164. That’s number of vehicles it took me and two friends to hitchhike from Groningen, the Netherlands, to the Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. We covered a distance of 25,000 kilometers — all fuelled through those 164 random acts of kindness from total strangers. I photographed (almost) every single person and their vehicle that gave us a ride.
Rides 1 to 3: The Netherlands
Total distance: 62 km.
Ride 1 (Vismarkt to Europaweg, Groningen — 1 km), Ride 2 (Groningen to Scheemda — 26 km), and Ride 3 (Scheemda to Bad Nieuweschans, the Dutch/German border — 35 km).
Rides 4 to 10: Germany
Ride 4 (Bad Nieuweschans to Ganderkesee — 105 km), Ride 5 (Ganderkesee to Allertal Ost — 109 km), and Ride 6 (Allertal Ost to Wendeburg, 69 km).
Ride 7 (Wendeburg to Malsfeld, 203 km), Ride 8 (Malsfeld to Heßdorf — 257 km), Ride 9 (Heßdorf to Erlangen — 6 km).
Ride 10 (Erlangen, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary — 790 km).
Rides 11 to 14: Hungary
Ride 11 (Radnó Street to his house, Budapest — 0,4 km) and Ride 12 (Budapest to Szeged, 174 km).
Ride 13 (from the trainstation to outskirts, Szeged — 5 km) and Ride 14 (Szeged to Nagylak — 55 km).
Rides 15 to 18: Romania
Total distance: 1,420 km.
Ride 15 (Nădlac to Buzău — 632 km) and Ride 16 (Buzău to Iași to Bucharest — 664 km).
Ride 17 (Șoseaua Giurgiului, Bucharest to Giurgiu — 58 km) and Ride 18 (Giurgiu, Romania, to Ruse, Bulgaria — 4 km).
Rides 19 to 22: Bulgaria
Ride 19 (Ruse to Vetovo — 43 km), Ride 20 (Vetovo to Razgrad — 36 km, and Ride 21 (Razgrad to Burgas — 217 km).
Rides 23 to 41: Turkey
Ride 23 (Anadolu Otoyolu, Istanbul, to Ankara — 424 km), Ride 24 (Ankara to Antakya — 667 km), and Ride 26 (the boat from İskenderun, Turkey, to Port Said, Egypt — approx. 750 km).
Rides 27 to 41: Egypt
Ride 27 (One side of the Port Said harbor to the other — 2 km), Ride 28 (from Port Said harbor to city center — approx. 5 km), and Ride 29 (from downtown to bus-station of Port Said — approx. 5 km).
Ride 30 (Port Said to police checkpoint along Suez Canal — approx. 30 km) and Ride 31 (along the Suez Canal — approx. 10 km).
Ride 34 and Ride 35 (both in and around El Minya — approx. 25 km).
Ride 36 (El Minya to Asyut — 363 km).
Ride 38 (Qina to Luxor — 119 km) and Ride 39 (Luxor outskirts to Luxor downtown — approx. 5 km).
Ride 50 and Ride 51 (both in Khartoum, driving us around — approx. 30 km).
Ride 52, Ride 53, and Ride 54.
Ride 55 (_ to Wad Medani).
Ride 56 (Wad Medani to Al Qadarif — 175 km) and Ride 57 (to downtown Qadarif — approx. 5 km).
Ride 58 (Al Qadarif to Doka — 134 km) and Ride 59 (Doka, Sudan, to Metema, Ethiopia — 83 km).
Rides 60 to 88: Ethiopia
Ride 60 (Metema to Maganan — 35 km).
Ride 63 (one side of the street to the other, Aykel — approx. 1 km).
Ride 64 (Aykel to Gondar — 63 km), Ride 65 (Gondar downtown to outskirts — approx. 5 km.), and Ride 66 (Gondar outskirts to Azezo — 12 km).
Ride 67 (Azezo to Caena Tesama — 22 km).
Ride 68 (Caena Tesama to Wereta — 85 km).
Ride 70 (Debre Tabor to country side to Bahir Dar — approx. 100 km).
Ride 76 (driving in and around Addis Ababa, and to Ducam — approx. 60 km).
Ride 77 (Ducam to Nazret (Adama) — 55 km).
Ride 81 (in and around Hawassa — approx. 5 km)
Ride 82 (Hawassa to Dilla — 87 km).
Ride 83 (Dilla to Hagere Maryam — 108 km).
Ride 84 (from north Hagere Maryam to south — 4 km).
Ride 85 (Hagere Maryam to Yebelo — 101 km).
Ride 86 (Yebelo to road construction site — 50 km), Ride 87 (from the road construction site to Mega — 55 km), and Ride 88 (Mega to Moyale — 107 km).
Rides 90 to 105: Kenya
Total distance: 1,064 km.
Ride 90 (Moyale to Marsabit — 247 km) and Ride 91 (Marsabit to Isiolo — 256 km).
Ride 92 (in and around Isiolo — 10 km).
Ride 93 (Isiolo to 1 km further down the road — 1 km).
Ride 94 (Isiolo to Nanyuki — 80 km).
Ride 95 (Nanyuki to Nyeri — 60 km), Ride 96 (Nyeri to Karatina — 17 km), and Ride 97 (Karatina to Ruiru — 103 km).
Ride 98 (Ruiru to Kiambu — 20 km), Ride 99 (Kiambi to Ndumberi and back — 15 km), and Ride 100 (one side of Kiambu to other — 5 km).
Ride 101 (Kiambu to Nairobi downtown — 17 km), Ride 102 (Nairobi to Juja and back — 66 km), and Ride 103 (Nairobi to Athi River — 30 km).
Ride 104 (Athi River to Kajiado — 80 km) and Ride 105 (Kajiado to Namanga (border Kenya/Tanzania) — 57 km).
Rides 106 to 128: Tanzania
Ride 106 (Namanga (Kenya/Tanzania border) to Arusha — 109 km), Ride 107 (House of Ride 106 to Stadium Street, Arusha — 5 km), and Ride 108 (Arusha to Sanawari — 2 km).
Ride 109 (Sanawari to Boma la Ngombe — 53 km), Ride 110 (Boma la Ngombe to Dar es Salaam — 596 km), and Ride 111 (Dar es Salaam to Kigamboni — 4 km).
Ride 113 (Dar es Salaam to Morogoro — 193 km), Ride 114 (in and around Morogoro — 20 km), Ride 115 (Morogoro to Magole — 139 km).
Ride 116 (Magole to Morogoro Police Station, 145 km) and Ride 117 (Police station to bus station, Morogoro — approx. 5 km).
Ride 118 (Morogoro to Dodoma — 264 km) and Ride 119 (Dodoma to Ihanda and back — ).
Ride 120 (From in to outside of Dodoma — 2 km).
Ride 121 (Dodoma to Fufu — 65 km), Ride 122 (Fufu to Chipogolo — 34 km), and Ride 123 (Chipogolo to Iringa — 161 km).
Ride 124 (downtown Iringa to outside Iringa — approx. 5 km) and Ride 125 (down the road, exit road Iringa — 1 km).
Ride 126 (Iringa to Makambako — 165 km) and Ride 128 (Tunduma city center to border Tanzania/Zambia — 3 km).
Rides 129 to 137: Zambia
Distance: 1,617 km.
Ride 129 (Tunduma to Two Leopards), Ride 130 (Two Leopards to Mpika), and Ride 131 (Mpika to Kabwe — 516 km).
Ride 132 (Kabwe to Lusaka — 147 km), Ride 133 (Lusaka to Parays Game Farm and back — 49 km), and Ride 134 (around Parays Game Farm, 3 km).
Ride 135 (Lusaka to Choma — 270 km), Ride 136 (Choma to Livingstone — 217 km), and Ride 137 (Livingstone to Victoria Falls — 9 km).
Rides 138 and 139: Zimbabwe
Distance: 99 km.
Ride 138 (Victoria Falls to Nakavango and back — 30 km) and Ride 139 (Victoria Falls to Kazungula — 69 km).
Rides 140 to 151: Zambia
Distance: 1,122 km.
Ride 140 (Kazungula border post to Kazungula — 3 km), Ride 141 (Kazungula to Kasane — 10 km), and Ride 142 (Kasane to Kazungula — 10 km).
Ride 143 (Kazungula to Nata — 300 km), Ride 144 (Nata to Maun — 301 km), and Ride 145 (Maun hotel to main road — 3 km).
Ride 146 (Maun mainstreet to other street — 2km), Ride 147 (Maun to Sehithwa — 98 km), and Ride 148 (Sehithwa to Ghanzi — 190 km).
Ride 149 (down Ghanzi main road — 3 km), Ride 150 (Ghanzi to Namibia/RSA Junction — 41 km), and Ride 151 (Junction to Trans Kalahari border post — 161 km).
Rides 152 to 160: Namibia
Distance: 1,796 km.
Ride 152 (Buitepos to Windhoek — 314 km), Ride 153 (to Windhoek city center — 4 km), and Ride 154 (Windhoek to outskirts — 4 km).
Ride 155 (Windhoek to Keetmanshoop — 491 km), Ride 156 (in Keetmanshoop — 2 km), and Ride 157 (Keetmanshoop to Lüderitz — 338 km).
Ride 158 (Lüderitz to Keetmanshoop — 338 km), Ride 159 (Keetmanshoop to Grünau — 163 km), and Ride 160 (Grünau to Vioolsdrif — 142 km).
Rides 161 to 164: South Africa
Distance: 684 km.
Ride 161 (Vioolsdrif to Piketberg — 550 km) and Ride 162 (Piketberg to Century City, Greater Cape Town — 121 km).
Ride 163 (Century City to Table Mountain, Cape Town — 10 km) and Ride 164 (Table Mountain parking lot to plateau — 3 km).
