Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #240338 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 716 pages

Synopsis
Cycling an average of 90km a day, often in extreme conditions on badly-maintained gravel and sand roads, being thrown into jail in Equatorial Guinea by aggressive and drunken border police, and facing possible death when taken hostage by drugged Liberian teenage rebels may not be a conventional idea of truly 'living', but, in November 2003, Riaan Manser rode out of Cape Town, determined to become the first person to circumnavigate Africa by bicycle. He thought it would take him a year - it took him over two. At the end of 2005, he cycled back into Cape Town, 14kg lighter and having covered 36 500 km through thirty-four countries. Intending to use his journey to generate local and international awareness of the often appalling standard of living in Africa, Riaan was also propelled by a strong desire for African adventure, a desire that was inevitably fulfilled. While Riaan's journey allowed him to experience some of the greatest generosity and kindness that he had ever encountered, often from the poorest of the poor, his adventures were also often of a more harrowing kind.In Around Africa on my Bicycle, Riaan allows the reader to relive the toil, excitement and occasional terror of his journey - negotiating the Sahara and Libyan deserts, learning French, Portuguese and Arabic, eating monkey, rat and bat, standing in front of the pyramids, being awarded the freedom of the Red Sea in Egypt, feeding hyenas mouth to mouth, and standing on the highest, as well as at the lowest, points in Africa.

Riaan arrived safely in Cape Town on 25 November 2005.

Customer Reviews

A fascinating and entertaining read...
I've read some travel books in my time but this one is one of the best. Its an incredible story of adventure into the unknown. Man and bicycle riding alone through some of the most remote and unstable countries in the world, something no man has ever attempted. The author puts you in the "saddle" and writes in an entertaining and informative way that keeps you turning the pages for more. There are kidknappings, death threats, brushes with the law, corruption but also lots of funny moments and amazingly friendly encounters and kind hospitality from complete strangers. A very entertaining read.

An inspirational read
This book is a must for anybody interested in cycling and/travel. Riann tells the story it like it is and its all the better for it. A superb book and a true inspiration.

Freeloading around Africa on my bicycle...
An incredible journey refreshingly not completed under the guise of charity. Anyone who has travelled in Africa will understand his frustrations with the situations he encounters. The book drags in places and some parts seem repetitive, however there are enough stories to keep a reader entertained. The most annoying aspect without a doubt, is the amount of freeloading that Manser does. Couldn't he have saved up beforehand like any other self respecting holiday maker? $100 here, $500 there, a paid for trip up Kilimanjaro! The list goes on...