Около Африка с колело

by Riaan Manser, Риан Мансер

Да изминаваш с велосипед средно 90 километра на ден, често в екстремни условия и по зле поддържани чакълести и пясъчни пътища, да бъдеш хвърлен зад решетките в Екваториална Гвинея от агресивни и пияни гранични полицаи и да се изправиш пред вероятна смърт, когато си взет за заложник от дрогирани либерийски бунтовници, вероятно не се вписва в общоприетата представа за пълноценен живот, но през септември 2003 г. Риан Мансер потегля от Кейптаун, решен да стане първият човек, обиколил Африка с велосипед. Той смята, че начинанието му ще отнеме една година – оказва се, че ще му трябват повече от две. Той се завръща в Кейптаун в края на 2005 г., след като навъртява 37 000 километра през 34 държави.

Риан предприема пътешествието, за да повиши информираността на местната и световната общественост за ужасяващия жизнен стандарт в Африка, като същевременно е воден от силното желание за африканско приключение; желание, което неизбежно се сбъдва. Велоекспедицията му позволява да срещне безкрайна щедрост и милосърдие, нерядко в лицето на най-бедните, но и често се превръща в тежко предизвикателство. В Around Africa on my Bike Риан позволява на читателите да съпреживеят трудностите и вълненията, съпътстващи пътешествието му – той надвива пустинята Сахара, научава френски, португалски и арабски, яде маймуни, плъхове и прилепи, зърва пирамидите, изпитва свободата на Червено море в Египет, храни хиени с уста и стъпва на най-високите и най-ниските точки в Африка. Риан пристига благополучно в Кейптаун на 25 ноември 2005 г.

Genres: Africa, Travel, Nonfiction, Adventure, Biography

712 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2007

Reviews

[Петър Стойков · Rating 1 out of 5]

Много ме кефят пътеписи, дето авторът говори главно за себе си. Много ме кефят - почти колкото епидемия от холера.

Африка е изключително интересен и опасен континент - той е единственият, в който трудностите по ваденето на визи от корумпирани, мързеливи и некадърни служители няма да е най-голямата трудност при подобно пътешествие, тъй като първенството тук се оспорва от една страна от всякакъв животински дивеч като почнеш от мухите цеце и свършиш с лъвове, а от друга от всякакъв човешки дивеч, нарамил като почнеш от мачете и свършиш не с калашник, ами лека картечница.

Именно затова нямам никаква идея що за самовлюбен дебил трябва да си, за да обиколиш с велосипед цяла Африка по крайбрежието й и в 700 страници да описваш главно каква точно консерва си вечерял и как точно си я изсрал. Щеше ми се да преувеличавам. Боб с наденица или боб с кюфтенце ще е тая вечер? Напрежението ме убива! Разстройство или не? Ще видите след рекламите!

А реклами има доста, понеже авторът се чувства длъжен да спомене всеки човек и фирмичка, помогнали му с няколко долара или безплатна екипировка, за да си направи пътуването - което е бая народ щото едно от основните му занимания като минава в разни градове е да проси пари, храна и части за колелото от когото намери.

Което нямаше да е болка за умиране, ако беше описал държавите през които минава, природата им, градовете, хората... Но не - човекът не вижда по-далече от носа си и го интересува кой му дал бутилка лимонада и къде точно си опънал палатката. Всеки с хоризонтите си, предполагам.

[MF · Rating 3 out of 5]

At 700 pages this was possibly the longest of the books I've read. It was at times gripping, but at other times deeply frustrating, so it is hard to know if my rating is too generous or too mean. The book's plot - or storyline rather - was obviously decided by the nature of the journey itself. Riaan was single-minded in ensuring the integrity of the trip by making sure he cycled through every metre of the coastal countries of Africa as far as humanly possible, despite many logistical and bureaucratic nightmares along the way. By the nature of circumstances, this led to innumerable backtracks and detours to sort out visa and border difficulties as well as mechanical problems with the bike. At first, I found these dramatic and added to the thrill of the story, but soon they made me irrationally annoyed at his insistence on covering every mile by bike. Spoiler alert: There was an incident at one border that I found enraging, where Riaan refused to pay a nominal bribe at a border crossing for integrity sake, but instead ended up paying hundreds of dollars more of what was sponsorship money in a crazy round trip to Tangiers and then across to Spain and down to Algeria. This not only seemed unnecessarily stubborn and time consuming, but it seemed to jar with the later story of using someone's SIM card that he found on the road. As I often find in other cycle touring books, there is an air of entitlement in the author to expect the kindness of strangers, who are called upon to give generously of their time, money, connections, and yet, at the same time, a woeful self-pity when they are robbed of valued possessions. I couldn't help but think that at least some of those he met were press ganged into their charity.

A big peev I had with the book was the lack of maps, especially with all the coming and going, backtracking and so forth, I couldn't make any sense of the narrative without opening up google map and seeing the geography of what he was recalling.

But despite all that, I grew to admire his never-say-die spirit, and how he worked his way through the unbelievable obstacles with visas and border crossings along the way. Only someone with his ability to network with people and call upon the best instincts in embassy staff could have achieved what he did. There were a number of anomalies that I never understood. After he was refused re-entry into one country (I think it was Ethiopia), on the next page, he is back cycling without explanation of what happened. Also, I don't remember if it was explained earlier in the book, but it seemed odd that he didn't have the outer for the tent, which caused him untold problems through the trip. Also, he had numerous problems with a back wheel that kept buckling, even after a new was put on, but he never thought it might be that he was carrying too much at the back - 40kgs by his account.

While referring to his love of rugby and other sports helped to give it some personal flavour, I found it a distraction from the main storyline. I think the book could have done with a heavier editor's hand to cut out some of the repetitious elements of the story, especially reference to sports games he watched on tv (who cares?).

The book contains some of the best anecdotes I have read in a cycle touring book. Its description of life in each country visited gives an honest and vivid portrayal of Africa. The final outcome -a circumnavigation of Africa by bicycle- is surely one of the great achievements by any adventurer or explorer. I could feel the urge of the adventurer at the close of the book, who having achieved an epic adventure, longs for more.

[Klara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I have read this book several years too late, but I just did not enjoy it very much!
It was too long, and I had to force myself to complete the second half. When I finally did get to the end, I was very disappointed in there being no real description of Riaan Manser's long-awaited homecoming, and in the lack of a his final thoughts on the meaning and value of his two year trip. The end of the book felt rushed - as if both author and reader couldn't wait to get it over with!
I was also put off by the constant references to 'luck' and 'the gods of fate' in the narrative. With those references throughout the book, it seems that, by his own admission, 'chance' was the prevailing force that allowed Riaan Manser to complete his cycle trip around Africa? Another off-putting mention is found towards the end of the book, when he enters Kenya, and refers to the Swahili phrase 'Hakuna Matata' as a being a well-known song from the Jungle Book. It is in fact from the Lion King! Editors?
Although the trip was undoubtedly a huge personal achievement and is remarkable in being the first of its kind undertaken, his motivations for embarking on a journey of such an epic nature seem a little flimsy to me.
That said, I enjoyed the casual way in which the book was written, making it feel as if the author was in conversation with the reader. I also enjoyed his insight into the state of the various African countries that he traveled through.
I won't be reading his other books. Unfortunate, as I was very much looking forward to 'Around Madagascar on My Kayak' until I read this title!

[Ricardo Ribeiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like it. It's all about the author personality: spoiled, selfish and with an endless ego. That ruins the whole book. Apart from that, the huge size of it... 700 pages it's far too much, and it's obvious after you read it what should had been done about it. The endless references to every single place where Riaan slept it's a good example. The book is full of stuff which I am pretty sure don't interest the readers at all. With proper editing and downsized to 350 pages or so, it could be a far better book.

But there is nothing to be done about how Riaan narcissism. I really have a hard time dealing with tourists who expect moral, legal, cultural (etc etc) behaviors to be like back home. It was difficult to fin the patience to keep reading with all the whining involved whenever people of Africa didn't comply with what Riaan expect of them.

There were several episodes which made clear to me that Riaan wouldn't be one of my favorite pals. Examples? Like the guy somewhere who did something against his country law or his company rules (can't remember) to help Riaan with the condition that would stay between the two of them... next thing you see, it's all published in a book for the whole world to know about it. Or by the end, when Riaan express his pain because he can't visit a place the ambassador of South Africa in Morocco - which incidentally gave him a help - because, he says, he doesn't have the time. But he found time for still another interview.... oh boy, when you have such an hungry ego you will have to feed it!

As a traveler it hurts to see a fellow going all around Africa for no purpose but do something nobody else had achieved. What a waste! Two years of life and an unique chance. To see places, meet people, learn... but not when you rush for two year with the eyes in this goal of doing something never achieved.

Still as a traveler, it upsets me a bit to see a guy getting all the help and finding some space in the huge book to criticize the people who are "begging". Like Riaan didn't spent two years begging for free goodies, sponsorship, free accommodation even a damn bungee jumping (just a couple of pages after his judgmental tirade)!! Why couldn't he just pay for the jump as any other citizen of the world?

I know people, friends of mine who traveled in a more daring way than myself. One went from the Westernmost spot of Europe to Singapore and back, always hitchhiking or walking. he left with 100 USD. And made it. No free stays in 5 stars hotels. No diplomatic help for getting visas, no thousands of Euros from sponsors. Another one crossed Africa, from North to South, in a bicycle, just like Riaan, but again, no free stays in 5 stars hotels. No diplomatic help for getting visas, no thousands of Euros from sponsors. Just him and the bike.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is fascinating but really, would some REAL editor please EDIT IT before they run the next round? There are over-used cliches galore, misspellings, and all sorts of bad (or no) punctuation. It was REALLY distracting. I think someone could make a really good drinking game out of just the number of times he uses the phrase "the penny dropped".

The author is also just a little bit too high & mighty and holier-than-thou for my liking. There's kind of a patronising goody-two-shoes in his narration which is a bit much after 600 pages. OK, we get it, you're a budding motivational speaker.... now just be REAL, please! Plus, the fact that it's so long means it has a bit of a redundant feel and especially during the last 200-300 pages you just get a little tired of it all. But it's an interesting plot. Congrats to the author.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Започнах да я чета по време на пътешествието си в Танзания. Смятах, че ще е сууууупер интересно и съвсем ще се потопя в атмосферата на Африка.
Непонятно ми е как така в 700 страници говориш само за себе си и тъпото си колело, и че те хапят комари, при толкова много други неща, които можеш да напишеш. Разказвачът ми е силно антипатичен и изобщо не го смятам за изключителен пътешественик, по-скоро за ненормалник, който търси слава, чрез лудата си идея.

[Milena Pehlivanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Изключително вдъхновяваща!!

[Izelle Swart · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was about the bike ride and did unfortunately not bring Africa alive for me.

[Iotzky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cu kindle-ul in dreapta si google map in stanga! Fabulos!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, a sort of disclaimer that I don't take notes while reading, so have no specific comments on events during his travels. These are my thoughts on the adventure as a whole ...

This is a very long book! Yes, it was a two year journey so that makes sense. I've seen similar stories published in two parts, here I'd recommend perhaps setting the book aside when Riann leaves for a week in Britain (after Mauritania if I recall). I read it on my phone during downtime (mostly meals) over a few months.

He's great at making friends with locals, so it's not all expats and such, though there is some of that. I want to stress that that the two sub-Saharan parts were different for me. The northbound seemed more in line with what I'd expected from other books, going back as far as Dervla Murphy's trips. It was rough, but he managed okay. Riann was quite stubborn about the route to the extent that in Liberia he refused UN Forces to avoid a certain area they wouldn't enter if you'd paid them! Well, obviously he got through to wrote the book.

He did rely often on South African embassy staff, as well as benefit from South African business connections. As good a place as any to say that he was, justifiably in my opinion, offended that a few times he was seen as European because of race, although he's lived in Africa his entire life. Most non-black South Africans have been there for generations.

Anyway, he seemed to take the occasional thievery in his strife, far more than I would. That was outweighed, of course, by the people he met along the way. It's worth the effort to see the good, and yes the bad, of life in Africa. He went through a lot to be able to see for himself. Moreover, he says that his motivation wasn't fame (or fortune), but to share with others what "African" means.

Certainly recommended, though not all at once. By the way, the bicycle-focused details are though but far from technically overwhelming.

[Ivan DS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Авторът на книгата е Риан Мансер - изследовател, пътешественик, който не се спира пред предизвикателствата. Той е от Кейптаун (Република Южна Африка) и е първият човек в историята, осъществил обиколка с колело на Африка (над 37 000 километра), което му отнема повече от две години. Тази книга дава много познания за живота, историята и политиката в Африка. Какви трудности среща човек при посещенията си в тези държави, изваждане на визи, разрешения и други подобни. Впечатли ме и истинското му приятелство с жената до себе си. Колко други жени като неговата, щяха да проявят такова разбиране и непоколебимост при това дълго отсъствие?

Ще научим за легендарните покоряващи сили на кхата - дрога, която се използва като дъвка. Дъвчат се листата, които приличат визуално на чай. Получава се от растението кхат, което се отглежда и изнася основно от Етиопия и Сомалия. Както и елегантен начин за преодоляване на сърбеж, причинен от ухапванията на различни насекоми (мухата Цеце например). Уроци от първа ръка за съдбата на бедните и необразовани хора от много региони на Африка. Ще разберем, че на суахили „хакуна матата“, една от песните във филма „Цар лъв“, означава „без грижи“ и други.

[Chiseke Chiteta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring.

I first read this book in 2016. A friend of mine lent it to me. Riaan's story is a great inspiration to me because cycling around Africa on a bicycle is a crazy idea. But crazy people do crazy things and by so doing inspire others.
The book is quite huge but then again, two years of cycling can't be explained at length in a shorter book. I felt like I was with Riaan as he went on about the many facets of his journey, happy moments, frustrations (for example he couldn't enter Algeria from Morocco so he had to go to Spain then enter Algeria via Spain), strange happenings and so om. He also had to backtrack a lot as he face problems with his bicycle from time to time.
I had to drag myself reading this book but it was all worth it in the end!

[Brian Trinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very worth while read. One has to admire the author's resilience and tenacity to complete his incredible adventure. His writing style took awhile to get used to, but once you get into the journey, the book draws you in. It's long, so I read a few Somerset Maugham's shot stories in between sections, so as to fully appreciate the whole journey. It was very helpful to map the journey with Google maps, and research some of the places and countries he traveled through. Having lived in South Africa for 17 years I appreciated the unique South African perspective and culture, but this may not appeal to some readers. Thoroughly recommended.

[Tharien Van Eck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book and couldn’t put it down until I got to the halfway mark. What changed? It just became a little monotonous, almost a case of the “same of the same”.
The book should have been edited with a heavier hand to make it shorter and therefore easier to read.
It also was difficulty follow because of the backtracking. I referred to google maps all the time to understand the route. A new edition would benefit by the inclusion of maps, as well as photos.
But all in all, an amazing achievement!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as the first part of a travel themed month. Definitely needed an editor to cut bits down and wasn’t a fan of some monologues by the author.

However, very interesting with some interesting occurrences. Parts really encapsulated the socio-political feeling of the early 2000’s. Worth a read for sure.

Some of my follow up research will include the rule of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Equatorial Guinea and the poetry / philosophy of Léopold Sédar Senghor the first president of Senegal.

[Riaan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although the adventure itself is real and the stories are compelling—this must have been an incredible journey—the author’s ego overshadows everything. Every page seems to drip with self-importance. Perhaps that confidence is necessary for an adventure like this, but for me, it was too much. I won’t be picking up another book by this author.

[Lora Offord · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing accomplishment and adventure!! I really enjoyed reading about Riaan's experiences through all of the different African countries he cycled through. It was great reading about the countries, some of which I didn't know much about.

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Не си го причинявайте! Като човек бил в Африка гарантирам, че има доста за описване и разказване вместо каква консерва ял, кой му дал 100 долара, в кой храст ср*л и т.н.
Рядко не довършвам книга, но тази я захвърлям с кеф! И една звезда ѝ е много.

[Alan Menachemson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring and well written. Parts, especially the backtracking were confusing and a more detailed map would have helped. It’s pretty long but not at all boring. I didn’t enjoy the pontification, but I guess somebody with that mental and physical strength and endurance deserves indulgence.

[Philip Weyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A travel chronicle that delivers much more than it promises. A fascinating diary of an extraordinary bicycle trip round the outside of Africa, numerous obstacles and challenges faced and overcome. Describes the best, and worst, of humankind. Well worth the read.

[Galjufi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good written book. Looks like personal diary. Really if you want to know more about Africa and various cultures you should read "An African love story " by Dafni Sheldrick.

[Jonathan Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring. I'm deducting one star because he said that Hakuna Matata was from the Lion King tho.

[Kaspars · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit boring but would definitely read again as it’s a very unique adventure.

[Kyria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back flap reads:

“In a world first, almost incredibly, Riaan Manser rode a bicycle right around the continent of Africa. It took him two years, two months and fifteen days. He rode 36,500 km (22,500 miles) through 34 different countries.

In [this book] Manser tells the story of this epic journey. It is a story of blood sweat, toil and tears. It is a story of triumph and occasional disaster. Of nights out under the stars, of searing heat and rain, of endless miles of Africa and of pressing on and never surrendering whatever the odds.

Mostly however it is the story of one man’s courage and determination to escape the mundane and see the continent he loves and feels so much of a part of. It is the story of the human warmth he encounters, and occasionally human wrath and hostility as he crosses troubled countries and borders.”

The man that wrote the forward for this book (John Robbie) really said it well. He said, “There’s always reason to put off the dream, isn’t there? Too busy, too poor, too lazy. For most people, me included, it’s really a case of being too scared. That’s why for the majority, these fantasies remain daydreams rather than fulfilled ambitions or even attempted ones. Then we get old and regret the fact that we never went for it”.

I read that and knew I would like this book. He is right. We all put off things that we want to do because we make excuses. Because of this, we tend to admire, and envy, people who do what we think is an exciting or adventurous thing. I knew I would admire and be a little bit jealous of Riaan and his round Africa journey. So, the premise was a go.

However, the book is written in a “my journal” format, where the author obviously was trying to write to remember details about things, people and places. However, I personally (as the reader) do not need to know about every single person he meets and the when and the where of it. I don’t need to know every detail of every single border crossing. The book is 705 pages; he could have consolidated it a little!

I would prefer more information and facts about the countries he visited as well as his thoughts and impressions of these countries. I would also have liked to hear more about his feelings. He does give a little information regarding this things, but I want to know more. How did it feel to be all alone in a country that you have never been in before? Were you tired? Were you lonely? How did this affect you mentally, physically and spiritually?

Another thing that bothers me is that he seems like a huge mooch. He gets sponsorships, free gear and money (many of it from nice people who really can‘t afford it). People give him free cell phones. He loses them a bunch of times and people keep giving him new ones! He stays with people all over the place, often getting free lodging. Maybe I am being hard on him, r maybe I am just jealous, but he seems selfish. I hope that after he finished this trip and wrote this book he gave something back to the community and the people that helped him along the way.

Even though I had those few peeves, I really did like the book. Any book that involves travel and a sense of adventure is exciting to me. I can also relate, as I recently went to Africa. He talks about how nice many of the people are and I found the same to be true. I am inspired. I want to bike around my country now!

I give this book a 4/5.

NOTE: If there was a 3.5, I would do that, as I am not sure it’s of the “I really liked it” category. It’s somewhere in between “I liked it” and “I really liked it”.

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous adventure of a lifetime bicycling around the coast of Africa from South Africa all the way up the west coast and all the way back down the east during a pretty tumultuous time. Takes some guts and determination, not to mention resources and creativity, to make an adventure like this happen. Quite an interesting read and would've been fun to be in the sidecar for this.

Also cool to think that even up to the present day there are still original, harrowing and memorable and worthwhile adventures to be had. There are still modern explorers, who transmit and express through different means. While guys like Percy Harrison Fawcett or Robert Peary wrote journals, now cameras, emails and video can capture these experiences in an even more audience friendly, digestible way.

Would love to do something similarly bold and daring. What does it take to be an explorer or pioneer in the modern world. Wanderlust and fernweh are no longer enough. How do we push the limits when every inch of the earth has been mapped, every corner explored, every tribe introduced to western culture and every bug cataloged. Or has it? How do we continue to navigate cultural boundaries and create new instances of engaging with the world. How do we continue to search for unknowns and strive to make unknowns known. Manser pushes us to think about these questions as he bikes across Africa and engages in a new cultural dialogue with every border he crosses.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great read. It struck the correct chord so to speak, as it was written at exactly the level I was expecting. The book portrays realistically the daily struggles encountered, fearful and dangerous situations and to a degree the amount of determination required. I say to a degree as I think it was under-played in typical humble Riaan Manser style.
Two things I think that were missing - a more detailed map to give a better idea of distances between stops and the degree of back tracking that was done. The second thing, I think the chapters should have been time stamped with weeks, again to give an idea of how long certain stretches took to complete. Some were done in 2-3 days others took 2-3 weeks, but this wasn't always clearly mentioned.

All in all a great read and would probably be one of the few books I'd like to re-read at some point.

[Nuzhat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like other reviewers, I slogged through til the somewhat tedious end that might not have been as bad had the book had a proper editor. It also needed maps especially at the beginning of the chapters just to visualize the distances and backtracking. I did enjoy the stories that kept repeating themselves- people's generosity to a stranger and the problems set up of officialdom. I know I hate borders and the anxiety-producing situations even though I'm allowed in their country.

Trying to find out what he's doing now or some web photos of his time doing this adventure revealed that he and the girlfriend just finished a rowing trip between Morocco and Miami. That's a it more isolationist than circumventing Africa.

[Philippe Lazaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The joy you experience and the reward you receive when completing a challenge is directly related to the difficulty experienced in reaching for it."

–Riaan Manser

This book was long. It is long enough to go into depth about each country's worth of experiences that Riaan Manser came upon in his years-long quest to ride his bike around the perimeter of the African continent. It's written without a whole lot of polish or editing, and yet I loved it.

Maybe it's simply my taste but I enjoyed every page of this thoroughly long read. It also helped that this was the one book I brought with me on a trip to Zimbabwe without a lot of other distractions.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and colloquially written book, by an ordinary man who chose to do something extra-ordinary. His trip exposed him to a lifetime's worth of experiences - from the painful, dangerous and scary to the wildly joyful, and reading his story makes it clear that a person can choose to live an exceptional life.

[Anton Nashev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Постижението на автора е наистина впечатляващо. Относно книгата - много се говори за спонсорите на Риан Мансер, като на моменти благодарностите към тях преобладават за сметка на местната култура. Адмирации за куража, не е лесно да тръгнеш на подобно пътешествие, нито да го довършиш. Все пак очаквах малко повече от книгата и затова оставям три звезди.