An expedition by bike Sweden to South Africa 2007-2009

T he seventh of June 2007 I began a journey by bike.

I left my residence in Gagnef which is a city located

in the middle part of Sweden in the Dalarna County.

This particular day was sunny, warm and filled with a lot of excitement.
It was me, my bike and twenty thousand kilometres ahead of me.

My bike took me through a beautiful green countryside, through
forests, valleys, hills, mountains, river deltas and semi deserts.
The countryside changed as I lay pedalled kilometres behind.

Metres became hundreds of kilometres and soon after, thousands.
In a later state time seemed not to have existed at all.
A feeling of peace began to be my fellow companion.

My plan is to ride from Sweden until I reach Cape Agulhas in South Africa.
Cape Agulhas is the southernmost point in the continent of Africa.
It’s where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean.

I will cycle from one continent to one another and
roll over the borders of twenty-four different countries.

Travelling by bike around our blue planet must be one of the
most thrilling and interesting ways to make contact with foreign cultures.
Not forgetting the close ups with the stunning sceneries of wilderness.

It will not just be a ride through the half of our globe
but also in that what we call life.

Preparations took almost two years. I’ve been told it’s not how good
your physical condition is but instead how capably you are to overcome
unforeseen problems. That includes your abilities to stay alive when loneliness
is your only friend.

Man gets amazingly clever when times get a bit rough.
From my point of view, it sounds great. Awareness isn’t written in a book.
It’s an important lesson in life, so to speak.

To document this venture I carry along a professional camera, a laptop
and a video camcorder. You can easily follow my progress on the net by
typing this in your internet browser: http://www.narfstrom.se

 

Thanks for reading and most friendly regards

 

Andreas Narfström