On Saturday 29 June, Meryem Belkihel posted a photo of herself at the iconic yellow frame at Eden on the Bay in Bloubergstrand with the words: “Praise be to God, safely arrived in South Africa after a year and a half, and more than 20 000km and twenty countries.

Radio 786 gets Up Close & Personal with Miss Belkihel who cycled over 20,000km from Morocco to Cape Town, visiting twenty countries in 18 months. Her journey, documented on social media, includes challenges like malaria, bike issues, and visa delays, but also highlights things, such as the beauty and hospitality she received whilst visiting Angola.

The estimated time distance between Cape Town, and Morocco via the Trans-Sahara Highway/N1 is -158 hours. For Meryem Belkihel who cycled from her home country to the Mother City, her solo route was much longer, as she visited several countries along the way. The trip was also well documented via her social media pages.