Go ADVENTURE now!

Definition of adventure

1. 1a :  an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks
   a book recounting his many bold adventuresb :  the encountering of risks
   the spirit of adventure
2. 2:  an exciting or remarkable experience
   an adventure in exotic dining They were looking for adventure.
3. 3:  an enterprise involving financial risk
   wanted to pay off her debts before embarking on any new financial adventures

When was the last time you stepped out of the front [or back] door with absolutely no idea where you were heading? 

When was the last time you felt your stomach churning for you had no idea what you were doing?
When was the last time you were so excited you [almost] weed yourself?

Don't you think it's about time you went on an adventure?
You know, a journey of unplanned, unexpected, unfathomable epicness... 

But what if I'm not ready?

You'll never be ready for a real adventure, it's part of the definition.
Yes take some precautions, make sure you have water and toilet paper.
Don't stress.
Remember to breathe.
And then, once you've successfully tricked yourself into believing you're ready, run out the door.
Most of the stuff you think is important, you won't even need.
Trust me [I'm a gypsy]!

I started my last cycle tour without a bicycle.
I started walking, and I let it find me on the way.

You may not be as [seemingly] prepared as the next chap, but they're probably thinking the same about you!

Can you spot the subtle differences between the other cycle tourists I met along the way and my set up?

But where will I sleep?

Wherever you want!

Seriously, the world is your bedroom!

Take a tent. Find a haystack. Sleep under bridges
Couch Surf, Squat, use Tinder
Beaches, caves, trees, fields, barns, stranger's homes and gardens...
There will always be somewhere for you to rest your weary head.

And if the above list fails, there are always hostels, palaces, and hotels.

A Lekeberg lake, Sweden

A fragrant field of manure, Sweden

A friendly farm. Germany

A forest lake, Sweden

In a field of flowers, Sweden

Living it up on a pile of hay, Northern Germany

In a field of wind turbines, Germany

On some vacant lawn of a wealthy upper-class suburb, Sweden

What if it rains?

It will.
You will dry.

What if I get lonely?

When you head out on adventure there may be times you feel completely lost and alone.
You will often wish that you had someone to talk to, to share experiences and challenges with.
But throwing yourself out of your comfort zone and into the mercy of the world will lead you to some of the most fantastic humans you can[t] imagine.

These legends at iRecycle (Stockholm) gave me laughs, kitted me out with a bicycle, and coated me with hope for the adventure that lay ahead.

My first flat tyre led me to meet my new Iranian friend and a BBQ and a trance party and pizza.

There will be other adventurers of the road too!

And you never know when it might be a friendly refugee or an elderly person [or both] that will take you in for fika (Swedish tea time)

You might run into old friends along the way

Or you may be accosted on the side of the highway and be forced to party and laugh and sing with strangers.

A friendly stranger may see you struggling and simply pick up your 50+ kg bicycle and carry it up the stairs for you.

What happens if something goes wrong?

It will. 

And normally quite badly. 

You can prepare for everything, but there will ALWAYS be something you never thought of. 

There might be tears and a bit of spilled milk/ blood/ or self-shitting, but things going wrong are proof that you are in fact on an actual adventure.

Besides, you need the bad times to remind you how awesome the good really is.

What if I get lost?

This is when adventures are at their best!
You are often far away from where you ought to be, but you will find you are always exactly where you need to be.

 

What about money?

What about living?
Seriously, you really don't need much to explore.
It's up to you how comfortable you want your trip to be.
You can budget for hotels and fine dining restaurants.
But you can also free camp and cook your own [delicious] meals.
Travelling by bicycle or by thumb are basically free.
But you can also take cars, motorbikes, buses, trains and private planes...
You could spend millions.
But you can also survive seven weeks on $13.70 (tried and tested)

What if I don't need an adventure?
Don't be ridiculous!
Everyone needs an adventure.
Everyone needs to be challenged.
Everyone needs to push themselves to realize what their bodies are capable of.
If you don't ever leave your comfort zone, how will you grow?

Take the first step.
Start your adventure NOW.
You will find what you need along the way.

If you're still not convinced, watch this:

Hitch To [watch the Czech] Get Hitched [The Secondth]

So there I stood in Germany, thumb poised, hopes high...
Hitch hiking had proved far too easy.
It was probably about time I got stuck in the rain.
And then on the autobahn to be dragged off by the police...
But it didn't matter, the people I met kept getting happier and the epic continued to build.



I was about to set up camp at a petrol station when I got an offer to Berlin.
It wasn't quite in the right direction, but at least I was still moving East.

The [unplanned] Route

I had a couple of days to go and hopes of possibly even having a shower before the wedding.

Here's what happened:

Hitch to [watch the Czech] get Hitched

"Let's take a short trip to Europe" I said. "I need a little adventure" I said.

So I did.

And after catching up with the British for a pint and a cuppa, I thrust out my thumb and was off...

I had one week to make it to the Czech Republic.
1272 km away (If vehicles were actually heading where I needed to go)
I had no idea of the awesomeness that lay ahead.

This is what happened

So much for settling down and killing the inner gypsy spirit...
Adventure is addictive!

And they will know us by the Trail of Bread...

 

You know that feeling you get just before you begin a new chapter??

When you hear adventure calling your name and the beckoning is so loud that you have to heed it... even though you're not quite sure where it will take you and what you will find when [if] you get there...??

When you're thrillingly terrified... And you can't sit or relax or even think for fear of what it is that is about to pounce at you??

After 9 years of incongruously traipsing this planet, I'm amazed that I still get the jitters; that exhilaration still pulses through my veins... Actually I suppose it's the bewilderment that keeps me doing this. Yes, I should have it down. I should be mentally and physically prepared and set and... this should be a walk in the park... But still the flutterbys swarm my intestines and well...

...Well yes, it's back into the vortex of sea I go... 

And this time I'll be crewing on my smallest sailing boat yet, a Beneteau First 25; which, as the name suggests, is a "mega yacht" measuring in at a whopping 25 feet (7.62 m). Mono hull.  

I'm still trying to work out my explanation for my choice of vessels (there were a plethora of bigger, flasher, faster boats to choose from and an array of kind and funny and adventurous skippers), but I've learned enough in life to follow my instincts. 

And sometimes you just know something's right. It's infinitely more important to be on the right boat with the right crew - regardless of the destination - than anything else... Boat hopping is as extreme as hitch hiking gets: There is nowhere to just hop off, it's a flipping long way before you get to refeul and replenish, and you don't get bathroom stops... 

Fortunately this time, as I reassured  my mother this morning, we actually even have a toilet aboard.

Although I still maintain that this is the world's best toilet!!!

In fact it's a pretty interesting mix of cultures aboard: The boat (Yacare) and the skipper (Raphael) are French. The first mate (Cocotino) is a young coconut tree. Then there's me, the African. And my first mate, the trusty (little bit crusty) Teddy Teddison. 

To top that we also have yogurt, wild yeast and other foody cultures we'll be cultivating and experimenting with as we continue to cross the Pacific. And, with the lack of fridge and freezer, we'll be forced to be regularly producing sour dough and fermented milk products... 

We may even leave a trail of bread crumbs for you to follow. 

You ought to be able to tell who's who in this picture...

There will be stars. And sea. And whales. And dolphins. Mermaids, and flying fish.

There will hopefully be time to read and write and draw. 

There will be French... a language I don't speak [yet].  

But here we go again... Goodbye Fiji and thank you for a flipping phenomenal time!!!

...Next stop, The Solomons [probably] with it's crocodiles and pirates and malarial mosquitoes and volcanoes... 

Yes, here we go again.

Ahhh, the excitement!!

Plenty

Welcome to the land of plenty!

A land ripe with plenty of coconuts.

I'm still perfecting my coconut shaving techniques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where everyone has plenty of kids.

 

All of whom can climb coconut trees in seconds and effortlessly use a machete before they can walk.

There is plenty of muscles to help out whenever you need it.

There are plenty of fish in the sea (and plenty of fear of sharks in the sea, so if do go in, you have plenty of room to splash around)

  

 

There are plenty of friends to be made.

Left to right: Latisia (Qamia), Ben (Austria), Debra (Taveuni), me (South Africa), Damian (France)

There are plenty of people who invite you to share their homes and their villages.

There's plenty of food.

And plenty plenty of sugar.

Vatu Lele village

Malau village

Korowai Settlement

There are plenty of new skills to learn

 

And plenty of beautiful places to see.

And plenty of ways to get there.

Taking the ferry from Buca Bay to taveuni

Taking the morning school bus to Lobasa

 Plenty of amazing sunrises and sunsets

But there's also plenty of cyclone damage.

Plenty of poverty.

Plenty of sickness and medical problems.

There's plenty of hard work to be done.

Every single day I have been taken in and housed and showered and fed and served and  and overloaded on love and sugar and smiles.

(I'm not sure why I'm still carrying a tent and a cooker)

It's funny how those with the least always give the most.

 

 

 In Fiji they don't have the newest gadgets.

They don't have the biggest houses.

They often don't have shoes, or fancy name-brand clothing.

They share beds and bedrooms.

They share everything.

But you can ask any Fijian if they have enough, 

and the answer will always be the same:

They have PLENTY!