tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:33:03 +0000http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)Blogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-4472529073980332809Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:24:00 +00002010-12-15T02:22:01.232+02:00After 164 days and 12,386 km from the Cape of Good Hope, I’ve made it to Cairo!  I arrived on 13th December into the heaving traffic and heavily polluted city that boasts 4½ million cars and around 20 million people.   My route through Egypt has been the Nile Valley, hugging the River Nile.  I’ve experienced two kinds of towns/cities along this route: those with ancient tombs and pyramids that http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/12/day-157-165-5-14-dec-made-it-to-cairo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-7180108734915942858Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:30:00 +00002010-12-06T14:28:17.053+02:00The only way of crossing from Sudan to Egypt other than by air or sea is by taking the weekly ferry from Wadi Halfa to Aswan.  This was achieved with relative ease thanks to my fixer, Mazar.  The numerous pieces of paper many in Arabic that have to be completed, signed and stamped would otherwise have proven a headache, even with only my bicycle.  For those who take a car and don’t use a fixer, http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/12/day-152-156-1-4-dec-wadi-halfa-to-aswan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-6619471364807208168Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:20:00 +00002010-12-01T10:18:18.340+02:00The 975km journey through the desert from Khartoum to Wadi Halfa (with a few detours) was some of flattest and sandiest terrain that I’ve cycled through. The road itself is fairly new asphalt the whole way making for a relatively smooth ride and if it wasn’t for the howling headwind it would’ve been a relatively easy stretch.  Although hot during the day, since winter is approaching it’s not http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/12/day-139-152-18-nov-1-dec-khartoum-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-4780044721315060436Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:43:00 +00002010-11-18T12:41:32.710+02:00Many of you have made generous donations over the past four months, raising almost £3,000 for the International Association for Digital Publications (IADP).  My sincere thanks goes out to all who’ve donated.  Early next year, your donations will make a difference to the lives of students from some of the most disadvantaged backgrounds.   I’ve now cycled 10,000km with ‘just’ 2,000km or so left to http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/11/computers-for-african-students-appeal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-2610369550721095893Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:00:00 +00002010-11-18T10:59:41.229+02:00Northern Ethiopia was better than southern Ethiopia for a several reasons.  Geographic features and stunning scenery along the way made for an amazing ride.  Descending 40 minutes into the Blue Nile Gorge to ascend for 3 hours 15 minutes on the other side (the last hour of which was in the dark) was worth it, if not exhausting.  Also in the north I bumped into some American Peace Corps volunteershttp://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/11/day-125-139-4-18-nov-addis-ababa-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-3089683354869445649Thu, 04 Nov 2010 06:54:00 +00002010-11-04T08:54:02.803+02:00 Having arrived in Addis Ababa on the evening of 2 Nov, I’m leaving this morning, heading north through the Blue Nile Gorge towards Bahar Dar, Gonder and into Sudan.  I cycled every day since leaving Nairobi (17 days) without a break and the conditions and exhaustion finally got to me.  On the final approach to Addis I had stomach problems (diarrhoea and vomiting) at the side of the road.  A http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/11/day-125-4-nov-perils-of-cycling-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-1914899503508561811Sat, 23 Oct 2010 07:16:00 +00002010-10-23T09:15:19.724+02:00 Any cyclist who’s ridden in this part of the world who read my last post must have been laughing at my over optimistic plan to ride from Nairobi to Moyale in a week!  Getting out of Nairobi on the Thika road was a nightmare with traffic, road works and dust, even on a Sunday morning!  There are many potholes, but essentially the road is tarmac until just after Seredupi (sp?), which is about http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/10/days-107-112-17-22-oct-nairobi-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-5644827351126379555Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:33:00 +00002010-10-23T09:20:24.617+02:00 I’m leaving Nairobi today. This is my plan for northern Kenya:Sunday: Nairobi (Karen) – SaganaMon: Sagana – NanyukiTues: Nanyuki – Archers PostWed: Archers Post – LaisamisThurs: Laisamis – MarsabitFri: Marsabit – TurbiSat: Turbi – Moyale There are some long distances especially in the first few days, which won’t be easy after a break of 10 days. North of Archers Post the roads are http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/10/leaving-nairobi_17.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-2040952336651155134Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:13:00 +00002010-10-17T02:31:12.087+02:00<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/10/ethiopian-and-sudanese-visa-saga_17.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-2532718772706447817Sat, 16 Oct 2010 23:55:00 +00002010-10-17T01:54:11.599+02:00 After leaving Lusaka (Day 55, 26 August), northern Zambia was really tough: headwind, lack of good food and a lot of distance to cover in order to arrive in Dar es Salaam in good time.  The main problem though was headwind.  If I had to summarise the worst parts of my trip so far it would be headwind and trucks.  The headwind was relentless from Cape Point to Dar es Salaam.  The trucks in http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/10/zambia-tanzania.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-426076058789065248Sun, 03 Oct 2010 19:58:00 +00002010-10-03T22:02:37.435+02:00 I’ve made it to Moshi, the largest town near the main route to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Today was cloudy which afforded pleasant riding conditions, but has meant no chance of seeing the peak of Africa’s highest mountain.    It’s one month today that I first arrived in Tanzania and three months today that left the Cape of Good Hope.  Tomorrow I’ll head for the city of Arusha when my plans willhttp://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/10/day-93-3-oct-moshi-mt-kilimanjaro-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-8009257015897914423Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:03:00 +00002010-09-30T09:14:15.507+02:00 After a relaxing couple of weeks in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar with Hannah, I left Dar es Salaam yesterday...without a Sudanese visa unfortunately. My application was submitted over two weeks ago, but it could still take up to two more weeks and I need to get moving. Hopefully the Ministry of Interior in Khartoum will give authorisation by early next week and I will return to Dar by bus or http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/09/day-89-29-sept-leaving-dar-es-salaam_30.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-7153231584234521295Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:47:00 +00002010-08-29T19:47:53.820+02:00On Friday, Kevin made the 4000km milestone - amazing really to think he's travelled so far since the beginning of July...The last couple of days have proven to be amongst the toughest he's endured so far. The local staple diet of 'nshima' - a boiled maize - doesn't seem to be providing him with the energy he needs (so ...far he's lost 7kg) but he's struggling to find anything else. That combined http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/days-56-58-friday-27th-to-sunday-29th.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-7442150508558536288Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:23:00 +00002010-08-27T12:23:05.578+02:00On day 51 (Sunday) Kevin covered 99km and made it to Mazabuka http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazabuka - and the Mutailila Guest House. On his way to finding accommodation for the night he managed to stop the Zambian national cycling coach - I think the short conversation they managed to have is making him reconsider his planned route....   After a night in Mazabuka, the temptation of accommodationhttp://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/days-51-55-sunday-22nd-to-thursday-26th.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-4747162477431688852Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:42:00 +00002010-08-22T12:43:02.543+02:00Sunce the last update on Thursday Kevin's made some good progress and has passed through Livingstone - staying at Jolly Boys Packpackers - http://www.backpackzambia.com/backpackers.php, Kalomo - http://www.zambia-travel-guide.com/bradt_guide.asp?bradt=485 and last night (Saturday) found a roof to put over his head in Pemba. By all accounts he's really missing small luxuries and is smelling as badhttp://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/days-48-50-thursday-19th-to-saturday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-8006775213833845858Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:37:00 +00002010-08-18T19:38:42.811+02:00 The 600km road from Maun to Kazungula (the border crossing with Zimbabwe) was long and desolate but beautiful and full of wildlife (elephant, zebra, monkeys, a snake).  The warnings about lions and elephants from locals in Maun continued although the emphasis moved towards elephants.  I had to wait until the last 15km just outside Kazungula and at nightfall to encounter elephants, four herds athttp://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/maun-to-victoria-falls-elephants.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-7218064418953135346Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:19:00 +00002010-08-18T19:20:07.025+02:00 Situated in the heart of Nata en route to the Okavango Delta or Chobe Game Reserve, North Gate Lodge Nata is an ideal stopover for a long journey or perfectly situated for adventures in the Makgadikgadi Pans.  North Gate Lodge was my overnight resting and dining place in Nata before I continued north to Kasane.  From Gweta, North Gate Lodge can easily be found at the T-junction, slightly to thehttp://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/north-gate-lodge-nata.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-7281377294809286303Wed, 18 Aug 2010 08:17:00 +00002010-08-18T10:17:56.470+02:00Back riding on his own again, Kevin set off from Maun, Botswana on Wednesday afternoon. After 30km he managed to find a bed for the night in a farm house in Chanoga so was able to avoid the local wild animals! After spending Thursday night in an empty room in a Village Development Centre in Phunduhudu Friday night was spent in Gweta - relative civilisation. Overall he was still finding the http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/days-40-46-wednesday-11th-august.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-2745001616022102384Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:45:00 +00002010-08-11T11:45:35.912+02:00 After two days, three nights in Maun at the Maun Lodge resting, cleaning ourselves and kit, and rethinking Istvan’s travel plans, we’re parting ways today.  Time has been against us since Istvan’s bike frame arrived damaged in Joburg last week which cost us a day longer in Windhoek, plus the distances that we’ve been covering (837km in 7 days) into a relentless headwind and not sleeping well ashttp://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/impressions-of-botswana-and-road-ahead.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-7377047619103768938Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:34:00 +00002010-08-08T17:34:22.303+02:00Thursday 5th August - 105km covered to just east of Tsootsha...   On Friday, the guys made it 5km south of D'Kar and then yesterday (Saturday) they pushed hard and cycled several hours in the dark to cover 160km to Sehithwa.   Today (Sunday) they've made it to Maun (100km) and hopefully a shower and a bed as so far they haven't showered or slept in a bed in Botswana...dreading to think what theyhttp://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/days-34-37-thursday-5th-august-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-5521214997541200712Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:21:00 +00002010-08-04T23:21:42.242+02:00The guys made it to the border with Botswana today - about 130km. They decided to stay on the Namibian side rather than cross over as they found a rest camp. The next town is 210km away so they were hoping to get a really good night's rest before several days of rough terrain and sleeping in the tent. Kevin sounded really exhausted and anxious about the days ahead... http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-33-wednesday-4th-august.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-3188014720541493314Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:24:00 +00002010-08-03T22:24:49.115+02:00‎105km covered today - they're just 15km west of Gobabis. Finding somewhere to camp was a long and difficult process - eventually settled on a farmer's field - but it meant passing bikes and bags over two fences in the dark. Dinner was tuna, bread & crackers - the same as it's been since leaving Windhoek!! http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-32-tuesday-3rd-august.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-4699360795832232066Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:08:00 +00002010-08-03T09:08:58.052+02:00Istvan arrived in Windhoek on Sunday 1st August, safely in one piece - unfortunately his bike did not - somewhere during the journey from New York the bike suffered some major damage. The bike shop, that Kevin had serviced his bike with, agreed to open for them on Sunday and they managed to put the bike back together. Their departure from Windhoek delayed by a day, they set off yesterday - and http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-31-monday-2nd-august.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-3176166037273371502Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:10:00 +00002010-07-31T13:09:22.271+02:00 1 August – Istvan arrives in Windhoek, Namibia Flying from NYC via Atlanta and Joburg with his bicycle, Istvan arrives at Windhoek International Airport in the late morning of 1st August.  I will meet him there where we’ll build his bike hopefully without any problems and begin cycling straight away eastwards towards Botswana.  We have just 13 days to make in to Livingstone, Zambia, hopefully http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/key-dates.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Kevin Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296789389727041730.post-6541947051836119616Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:29:00 +00002010-07-27T23:29:21.409+02:00Made it to Windhoek today! Kevin seems to be enjoying seeing familiar stores and supermarkets - well more the fact that he can buy chocolate milk and coco pops! He's going to be staying there for a few days, until Sunday when Istvan arrives..so, the bike's gone in for a service and chain replacement and he's making the most of some time off the bike. Now would be a good time to email / get touch http://c2c2010.blogspot.com/2010/07/day-25-tuesday-27th-july.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Hannah Harwood)0