“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty, well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming WOW, WHAT A RIDE!!!”

I’m obviously hoping that the grave is still many many years away, but if I can arrive in this style I will feel accomplished.

This week our small home (The Chicken Shed) has been turned upside down, and every bit of floor space has been covered in kit ready for Africa. We have been busily working out what we have, what we need, and what we can make … we like homemade gear … it makes Tarka’s time at university studying engineering seem slightly worth while, and strangely he is a whiz with a sewing machine!

The kit list for the two of us (have a look below), is considerably shorter than that of anybody else’s we can find (e.g. World Biking). There are three main reasons why we have opted for one set of clothes and little else other than our camera gear. Firstly, as we are not taking our own bikes, we are unable to predict what we will need for repairs and maintenance. There is no point taking out spare inner tubes if you don’t know what size wheel your bike has! Secondly, in light of the fact that we will have no gears, we are going to be struggling up hill as it is, so light is good! And thirdly… because we like it that way, it adds to the adventure.

I’m taking ‘two’ luxury items with me, (supposed to be limited to one as is decreed by the Primal Journey ‘golden handbook’!!!) although one of them I would consider a necessity. It’s only Tark’s that harps on about it being a luxury, and that is my face cream. I’m taking with me a never ending supply of natural skincare, handmade by my good friend at Pink Leaf, no chemicals just pure goodness. My second luxury item is a miniature pack of playing cards, I have taken them to every country I have ever visited, and they have been a godsend on many occasions. Whether whiling down the hours waiting for a flight or sitting on a desert road in a remote part of Namibia hoping for a car to pass and give us a lift! As for Tarka I’m not sure he has a luxury item yet, I think he’s to excited about getting away from this endless rain!!

Bikes
• See what we can find when we get there!

Bike Accessories and Repair Kit
• 2 x Rear Carriers
• 2 x 10L handle bar bags
• 2 x Homemade triangle bags for bike frame
• Multi-purpose bicycle tool, with spoke key, chain breaker and levers
• Pump
• Inner tube repair kit – glue and patches
• 4 x cycle water bottles
• 4 x water bottle cages
• 1 x cycle computer to measure distance

Kit
• 1 x Mountain Equipment Tunnel tent
• 2 x Mountain Equipment Xero sleeping bags
• 2 x Mountain Equipment sleeping mats
• 2 x head torches
• First aid kit
• Assorted toiletries
• Mountain Equipment Dry bags
• Repair kit containing, Leatherman, cable ties, duck tape, super glue etc
• 2 x Diaries and pen

Clothing
• 2 x trainers
• 4 x Mountain Equipment t-shirts (2 each)
• 2 x waterproof/windproof cycling jackets
• 2 x cycling shorts
• 2 x Mountain Equipment trousers
• 4 x socks and pants (2 sets each)
• 2 x cycling helmets
• 2 x sunglasses
• 2 x cycling gloves
• 2 x swimmers

Electronics and Camera equipment
• Sony A1 HDV video camera
• Sennheiser radio mic
• 2 x Canon 350D SLR’s (lenses: EF 70 – 200mm F/4.0L USM & EFS17-85mm F/4.0-5.6 USM)
• IPAQ PDA
• GPS
• E-Sun 12W solar panel
• Mobile phone
• Gorilla pod
• Spare AA batteries