Ethiopia
An Ethiopian beauty
An Ethiopian beauty
In the center of Addis Ababa, just off the main street we find
a friendly Ethiopian, a happy owner of a timless Renault 4. He give us a ride to
the bus station. This old car has a unique charm. Clutch
is a manual handle, the gears transmission works vertically and on the dashboard
you won't see anything more than just a speedometer,
a steering wheel and two indicator lights for turn signal.
A genuine vintage vehicle. I get on the bus to Shashemene. Next
to me sits Maseret, a young sports teacher from the capital city. Once in a
while she makes some extra money as a sports masseur. Our talk begins
with the mysterious containers hanging on a string along the road.
|
|
Read more...
|
Zambia
Zambian beauty
Zambian beauty
Immediately after crossing the border and making a first step on the Zambian soil
I feel a full-scale relief affecting all my senses. I feel the hundreds of liters of sweat
flowing down my body after some strenuous weeks spent in the Congo.
Finally I am able to easily communicate with mutual understanding. Sitting at the bar I smell grilled meat.
We grab a few beef ribs at the butcher's for dinner. Elegantly dressed Zambian
girls stroll around the marketplace in Chiliabombwe
sipping a small bottle of Mosi beer. I wonder
why the Zambian beer is so expensive. Actually I do not need the unnecessary
answer. In the former British colony you simply have to switch to fairly cheap whiskey.
|
|
Read more...
|
Cycling through the Congo
Curious children looking through a window in a bar
Curious children looking through a window in a bar
A red gravel road ahead heralds hundreds of kilometers pedaling into the
Democratic Republic of Congo. For the next few days I expect to become
detached from the outside world, with no mobile phones, no electricity,
no running water and
at most a few poorly stocked stands with local food. We
are about be exposed to the unknown terrain and face our own weaknesses. The
African adventure begins
right here and at this point.
|
|
Read more...
|
The footsteps of Kazimierz Nowak
Kongo II
In the years 1931-1936 a Polish explorer Kazimierz Nowak traveled all Africa
using only the strength of his muscles as the first person in the world. His
achievement unfortunately has never gained the appreciation it deserves. A group of enthusiasts inspired by the character
decided to plan a relay travel in the years 2009-2011 to as precisely as possible
replicate his route. The goal is not only to visit the same places and take the
same roads, but also to use the same means of traveling the original traveler
used, such as feet, bicycle, horseback, boat and camel. In this way the
community project called "Nowak's Africa" was created. A part of the relay expedition
I am taking on leads through Rwanda, Burundi,
Democratic Republic of the Congo and ends in the middle of Zambia.
|
|
Read more...
|
The paradox of Congolese economy
Transportation of barrels in the rural Congo
Transportation of barrels in the rural Congo
The value of Congolese deposits of natural resources is estimated at over 20 trillion
dollars. This is the approximate equivalent of the entire U.S. housing market, or
ten financial crises that happened a few years ago. The amount could be
alternatively used to buy everyone on the planet a three packs of rice, flour and
bananas, weighting a thousand kilogram each. Yet another, a bit more reasonable way of
using that amount would make the hunger problem across the world once and for all
cease to exist. So, what makes it
that the Congolese people have no access to running water, nor electricity, hunger is
nearly ubiquitous and
children continue to die just from a simple cold?
|
|
Read more...
|
Lake Tanganyika alongside the Congo
Okako, an overloaded ship on Lake Tanganyika
Okako, an overloaded ship on Lake Tanganyika
The road leads through the wetlands of tall grass, an ideal habitat for tsetse
flies. Out bikes make it through holes and muddy puddles on the road.
We reach the first border town of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Three kids,
in exchange for three flour donuts, lead us to the compound where old trucks
from the colonial era are stored. This is a relatively
safe place where we can pitch a tent. Clear sky lit by stars promises calm night
in Uvira, a town at the northern tip of Lake
Tanganyika.
|
|
Read more...
|
Pedalling through Burundi
A Hutu tribe woman, Burundi
A Hutu tribe woman, Burundi
A scenic river runs along the valley defining the border with Rwanda. Since the outbreak of civil war and
even after the official ceasefire, Burundi has a reputation of a very dangerous country.
Just a year ago the capital city of Bujumbura
was the only area controlled by the state, the rest of the country was ruled
by rebels and paramilitary groups. Today, the rebels were disarmed and
embodied into the army. What does it mean? Optimistically thinking it means a change for the better.
|
|
Read more...
|
One thousand hills on a bike
Mzungu among Rwandan kids
Mzungu among Rwandan kids
Tired of a long journey we are looking for a bottle of cold beer. Searching
through the mysterious alleys of
Kigali all we find is a warm and tart banana wine. We still have to take
a five-hour bus ride to Gisenyi, a town on the western end of Rwanda. It
gets dark. I feel constant descents and steep climbs the bus
struggles with. From tomorrow on our bikes will be the only means of
transportation for the next few weeks. There is a gigantic, the size of a cell
phone moth resting on a wall in our hotel room. Well, this is Africa. It is high
time to go to sleep. It is raining all night long. Good to us - today we we do
not have to sleep in a tent.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Travel stories 
