Do you ever get that feeling that there has to be more to life than doing the regular 9 to 5? The answer is probably a resounding ’Hell yes!!’. The real issue is how many of us ‘actually’ take action? In the case of Tom and Lauren, it was “screw it let’s do it”. They promptly flogged nigh on all their worldly possessions, bought a couple of well-worn Honda CG 125s (Tom had his already) and rode out into the wide blue yonder in search of adventure.
Tom has had a lifelong love affair with all things motorcycle. His Facebook page is simply entitled “I like motorbikes”. He has owned over 40 bikes in his 32 years from a Fireblade and R1 at the one end of the scale to his current battle-weary Honda CG 125. Lauren on the other hand is a bike newby. Not that you can really call someone who has ridden a motorcycle from the UK, across France, Spain and over to Morocco, then down the west side of Africa all the way to South Africa a newby, but you know what I mean. She met Tom online and so liked what she saw and heard that she bought into his plan, sold her camper van, acquired a CG 125, and the rest, as they say, is history.
What followed was the start of a literal adventure of a lifetime. Braving everything that Africa could throw at them, they coped with every road, track and climatic condition that this wild continent had up its sleeve. 26,967 k’s later they rolled up to Grotto to Gravel, Gus and Mariette Maartens’s motorcyclists haven in Magaliesburg. They are enjoying some good old-fashioned South African hospitality while they do all they can to restore their bikes to some semblance of decent nick. Then it is down to Cape Town before making their way up the East coast of Africa, trouble zones permitting.
Mariette gave me a heads-up and I rode out to Grotto to Gravel for a chat with our intrepid travellers. What a lovely couple they are! Despite being a trifle gutshot from the previous night’s festivities, they were so enthusiastic about their journey and life in general. They refer to their little CGs with almost religious fervour. Tom’s bike has endured over 70,000 k’s of torture, with Lauren’s being a wee bit fresher at around 57,000 clicks. They are a truly delightful young couple on a life-changing Odyssey. The photos of the bikes tell the story in graphic detail.
Now here is the thing. Funding this sort of journey is difficult. Let us at least show them some serious South African biker hospitality while they travel through our fair land. Follow their travel plans on Tom’s Facebook page and if you see that they are travelling to your area, reach out and put them up. You will be regaled with amazing war stories that entertain you no end. They are the kind of couple that you want to be mates with and share in their tears and triumphs. When we are more certain of their travel plans and dates we will post an update for bikers along their route to put them up.
