About us / Contact
Hi to all of you looking at or following our blog. Welcome!
The primary reason for our blog is to help raise cash for our charities and for people who know us, as well as those who don’t, to follow our journey with its ups and downs (both geographically and otherwise). Lots of you already know us personally but if you don’t here’s a short introduction of ourselves.
I’ll start with me.
Darren Moody– dazzmood@yahoo.com
I’ve lived and worked in Hereford, UK for about as long as Ive been about. I have always taken long trips away though, exploring and sometimes working abroad such as a Dive Master in the Philippines, Ropes Course Instructor in Texas and Art Exporter in Indonesia. My travel started when I was about 17 with my thumb on the road, a few quid in my pocket and a map of Europe. From then on, I kept discovering, how much more I hadn’t yet seen and haven’t yet experienced. So I carried on exploring which so far has taken me through most of the Americas, Europe, South East Asia and pockets of Africa. During some of my travels I borrowed or hired Motorbikes for short periods and discovered what a fantastic way for me to more easily get off the beaten track despite the obvious dangers and restrictions of having to look after a bike. And that’s how the idea of motorcycle travel was conceived a few years ago. I bought my first motorbike 2 years back, a bandit 650 and more recently bought a BMW F650 gs Dakar on which to do this trip. Last year I teamed up with Russell and we started to prep our biggest adventure ever and make some cash for the charities we care about.
One more thing.. I have an interest in photograph and bought a new camera recently so hopefully you’re going to get some nice pics on this site.
Russel Williams- russ.j.williams@gmail.com This is a temporary profile copied from something else.
I was born in Hereford and have lived there most of my life. I studied animal science at Newcastle University prior to joining my family’s abattoir business where I held the position of director with my parents. In 2009 we sold the company and now I help run our butchers shop in Weobley. I have been a sub captain of Hereford Rowing Club and row competitively for the club. I am also a volunteer youth leader for my church youth groups. My interest in motorbikes started in 2007 when I passed my test and have since been looking forward to a great adventure on two wheels.
Africa Orbital 
Hope your journey through “meseta castellana ” was not too boring, It´s been very nice to see you and to have you around. Will be in touch.
Besiines
hello russ and da, i cant diside how to talk to so im calling u drussll.hope your having lots of fun and been deep and contepletive as well .someone told me life is not all about having a good time/enjoying yourself ikina got what they mean but quikly dicided to put it out of my mind.have u met any of my cousens yet .say hi to me on the blog so i know you got this .bess yar on y journy
Hi Guys,
The blogs and photos are amazing!! What an adventure of a lifetime…we are praying for your safety and that God will continue to provide for you.
If you get a chance try and check out Heidi Baker’s ministry in Pemba Mozambique, she has seen and performed 100s of miracles and has orphanages around Mozambique – if you get a chance google her…!
Lots of love
Tracy E
cheers for that sounds like a great idea. keep preying
hay boath hope ur better i,e not got the snots still,im just getting over mine .its been v windy here and about 5-10.c though i think id prefer this to all that lovely sunshine ,im trying 4 a tan.all that biking milarky in the dessert looks fun good to hear all is tikady boo .you know that you prayed to get some fuel, i did mean to tell you that God can sort/do things if u sinsearly pray and i know u probably already knew that but it felt right to say, just in case u fogot or somthin but clearly you havent so grandingness . menna had bad toncils/tonsles but is back to gigling a lot now to make up 4 all the time when she couldnt so thats a releaf .
at my work iv been given the job of building an eco compost toilet and a solar/gas shower so have been scratching my head about that .i am an expert at solar heating you know- i cant even boast that i put a cup of tea in a greenhouse to keep it warm so i think ill get some advice.
rob and ben just got back from monico/nice thay had a nice time
hope to hear from yar again soon bless
Hi, could you contact me on the email provided with regard to visiting our projects as part of your trip? Many thanks.
Awesome little site you got here! Hope you guys are good, certainly looks like an amazing time.
hay boath been cheking most days to see what yay been up to good to here that u not to busted though i probbably wouldnt be reading about it if u were in some bad lookin shapes if u see what i mean
looks lovely in the photos would love to be there with u too, if i was a bit younger id be thier .i used the place names atar, choum on google maps to see if i can see u and to look at the photo tags, kinda nice to see were you are and have a soop around ( could u include some small place names so i can look at were uv been that would be mostingly pleasing). i recon those steep dunes would be good 4 me mono sledge ,the beter temp side of sleding,no snow here yet.have u met any one els going the other way on bikes or the sort, or even more unlikly americans(not the ones with guns and tanks),do meany people speak british.
menna is getting on well she turned a corner 4 the first time when walking to me from sarah when she started to go the wrong way,also she offerd sar some of here food and then pulled it away and grind as soon as sar opond her mouth to eat it ,cheeky .im building a eco shower and toilet 4 work at the mo,sar is good too. look forward to hearing from u agin .bless lots .He is with u -even if u do fall of ur bike!?
Hey boys its great to see the updates of your travels, and hearing about the journey and all thats happening-the photos are amazing! You are certainly experiencing some difficult times amongst exciting adventures. Thinking of you both and praying for you to be blessed and kept safe. Jen & Marc and Keith say Hi too. Judy
Hi both hope your getting better sounds like its tough, the photos are amazing fair doo’s. the state of the bikes is concerning, what do you think is wrong with Russels or a least what are the symptoms (i know it’s over heating!) im just wondering if there is an air lock in the coolant system, the pump may have packed up, the coolant level may be low if it has blown the pressure release cap. is the fan working on the rad and is the rad bunged with sand or any of the pipes kinked. if the coolant is low or missing be carefull cos the temp switch won,t register any temp at all or sudden rise. is the switch faulty? lots of these things im sure you have thought of and checked not trying to teach granny to suck eggs but just want to help if i can . sorry i have not been in touch so much my lap top has a virus and i aint got a clue. Anyway gods mega best to you. oh it was minus 6 this morning at 10 am have fun in the sun woop woop. Ben.
Hey guys. Looks like you’ve havd a crazy time already. You’re right, pretty cold at the moment here. Hope the bikes are getting fixed and your bodies too. God bless both.
Sounds like you’re having an eventful time out there! Pictures certainly look a lot warmer than it is here (most of UK under snow at the moment!)
Take care both…God bless, Naomi
Hi boys, well done, so proud of you…….
BIG BIRTHDAY TODAY DARREN!!! Where ever you are, we hope you had a fantastic day. I am sure it will be a special birthday. We will have a drink for you here, perhaps a tequila…………arriba arriba. Well Enya will have a banana bottle instead. Send more pictures
Love you loadsxxxxxx
María, John & Enya
hi dazz, truncated planns to spend your birthday drinking the beer you left hidden in the tool shed,,,,,,, jaja!!!! No celebrating that air traffic controllers didnt let us go my beloved hereford, so we are spending the days in Toledo. HAPPY birthday darling,
Happy Birthday Darren. Hope it’s all going well! Gonna wear ‘the shirt’ to the works christmas meal soon. Drum up a bit of interest from Waste Management. ooooooohhhh!
Hiya both,
So sorry I missed to send you birthday wishes Darren, I pray your both feeling better and refreshed now, been thinking of you both so much!
Im off to Hereford tomorrow through the snow as uni finishes for Christmas today, therefore I wont be online till next year… so I wanted to wish you both safe and amazing journeys and an incredible Christmas with an incredible new year!
Your in my prayers, take care, big hugs
Cat 🙂 xx
How do, both glad you guys at last seem to be having some nice times instead of breaking yourselfs and ur bikes, I was ammused to read that you watched three what ever they were films with those kids, it’s those kind of unexpected, unexpecteds that will make this trip, it’s so random you couldn’t make it up. Im always impressed with the pics in the blogs, is there anyway you can shove the others you must have on the the internet, i don’t mean on th eblog cos thats probably a lot of faff, but then if it’s a lot of faff just to out em on’t net then no worries. I spect you know we have had lots of snow, it’s crazy but it spices up manky winter! how are the off road riding skills coming on i guess your like pro’s now and how many miles have you done so far? and how much is fuel and how easy is it to get? Questions Questions Questions? And what size shoes do you take and how much is 2 plus 2 and who wrote War and Peace and what time is it?????????????? Blah Blah! Well God speed and alll that, do you get it? God’s Speed!! Boom Boom! ok well i thought it was funny!!.
Ben.
happy christmas both Woop Woop, have a great day, don’t eat to much goat!! or what ever the local christmas dish is. Remember to wrap up warm too!! Only joking. Gods best to you and stay safe Ben.
hello yar happy birthday sorry i couldnt come to the party though this is a little behind in letting u know that . christmass was the norm, only saved by a man how then died and no not santa
looks from the photos like you had finaly got to oz as u had planned though thier are not meany whight people left there are thier?.
iv been trying to ski here but the snow is too lumpy or blowy in other words poo so have been trying ice climbing but on rock,n,frozen turf(its as hard as aircreat blocks and is just a treat)- so turf,n,rock climbing ,……..but with ice axe,s which is starting to get confusing .mike came with me and belayed sitting in -30’c windchill on p-y-fan for 20min after witch he was frosty on one side
menna is warking around normaly sitting down on u and getting up from the floor which is for all mankind a well lernt art and funny to think that we lernt it,she has three teeth and her first hiar trim and is obssesed with tidying and putting things in pots(of here mother)
ill soon look up some of the name place,s .have skyp now but prob wont be on line much,would be good to speek but not so easy to work my house no is 342980
God bless yar, missing u2, cant find ether of their cd,s
halo guys how are you doing have been looking through your last updates, they look brilliant
spending the first days of the year in athens, heading to larissa on tues. kisses from here
Lake Bosumtwi .I KNOW WRE U LIVE……ED.at rainbow garden village with the beachball net and the jetti and the donki .though its pos that u took the photo across the lake from the north ,im not sure let me know if im a jammy doger benseddonharvey@gmail.com
hi darren found the green turtle lodge nr Achenim and the mangroves, looks nice .compost toilets no dout .lovely looking round huts with bamboo frame beds and old boats for seats along the beach front
is the bar food still written on a chalk board and did u have the bbq baracuda with mango & avocado , it must of been tasty for someone to post it?
just been on my roof at night (thats 5pm onwards)to see if the strong rain has washed the cement out of the the bits iv been fixing- great joy it hadnt .
menna has firmly learnt the meaning of nodding my head which generly follow by something nice coming ,
Hi Both,
Hope both of u are fine? take good care of yourself. cheers
We met at an hotel in Akure, Nigeria. hope ur trip to Abuja was OK? were u able to get the right battery for your Bike.
Hope u enjoy your stay so far in Nigeria? when are u leaving Nigeria.
Please always take good care of your self and wishing u a smooth ride.
i will keep on getting in touched.
cheers
hi guys,
heard about you from billy and trish. you’re few weeks ahead of us, we’re in bamako right now. where did you secure cameroon visas guys? do you have any waypoints through nigeria (where to stay, embassies)? would love to hook up somehow.
cheers
darius
helloa just read ur blog.sounds kida fun- i have to deal with ishues like weather or not to stay up on the computer,i can see how we are in having to make similar choises !
all good here will write soon gbless u
hi you too ,u defo are in the middle of nowhere, the web hits for some of the villages are almost” its a village “on some very old website .
real nice to read you blog and hear of all the fun but hard time u are having wish i was with u -but not when you waiting 4 visas ……. or parts for the bikes. ill set up a life in hereford blog so u can see what life,s like here.loves to u both ben menna sarah
Hey guys. it was so special meeting you and hope you had a good time whilst staying here. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful stories and booze (grin). All the best with the rest of your trip and I might bump into you along the way in Europe as it seems you’ll still be on the road for a couple of months, by the looks of the state of your bikes (wide grin). I will keep you in my fan base for my book… watch out for it, it will be called Hinane… and I hope to see yours alongside it one day in the book stores. The world really need more people like the two of you and I reckon you can be very proud of yourselfs. Have fun outhere! Ciao ciao.
you’re just too lovley… the problem is now we are used to being spoilt. we had a fantastic time in Lesontho.. Russ will up date the blog soon and Ive a couple of ok pics. Wishing there was more people like you on our trip. Love Darren and Russ
Thanks for the compliments my friends… but you were actually model guests! I will certainly have a frequent look at your website and stay updated with your adventure… stay cool… or hot… or whichever you prefer…(grin) both is hip! PS… See you two when I come to deliver copies of my signed book.
Definatly prefere Hot especially as its so cold here in Pretoria. Russ even shared my tent last night for warmth! Had a bit of a crap day trying to get visas… They make you jump through hoops and still no Visa (Ethiopia and Saudi). Looking forward to your visit and book. Take care and good luck with your future guests
hellow u two .thankyou too tanja for not finding some way of making them leave u in peace, though thats probably because u couldnt think of a good way of doing it!
thoughs mountain roads are what make me want to be there. may get the same in scotland this winter ?
menna is saying three words now like uhoh menna welli ,all very qute .
ive been spending my time fitting a new boiler and a solar water heater at bods this week, thats my other job did u know time seved plumer, im looking forward to turning it on for the first time witch will only be a few hours befor the guy who payer for it arrives ,i hope it works!. good to here all is well.bless muchingness
Good on you mate>>> Kisses for mena! chao for for now.. Will update when we do somthing a bit exciting. We will be in mozanbique soon… Yippy
swazi……hello (hum who do i say first russlll n darren daraen n ruseel ) firstly im looking at my lava lamp ,not to much to write home about you say ,but aaahhh, i tell you, its grosing me out ,the hollow wax tubes that form at the start are sucking in hot wax and the blobs of water so its got a regular puls .it looks alive .at the bottom i can see inside the hard pink wax shell and see its red inner movmments like a beating heart uuuhr.
all is well hear , me solar heating works……. but only well when its sunny…………..so in the uk only good 50% of the time.i had some problems with the super computer that powers it ,i had to find a seacet settings options to adjust the pump running ratio to compensate for the lack of leccy power of the pv pannels ,anyway.
not so little little menna ,now up to my pocket is doing well ,you can ask her to point to the pen in dady teddy,s hand and she understands ,coool, and she understands if you talk about something or someone who isnt in the room
its nice to hear that ur making proges now,how is it been away from home all this time and can u mesure pothole spacing in m or km,s. itle be good to speak with u two soon .god bless nice to know that he likes us .
my lava lamp is freaky
uw herd about the crash .im sure you,l blog some nasty pictures of bike parts.what about getting an old old 2weel drive banger (4weel drive thirsty) if the bike dosnt work,you could be russis support crew ,russ probably looking back in envy .hope your not broken-or feelin better-ish now . bless lots
hello u two. hope y parts have arrived ben told me about all the faf. thats why i would of taken some terribly batted old cheep bike that would of broken by dover i could throw it away, but like u said you cant sell and buy bikes easly cos of in port tax what a poo.
took menna to the beach for the week . she hates the feel of sand and sea water on her feet and would cry when she got wet so wore wellies in the sea, besides the point i think.on the last day she met another little girl paying in the sand and puddles they played for half an hour after which menna was cured,she looks a lot different to when u two left.ill have a go at phoning u soon
Yep lots of Faf… But wow we’ve leart alot about mechanics. Look forward to seeing mena all grown up.. She’ll prob be 16 by the time we get home! Also will be good to hear from you! cheers D
hi read the safari .great to hear your on the go again love to u boath. need to go and sort menna out so cant witer
hello u two read ur ethiopia blog looks nice i like all that rocky desert like areas ,as long as its not hot ! ,i wouldnt make a good afica traveler im sure, maybe the hills for me .seems like u havent got to far to go now and i guess tarmak is soon to be on its way . menna will be able to ask “where have u been that took u so long” and give u a small kick in leg when u arrive home
im probably back out to bods tomo to look at the solar water heater its a bit poorly and needs some improving the main problem been that the control computer and 12v/240v inverter drains its solar powered batteries overnight and hasent got any juice to run the pump etc in the morning, i hopefly fixed it by putting in a thermal switch so things only get turned on when the thing gets nice and hot -ill find out tomo.
give us a ring if u can but i know thats not always that easy /dont know ur numbers if u still have a phone. sweet .ben
Hi Ben, great to hear from you, looking forward to a good kicking when we get back! Bikes are now good to go, a few things like taxing my bike and watching the rugby to do before we leave. Danakil depression next, hope we get there, it was flooded, you will love the pics! Say hi to the family, God bless. Russ
the longer your away…… the older menna gets …….the the more the kicking will hurt.
.just the usual going on.here.mennas been opening lots of presents. i have mini bike No.2 wohoow .this one has the same engin but is a road bike ,it has a good rashio and sticky tyer ,iv done the customary medaling -making it longer and new handbars, putting a bank of a meager 144 led,s to see a little better in the rapidly enveloping darkness and bringing the pegs in so u can get ur nee down though i regret doing this cos mr ben has worn away my nice shin&nee,s pads but he looked like he enjoyed doing it so thats ok. ive been laying out a 200 or 300m long track using bits of rope and lights in old plastic milk cartons, much fun . love to u both speak soon
Hi Ben. Africa defiantly gets hot in place but bloody freezing in others. Im not coming home if Mena is going to kick me. GBU
Shalam Khartoum friends!
Hows Khartoum city without a me. Totally black right 😉 I mad it by bike till 50 case out of Khartoum, then I took a minibus…..to warm top cycle! I’m in Gedaref right now…leave for Ethiopia tomorrow….can’t wait to be in cooler weather…where I can really cycle 🙂
Did it work out with de Saudi visa? Todat I met 2 germans with the same plan….its a good road to Jardan he said.
Enjoy the dessert trip!
Michel
the longer your away…… the older menna gets …….the the more the kicking will hurt.
.just the usual going on.here.mennas been opening lots of presents. i have mini bike No.2 wohoow .this one has the same engin but is a road bike ,it has a good rashio and sticky tyer ,iv done the customary medaling -making it longer and new handbars, putting a bank of a meager 144 led,s to see a little better in the rapidly enveloping darkness and bringing the pegs in so u can get ur nee down though i regret doing this cos mr ben has worn away my nice shin&nee,s pads but he looked like he enjoyed doing it so thats ok. ive been laying out a 200 or 300m long track using bits of rope and lights in old plastic milk cartons, much fun . love to u both speak soon
Africa Orbital says:
Does mene really have to kick us when we get home? Looking forward to playing on you mini moto when we do.. dont trash it like we are ours. All the best to yoiu and family GBU
the thing is about braking things is that if u dont then you dont know how far of the limit is -like darrens bones
.youl probably get a cheeky slap of menna when u pick her up, like she dose to me .
poo to hear that your stuck again .maybe you should write to bmw ?
much love to u both and happy africa anniversery
humm i tried to cross a border once too. after some time i gave up and drove home in time for home & away and a nice cup of tea
Was that the border to Wales.. Tricky one that lol X
yay on the home strait i like reading ur blogs its like looking at all ur holiday snaps when your still not back .are u still getting the boat to italy (they are going bust). if you did 400miles a day you could of been done it in 2.5 months! .iv got a warm coat, and a cup of broth on a simmer for u both much love
Hi ben.. The snaps are good so now I dont have to spend hours showing them which I dont normally get around to. The Boat to Italy is definatley on the cards to avoid the ice and snow in Europe and also because we would like to see israle and wont be able to go to syria afterwards. Actually hot broth sounds good but an Irish coffee would be amazing. Were both really looking forward to seeing you all. Probably be in about 3 or 4 weeks depending on sorting out Russ’ latest mechanical issues
Hope that both of you have a safe trip back to UK , it was our pleasure to meet you in jordan and I hope to see you again, but just a small correction in Jordan the group you met called JORDAN BIKERS not Riders.
Oops, I will make a change on the blog, good job you are reading to correct me. Was great meeting you guys, we had a lot of fun. Safe riding.
Hey guys check this video out http://youtu.be/1Q1dX0NbPUk
haha.. good memories. How are you guys doing?