30th, 2010

    Half-way to Cape Town yet? Unless I start pedalling a much straighter route, which is usually far less fun, I can confidently say no. Guinea Bissau, where my speedometer ticked over 10,000km recently, does not appear to be equal distance from England and South Africa. The distance I’ve come does however provide a good opportunity to review the gear that’s got me here. What has lasted, been replaced or sent home. It’s not an exhaustive critique, and if the words Rolhoff, Schwalbe and Ortlieb appear all too unpronounceable, you may wish to stop reading now.

    The Big Africa Cycle  Read more... (2991 words, 2 images, estimated 11:58 mins reading time)

    This is a preview of Talking gear: 10,000km in. Read the full post (2991 words, 2 images, estimated 11:58 mins reading time)
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Recent Posts

  • Some Stats: Mwanza-Muscat Part 18
  • North to Abu Dhabi: Mwanza-Muscat Part 17
  • More from Oman: Mwanza-Muscat Part 16
  • Arabian contrasts : Mwanza-Muscat Part 15
  • Cattle Cargo: Mwanza-Muscat Part 14

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