Due to Turkmenistan closing its borders, I had to take the ferry across the Caspian to Aqtau in Kazakhstan and then cut across the desert to Uzbekistan - four days of hot, dusty riding although the route was not as bad as I had feared it would be. On the plus side was the opportunity to camp out in the desert each night.

Trying to reach the celebrated Indian Ocean beaches of Mozambique- involved dodging mine fields and trying to cope with deep soft sand whilst struggling with a failing battery.