Life and the beauty of people never ceases to amaze us! Even though being around water in the crispy cold winter weather adds new challenges we find it amazing to experience the willingness and support of people to assist us in our mission. The grateful faces of children when we open a tap and safe drinkable water that was once not there starts to flow brings a warm feeling in our beings. As part of our mission we have decided to assist schools with water and to educate and inspire the children to adopt the river closest to their school.

But before we could even think of riding with our fully loaded bikes to the first 3 pre-expedition schools, we had other challenges.

With the racks and all the additional camera-rigs for the bikes now finished we packed and we unpacked and packed again. A part of the process that now after more than eight years we are still finding challenging is to let go of the creature comfort goods that we so abundantly gather during the times we are not on the road.

Excited to spend nights in our tents in the winter and almost impatient to leave for the openness of nature, until next time....

Maria Botha is a Garmin ambassador who is part of a project to bring safe drinking water to rural schools in South Africa.