karalo

When i was 16 i went on a cycling holiday with 2 girlfriends. We decided it was best to give ourselves a ride of 150 kilometers a day. We planned the route using a map of europe.Starting in Basel, cycling through France and then down to germany, back to Basel.We booked all the youth hostels before we left because we thought this was good planning. This worked well in France because it is flat, however, Germany isn’t The black forest area is freaking mountainous. We realised that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea using a map that shows distance as the crow flies!!!!! I have never been so exhausted in all my life!! 150 ks as the crow flies turned into 300 going up and down enormous hills that half killed us!!! Big lesson learnt…….had thighs like Arnie when i got back.

Travelled across the sahara, the sky at night is a blanket of stars that I will never forget.Sand dunes blow your mind they look so perfect. heat is incredible. You have the choice between drinking water that tastes like bleach or dehyrdating…it was a tough call!! We arrived at a small encampment where there was a tiny bar. We went to the bar and half way thoruhg the night I headed for the toilet. Suddenly, a sand storm whipped up, it was amazing, I couldn’t see two inches in front of my face and sand hurts!! I spent the night trapped in the toilet as there was no way I could make it anywhere.

This is probably the poorest country I have ever visited, had to stay up all night to guard the truck against marauders, full of very poor bedraggled children dressed in oxfam cast offs. Gives the place a weird time warp quality. People were lovely though, corrupt government didn’t look after them…sad to realise in this day and age that people are still suffering like this. I visited it 10 yesr ago…let’s hope it has changed since then….