8750km - Thank you very much Africa!

 With this picture we want to say thank you for all the people who supported us on the 8750km from Cape Town to Nairobi and gave us a feeling like home on a foreign continent. Also special thanks to the followers from all over the world. It was fantastic to see how many people visited our Blog every single day.

And now time for some final statistics:

8750km

480 hours on the bike

 10 countries

17 flat tyres

65 rest days

100 days of cycling

1 broken back wheel

Nairobi - We made it!!!!!!

Sunset behind a soccer field

Crossing the Equator.

The Tompson Falls near Nyahururu.

Till on his last kilometers.

Our last night out along the road. Sleeping in the community room of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Thika.

Finally arriving in Nairobi on the 27th of January 2013, 9:30am.

On the road again...

Sometimes we had to cycle on the road which connects Mombasa with the Congo. Also called the "Highway to Hell" because of the heavy traffic. NO Fun 4 us!

But most of the times we could take smaller roads...

  

...which also could be quite challenging.

Cycling without hands. A dream comes true.

Yannic on a dirt road.

Robert and Yannic using local transport: Called a picki-picki.

Mount Kenya - 5199m above sea level!

Before we go for the last two days on the bikes, it was time for one of the highlights of the trip: climbing Mount Kenya.

Our special guest for this tour was Robert, a friend of Till.

 

 In the valley. The peak is in sight, but still two days to reach it.

 

Till, Yannic and Robert. We have been very lucky with the weather. Sunshine for 4 days in a row. 

 Sunset on 3300 meters. It's getting cold.

On the top.

Time: 6:40 a.m.; Temperature: minus 5; Wind: very strong.

We don't care!

Mission to Mars accomplished.

Getting up was worth the effort.

Now Nairobi is waiting!

Rainy season

It is rainy season in Uganda. What to do?

 

 Stay in your tent and wait until the rain is over.

Or...

 

...if  the rain catches you on the road: remove the mud and keep on going.
 Or...

...watch our updates on "animals" and "follow our route"

Greetings from Jinja, Uganda.

Yannic and Till

Kampala

Short update before we upload new pics in two days from Jinja, Uganda. Promise.
We left the beauty of lake bunyonyi to start cycling in the new year. After three days on the road we reached the Sese islands on lake victoria. Now we rest in Kampala before heading to the source of the Nile in Jinja.

Km on the bike:  7713
Hours on the bike: 420

Happy new year in Uganda

After getting the bikes fixed for the last month by the mechanics of team rwanda, we are now in Kabale, Uganda. Today, revitalizing from the new years celebrations. Tomorrow discovering country number 9.

For X-Mas 7000km

We wish everyone Merry X-mas and a Happy New Year 2013. We are now in Kigali, Rwanda.

Till and Yannic

On the Ship from Kasanga to Kigoma

The bikes are on board. Ready to leave!?

NO!!!!!. It took us 13 hours to leave the port. Cargo loading takes time in Tansania.

Captain Dr. Otto at work. The MV Liemba was built at the Meyer Papenburg Werft in 1913.

The first step to get new passengers on board: Throwing a rope towards the ship.

Step 2: Climbing!

Almost everything was brought from the small villages along the lake to the ship.

Nice views on the Nationalparks of Tanzania and Congo.

what we eat

 The traditional Malawian dish is Nsima. Here with some delicious Beef stew

 

Almost everywhere you can find fried potatoes or bananas.

Sometimes for 25 Euro Cent.

No, we didn't eat this. But it looks interesting.

1/4 chicken with rice and vegetables.

At a Lodge. Making Pancakes with our own stove.

 

This we found in Blantyre. Real Ethiopian coffee.

Cooking eggs on a charcoal stove. It's what you got to do if there is a black out in town, again.

Back on the bike. Burundi is waiting

We survived the trip with the MV Liemba and are happy to be back on the road. Even thou it was a great experience.
Tomorrow we will cross the border to burundi. Again, there will be a lot of mountains for us to climb.

Still in Kasanga

Finaly on board but the ship is still at the port in Kasanga. As long as it is raining we have to wait.

MV Liemba - or the 'Graf von Goetzen'

After getting lazy on tarmac roads  in Mozambique and Malawi, we are back on the rough and dirty ones. This time in the south-west of Tanzania. Driving through Mbeya, Tunduma and Sumbawanga brought us to Kasanga. A small village at lake Tanganyka. Tonight we will take the MV Liemba to Kigoma. An old german navalship that was built a hundret years ago and is now operating as a ferry.
6613 Km and
361 hours
on the bike

Along the way - Impressions of Mozambique and Malawi

To camp next to a village also means to get the attention of the children. "What are these Muzungos (muzungo = white man) doing here?"

Cyclists along the way

On the market in Mozambique

Getting water along the way, using the bore holes of the villages.

 Listening to the music of the local band in Cape Maclear, Malawi.

Singing: "How are you? I'm fine.

How are you? I'm alright"

Soccer jersey's are pretty common in Africa.

The kids are always keen to be in the picture.

Arriving in Tanzania - Our 6th country

We are now in Tanzania and reached in 330 hours the 6000km mark. Tomorrow we will cycle further north. Probably to Lake Tanganyka. We also updated our supporters list - Have a look!

Till and Yannic

Finally our picture!

Celebrating halftime in Cape Maclear

More than half of the trip is over now. Time to take one week of and relax at a place where you could stay for months: Cape Maclear, Malawi.

 Children fishing in a Kanu on Lake Malawi.

Otto's Point in the nature reserve close to the village.

Yannic, enjoying the week without cycling.

 

After a stormy and rainy night on a lonesome island at Cape Maclear.

The Rescue blankets and the rock kept us safe.

Sunset at Malambe Lodge. Half time is over. Time to ride the long road up again.