South Africans who love their motorbikes will be interested to know that three intrepid South Africans are not just content to bike around on their local roads, instead they are embarking on an epic journey to motorcycle through South Africa – all the way to Slovenia!
From Benoni to Bled!
Jacques Nel (a resident of Benoni), Colin Britt (a resident of Farrarmere) and Cornjé Bruwer (a resident of Johannesburg) have all embarked on this long journey and they plan to end it in Bled – a Slovenian resort town in the foothills of the Julain Alps. Bled is not just the end of their journey – but the start of a whole new life for Cronjé Bruwer, who intends to immigrate to Slovenia.
Slovenia is a country that attracts immigrants, with statistics showing that 1 in 8 people currently living in Slovenia is an immigrant – although just over half of these people now have Slovenian citizenship. In 2017, Slovenia was ranked alongside Norway as the best country in which to raise children.
A desire to seize the day
The idea to do this epic journey on BMW adventure bikes kitted out with everything from camping gear to medical equipment was a dream of Bruwer’s and he inspired his friends to join him. Britt commented that they all weren’t getting any younger and that “I’ll be the ‘toppie’ on the trip, so it’s kind of a now or never type thing for me”.
Previously both Nel and Britt had taken journeys of around 10 days exploring the Eastern and Western Cape, but this is the first time they have embarked on anything this big and all men feel that this trip will be a “life changer”!
The three men left Benoni on May 18 after plenty of preparation and the packing of many visas! The trip is estimated to take 70 days and will take the three men through a total of nine African countries – Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, North Sudan and Egypt – as well as seven European countries including Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.
Hi everybody we have arrived safely in Gisenyi Rwanda on the shore of lake Kivu. What an amazing place. We are staying in another Discover Rwanda Hostel right on the lake shore we arrived at about 15:45.
What an amazing days riding from Kigali to Gisenyi we did 290 kms in total and after leaving Kigali region the road turned into something spectacular! Imagine the Sabie Hazyview 22km stretch that lasts for 180 kms!! Western Rwanda consists of endless rolling hills with not a lot of traffic it is quite unbelievable. No gravel today.Posted by Johan Swart Jnr on Tuesday, May 28, 2019
A chance to see and explore
The main focus for all three men is exploring the different sights and experiencing the wide variety of cultures native to the many countries they are travelling through. They have no plans to beat any speed records and have no major concerns about the countries they are travelling through except North Sudan, which recently experienced a coup.
Sudan cross winds Cronje Bruwer
Posted by Ansie Tiersma Bruwer on Wednesday, July 10, 2019
If you’d like to keep up to date with the intrepid travellers’ journey, you can follow them on their Facebook group page.
If you are a South African living abroad and would like to know more about how you can maximise your finances through the financial emigration process, accessing your South African retirement annuity and our tailor-made tax solutions for South Africans around the world, contact FinGlobal today.