From Nazareth to Newcastle

NEWCASTLE – Armed with a backpack, a motorcycle and a dream, Achinoam Harel began a journey which has spanned over 30 000 kilometres and 11 countries.

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“As a child, I remember my grandfather having crossed Africa on his motorcycle and I wanted to do it as well,” said the 24-year-old Israeli.

Her dream was finally fulfilled when she left the comfort of her home outside Nazareth, Israel, flew to South Africa and purchased a BMW F700 GS in Cape Town.

“I did a bit of a promo tour in April during the first three weeks of my visit to get accustomed to my bike before I headed out.”

In May, she jumped on her bike and began her long journey.

“Initially I wanted to ride from Cape Town to Ethopia, but by the time I got to Kenya, my time started running out. Instead of rushing through, I decided to skip Ethiopia so I could enjoy my tour.”

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Rallying through Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia, to mention but a few countries, proved to be an exhilarating and exceedingly challenging experience.

“It has been amazing; the countries are beautiful and the people are so good and willing to help,” she enthused.

During her travels, Achinoam was surprised when people found out the reason why she was travelling.

“People always asked why I was doing this, and could not seem to understand why when I said touring. A lot of people thought I was doing research, and would ask me what I have found during my stay,” she laughed.

Achinoam spent the night in Newcastle on Tuesday, August 23, on her way back to Cape Town where her expedition began, before heading back to Israel.

Reminiscing about her trip, she said she learned so much.

“You walk away with a lot by doing a trip like this, I would definitely do it again. I believe the more you travel, the more you can see and the more you can enjoy.”

Obstacles during her trip were unavoidable.

“When I do it again, I will get a smaller bike as my current one is too heavy for me and I have to rely a lot on people to help me when something goes wrong with it. The language barrier was also an issue in certain places, as you feel like an alien and awkward when surrounded by people you do not understand.”

Loneliness was an unwelcome companion which hampered her journey at times.

“The loneliness really got to me. There were times when I was the only person at a campsite or hostel. This was not nice, especially after riding eight hours alone and having to talk to myself. At this point in time, I couldn’t stand spending time with myself anymore,” she reminisced.

“I want to do more off-road next time and travel further. But I really enjoyed my time as I met a lot of people and made wonderful friends,” she concluded.

Determined to have a companion on her next trip, Achinoam wanted to be more adventurous.