Canadian cycles through SA alone
A French Canadian cyclist passed through Mossel Bay in December, while on a tour of South Africa.
Jeannette Gagné (64) was touring on her own and said she was not afraid and did not feel vulnerable.
"When you think negative thoughts, you project them and you attract negativity," she said. "So, I try to think good thoughts about people."
She also said she had found that there were often police around her during her travels, who looked out for her. She mentioned a few instances during her journey in South Africa that police were close at hand.
Mossel Bay Advertiser interviewed her on Tuesday, 19 December, when she was staying in a guesthouse in town.
She rode her bicycle from Cape Town to Mossel Bay and was soon to leave for George. She planned to stay in George for a few days.
Jeannette has seen much of the world. She has cycled in Canada and Alaska, been to the North Pole and explored the Americas.
She mentions having seen caribou, musk oxen, bears, wolves and moose on her adventures. She has also been to New Zealand and Australia.
It is easier to mention the countries she has not been to - the Middle East - than listing the countries she has been to, Jeannette says with a chuckle. The only thing that stopped her going to the Middle East at the time she wanted to, was Covid, she notes.
So far, she has covered 95 000 kilometres on her travels, her GPS tells her.
Jeannette's exploring began after her husband passed away when she was 42 years old. She called her bicycle after him. Her term of affection for him was Minou, which means "cat".
"It's similar to calling someone 'honey'," she says. "So, I called my bicycle Mr Minou."