Travel Mate

We will be cycling together for an unknown but no doubt lengthy amount of time, so for those of you who are curious, let me introduce you to my travel mate.
Mario cycled away from his home and 7-year career in Germany almost two years ago. When we met in Rio de Janeiro last year during carnival (early February), he had already cycled through eastern Europe, Asia, and New Zealand with his friend Torsten. Just 6 days cycling with him and Torsten through the Pantanal in western Brazil was enough to convince me that it is the best way to travel. It gets you away from the tourist hordes and affords a level of interaction with the people and land not available to travelers of other means. Hence my decision to catch up with Mario here in Africa and share his experiences. Now, already 6 months into his Africa traversal, he will lend his experience to me as we set off together from Beira, Mozambique on the next stage of this journey.
Take a look at Mario's website - http://www.abgefahren2004.de/ - it's far better than this generic blog, although only in German, so you'll have to poke around a bit for pictures and route maps, etc.