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The Big Bike Trip: Sandi's story
How it all startedI'd always believed that things happen for a reason and “coincidence” is a word we use if we don't have the belief to acknowledge there might actually be a bigger picture out there. It was coincidence that I came to get myself hooked up with a UK based charity called Stand Up For Africa. I'd been researching Uganda on the internet and followed a link that lead to their website. “If you love Africa, STAND UP!” stuck in my brain. A few hours later I entered that sentence into Google and found the site again. I decided to call and ask if I could help them - as I was passing that way in any case. My call was quickly passed on to Elsie who I gathered was the founder of the charity. Elsie's voice exploded in my ear with her wonderful West African accent that dropped all the H's and had me listening very carefully to follow her conversation. She had an extraordinary amount of energy that blasted right down the phone and got me all excited about being able to help. I told her of my plans and how I felt motivated to STAND UP and she filled me in on their projects and explained how she focused on alleviating poverty among children and young people in Africa. When I hung up the phone I felt as if I'd been speaking to an old friend. It was peculiar but I felt as if I'd known Elsie for a long time and so it was easy for me to accept that Elsie and SUFA would be a part of my life for the duration of this trip. Fundraising with SUFA
This crazy idea of getting myself hitched myself up with SUFA happened about four weeks before I was set to leave, so realistically I didn't have enough time to do much fundraising in the UK before I left. I also had no idea of how to go about it. I'd done the London to Brighton cycle ride a few times and the London Triathlon too but these events only raised a small amount of money mainly from people in the work place who chucked their small change into a bucket. I'd also met people who'd worked with charities doing similar events and it took a lot more time and effort than I had available. I was also approaching it from a different angle: I was looking to raise cash for a project in Kampala; I was not looking for sponsorship for myself and while companies were often prepared to give goods away they were not prepared to give cash to a project that was not specifically within their corporate guidelines. I'd already sorted out everything I needed for the trip and couldn't ask for sponsorship or convince a company to donate money. It was frustrating. I tried to make myself available for publicity as it was the least I could do. I also created my own SUFA webpage, which tells my story and urges people to sponsor the trip by donating online. Over the next few weeks the SUFA office was really busy and I appeared in papers and magazines in London, France, Uganda, South Africa and I'm not sure where else. I hoped that the message was getting out there: if you love Africa, stand up! I most enjoyed being interviewed on radio and could tell I was a bit hyper and jabbering a bit too much. The DJ was very professional and asked relevant probing questions. Elsie won my respect yet again when she so eloquently corrected one DJ that SUFA was an “African led” organisation and not ‘Black’ and that included any body who considered themselves African or who loved Africa. The real surprise for me was being broadcast on Voice of America. I don't know how SUFA managed it. The charity decided that since I was departing for Dover on 9 July, the launch of the Trans-Africa Motorbike Trip should take place at the Rise Festival in Finsbury Park on 8 July. Instead of spending my last day sorting out packing and helping Paul with his last minute list that was incredibly long, we both spent the day with Stand up for Africa at the Rise. I hoped we would manage to raise some money towards the Uganda project. It was very hard to imagine we were raising funds when there was the expense of the event to cover and all I saw was bronze small change being tossed into rather large buckets that remained fairly empty the whole day. I'd not heard a thing from any of the potential corporate sponsors that SUFA had approached and still not a peep out of BMW. I did understand the corporate side of things as I was, after all, a marketing manager myself. However, it didn't change the fact that I really wanted to help with this project. The positioning of our huge motorbikes at the entrance of the stand, attracted, throughout the day, enormous attention from people of all ages, cultural backgrounds and the media to the SUFA stall. Admittedly it was fun having our bikes on the SUFA stand and feeling a bit like an adventurer or very minor celebrity about to do something fantastic. In all the time I'd planned the trip I'd avoided looking at it as one big trip and rather focused on little pieces that fit together so that I wouldn't become overwhelmed. “Every journey begins with a single step” was my favorite adage during the days of planning. I intended to face each mile as it stretched out in front of me and not worry about it until then. That way, it wasn't a big deal. But at the SUFA stand I spoke to many people about the trip: 20 000 miles, across the Sahara, the preparations and equipment… I managed to get myself a little stressed out and daunted by the task ahead. What was I thinking? I'd quit my job and was going to ride a motorbike across Africa! It was the first time I got to say “Tomorrow” to the question, “When are you leaving?” “Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow!” echoed around in my head and it felt great. There was the shaking of heads, raised eyebrows and sucking in breath that made me realise that what had become such a normal idea to me, was actually quite an extraordinary event, and possibly even a little bit on the extreme side. I was delighted and terrified all at once. The morning we leftIt was a cold, wet, miserable British morning and our departure day had finally arrived. Paul had been up most of the night. He'd been up most nights for the past week and I no longer bothered trying to keep track of why nor cared to continue explaining the benefits of sleep and effects of sleep deprivation. Saying goodbye to Paul's folks was really quick and painless without ceremony or tears. Having lived abroad for a long time I'd felt the pain of separation far too often and I didn't like saying goodbye especially when family was involved. We'd stayed with his folks for the last two weeks and I got the feeling they were looking forward to having us, and all our clobber, out of their home. I didn't get to know Paul's parents well and the acquaintance formality had never been dropped but they were saying goodbye to their son and I empathized. I was impressed by the efficient parting and assumed it's a British thing to keep the stiff upper lip in all circumstances. I felt really sad for them and Paul, as I knew they would miss each other a lot. On the other hand, my parents had called a few times, and I knew how excited they are to have me moving back to South Africa but they were dreading the months we'd travel across Africa. My journey
France and the first days of travelI was finally doing it - sitting in a campsite with my laptop balanced on my metal box, next to my tent and writing up my blog while I worried about my battery lasting and not much else. This was finally the dream come true. It was brilliant. A Wednesday evening and I was in a cute French wooded area listening to children play and bugs chirrup in the trees. I think in the early days I was far too tense while I was riding. I had strange aches in my writs and back and my thumbs had numb patches. My backside also ached. I felt like the bones were wearing right through the flesh. The little maps SUFA made for us to “brand us up” at the Finsbury Festival were great. We had bikers pull over to look at our maps and wave us on. The French loved motorbikes and in exchange I loved the French. The simple maps were a brilliant idea and clearly transcended languages. So much could be communicated. I didn't speak a word of French (excluding the ones that happen to be used in the English language) so really appreciated the smiles and nods of French people who'd read our stickers and figured out what we are doing. We'd been on the road for three days and I was having one of those moments when I smiled to myself and was happy. Bordeaux was just so pretty. We found a wooded campsite in St Symphion. It was a little scruffy but very friendly and cool in the shade. I got off my bike, staggering a bit like a bowlegged cowboy wearing Robocop boots and finally the holiday mood set in. I said to Paul, “Is there any where we need to be? Let's start enjoying where we are right now and stop rushing.” And so with that, we decided to have a rest day. And so here we were. I was flicking bugs off my laptop and Paul was still fiddling with the walkie-talkie system that refuses to work. This is what it was all about and we loved it! Crossing the Sahara
Most certainly, the high point of the trip was crossing the Sahara on my motorbike and the heroic bit is that there are very few women in history to ever have accomplished this grueling task. As I reflect back to that stretch of desert I remember how each day was so intense. I remember finishing each day utterly exhausted and happy to be alive. We were traveling with the Swede brothers in a Land Rover during this time. They were carrying our extra fuel and water and we guided them with our GPS. We woke up before sunrise and had breakfast of crackers and cheese wedges around a little camping table. There were no roads, just a dirt track through the desert, and the Nile was our main means of navigation. Those were tough days in which we were bouncing through deep sandy ruts and over sharp rocky patches. The sun was harsh and temperatures were easily over 40 Degrees Celsius. Although we didn't eat much, we were drinking about 8 litres of water a day. From time to time we would see a quiet, small village and sometimes people would approach us with water and dates - in spite of it being Ramadan. Mostly the desert was peaceful. Life felt very good, food tasted better and we laughed so much. Finding inspiration in Uganda
I had arrived with a smashed up ankle and was feeling the strain of long-term travel. I had a few very dark days in which I doubted if I had what it took to be this ‘hero’ that the kids were expecting. There were a few times I cried bitterly and contemplated quitting. Fortunately Elsie was on my case and her kind words encouraged me. She made me realize who I could be. That became a point in my life when I really realized that in each of us there lives an Every Day Hero and it is up to us to rise to the occasion. With my spirit renewed and fighting, I met the kids and faced the things that many of us don't want to look at. I had to deal with poverty and allow myself to interact with these young people in a personal way that meant opening up my heart. We made a little promotional film on a budget of about 50 USD in the 3 weeks I was there. It was extraordinary. The whole community was interested in what we were doing. We were shown support and encouragement by everyone. The young people I worked with had me totally blown away by their attitude and ability to learn and work so hard. Those young folk wormed their way into my heart and I will always remember how their resilience and positive outlook on life should be my inspiration. Visiting SUFA's Youth Drop-in Centre Project
Rita, who runs SAFY, told me that the money was coming through and they would be grading the land to start building by the end of December. I have no idea how Elsie and Stand Up For Africa managed to arrange it because I felt I was of no help at all. There I was riding a bike about and couldn't get involved in much at all. I must admit I found fundraising to be the most difficult thing in the world. On Saturday 11th December 2006 SAFY proudly held a ground breaking ceremony in which loads of the kids and all the local community leaders went to the site and we had a lovely time in which we all thanked each other and God for the progress that had been made in realizing the dream to help the kids in this area. A little tree was planted and I'm sure in years to come I'll come back to see a busy centre and kids enjoying the shade of this tree. I was delighted to hear that off the back of the fund raising that enabled the building of the centre, SAFY has received more sponsorship that will help them over the next two years to run HIV education programmes and offer training. Within the following few weeks the first grading took place and foundations had been laid - and I can't help feeling overwhelmed that my little effort, with SUFA's help, has made an impact on so many young people's lives. Really, the greatest thing about having helped with this project is that the sponsorship we all gave to this project gave the project the impetus it needed to be taken seriously. And that's really encouraging! Well done to everyone who contributed to this amazing success! Home at last!
It was late at night when we finally pulled into my parents' driveway. We'd had problems with Paul's motorbike and by this time he'd strapped a car battery to the back and we were riding on a hope and a prayer. My folks were delighted to see us, as were the dogs, cats and people who had followed our trip. Before I left, I though it would be funny to send the press release to my local paper in my home town. They printed the article and put my photo on the front page. I didn't mention it to my parents. My mother told me how she'd gone to the local supermarket and stood at the newspaper stand and couldn't believe her eyes when she saw rows of papers with her daughter's smiling face. My mother had collected all the articles they had printed following my journey and had been posting them to all her friends and relatives. I was a small-town hero for a while and it was fun. Nothing over the top but wherever I went there was someone who would say, “Hey, are you the girl that did the bike trip?” Or even better, “Are you Steve's daughter, the biker chick?” Now I'm back to work and living in Cape Town. My life has changed forever because I really believe that it is up to the individual to change the world. I make sure that every day I try to “do the right thing”. I have accepted that I need to earn a salary but I've started to work on a book and also on some business ideas that I hope in the future will take off. So I guess the immediate challenge is to write the book. And after that, my challenge will be creating opportunities in business to relieve poverty. -------- THE END -------- |
43%of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water.(source: UNICEF) 
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One girl, one bike and one big adventure… In March 2007, SUFA supporter Sandi Langton arrived home after completing an arduous motorbike ride of 20,000 miles from the UK to South Africa - raising money for SUFA's 
My journey covered the following 25 countries from Dover, England to Cape Town, South Africa: France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa.
I arrived in South Africa in March, tired and smelly. As all my [blog] readers would have realized, this journey was an adventure but also my journey back home. I was utterly choked up and emotional as I cross the border from Botswana to South Africa. Home is such a funny concept. It's a place that has captured our love and we see ourselves as belonging to it. In all the years I was away, I always dreamed of that feeling of being home.