Conroy shares a moment with new friends in Bostwana. He has ridden
through 10 African countries since October 2011. COURTESY PHOTO
“I will never board a plane again, that was my
last time. It inconveniences me a lot because I have to pack my bicycle
and it could easily rust,” he says, his face stuck to his ‘best friend
and worst enemy at the same time.
After a few weeks in South Africa, he crossed to
Namibia, later moving to Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi,
Tanzania, Kenya and now Uganda. Next on his schedule is Rwanda,
Democratic Republic of Congo and Morocco. His ultimate goal is to visit
at least 35 African countries.
“I would have loved to go to Sudan and South Sudan, but the thought of dust from the desert puts me off. It can be hard ridding in such conditions,” he says.
“I would have loved to go to Sudan and South Sudan, but the thought of dust from the desert puts me off. It can be hard ridding in such conditions,” he says.
“I love Africa, I have stayed here much longer
than I expected, but I just don’t feel like leaving this place,” he says
of the continent that has hosted him for over two years now. “I am
shocked by the way the west makes Africa appear a continent of misery.
Some people actually think Africa is one country. I am going to write a
book about my experience in Africa to correct their misconceptions. I
think the greatest thing about Africa is not the tourist attractions but
its people,” he speaks on and on, looking me straight in the face. He
utters every word with a sense of nostalgia.
He will not allow me to disrupt the free flow of
his memories of Africa, “I was in Zimbabwe and people came and thanked
me for not believing the bad things the west says about that country.
Amazing people I tell you, with extreme resilience.” With all his
numerous encounters in the past and those that lie ahead, Conroy is not
about to stop riding. Not with the many people he claims give him
feedback of how his life story has compelled them to do something
different.
“I met a guy working with Nasa, in charge of the
last stages of space air stations launches and shared my story. He sent
me a message saying he resigned from NASA and sold off his property to
pursue his dream in New Zealand. Such stories inspire me,” he says. He
emphasizes, “I am not dying to enter the Guinness Book of world records
or even prove a point. It is not a competition, I am only doing
something that makes me happy. I might wake up tomorrow and say I have
lost interest. I am done with it.”
The cyclist who hopes to ride to the Middle East,
Europe and Asia, admitting he suffers immense pain of body and mind in
pursuing this form of happiness, only affirms the passion and resilience
every word and step he makes points to. The reason why, if and when he
runs out of money, he will, “trade skills with currency, get a small
job so someone can give me food and accommodation before I proceed.” He
shares his experiences on his website- Tired of I.T.com. If that is
what it takes for a man to live a life outside the conventional and
achieve fulfillment, then Dave Conry, like his magic bicycle, one can
say, might just be the only man of his kind in the world.
