The Tale of Two Melo Velos Epilogue

As our year off is drawing to a close, there has been plenty of time to reflect on the past year. What an adventure! 

I am having a hard time putting how I feel about the year into one short blog post. Every time that I think about it, I lose myself in thought. Our time had a nice ebb and flow to it: chilling on the beaches of Brazil; the intensity of packing and pedalling our days through New Zealand; the surge of craziness that is South East Asia; and the family fun and adventure of Africa. Monica and I spent many an evening reminiscing and our unanimous conclusion is that we wouldn't have changed a thing.

Looking back on the goals I had for the year, I am pretty pleased with how things turned out:

• Spent quality time with family (and more to come when I get to Ontario)
• Learned a new language (although my Portuguese is now very rusty)
• Fulfilled a long standing dream to kitesurf the coast of Brazil
• Had plenty of adventure to write home about
• Used some of my professional experience to give back to Africa (see first Internet Cafe in Mwinilunga and computer lab at Ikelenge High School)

 We also had a planned to raise the equivalent of 10,000 GBP for the North West Zambia Development Trust through blogging our adventures. While we didn't quite reach that goal, we are so grateful to those who were able to contribute, and believe very strongly in the future of that community. We learned a lot about the challenges of rural communities and were also inspired to see rural communities like Macha taking an active role in establishing a promising future for themselves built around technology.

There were some wonderful people that we met along the way, our memories of those shared times will stick with us for a lifetime. What also made this adventure extra special were our friends who made the effort to join us in parts of our travels - Travis, Dave, Sharon, Kristina, Bridget and John: It wouldn't have been as much fun without you and we have some great memories to share!

When I look back over the past year, there is one period that keeps coming to the top of the pile as a favourite. The freshness of a new culture; the tough riding; the communication frustration; and the sheer beauty of our first week of riding through the North West of Vietnam (here and here) stretched me in so many emotional directions that I often catch myself drifting back to that time with a broad grin on my face.  That feeling of complete fulfilment in reliving that moment is hard to beat.

As with any good tale, it must come to an end. We both feel so much fulfilment over an amazing year that, while a little sad to be drawing to a close, we are more pumped up about the possibilities on the horizon for us.

Presently, Monica is on her way back to Ontario to spend some time with her family. It was a tearful goodbye at the Harare Airport and also a bit sad that we didn't end our adventure together, but after talking through the dangers of cycling through Angola, we both decided that it would be better for the Two Melo Velos to take a small hiatus.

We wanted to thank everyone for being such faithful followers of our blog. It has been great to have all the comments, and to know that people all over the world have taken such an interest in our lives. We have spent many hours dreaming up our next adventure, but it is great to know that with big dreams that with a little will and determination almost anything is possible. Stay tuned ...

First family photo with Nazya!

Nonni meets TP

Monica and her ride at the Harare Airport

The Two Melo Velos say goodbye :(

Edit:

I am currently spending my last few days in Harare with my family, including my Nonni, who hasn't been back to Africa since her retirement from mission work in 1988. She is a real trooper, having survived the Murphy's Law of trips over from Canada, and really enjoying seeing her great grandkids for the first time!

With some luck, and some financial encouragement, I should have a visa for Angola by next week. Why would anyone want to cycle through a country that has been ravaged by civil war until 2005 and is heavily laden with landmines?

1.  It is reported to be one of the most beautiful countries in Africa
2. It happens to be where my great grandfather Tom Rea landed in 1911, and walked for 3 months to get to the area in Zambia where my Dad still lives today. My cousin Dan and I decided it would be a great adventure to retrace his footsteps 100 years later (although more sensibly on a bicycle).

If all goes well, Dan and I should be in Angola in 10 days starting on our epic ride. Dan will be added as a guest blogger, and we are going to try and keep everyone updated as we go. He purchased a Bamboo Zambike, so should make for an interesting ride. Watch this space for an update from us soon!