LONDON TO CAPE TOWN

While most of us think of relaxing and tame things to do during the summer, I have two friends who are embarking on an exciting and remarkable journey through two continents, all done on motorbikes. Tyson and Tom, whom I both met while living at SJC, are part of a four-man team traveling from London to Cape Town. They are doing the entire trip without any external support and their number will dwindle down to three when one of the riders departs them in Turkey due to other commitments.

As you can imagine, this will be quite the adventure. A trip across Europe on motorbikes in itself would be a worthy experience but add on the journey through Africa and you’ve got yourself a story to tell the grandkids. I would expect things to go rather smoothly until they leave Egypt. Beyond there, the situation becomes much more dynamic as several of the countries they plan to cross have varying levels of political, social, and economic stabilities. They plan on monitoring events on a day by day basis and are prepared to modify routes as necessary. Nevertheless, the pictures they will take in Africa will no doubt be stunning, not to mention the stories they’ll have to tell.

Though Tyson just learned how to ride in 2005, this is the second major trip he undertaken. He and “The Kid” were part of a team that rode through South America last summer. They both have taken their inspiration to ride from actor Ewan McGregor, who has done some pretty impressive motorcycle trips for a Jedi Master.

The team left London on the third of this month and are already deep into eastern Europe. Before leaving, Tom developed a web site to document their travels. I encourage you to visit and perhaps to even donate to the charities they’ve taken up the cause for. Also, have a look at Tyson’s blog and Tom’s blog for more personable updates on the adventure.

Gents, if you happen to be reading this in a Bulgarian Internet cafe somewhere, I wish you all the luck for a safe, exciting, and amazing journey!