The 1996 trip through Africa,which has already been mentioned in the biography , was a major turning point in my life. A journey like this is not just a superficial experience. When you leave all your certainties behind, it’s inevitable that, after facing so many challenges—both positive and negative—you’ll develop a broader perspective on life. The trip took place at a time when neither the internet nor AI could help you. Back then, we had a state-of-the-art navigation system in the Land Rover that provided approximate coordinates via satellite. Today, people would find it ridiculously inaccurate and outdated. For us back then, it was a necessity, because in the Sahara there were no roads or traffic signs. No Google to tell you where to fill up on gas or where the nearest supermarket was. No cell phone to call for help if your car broke down or you got sick. You were truly at the mercy of the unknown—an adventure that was impossible or nearly impossible to plan. We didn’t have Google Maps, but we did have paper maps and a comprehensive Lonely Planet guide for each country. Together with Bert van de Roest, the epic journey began in the Netherlands and ended after about 35,000 km in Cape Town (South Africa). The journey took us through inhospitable regions: from Morocco and Mauritania, across the Sahara to Senegal. In Mali, we traveled through the Dogon Valley to Niger and Chad, where we were ambushed several times. We continued our journey through Cameroon to the rainforest of the “Central African Republic” (C.A.R.) to meet the Pygmies and go hunting with them. The journey continued through what was then Zaire, which was already more or less in the throes of a civil war. In this difficult-to-navigate country, we even had to build a raft for the Land Rover in order to continue our journey. We then traveled through Uganda and set out in search of the mountain gorillas. We had the Land Rover hoisted aboard a ferry and sailed across Lake Victoria to Tanzania, where we drove through the famous Serengeti in our Land Rover. Via Mozambique, the journey continued to Zimbabwe, where we navigated the “Zambezi” River on a raft. Via Botswana, the journey continued to Namibia, eventually ending in Cape Town, South Africa. The trip lasted about 8 months from start to finish.