On my way

This is the first post of my trip before my departure for Kenya. To some
extent I suppose it might set a precedent - in terms of style - for later
posts. In reality however, this is an opportunity for reflection whereas
future posts will be concerned more with actual experiences. In short, in
this post I indulge myself with the hope that those reading it will do the
same.

I am not going to bore you with the many logistical details and
considerations that I have been busying myself with over the past months
(and particularly the last week). If you are interested in what this kind of
thing involves send me an email (sean.muller@gmail.com) and I'll send you my
fairly detailed gear list.

It seems most appropriate to use this post to address the question of "Why?"

Why do it? There are lots of generic answers available to this question,
many of which you will know yourselves (I do not include the explanation of
insanity amongst those!) But to be honest I'm not sure how accurate any of
them are. I'm not sure that I myself know exactly why I'm doing this and
therefore somewhat sceptical - in my youthful arrogance - of other people
hypothesising answers on my behalf. It seems that it is a necessary part of
the human condition to believe we can explain our behaviour - to ourselves
and others - to a much greater extent than we really can. (If you doubt
this, reading any one of the recent popular science books on consciousness
may go some way to persuading you).

However, since - to my knowledge - everyone reading this is human [yes, I
know this depends on how one defines 'reading'!] I am going to make some
effort to provide a decent, profound hypothesis, which may be complete
rubbish...

In essence, I think it is to do with identity. Geographically, I am
indubitably African: I was born in Mozambique, and have done most of my
growing-up in South Africa. Politically and socially my perspective is
certainly more 'African' than 'European': for instance, when I think of
great leaders in modern times it is the names of Kenyatta, Nyerere, Machel,
Mandela, Lumumba and Guevara (he did spend some - highly unsuccessful - time
in the then Congo) amongst others that come to mind first, rather than those
of Churchill, Roosevelt, etc. Those who take a less 'Africanist' perspective
might consider this a little strange given the state that the countries
ruled by those African leaders now find themselves, due in part to these
leaders' post-independence leadership. However, independence from
colonialism remains the most important event for all African countries
arguably for as long as they have been countries and therefore, I believe,
remains paramount in the psyche of most Africans despite any failures that
may have followed this.

So, anyway, travelling part of the chunk of earth I most identify with seems
a natural thing to do.

Why the bicycle? Well, look, ultimately a bicycle is simply a mode of
transportation. However, having said that, many people at all levels of
society seem to me to not appreciate the fundamentally different perspective
on one's surroundings that results from utilising different forms of
transport. Bicycle is about as close to your surroundings as you can be
without reducing yourself to the more limited mileage of walking. It also
makes efficient use of the physical potential of the human body and energy
itself (it has been estimated that cycling may be the most energy-efficient
form of transport). It is interesting and somewhat ironic in this context
that despite the preaching of the spirit of 'ubuntu' ("I am who I am because
of other people") the new South African elite (black and white) continue to
strengthen their preference for exclusive private motor vehicle transport
over mass public transport systems shared by all economic groups, or indeed
more sustainable forms of private transport!

The above high-minded explanations may provide some reason 'why'. Then
again, sitting here at 3:15am, having had 3hours sleep and with the CapeTown
darkness glaring at me, I'm not sure they answer my question: what the hell
am I doing?!

But I have gone through all the motions, done almost all the organising I
could do, and now the time has come to do it. I reckon if I can get to the
point where I am cycling out of Mombasa with all my essential gear items
still with me I will be well on the way to a successful trip. The next few
weeks will be the most difficult, I just hope that I can make it through
them.

We shall see. Che Guevara said that a revolutionary needs to move through
the people of a country like a fish through water. I dare say the same
applies to cycle travellers; let's see whether my Africanness extends to
ground level...