Sean Drysdale, a retired doctor from Glengormley, Northern Ireland, has embarked on a unique mission to visit all 25 cities around the world named Belfast. The journey started in 2019 when Drysdale travelled on his 1970s Honda 750 motorbike from Belfast, Mpumalanga in South Africa, through Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan before arriving in Saudi Arabia. However, his journey was cut short when he broke his foot in Sudan, and he had to change his route. He travelled to Jordan, then Israel, and took a cargo boat to Italy.
Drysdale plans to resume his journey in April 2022 and travel through the 19 Belfasts in North America, two in Canada, 17 in the United States, one in Australia, and one in Jamaica, all on the same bike he rode for his Africa trip. He has contacted an online Honda 750 motorbike forum to find fellow enthusiasts to join him on his journey.
Drysdale said his travels have been an “eye-opener” and an excellent way to experience local cultures. “The willingness of people to help was just amazing,” he said. “The interest people showed in my journey and their willingness to help me was amazing.” He also noted that some of the best parts of his African journey were stopping at the side of the road and camping in the middle of nowhere.
According to Drysdale, the journey through America will take six months, and he plans to travel at a leisurely pace, savoring each destination. In addition, he hopes to understand how each of the cities came to be called Belfast. “Apart from the challenge of the trip, I think it will be interesting to see how all these places came to be called Belfast,” he said
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