When we come to Cape Town at 6 a.m. Monday 10th of September, Ashard, the boy that shall pick us up isn't there. We change some money and wait. About 7 a.m. a boy comes toward us: it's him! He looks Arabian, but he denies when I ask. But later I hear him speak to someone in arabic at the phone!
We go to Cape Town, but first we enter his office and then the deposit where we find the boxes with the bikes. We start to put them togheter, do the custums clearance, and at 1.30 we are outside the deposit. Never done the clearance so quickly before! We go to the hotel, and we will see Ashard later for the payment.
At the seeside we loo for something to eat...after three fligths and one day trip we really need it!
In the afternoon we control the bikes, and afterwards I phone Ciro Migliore, the director of the newspaper "Gazzetta del sud Africa", and we get an appointment for tomorrow. We are going to meet the consul Emanuele Curnis. Mexican dinner, and when we eat we find out that Ashard gave us too much money back earlier. Giorgio phones him and Ashard thanks him again and again.
Tuesday 11th we drive towards Cape Hope, and during the trip I have to say hello to Luciana and Katia, my relatives that live in Sud Africa.
We leave Camp Bay where they live and arrive near Cape Hope. It threatens to rain, but it doesn't. There is a lot of peaple next to the sign Cape Hope, but we manage to get a picture of us with the bikes. Then we go for Cape Town: we are ambassadors of Spello and we have an appointment in the city.
Director Ciro Migliore meets us there, takes us for an trip in the city and then we go to the Consulate.
They welcome us well, we talk a bit and then Giorgio explains why we are there. He gives them the things we brougth from Spello, we take some pictures and then they follow us outside.
We go back to the hotel with Ciro Migliore and he gives us some suggestions for our trip.
Later this day Ashard comes to the hotel and he invites us for dinner at his home. We can't say no to that! It's raining, but it's better with rain today and not tomorrow!
Ashards home is in Arabic style, with picture of Mecca, and when I ask him if he has been there he says "yes". The dinner is tipical Arabic: for Giorgio is all new, but he likes it. After dinner come friends and family, about twenty people. Women in one room and the men in another one!
Finally we start our tour. We leave Cape Town, and we also have to get used to drive on the left side. At a gas station we meet a couple on Harley and when we tell them about our trip the woman asks us if that's all our baggage!!!! In the evening we reach Springbook, 100 km from the border to Namibia. The motel is on the road, pretty ok, but we have to wait for 2 hours for our dinner.....
Next day we go towards the boarder, no problem crossing because the Carnet is valid in 3 countries without visa at each border. Long, straigth roads brings us nord, 780 km are done. We stop at the only hotel in the village named Maltahohe, and it's run of Germans. Inside it seems to be in Germany.
Early in the morning we go towards Sossuslevi and the famous red sand dunes. The dune 45 is famous all over the world. From now on we travel offroad; we are well loaded but it goes magnific! We arrive to Sorieme, get fuel, and after 60 km we can see the red dune. Take a picture at 45 and go on for Solitaire. Giorgio thinks it's a village, but it's a gas station, a Store, a camping and a guest house. We go for the guest house, we are full of dust and there is also a pool.
Still offroad, we go towards Swakopmund….always offroad and still alot of dust. When we get to the Atlantic Ocean sea-side, we travel on asphalt for 30 km and then offroad again. But the road is made of salt: it's on the Skelekton Coast, here they found many wrecks and uman skeletrons. The sun is covered with mist, and we go to Cape Cross where it's supposed to live 100.000 otaries. At the box office where we shall pick up the tickets, we meet a group of Spanish and we follow them for two days: their bus looks like one I saw in a Bud Spencer film. The group is from Barcellona and we have a common friend!
We enter the park, it's amazing.....counting the ontaries is impossible, and they make a lot of noise. We say bye to the Spanish group, they go on and we stayat the seaside hotel. A short walk (we see a whale), dinner and to bed at 10 p.m.
Today the destination is Tusmed. We go towards the Ethosa park who is 100 km away, we are still offroad and when we get to the bed & breakfast the first ting to do is wash the bikes: the salt is not good for the bikes. Tomorrow we will visit the park. By car, because I don't think they will let us in with the bike.
That's all from Tusmed in Namibia for this time...." Ciao from Giampiero e Giorgio

"Ciao! Ethosa Park is one of the less expensive in this continent, but it is really big. First we meet gnu and then the zebra. We see every part of the park, we also meet a group of elephants. Leaving the park, a boy shows us a family of lions. We didn't see them because they were hidden under a tree waiting for something to eat! When we get back to Tusmed, we leave the town and go to Botswana. We go north, 300 km along the border to Angola. At 6 p.m. we enter Botswana, and we try to find a place to stay. At a Lodge they tell us there is no room, but we can't see many people. But we understand that we are not welcome there. Tonigth we sleep in a tent.
Along the road there are a lot of animals, and sometimes they stop al the traffic. We run together with a group of ostrichs, they run with a speed of 65 km/h! This nigth we sleep in Gewta, tomorrow we are going to look for the continent's biggest Baobab. We miss the road a couple of times, and we have some problems with the sand. Therefor we go back to the Lodge and get some relax with a Savana Drink.
Waking up early we go north. At the border there is an enormous queue at the gas station, and afterwards we understand why. In Zambia the price is higher then in Italy, while in Botswana it costs 0,65 euro. We cross Zambesi on a crowded barge. There is a lot of confusion. Getting the visas we get a new friend, Faan, who is waiting for his visa. We pay for him, and when we go to get the assurance, the lady offers us "Massage"!!! We go with Faan, the sudafrican man, and together we reach Livingstone where we sleep in the same hotel. Tomorrow we are going to see the Falls.
Ciao from Lusaka".

"Hello to everybody from Nairobi!
We came to Kenya tonight ... a big caos getting into the city, specially during the night! We left last time at the Victoria Falls in Zambia. We see a Honda Transalp from Britain and we leave our bikes next to it. We enter to visit the Falls: the Zambesi river is not full in this period, but for us it's impressing. When we go outside there is a message ot the bikes from Alessandro and Hjno who are traveling on the British car.
We meet them at their Guest House. Alessandro is Italian, Hjno is Sudsfrican and they came together from London, going to Sud Africa. We talk about our experience but after a while they have to go because they have planned a boat trip on the Zambesi River. We go with them, there's a lot of tourists from the different Guest Houses, food, drinks and afterwards a big show with hippos and coccodrills!
We go back to the hotel, take a shower and we meet our new friends again. There is also a couple from Trento, they are travelling for 5 or 6 months! We say goodbye to everyone, tomorrow we go to Lusaka.
The monotony of the landscape change when we get closer to the capital. We sleep at Eureka Rest, tipical houses 17 km from Lusaka. Monday morning we get up early and with a taxi we go to the insurance company to get the papers for getting into Sudan, if not we must remake the insurance before entering a new country. In the afternoon we stop at a Guest House because I have to change oil on the Kappona.
Next day we travel a lot going towards the border of Tanzania. The landscape does not change and along the road we see houses made of wood and leaves, and there are people selling charcoal slack. We spend the evening in Isotha, a boy takes us to the Guest House. We have a piece of chicken and some potatoes for dinner, that's all...
The day begins with some problems paying for the fuel! Three guys who all wants to be paid, to who shall we pay?
We get to the border. It seems a madhouse! Everybody pretends to be agents and they want to help us with the custums declaration. We finish here and cross the border. They follow us and wants to help us at this side of the border too! We pay 50 dollars each for the visa, and the "agents" can cross the border as many times they want to... this is Africa! We eat and go for Iringa. I pass a truck, and the Kappona does not want anymore... it doesn't start again.. Giorgio stops and get back. A man named Freddy get out of a kind of a house and ask if we need some help. Yes, I say, we need a Pick-up for going back to Mbeya. I go with Freddy on Giorgio's bike to a small town 2 km away. A fiend of Freddy can take the bike on his Pick-up. I start to think what can be wrong with the motorbike. I remember what Vicoli told me before leaving: I changed oil a couple of days ago, and maybe there is a problem with the pipe union?
Getting to Hotel Stockholm (strange name of a hotel in Tanzania) , we pay for the help and Freddy gives me his phone number if we need some more help. While Giorgio takes the luggage into the room, I take a look at the pipe union. Nicoli was right! It's unhooked! I try to start the bike, and it works...
Next day we go to Iringa, and we have time for a walk in the city. There is a big market where they sell everything, especially dried fish. Giorgio wants to try it, but renounce.
Which way? The way that everyone tells us not to go, no motor-cyclist has gone there before...
After 15 km starts hell. Naturally I mean the roads and not the lanscape!
People looks at us, they have never seen motor-cyclists here before and the roads are terrible. But the view is fantastic, and we take a lot of pictures.
We arrive to a village where people are standing under a tree, and we stop.
One of the men speaks italian, incredible! Charley has studied in a mission some chilometers from here where there's priest from Catania! This is Africa!
We go on, we have to be in Dodoma before sunset. But we have to stop, Giorgio's moto has a puncture.
We arrive to Dodoma after 280 km, and our arms hurts. We get fuel and fix the wheel.
Next day we leave knowing that this day will be difficult too. We want to reach Arusha. The roads are the same as yesterday, even worse! After 170 km we get fuel in Kodoa Irangi. At the restaurant two policemen wants to see our passports. We have to explaine why we are here and what job we have in Italy! He tells us that we can leave, so we go on. Outside there is a group of prisoners bringing water and wood to town. They are controlled by militaries. We travel up in the mountains and when we get down the landscape changes into banana plantagons and palms. It's night when we reach Arusha, we have done what nobody has done before! With a lot of luggage (not clothes, but equipment for the motorbikes..), we made 470 km.... Next day we want to see Kilimangiaro, but it's too cloudy so we start to go towards the border of Kenya. 100 km from Nairobi I puncture and we have to stop. The Masai come and want to help us. They don't want money, but water...
Greetings to the guys at the Moto Club Fuorigiro 2001!
From Nairobi, Giampiero and Giorgio".

It's Monday morning. It's 8.a.m. and we are already on the road or maybe we can say in the caos in Nairobi! Destination this morning is RAI International where we have an appointment with Vincenzo Nucci. First we get an Italian Coffee and then he makes the interview. We leave town and go towards Isolo. On our rigth side we can see Mount Kenya, the highest in Africa after Kilimangiaro. Today is cloudy so we can't see the top.
The sign tells us that we are at the "Equator". We get to Isolo early in the afternoon. We find a small but friendly hotel where we speak to the persons about the roads to go next day.
Next morning we start. The road is only one, and after a couple of km starts the track...it is covered with stones. After 70 km the first puncturing, we fix it and go on. Unfortunately the electric compressor doesn't work anymore, but Giorgio convince me not to throw it away. We are alone on the road. We take some pictures, it seems to be in the Far West! My bike get a new puncturing, but we don't have anything to blow up the wheel. We wait for someone who can help us, but there is nobody with a pump.. We start to fix the compressor. Somehow we manage to blow up the wheel a little, enough to get to the next village 20 km away. We travel the last 50 km in the dark, 50 km off road in the dark!
The Jey Jey hotel in Marsabit is not like the hotels in Italy... there is no water, they bring it to the room in a basin...
Next morning we fix the two inner tubes, and afterwards we buy a manual pump... the man wants 50 euro, but we really need it. We start again, new stones.... a lot of stones... it's like travelling in a gully and it's not easy. 20 km from Marsabit we try the new pump, Giorgio has a new puncturing. We have to change strategy, going slowly (30-40 km/h). In a village we find a person who repairs the inner tube. He doesn't want money so we get him something to drink. After 140 km we get finally on a good road that allows us to travel at full speed. We control the bikes, and then we go on!
We stop for getting something to drink in a village, and when we ask a boy "What time is it?" he looks at the sun and answers "It's 5 o'clock". I look at my watch and it's 4.56... Giorgio says "Shall we go on?" "I don't think so" I answer. "Why?" asks Giorgio. You have a new puncturing!" So we have to repair it, and I leave my videocamera on my bike to film while we work, and when the boys see that we are filming they pose and laugh! We get to Moyale at dark and find a "kind of" a hotel for the night.
We reach the border in the morning. First the Kenian border where they don't find the person who must timber our passports, and then the Ethiopian where we have to invite a boy for a coffee.
We go for Yabello and then for Arba Minch. It is situated next to a lake which color is red because of the contents of iron. But we don't get there, we stop in Konso. Along the road we see many people with a Kalasnikov.... next day we go for Arba Minch. The offroad is nice. We stop 70 km from Arba Minch, we don't want to get into the town at night. In the hotel there is a boy who speaks italian. He's also a biker, and we find out that he's a friend of a man I contacted months ago (in Addis), and who is supposed to get us wheels.
Next day we enter town. What a caos! They tell us it's always like this...
Giorgio has a new rear wheel, but for the Kappona there's no new wheel. I have to put on an used Continental and bring with me the old one.
From Addis is all for this time!
Giampiero & Giorgio

"It's Wednesday morning and after getting the visa for Sudan we leave the Ethiopian capital. We are at 2600 meters, the road is in the middle of the green: it rains often here and it looks a bit like the Alps. Around us the people lead the animals to pasture, and we often find them in the middle of the road.
In front of us we have a valley with impressing canyon. The good road finish and we go offroad again: they are building a new road, a cinese firm is making it.
When we can see the Blu Nile we meet a german boy on moto. We stop and he tells us that he's here working and at the same time he visit Ethiopia in moto. His friends are with a jeep.
We get to Debra Marcos at sunset. We stop i a hotel and then we go to find an internet point for sending our diary. It takes 2 hours to send it all.... not very good connection! Next day we go towards the Sudan border, and after Gonder we go offroad again for 70 km and we stop in Ayele to sleep.
We get up early: we want to travel a lot today. Befor getting to the border we are present at a religious manifestation: today is the last day of ramadam, and the muslims are celebrating.
We make the last stop in Ethiopia to get fuel. The gas station is new, but there's no energy so we get the fuel from a can.
At the border we meet a group of German people, and we leave Ethiopia and get in to Sudan. We pay 65 $ each for a registration that we don't know what is for and 61 $ each for the visa. I have to tell that we also paid 150 $ each before we left Italy to get the visa....
It's hot. We go towards Gonder, and we get into a thunder-storm. It's pretty good! It's dark and we look for a hotel which seems impossible to find and we decide to go to Khartoum. We get there at 9 p.m. and the hotel we find there will be our home for 2 days. We have dinner in a fastfood.
Next day, because it's Friday, everything is closed. We find a taxi and it brings us to buy souvenirs and back to the hotel: it's 43 degrees outside so we appreciate the aircondition in the room! We spend 75 dollar for a standard room, and I feel that I was wrong about George. He and his brother run the hotel; and George knows everything about the Sudan bureaucracy. He helped us to get the visa in Addis Abeba. We got it in less than three days. Some italians that we met told us the got it in two months in Italy. I say sorry to George, and of course the visa is connected to the hotel reservation. We say bye to George, and we also ask him if the Italian ambassy is open next day. He says yes, but the ambassador (who is from Perugia) has gone back to Italy because of personal problems so the meeting we had programmed will not be.
We try to go to the Ambassy next day, but there is nobody. We can't miss another day but we have a problem with the dollars. We left Addis with 700 but now we don't know what expect us because the credit cards are not axepted. We go back to George and ask if he can borrow us 400 $ that will come from Italy. He axcept, I have no word to express my gratitude! If you want to go to Sudan, bring at least 1500 $!
We go back to the hotel, get our luggage ready and start going further north. We don't go by Dongola where the roads are better but longer; we go for Atbara, and 70 km before getting into the city we stop at Meroe with it's 40 pyramids. There is a boy with a camel, so we take a lot of pictures. Of course we have to pay for it- nothing is for free!
We stand at hotel Nile, a nice place. Next day we start late: it's only 260 km to Abu Hamed, and we get there in the afternoon. The man that controlls our enter in the city follow us to the police station for registration and since there is no hotel we put up the tents outside the police station.
We note there is also a prison there: about 9 m² and there are circa 10 persons inside it....
We get fuel and prepare for tomorrow, we have to go 370 km on sand for gettting to Wadi Halfa where we shall take the ferry for Egypt.
The policeman wants information and also our phonenumber: tomorrow he will phone the police in Wadi Haifa to be shure we get there. We understand that the roads are not very good and not many tourists travel on this road. The main part of the tourist go by Dongola where the cinese are making a new road and there is no sand.
We get up at 4.am, get ready and wait for sunrise.
We start. First part without any problems, but then the road starts to get difficult. It's also very hot, more than 40 degrees. We stop for rests at the old railwail stations. We have to be careful to not travel under 100 km/h for not sink into the sand. The last 70 km we travel on the railway... we are tired and don't want to make any risks.
Early in the afternoon we can see the Nile. We find a place for sleep, this is the second nigth we sleep under the stars!
We have to remeber the persons attitudes here in Africa, expecially the boy we met before getting to Addis Abeba: he invited us for dinner and gave us an used tyre for free".
From Wadi Halfa,
Giampiero & Giorgio

"I write from Cesme in Turkey, where we arrived this afternoon.
But I continue to tell you from when we were in Wadi Halfa. We slept outside, and in the morning we try to find the ferry company: but everything is written in Arabian and we don't understand anything.
I note a boy who seems to understand the things and I ask him to help us. In his office we meet Dennis, born in Sierra Leone but who has studied in Germany. We pay 340 dollars.
We wait for Dennis and his family in the hotel. We travel on a ferry and the motor-bikes on another one tomorrow!
We leave Sudan and go up the Nile. It's nigth when we get to Abu Simbel and so we can't see the Tempel. We sleep on the top of the boat, 3rd nigth under the stars!
We arrive to Assuan at 9 a.m., we go to the town center 14 km away and together with Dennis and his family we find a hotel.
Next day we relax, the motor-bikes have half a day delay: tomorrow is Friday and the Muslims don't work so we have to relax.
Saturday morning we go to the port to get the bikes. But they tell us the ferry doesn't arrive....what won't they do to get money... we go to the customs declaration and we have to pay 100 $ each for something we don't understand what is, but we don't resolve the problem. They send us back to Assuan, to find a engineer who can controll the bikes. Fortunately the taxidriver (Maikel) speaks english and hs helps us a lot these two days.
Next day, Sunday, we go back to the office, and they send us to make the assurance in the other part of the town! Maikel does everything, and at the end we get the motor-bikes and go back to the hotel to control them.
Finally, Monday morning we leave after 4 days here. We take the road on the west side of the Nile, and we are escorted together with other foreigners! But we don't like to travel like this and go back and take some inner roads which passes through poor villages. Probably this it what they don't want tourists to see. After 40 km we arrive to Luxor. I have to change oil and the filter. We have dinner and take some pictures of the Temple. Afterwards we say goodbye to Dennis and his family, and we leave for Cairo.
At the controll point outside the citycenter they tell us to go back and wait for the two o'clock convoy or pay for one. They have made this system so that the tourists have to pay for travelling with their own veichile. I say to Giorgio "Follow me" and we go back to the city and travel on the fields along the roads. The people help us to choose the fields but after 25 km there is a new check point.
They tell us we have to go back to Luxor! I get mad, and tell them what I think about this system. They tell me to calm and we wait.
Then they talk at the phone and tell us to go on! Incredible!!
For 200 km we go on well, but then we meet one of the convoy. It consists of circa 30 busses filled of by tourits and the police in front and in the rear. They block the road so we have to follow them.
At the next check point we get stopped, but we go on...
We get to El Minya late in the evening, we have lost about 500 km today with all the problems, but we have to find a hotel.
Next morning we go for El Feyum and then for the Giza plain. There is a motorway! But we get stopped and the police tell us we're going to fast! They want to take our drivers licence (the one we got in Assuan), but they give us a permit to drive for another two days.
We get to Giza and then we go for Suez.
We leave Africa, everything has been magnific except these days in Egypt. It's late when we get to Nuweba, tomorrow we go to Giordania. At the ticket office we meet Andres, a Sudafrican boy who left Sud Africa 3 months ago in moto and he is going to London. We make an appointment for next day.
In the morning we go to the bank to change money, in Syria the credit cards are not valid.
Finally the ferry for Aqaba arrives and we leave together with Andres. We get to Giordania, find a hotel and have dinner.
Early next morning we leave for Petra, but Mr and Mrs Bush is in town so everythng is closed. We wait two hours before we can enter the city.
This is the second time I visit Petra and my memory goes to Primo, a friend from the Moto Club Assisi who died 2 yers ago. Together we visited Petra.
The town is fascinating, and Giorgio and Andres confirm.
We leave Petra and travel towards Amman where we meet a couple from Holland who Andres met in Tanzania. We choose a hotel together, have dinner and make an appointment for when they get to Europe.
Andres doesn't have the visa for Siria, but I tell him that we have and he can come with us.
We get to Aleppo in the evening, and next morning we see the Turkish border. But we have a problem.... Giorgio's bikes crown wheel is without teeth...
We get to Adana, it's a big city so maybe we can solve the problem.
In the hotel Andres tells us he has an used one, but we controll it and it is different.
Andres leave for Istanbul next morning, he will come to see us when he get to Italy. We borrow him 100 dollars.
We go to visit a couple of motorbike distributors, but no crown wheel like the one we need. Going back to the hotel we see a shop who sells keys and locks, maybe they have a file?
They help us, and using the crown wheel that Andres gave us we solve the problem.
We decide to go to Greece. In the evening we are 100 km from Canakkale, tomorrow we enter Greece.
But unfortunately we have to change our program. In the morning the shock absorber on Giorgio's bike isn't working anymore. So we decide to go to Cesme and take the ferry 1st of November.
See you in Italy!
Giampiero & Giorgio

We have gone more than 17000 km when we arrive in Milan.
I'm really satisfied, the bike has been really good, I've only changed oil every 4000 km. No other problems!
I have to thank a lot of persons this time.
I start with KTM Austria and KTM Italy rappresented by Angelo Crippa.
Acerbis for the equipment, Motorex for the oliis both motor that for the 640 sponge filters
I thank all the people who has followed my adventure by e-mail and on the forum.
I also thank Giorgio, my travel mate on this trip.
A thank to Sandro Vitali, the mayor of Spello, the city where Giorgio lives, the boys at Moto Club Fuorigiri 2001, and his friends at BOUR OUT and ESSENZE.
I also have to thank him for his help when I got hurt (I haven't told you about it before because I didn't want to worry my family). It happened in Botswana, the only day without luggage on the bike. We were offroad, and I fell under my bike... my right knee hurt a lot.
For 10-12 days I travelled with a swollen knee. I will controll it in Italy. Giorgio helped me getting on the bike every morning and getting on and off my luggage."

Scrivetemi!