A lot of people had warned us about the road from Swakopmund to Walvisbaai. There can be sandstorms (not nice as a cyclist), the road is dangerously busy and it doesn't have shoulders. So instead we opt for the unpaved c34 road that's only used by road construction workers and miners. The hard wind brings …
In the desert
"You should go to the Vingerklip, it's beautiful." With this advice we set off from Outjo. We have no clue where Vingerklip is or what. Looking at the map, there's a campsite indicated near some hills, so we decide that must be it. First we cycle through a barren landscape, just brown hills and scraggly …
Culture clash
Before leaving Rundu, we both know that a fight is coming up. So far mostly I wanted the paved roads and Roeland the unpaved (dubbed by me in Dutch: 'kleine kloteweggetjes'). But somehow after ten minutes of looking at the map we're already on the same page about which route to take. And then I …
Back in Europe
This is the part of Africa that I looked up against the most: the Caprivi strip. It's comprised of around 700 kilometers of flat, boring landscape between Livingstone (in Zambia) and Rundu (in Namibia). Even before I met Roeland, knowing that I would want to make a long trip in Africa one day, I didn't …
Bliss
In my last blog post I wrote that we were considering quitting. We have decided that we will continue to Namibia! It's just another 2000 or so kilometers (ahum). But first, after weeks of going on and on between high grass and flat farm lands, we have a break in Lusaka. It's a pleasant and …
Longing for a home
"With African countries, if you never hear something about it in the news, that's good news", a Zambian proudly tells us. Zambia is indeed very safe, and very boring. The highlights are the people that we meet, but the population density is low. Another highlight of Zambia are its corny brand slogans and mottos: Royal …
The Africa experience
When thieves enter a store in Tunduma, they threaten the owner with a machine gun to give them a shiny box, assuming it to contain money. They are unaware there is only rubber glue in it. People see them leave the store. An angry mob follows them as they try to flee. It fails, the …
Attack of the tse tse flies
As relationships are built on the capacity to compromise, Roeland and me had a trade. We took the train from Mwanza to Kigoma, which Roeland would rather not do, and which I thoroughly enjoyed, as you can read in my previous blog post. In return, we cycle from Kigoma to Sumbawanga, over mostly unpaved roads …
Searching Livingstone
When David Livingstone was on yet another of his grand explorations, people didn't hear from him for four years. They thought he was dead, but they weren't sure. At the time, he was one of Scotlands heroes. Being a Protestant missionary and explorer of dark places in Africa, he was loved during the Victorian era, …
Wildwest Tanzania
Our last day in Rwanda is an exciting one. We want to cycle from Kayonza to Rusumo (94 km) and cross the border with Tanzania in one day. Online we can't find guesthouses or hotels on the Tanzanian side of the border, but they must be there, right? In a pretty orange sunset we arrive …
Run from the office 