On the Road Again

It’s been a long time since I was truly “on the road”. The last time was probably 6 years ago in New-Zealand., when me and my friends were touring around that country in a $250 van.

What is being “on the road”? I guess it’s a different experience for everyone; it might mean going on a foot-pilgrimage to Rome for one person and driving a motor-cycle through the United States for the other. In my case, an “on the road” trip has to meet the following conditions:

The trip has to last for several days, preferably 3 or more. This guarantees not sticking to the plan you made beforehand and you’ll find yourself spending the night in strange places you didn’t expect to end up.
Mode of transport should be the car. Any vehicle will do but vans and Landcruisers definitely add to the experience.
Preferably takes place in exotic countries, where your surroundings are unfamiliar to you. Because of this you can gaze out of the window for hours without getting bored, seeing all the villages, people and beautiful nature pass you by.
This point is related to the previous one, but breathtaking views are a serious requirement. And I literally mean breathtaking! If you have never experienced a view that makes you go silent before, start looking for one right now, because they do exist!
Your destination should be a mystery to you. If you’ve travelled for days with the above ingredients and then arrive somewhere even more exotic than everything you saw along the road your “on the road” experience is complete.

I guess it’s pretty obvious by now, but I had the perfect “on the road” experience over the last couple of days. I saw the most amazing scenery passing by: mountains, exotic forests, camels, people living in wooden huts and views that might be matched only by the ones I saw in New Zealand: plains that stretch as far as the eye can see topped off with a horizon of mountains, valleys of exotic forests with small villages of wooden huts; tt was like driving through a National Geographic documentary. The best was still to come though…

I saw all this from the back of a Toyota Landcruiser pickup jeep. With a very bumpy road and the wind blowing through the open top it couldn’t get much better. With no idea of where I was going I drifted off into a strange sleep, only to be woken up an hour later by the hot sun burning on my face. I found myself looking at a desert and it seemed like I was still dreaming… I wasn’t! I’d arrived in Lodwar where I would be staying for the next week!

Originally published on Inside Africa (insideafrica.tv), 2006.