3 weeks later

Its been 2 weeks since I got to Capetown and I think it's time to update this blog again.

Now I'm home, everyone is pleased to see me and asks me "how was your trip". It's a simple question - yet the answer is complex. The words "good" and "fantastic" even "awesome" come out of my mouth - and even though I'm not lying, I know these words don't come close to being accurate. How can riding your bike over massive corrugation in 50 degree heat possibly be "good"? It's not - its hard work!!! There were times when my legs were tired, my bum was sore, times where we went up to 9 days in between proper showers.

But the people we meet, the experiences shared, the feeling of satisfaction as we conquered a tough day in the saddle… these are what make the trip what it is. It was a huge personal challenge, it was a journey as much about cycling, culture and landscapes as a journey of self discovery.

I was asked to speak at my scout group AGM (as the person to entice everyone to actually come along to the AGM!). I sat down at my computer to write my speech - and I didn't know where to begin. Ithink that was even harder - to put our journey into words to an audience that wasn't there, than to simply cover the required kilometres for a day.

We went through so many exciting moments that I could only pick out a few to share.

People expect riding a bicycle across Africa would be a life changing experience. I’m still the same person, and the world back home is still the same. Nothing has changed yet I see everything in a different light.

People ask me what I’m going to do next – and I don’t know the answer. I had my life back home set up so that I could come back to it and everything would be the same. But I know I don’t want this. I don’t want this to be the end of a great journey. I want it to be the start of the next adventure.

My eyes have been opened and I don’t want to close them. I’m looking around at all the possibilities – and there are seriously a lot out there!

One of my favourite quotes is something a Mark Twain once said:
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.