So, I have something crazy to announce! What am I going to do with all this funemployment I have? I’m doing the Tour d’Afrique 2014! I signed up yesterday and bought my flights and am paying the tour cost balance while in Toronto next week (Tour d’Afrique Ltd is a Canadian company that does tours all over the world these days, but started with the TDA 12 years ago).

This year due to unrest in Egypt they are starting the tour in Khartoum, Sudan! Sudan!! Not exactly known for its stability either, I guess, but they’ll have security and police along bits that are rough… We go from there to Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and finish in Cape Town, South Africa. 9 countries, 11693 km, 94 days of biking, 27 days of rest.

My blog is about to get much more interesting!! 😀

I’m amazed that I was able to sign up this late, but very glad I was. The hotel in Sudan is taking care of our Visas there, I have a letter of support to get a visa for Ethiopia, and then the rest we get at the border(s). I made a vaccination appointment and am trying to get travel insurance, something that may be difficult for Sudan as the Canadian gov’t recommends against unnecessary travel there… There’s a company in the UK that may insure people there still though, looking into it. I’m not even entirely sure exactly what kind of insurance wouldn’t be covered in a place like this. Lots to figure out!

I’m hoping at the end of my tour (May 10 – 121 days after the start on January 10) to visit Rwanda or Uganda and more importantly, the Bwindi Forest National Park, where Gorillas can be trekked to! I’ve got 15 days there, just hoping something will fit.

I’ll return to Canada May 25, hopefully a changed (and super tanned) man, and without all the 10s of diseases I’ll be vaccinated and medicated against, lol! 😉 I guess this blog may need a name change, since if I’m cycling 11 thousand plus kilometres, I guess I have to be a cyclist too instead of just a runner. 🙂