The days just before a solo expedition are always full of doubt, worry, and a bit of regret. That feeling of 'What the hell have I gotten myself into?' seems to come prematurely for me. Maybe it's a healthy dose of fear that keeps me safe, or perhaps I'm just fixating on the unknown future. Either way, the last two days have felt unsettling.
It doesn't help that I'm taking a final tonight, and that I have yet more papers to finish before I hit the road. But at least my bike is getting a proper tune up from a shop I like in town. One less thing I have to do.
When I think about all I have to do to get ready, I look for inspiration from the stories of explorers and long-distance cyclists. Today, it just so happens, I am interviewing Jolandie Rust for an ExplorersWeb.com article. She biked alone from Cape Town, South Africa to northern Angola when she was robbed at knife point by four men who took everything, including her bike. Undeterred, she flew home, bought a motorcycle and headed again toward Angola, then onward to Morocco until she broke her leg. She spent months healing, and then returned to Morocco, carrying on across north Africa and down the east coast, completely circumnavigating the African continent by herself. She just returned to her native South Africa a few weeks ago.
Her story was just the boost I need today. Perseverance, personified!
Check out this badass http://jorust.com/
-Kyle
This ride is in support of Typhoon Haiyan relief in the Philippines, where I served as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer 2011-2012. To make a direct, person-to-person donation to my host family in Calbayog City, or to survivors in Guiuan where the storm made landfall, please click the 'Donate' button in the right column. PayPal and credit cards accepted. I have included donation links for aid organizations providing relief as well. -Kyle
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