I Cycled 11,000 KM… Then I Got Robbed in Ethiopia

It is always hard to talk about an unfinished project. That’s why I’ve been quiet these last few months. The guy who has been cycling the world fearlessly for a year finally fell. “Told you,” they said. But if I had listened to them, I wouldn’t be here. I have no regrets about any of the decisions I’ve made, because this is what makes me who I am. Let me tell you about my short trip to Africa: I was in Saudi Arabia, and because of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, I didn’t have many options. I still had a bit of time and money left, so I decided to start a new chapter in Africa. Why? Because it is there! It takes up so much space on a map! Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Just 10 km into my journey, in the suburbs of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, I was attacked and lost all my belongings. It was quite violent. Even if I had been stronger, there was nothing I could do against rocks being thrown at me, especially when one of them hit my head. Instant KO. Violence is sometimes necessary, but only as a last resort, and only to protect yourself. Your life is worth more than any object. Lesson learned the hard way. This video is about what happened next, and it was one of the biggest nightmares of my journey. Without a passport, money, or phone, dealing with Ethiopian bureaucracy was quite a challenge. I had to return home prematurely, and not in the way I had imagined. Not as a hero, but as a victim. The project isn’t finished. It’s just on pause. I will finish what I started, but in the future. In the meantime, I’ll do some crazy stuff so I can come back even stronger. (Already working on the next projects!) And of course, one day I will go back to Africa! There is so much to discover, and actually, I am one of the few exceptions. It could have happened anywhere in the world. I’ve also heard so many beautiful stories about this continent. This video is not a complaint about Africa, but a piece of advice: Go for it, explore, travel freely! But know that things can sometimes go terribly wrong. They may have taken everything I had, but they didn’t take the most important thing: *My thirst for adventure.* This was only the beginning. See you very soon! 🚲 🌍🪂 Xiao . . . . . #Bikepacking #Ethiopia #CyclingAfrica #AfricaBikepacking #BicycleTouring #AdventureTravel #Cycling #TravelVlog Ethiopia bikepacking, cycling Ethiopia, bikepacking Africa, cycling Africa, Ethiopia travel, bicycle touring Ethiopia, solo bikepacking, solo cycling, long distance cycling, 11,000 km bike trip, cycling around the world, world bikepacking, Africa travel vlog, Ethiopia travel vlog, bikepacking adventure, bikepacking documentary, bicycle touring Africa