The premature end to Africa.

Hello! First up, I think I need to make a sincere apology for not posting anything over the past weeks due to the amount of messages I've received asking if I'm okay... Thank you, I'm very touched :-) The truth is, I've had access to the internet for the past three weeks - there was an internet cafe around the corner of the family I was staying with in Kinshasa after the 'incident.' As some of you already know through my Facebook page; I am back in England! I've known of my imminent return for a long time, well, since the 'incident' and refused to let anyone know where I was or what I was doing for the pure sake of surprising everyone at home. When I poked my head around the living room door at my Mum's house when she was asleep on the sofa it's the first time I've ever seen anyone wake up and cry before... I shouldn't find it funny but I do a little bit. I managed to persuade my girlfriends landlord to let me into her flat before she got home from work and his in her bed. I just couldn't help myself!
 I've been very well looked after by a Congolese family for the past three weeks and I've been very comfortable... so apologies again to anyone who has been worrying... and I need to put out a true and heartfelt 'thank you' to Marcell and Filo for looking after. Things would have been very difficult if it wasn't for them... and it was an adventure in itself getting back home. SO, this 'incident.' As people who have been following my blog will know; I have been blessed a constant stream of good fortune, (Pah!) so as luck would have it, when I was crossing over the Congo river on a boat there was an accident... resulting in myself, my bike and all my gear falling into the water. My unending thanks go out to the three Congolese guys who jumped in straight after me without a second thought. Fortunately I had put my camera, laptop, spare money and passport in waterproof sacks, as standard, and we managed to get most of my luggage back onto the boat with the help of many hands.We had pinned the bike up against the side of the boat, and as I fell in the captain put the engine in reverse and did a very good job at stabilizing the boat. The fact of the matter remained though that we couldn't hold onto my bike with the current as well with the moving boat, aside from the fact that I was still wearing all my bike gear... and that the engine had filled up with water... so I told everyone to just let it go. And there it is... my c90 at the bottom of the Congo river. So that was the end of that! And no, to anyone who's thinking "why didn't you just buy another bike and ride it round?" We don't live in a simple world where you can do that; the paperwork was the most valuable thing for my bike and to cross borders - an Englishman on a Congolese bike would be a nightmare and I'm not sure if it would be even possible. It certainly wouldn't be possible to get it into the US or Canada or maybe even ship it to South America. As some of you may know from previous posts my aim was to get to Canada with my girlfriend, and as my bike sunk down into the depths that was the end of Africa for me and the end of trying to get to Canada that way.



So is this the end of Liam and c90? NO! I'm obviously back home now and I am very happy, (who wouldn't be when they're sat in their girlfriends bed waiting for her to come home from work after been away for over a year?) Though I have a lot to sort out. I need a new bike for starters! If anyone who is reading this has a horde of c90's and wouldn't mind parting with one, or donating one (well, I may aswell ask! :-D) then please get in touch. I don't care what condition it's in, as long as it has a solid frame. I'll do it up myself and put a new engine in. I'll set off on one as good as new this time round... hopefully it will be less painful!

So the new route... Obviously Canada is the goal (and I will be setting off with my girlfriend now too) so the logical direction to head is to ride East. There's a lot to think about with weather timing, the Canadian working visa deadline and entry periods etc, but I have in mind to be setting off again sometime towards the end of this coming winter... well, a European winter is kinder than a Siberian one! I have a lot to do in between, find a job, get a new bike, persuade girlfriend that everything will be okay, AND to hopefully finish and self publish the book that I started to write in Kinshasa. Without the distraction of the internet I have been writing like a maniac and I'm around 63,000 words in so far. I'll be moving onto the back of my Dad's boat again in the meantime so they'l be no internet distraction so this goal might actually be achievable.

So there we go. I tried, Africa! Personally, I feel very happy about everything. When I fell in the water I almost instantly made up my mind of what I was going to do. It came in a sort of flash and it didn't go against the grain of my soul in anyway.I have no regrets about what happened and what I've done. This journey wasn't about reaching a goal or getting to the end of a destination and raising my arms up in triumph. That's not why I left home. The trip was about discovery, learning and inspiration... And I've had my fill with the human side of Africa for now. I've had some brilliant experiences and I've discovered a lot (and also endured the idiosyncratic tendencies of the populous.) I am a little regretful that I didn't get to see the wild side of Africa in the East... but that will always be there for a later date. And with all the brick walls I hit on the journey I think I've reached the limit of them getting to me. I'm a happy boy. I tried my best and I'm content with Africa for now, I've had my fill...(Hell, at least I made it over a year this time instead of eleven days!) and I'm now very much looking forward to planning the next stage of the journey through Europe, the Stan's, Mongolia and Russia. This is exciting me much!

There's still quite a few updates to come on the final parts of my African trip, and I'll still be updating on preparations for the next upcoming journey and of course, the book!  This isn't the end, it's just a brief period of intermittence.

Thanks again for following me and I hope you've enjoyed reading my words and seeing my photography... and I hope you'll still be following me as I set off towards the rising sun and the silk road. The future's going to be good. So watch this space!