Cycling is a wonderful daily exercise and nice way to explore
As a child growing up in West Africa, I was always fascinated with nature and cultures. I would hear interesting stories, not knowing if they were fact or fiction. People were very dramatic as they told these stories. The culture encouraged people to stretch the truth because accountability was not a priority. Asking a person to provide prove of the source of the information was prohibited. Therefore, it made for an entertaining experience. Their version of movie night.
A favorite topic was discussing incredible stories from village life. A popular story was “gun proof”. A medicine man that had the gift of coating your body that will stop a bullet from penetrating. They talked about seeing it in action, someone with gun proof being shot in the chest and being pushed back, falling, and getting back on feet. While folks laughed their heads off, this curious mind was thinking. Did anyone see someone get shot in the leg or face? Every story I heard was someone being shot in the chest while wearing a African gown. Most likely a bullet proof jacket. I wondered, could I travel to those villages and inspect the gown. Just maybe, this technology could be cheaper to manufacturer. How much could be made from the patent?
I thought about the farm. I would sit on a rock and fish while the twin brothers Bucana and George would be fishing on the other side of the river. Rumors had it that they were “Negees”. Humans that have the gift of living underwater. I watched them many times dive in the water after a fish and stay much longer than I could. As a kid, it seemed like several minutes. When a hippo was killed on the farm, the staff told me the brothers went down to the bottom of the river and tied hippo for staff to pull out the river. I asked how long, and they said about 30 minutes. I wondered, can you imagine if they have a leaf that gave off oxygen – how much could one make from that patent?
How many stories are like these around the world. Many of these locations are accessible via trekking, biking, canoeing or helicopter. I’m looking for the conservative adventurer that is curious about culture and foods. Not looking for the hard-core risky takers, but groups that want to explore and learn. A group that can handle 30 miles on a bicycle. For the less fit individuals, we will slowly build stamina and include smart alternative like e-bikes. We will do bike tours on the East Coast before taking you International.
So join me, let’s explore, learn, give back and have fun. It’s never too late, so let’s do it.
