Three thousand, one hundred and sixty eight kilometres, three African countries, four old bastards and a naive support crew with a pipe dream bucket list, setting off in the peak of the African sun, straddling the saddle in sub saharan Africa on a journey with immeasurable change and a serendipitous epiphany far beyond what i could imagine. Ironically Eric “chicken legs” De Jong, lanky in nature but with a metabolism of a kid in a candy store, and a mouth that could sell ice to an eskimo was the leader of this wolf pack.
After one phone call, i had solidified my spot on this African cycle tour that was set to kill two birds with one stone, ticking off a bucket list, and raising funds for a good cause. As a photographer and documentary filmmaker, ready for a travel adventure of a lifetime, This was it, it was my time to shine, and reassure my new found passion for travel storytelling all in hopes of making a difference.
One day into the tour just outside Harare, Zimbabwe, with a logistically flawed plan, mapped out like a bull in a china shop, i couldn’t help think, what was i getting myself into? I would be stuck on the thirty day tour with a generation preceding my age. A giant leap into the unknown, my role as a photographer quickly developed into a ‘qualified’ tour operator, (with thanks to Google Guides) logistics manager, public relations expert and kitchen boy all at once. Social skills had to quickly be re-evaluated and adapted for a sense of unity in the pack. Fit in or be outcast.
I turned to google maps for support, as each km on the road had to be pin pointed with precision and at the same time keeping exact locations of where we stayed, camped or literally just fell asleep in the deck chair. It became a standard, every morning letting the whole of Zimbabwe, where we were, and how we were holding up. It quickly turned into mapping the tour, from start to finish. And then we would have a “quiz” about the area we were in, and boy did i not even know half the things about certain areas! Google Maps saved my shame.
Roughly ten days in deep into rural Botswana, we found ourselves crawling towards the finish goal. One day forward, two days back, as every kilometre brought about a new experience, a new sight and a new found respect for mother nature. Unexplored territory for the most of us, this now travel adventure “story” was becoming harder and harder to conceptualise. Waking up every morning, under the African skies, i read a quote i had scribbled in the front of my notebook.
“Traveling is education. If you are paying attention, traveling across Africa gives you a doctrine in culture.” -Unknown
Up until the last day of the tour, this quote never resonated with me. It was becoming more prevalent that this was going to be more than just a travel adventure. The days seemed to get longer and harder, with challenging obstacles occurring almost daily. Chicken legs, blasé to this, on this given day, sent me off ahead of the pack, with one definitive goal, Find us a place to camp for the night. Newly appointed PR spokesman, in the heart of Rural Botswana and uneducated in Tswana, the local language, i didn’t expect to find myself, according to customary culture, sitting on a small crate in the “Kgotla’ or homestead, outside the kings door. Sweating, not from the African sun, but how was i going to ask permission and cross cultural bridges imposed on me.
The king comes out, in African time (a phrase dubbed by the lack of urgency) and stares bewildered. As this is all a new experience for me, the king too has never had a foreigner come request refuge in their ‘Kgotla.’ This was the stepping stone to seeing us, with The kings blessings, tented in the centre of the village in the Kraal (communal hall) with eyes on us from all directions, like a celebrity on tour.
Accomplishing this had given me new hope for any obstacles the tour could throw our way. Roused by this accomplishment, sitting under the local camel thorn tree, taking in what has just happened, opening my notebook, glancing at the quote gave credit to what we were doing, and solidified the reward. The reward bridging the gap, albeit a small step, in a cultural divide, far outweighed the three thousand two hundred journey. I found my why. The reward for education is immeasurable, and that drive to document it, was made so much easier with google maps.
The thing i love the most about Google Maps, is using it as a platform to showcase my work, with hundreds of thousands of people, that would necessary see it. I didn’t expect to find my love of travel influenced by culture and it has become a goal to document everything i possibly could! I like to positively educate people on my journeys, how Google Maps empowers others to become Local Guides.
Ryan Zimdollar Moss