Well I’ve decided to go ahead with my sum up of ‘cycling Africa’ before I reach Swaziland, otherwise I will have to many posts to write in the last few days. If anything spectacularly unique or different comes up I will add it on but for now I will just run through the other countries that I have covered so far with the good, the bad and the ugly.

Djibouti:
Well lets not beat around the bush, this is defiantly NOT the best country to start a cycling journey from. There are very few bikes in the country as a whole and the ones that are around have seen better days. Unless you are starting from here you are very unlikely to actually go here due to its geographical location and politics with surrounding countries. However if you do visit there are a few things you might need to know. It is a French speaking country with very very little English spoken. They use the Djibouti Franc and quite frankly their economy still baffles me now, the cost of goods and services is extremely high and yet it has a very run down African feel to it. Banks only open for a few hours a week but none of them will change any currency unless you have an account with them. The only two ways of changing money are with ‘The Ladies’ in the market square at night or in the change bureau if you can work out when it is open! Shops are only open when the owners want to open them and some big stores are only open for 1 hour a week so don’t stand outside stores expectantly for too long. The true Djiboutians are very kind and hospitable however be careful as the city is surrounded by immigrants and refugees from Somalia and they WILL throw rocks at you as you cycle past. Take a lot of water as the country is predominantly desert and a hammock and mosquito net will be fine for the night.

Ethiopia:
The stretch of road from Djibouti to Dire Dawa is very very sparse so be prepared!!! The road (dirt track) is very bad and water and food is incredibly limited. If there is one part of the journey I would recommend taking water purification tablets, this is it, you will not be able to get drinking water and the only food you will be able to get is bread. Once your onto the main road at Dire Dawa the roads throughout the whole of Ethiopia are very good quality. However if you venture onto a secondary road, the quality deteriorates exponentially, expect a 150km journey to take between 8 and 10 hours by vehicle let alone bycicle!!! Their currency is the Birr and the general cost of living is exceptionally low. Their food is some of the best in Africa, but may take a few days for your stomach to adapt to it. They have a lot of customs you should try to familiarize yourself with asap and respect. The national language is Amharic and as a rule only those who have been educated speak English. This is one of the most spectacularly diverse countries with every kind of landscape you can imagine. There are a lot of mountains so either get a bike with gears or be prepared to push! Unfortunately most of the population believe that it is the DUTY of white people (travelers in general) to give them money! Almost every single child is bought up to beg and as you get closer to the boarders the adults also do it. There is also a huge problem with forced services, people will perform jobs that you often don’t want and then demand extraordinarily large sums for their services.

Kenya:
In comparison to the Ethiopians, the Kenyans have a much better understanding of tourism and so you won’t be hassled nearly as much. As a general rule people are very friendly and despite Swahili being their national language most people speak English. Their national currency is the Shilling and compared to Ethiopia the cost of living is very high. When you cross the border at Moyale you will not be allowed to proceed by bike, the guards at the edge of town will stop you but there are armed escorts that will take you past the ‘danger zone’. Once you are passed this area you have got a 200km cycle along a very bad dirt track before you will get onto tarmac. The country is relatively flat with the exception of 2 mountain ranges. As a general rule the roads are tarmacked well enough to cycle along but they are covered in pot holes so both you and the traffic need to swerve regularly so be careful! Your entry Visa can only be paid is US Dollars, UK Sterling, EU Euro and SW Swiss Francs (they don’t accept their own currency!). On the plus side the visa is valid for 3 months and you can come in and out of Kenya as many times as you like during that time.

Tanzania:
Ah yes Tanzania… The best piece of advice I can give anybody who is looking to cycle on the main roads in Tanzania is DON’T! I have been very fortunate to have traveled a good portion of the world and I have to say that the Tanzanians (especially the bus drivers) are in close contention for being the worst drivers in the world. I heard some staggering figures regarding the annual death toll on Tanzanian roads and I can well believe it. Apart from that small deterrent it has a lot to offer. Their national language is also Swahili but it is a very different kind of Swahili to that spoken in Kenya. I believe it is a considerably more formal and traditional version, although I can’t be sure of that. In any case most people speak English so if it takes you a few days to learn the new version it isn’t the end of the world. There staple food is maize although they have some fantastic additions to their diets including the ‘chipati’. It is only served in the mornings but it makes a spectacularly good breakfast along with the local fruit. There is an impressive abundance of food stalls on the side of the roads were you can buy a huge variety of local goods and bottled water is available everywhere. The national currency is also the shilling however it does not have the same value as the Kenyan shilling. Most people are incredibly friendly however that doesn’t mean to say that they won’t take you for a ride if they get the chance. If you do choose to risk your life on the roads then you should be aware that the road between Dar Es Salaam and Mbeya is bad… not in a quality, but in a driving sense! There are almost no hard shoulders and there is a considerable drop off the road into the grass. As you start to get close to Iringa the hills start and there are an incredible amount of lorries, buses and cars that have rolled over and are on the side of the road burnt out!

Malawi:
This on the other hand is a brilliant country for cyclists. There are some serious hills to climb, most notably in and out of Mzuzu, so I would probably recommend some gears on your bike and obviously there are some serious downhills so good brakes are advisable. The people are incredibly kind, the lake is very very beautiful, the roads are in generally in excellent condition (NB. Be very careful when heading out of Mzuzu down towards Nkater Bay, the road is very steep and suddenly, on a number of occasions the tarmac stops). Despite having quite an absurd number of languages throughout the country most people speak English. Whilst accommodation is plentiful there is a considerable difference in the frequency of food stalls between here and Tanzania. You will find relatively few and the ones you do find sell mostly fish, however the biggest problem is water! Very few places sell bottled drinking water and the quality of the countries flowing water is not very good, so be sure to buy stock when ever you can. I enjoyed almost all my time in Malawi and the only thing that made life difficult were the children! There is a distinct similarity between the Malawian children and the Ethiopian children when it comes to begging. Almost every child will scream out something along the lines of ‘give me my money’ as you cycle past which dampens the whole experience slightly. Unlike many African countries, Maize is not their staple food, instead they grow a crop called ‘casava’ and although an expert in the matter would probably strongly disagree with me, I couldn’t taste much difference. The currency is the Kwatcha and the national obsession with money will mean they will take it when they can, negotiations are an intense affair however as long as you keep the mood light everybody will be smiling at the end. If you chose to cross the border down through Nsanje (highly recommended) then be aware that there is no tarmac until you reach Caia (about 120km into Mozambique).

Mozambique:
Truth be told I still can’t make my mind up about this country. It is a truly enormous place and is predominantly covered in forest. Due to land mines it is ill advised to camp outside of village boundaries and I know I said in my equipment post that you didn’t really need a tent but obviously the second I said that was the moment I was to be proved wrong! I still believe that if you had a good bike and a light load you could do without a tent but I have used it on several occasions now. Accommodation is a little on the sparse side and you should seek the permission of the village elders before setting up camp in a village. The staple food is basically bread and fruit although rice and maize are everywhere as well, and supermarkets are fairly common in the south. As I mentioned before, the currency is the Meticai and is a little confusing when you first come across it so have a good look at the notes and coins and get familiar with them. The most widely spoken language is Portuguese and very few people speak English, so make sure you have at least a basic grasp. With the exception of two stretches so far the road has been very good and flat. Drivers are good at giving you space when they overtake and everybody is very friendly. Apart from the occasional moment bartering is really not so much a part of daily life. Most people are honest about prices right out although it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. As you head further south the road becomes increasingly populated with South Africans and the sides of the roads are absolutely covered in glass from smashed beer bottles so make sure you have good tires or lots of spare inner tubes.

Swaziland: ….. still to come!

Not a lot has happened in the last coupe of days so i thought i would share some tips for travelling in Africa (rules apple to most parts of the developing world in fact). The more experienced travelers among you will know all of this but it might be of some use to those who are relatively new to traveling.

The most basic rule to remember is that ‘knowledge is power’! You are usually most vulnerably to being conned and ‘taken for a ride’ when you arrive in a new country. Everything hits you at once; new people, new surroundings, new climate, new currency, new language, new economy…! This advice is aimed at crossing borders rather than arriving at international airports, but I suppose to a certain extent the same applies. Don’t, what ever you do, let yourself be bullied or panicked into doing anything. Most of the borders in Africa are hectic places and that’s for a very good reason, if you hot and flustered you are more likely to make mistakes, and that is what they want. Regardless of what anybody says at the border the only people who are ‘officials’ are the guys with guns (even that isn’t always the case) and the guys sitting behind the passport control desks. So don’t let anybody go through your stuff or pull you over into a quiet lay by etc. and don’t give anybody your passport or other documents no matter how convincing they might be. Some of the bigger borders have got Forex bureaus but most of the time you will be flooded with requests to change money on the black market. The people will vary in their honesty so make sure you know the exchange rate before you get anywhere near the border and be strong, they will usually try and tell you that you are crazy and that you have got the wrong exchange rate. If they can make you doubt yourself and get you panicked, they will push you into a deal you don’t want to make (and they are very good at it). Stand your ground and be prepared to walk away if necessary, they will eventually come up to the proper rate. Just be aware that there are 1001 scams just within this one topic, so to be breif, show them that you have the money but don’t give it to them (have the amount you want to change already ready in your pocket, DON’T go opening up your money belt and showing loads of cash!!!) get them to give you the correct money first, count it all in your own time and only then, when you are happy that you have the right amount in your hand, do you hand over your cash.

Personally I try to get away from the borders as fast as possible. On a bike however, especially Herbert, even at full speed ahead I can never get all that far. So my first night in a new country I try to find a place to stay were the prices are printed. The very fact that the prices are printed means that it’s probably slightly more expensive than where I would usually stay, but at least I have something to work off. Once you’re in the relative comfort of your room, get yourself together, get pen paper and go to the bar/eat house/restaurant and find somebody who, in exchange for a drink will sit with you and teach you some vital words in their language. Some of the most important and useful word are the numbers.  The better you can communicate with the people the less likely you are of ‘being taken for a ride’. Also while you are at it, ask about the general cost of everyday things that you are going to be needing/wanting. The chances are that the bank notes you now have are quite large in relative to the cost of local goods so make sure you change them as soon as possible for small denominations.

In western culture bartering is a bit of a taboo and is frowned upon in many respects, after all how many times to you go into your local supermarket, pick up a chicken that costs £3.50, go to the till and start trying to pay £1 for it? As such we are not all that good at it and when we get to a part of the world were bartering is part of everyday life we get walked all over. Again for me the ultimate bargaining weapon is knowledge! If I know how much something should cost then I at least have a chance of paying the ‘right’ (by local standards) price for it. There are a million and one ways of achieving the same goal here and I’m sure everybody has got great techniques but mine are very simple. The first way is to simply be very British about the situation and queue! Yup just queue. The great thing about Africa (and indeed quite a large proportion of developing countries) is that the concept of queuing is  not part of their culture. Subsequently people will push, barge and fight their way past you so they can get served first. As infuriating as this can be at times on this particular occasion it can be very useful as you can watch patiently and see what everybody else is paying. When your sure, you can jump in and get your lot. The other way is to find somebody completely neutral who has no vested interest in lying, to you to tell you how much something costs. Of course using this technique alone, run’s the risk of asking somebody that just felt like upping the price for his mate.

Of course just because the person in front payed XYZ for his eggs doesn’t mean for 1 second that they will offer you the same price straight out. In some countries they will use every excuse under the sun to convince you that there was a special reason why he got that price. Have faith in yourself and remember that there are no hard feeling when you bargain, if your price is too low for them they simply won’t sell it to you, so don’t feel bad fighting your corner. Sometimes you will inevitably come up against a situation were you simply can’t find a reliable reference price and you need to bargain blind. Again if you do get yourself into this situation don’t panic!!! Get them to give you their starting price, (Now this next number will depend on the country) NO matter what they say divide it by 4. They will usually let out a gasp and shake their head violently with some disapproving sound added in for good measure. The chances are that you have gone too low but seeing as you are going to have to meet them half way you need to give yourself some starting ground.

There are a few other ground rules you should be aware of; ALWAYS agree a price first for the service and NEVER pay until the service has been delivered. If you make people look you in the eye when they are quoting you a price they will find it harder to lie, if they start looking around and avoiding eye contact, you know something is up. Never ever lose your temper, no matter how bad the situation gets you have got a much better chance of resolving the situation successfully by keeping the mood light. Keep a close eye on all your stuff, your equipment is most at risk when you are distracted. If you unequivocally know the price of something (ie. Coca Cola) then just had over the money rather than askinghow much, to save any negotiating.

This is such a huge topic that I could go on forever but the long and the short of it is that knowledge is the key. And no matter what happens never lose your cool, if you feel panicked just walk away.

I have included below a set of observations and tips, things that I have discovered along my journey that might be of use to others wanting to undertake a similar adventure. In part 1 I am covering the practical side of the equipment whilst in part 2, I will actually give you a run down of each country. However seeing as I haven’t been through all the countries yet the second part will have to wait a few more weeks. Incidentally in a bid to be home with Katie for Christmas I have seriously increased my daily mileage and I am almost out of Malawi.

So what would I consider to be indispensable equipment when cycling through Africa? Well the truth is I would only say that you actually need 4 things: A bike (and I think that Herbert has proved that it can be pretty much any old bike), a set of cloths (as much to protect you from the sun as for common decency), your passport (with any relevant visas etc.) and money. Thats pretty much it. Of course there are a number of other items you can bring that will aid you on your journey but that is actually all you NEED.

The items that will make your life more comfortable and considerably easier are actually pretty limited as well. A map is a huge help and I would recommend getting a waterproof one even if its going inside a waterproof pouch. A waterproof bag that fits onto your handlebars to put everything in that you can take off easily and carry around with you. A first aid kit is an excellent idea but you can buy most basic drugs in towns and cities so don’t go OTT with a medi kit that will allow you to perform open heart surgery on the side of the road!!!! Most importantly make sure you have what you need to clean cuts and cover them up. Malaria tablets are a good idea and although they are considerably cheaper out in Africa they have a huge problem with counterfeits so be careful. A tool kit, the reason this isn’t on the essential list is because no matter where you go, no matter how small the village, somebody will have enough tools and knowhow to fix your bike. That said I give you about 5 days before they drive you completely crazy with their ‘African Way’ of fixing things so I would probably recommend taking a good multi tool with you, a few spare parts such as an extra inner tube and a pump. Incidentally something that we never found written anywhere in any of the ‘Cycling Africa guides’ before we left, was that African pumps are designed exclusively to fit to their special African valves and they wont fit on standard European valves!!! Depending on the countries your planning on cycling through, a helmet is also not a bad idea. I was torn between putting the next item in the essential list but decided that it was in fact just a very useful item and not critical for success… a bell (make it as loud as possible). Something that I never really used until reaching Malawi were water purification drops (iodine). Up until Malawi you could buy drinking water on the side of the road every few kilometers (its relatively expensive but worth it) but its a real rarity in Malawi so I would just check with somebody that has been to your destination before deciding whether to take any. A cycling computer can be both your best friend and your worst enemy but in the long run is probably a good thing. Not so you can gloat over how far you have cycled but so you can get an idea of distances between towns and villages. Unfortunately on a bad day you stare at it every 2 minuets and painfully watch the kilometers creep by.

No trip is complete without it’s luxury items. My luxury items constitute about 70% of all my equipment amazingly. This is predominantly cameras, batteries and chargers. When ever I look in other peoples equipment they have the most obscene amount of adapters to convert plugs for one country to another, which take up vast amounts of space. If space and weight is a premium, as it is on a bike, then cut out the middle men. At almost all borders you can buy plugs for that country (just the plastic housing with the relevant contacts), if you take your one off and give it to them, they will usually exchange it for the next one you need. Aside from all my electronic equipment that I use for filming, taking photos and writing posts my most useful luxury item is my ‘Panga Knife’ (It’s basically a 50cm machete). On top of acting as a generally very useful tool (for opening coconuts or cutting pineapples etc.) it is a good deterrent and protection against animals. You can pick them up pretty much anywhere for about $3 to $5.

One of the things that I have deliberated over quite considerably is my tent… To take a tent or not to take a tent? In conclusion I would have to say that there is no real need for camping equipment (tent, mattress or sleeping bag). Almost every single village and town has rest and guest houses that cost between $3 and $7. In your room you usually get a towel, a shower, a bed and a toilet. They are designed for truckers to stop at and so some are slightly on the noisy side and prostitutes are no rare sight but they are perfect for a traveler needing a rest and a wash. The reason I have started to prefer these to camping is that the room is more spacious than a tent, cooler, they have plugs and all your kit is together and out of sight. On top of this tents are usually soaking in the morning from dew, condensation or rain and if they are designed to be animal proof then they will probably weigh in excess of 10kg.

Of course it is going to depend on the purpose of your journey as to what equipment you will take and you will have to make the decision to balance up what you are going to take versus the amount of effort you will need to peddle it along. However I hope that you will see from what I have put in the indispensable list that actually you really don’t need much kit at all. Africa is pretty much designed to accommodate its own people and by extension if you can live like them it will also accommodate you.