Rwanda

Rwanda

I took the remote western border from Uganda into Rwanda, high up in the mountains. For the first time in a while I was riding in heavy rain. The border crossing took about an hour, I was soaking wet! Shortly after I stopped for a coffee and waited for the rain to stop, it didn’t! […]

Uganda

Uganda

I crossed the border from Kenya and rode 50 miles to the city of Igana. People were staring at me much more, I speculated that Kenya had far more ‘Mzungus’ visiting that Uganda. I found a place to watch West Ham beat Man Utd, a perfect start to my travels in the country. I’m not […]

Bilharzia (tropical disease)

Bilharzia (tropical disease)

I arrived in Kampala feeling very unwell. My muscles were aching, I had back ache and felt unwell and rundown, with little energy. It was midday when I checked into a hostel and went straight to bed. Martha, a Ugandan woman I met in Khartoum suggested we meet when I arrived in Kampala, so she […]

Kenya

Kenya

I arrived in Kenya having had stomach ache for the previous 4 or 5 days, so put my trust in Jamleck, a pharmacist. He prescribed a colourful mixture of tablets, then tried to sell me a SIM card and changed my money. In England he would be described as a ‘Jack of all Trades’! Over […]

Ethiopia

Ethiopia

It took me 3 hours riding along a really bad road to get to the border, there were massive pot holes everywhere, many so big they stretched across the whole road. Once I arrived at the border getting out of Sudan was easy, and only took an hour. Entering Ethiopia was even quicker. At 11.15 […]

Muday Charity Association

Muday Charity Association

One Cool Ride combines my love of overland travel and Cool to be Kind, the organisation I’m a co-founder of, which supports Homeless people. Muday Charity, is located just outside Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. It was founded by Muday Mitiku in 1999 and supports over 600 vulnerable children, with education, 3 meals […]

How I travel…

How I travel...

I like my routines, I feel good when the start and finish of the day go according to plan. I start riding early, and in hot countries where the temperature becomes unbearable before midday, very early. I’m currently in Sudan, it’s August, and my alarm goes off at 4.30am. I pack my bag and head […]

Sudan

Sudan

I loved my time in Sudan. The people were so very friendly, possibly the friendliness of all the countries I’ve visited. This made Sudan a great experience; also one of my hardest challenges due to the desert heat in the high 40°. The towns and cities, interesting in a dirty, dusty, dilapidated way. My first […]

Egypt / Sudan Border (Abu Simbel to Wadi Halfa)

Egypt / Sudan Border (Abu Simbel to Wadi Halfa)

Crossing from Egypt into Sudan can be straightforward and relatively quick, if you follow a ‘tried and tested’ method. A few overlanders have tried their own way, which has resulted in frustration and many hours of unnecessary waiting around. I contacted Kamal a few days before I arrived at the border. He is a ‘Fixer’, a […]

Egypt

Egypt

Egypt is a big sandpit with a river running through it! I loved my time here: the people are so welcoming and helpful, I loved the food, I experienced unique sights and would recommend you visit if you haven’t already.The one thing that I wasn’t expecting was the stifling bureaucracy and the number of policemen […]