To Africa with
Africa with Autism is a challenge first. It is mother and daughter travelling from the UK to South Africa on a motorbike with a side car. The journey began in November 2015, the trip will be slow to ensure Sofia’s autistic needs are met and may take as long as 9 months. The principle aim of this challenge is to raise awareness of autism.
All funds will be going to the Adventure Autism Foundation, which has been set up to manage the funding for this challenge. The excess amount raised will be donated to National Autistic Societies who do a huge amount of work to promote better understanding of autism and support people with the condition, their families and carers. Here is a small taste of the beginning of our adventure!
The timing interrupter broke. The Macedonians did a wonderful job of welding it back together, and we were back on the road in no time and on to Athens where we could get a new part.
We travelled from Athens to Egypt, the bike taking a boat. Finally we were on African soil, and whilst both Sofia and I were excited by this, we were very quickly overwhelmed by the "Cairo Chaos" of people, traffic and noise. Picking up the bike in Alexandria was made easier as biker groups took us under their wing and helped, not only with getting the bike through customs, but also raising publicity for autism. They then helped with planning the first part of our journey on the bike with escorts to take us out of Alexandria, to take us through Cairo and then on to Hurgada. Once there, it was clear Sofia wasn't coping so well, and we rested for a few days.
Autism
It was then onto Aswan our last port of call where we would have a local contact, and then we would be on our own. It was with Sudan visa in hand that we left Aswan and into the vast unknown of Sudan completing our first border crossing in Africa. We got through, and like climbing out of a fast flowing river, we were in the Sudan where the pace of life is very different and the recently built Chinese roads a vast improvement from the speed bumps and pot holes of Egypt! Indeed, fuel consumption improved dramatically!
We spent Christmas in Karima, with me attempting to cook a simple rice dish Sofia liked from home on the camping stove for our Christmas lunch, giving us both some relief from the beans and rice staple of Sudan. We then headed to Khartoum for New Year, and for one reason or another (one of which was a split wheel rim), we ended up staying for 3 weeks, and finding a new firm friend in Hiba who had setup the first and only school for autism in Sudan.
Finally leaving Khartoum, we headed to Ethiopia with trepidation. I had heard stories of kids throwing sticks and stones at 'ferengi' (foreigners) driving and cycling through the country. With this in mind, I told Sofia to wave at everyone, especially the kids, then hopefully no stones would come our way. True to form, Sofia waved frantically at every living soul, and was soon asking if she could stop!
“...wewereveryquicklyoverwhelmedby theCairochaosofpeople,trafficandnoise.”
W
e set off on the 14th of November 2015 from East London, UK, with high
hopes but few expectations. I was not nearly ready enough. I had only ridden 7000km on the bike, and had only a few months to learn the basic mechanics and maintenance. I consoled myself, that there would never be a time where I would feel ready enough, and the best way to learn is on the job, so to speak.
Sofia was ready, I had been preparing her since the inception of this journey. She had no idea what to expect, but in her own way was ready to find out more. A testament to this was her fortitude in the face of horrid European weather as soon as we crossed the continent. It cleared, but then we had to endure the freezing ride through the Alps. Then it was the long ride down to Athens on which we experienced our first bike problem.
8 The Old Cornelian SUMMER 2016
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