Mike Howitt, 80 years old
Hitchhiking? No, he just wanted to bury his beloved in a place filled with sweet memories — the ends of the earth. Over 56 days, traversing more than 20 countries and covering nearly 2,000 kilometers, he traveled from Leicestershire, England to Table Mountain in South Africa, scattering his partner’s ashes at this romantic sacred site.
For British gentleman Mike Howitt, the greatest achievement of his life was his seemingly perfect marriage. Now 80 years old, he and his wife Diana spent 55 wonderful years together. Throughout those long years, they supported each other, lived in harmony, and left behind mostly beautiful memories. If you count from the moment they fell in love at first sight, their romance goes back even further. It all began with a chance encounter in church 65 years ago, when Howitt was only 16 and Diana was also in her youthful prime. They met at the best time of their lives and instantly knew the other was their true soulmate.
“Love comes when you least expect it, and you can’t avoid it,” Howitt said. In his view, everything was God’s arrangement, and they naturally fell in love. At that time, Britain still had conscription, so not long after meeting, Howitt was called up for military service, which meant the sweet couple didn’t get married until after his service ended.
After retiring, Howitt found work as a construction consultant. Due to the nature of the job, traveling to South Africa for work became commonplace, and his beloved wife Diana joined him, where they were captivated by the unique charm of the foreign land and soon fell in love with it. In the capital, Cape Town, there is a striking mountain peak called Table Mountain, famous locally for its flat, rectangular tabletop-like summit. Their fifth visit to Table Mountain was the most memorable. “Diana loved Table Mountain the most, but it wasn’t until our fifth visit that she finally summoned the courage to take the cable car.” The “City of Cape” became a testament to their devoted love, and over the years, their passports accumulated 25 stamps from South Africa — marks of love.
In 2011, Diana, who had been suffering from lung disease, passed away at a medical center in Leicestershire. Reflecting on their unwavering love, Howitt realized they had never taken an official second honeymoon like other couples. “At the funeral, I told everyone that I had never had a second honeymoon with Diana. To me, our entire marriage felt like one long honeymoon.” And so, the once incredibly warm and loving land of South Africa stirred emotions in his heart.
To honor his late wife and to thank the medical staff for their attentive care during Diana’s final days, Howitt decided to embark on his South African hitchhiking journey, hoping to raise £6,000 for the medical center while scattering his wife’s ashes on the land they both loved.
Old age, frailty, and mobility issues did not stop his determination to set off. After a year of planning, in September 2012, carrying his wife’s urn, Howitt finally set off from his hometown of Leicestershire. Instead of taking the convenient flights he had used before, he traveled by car, cargo ship, even horse-drawn cart and rickshaw along the way, heading toward the southernmost tip of the African continent.
Aside from physical limitations and language barriers, the journey was full of unexpected challenges. “When I arrived in the Hawassa Valley in Sudan, I couldn’t find a hotel and had to sleep in the wild with an inflatable mattress. On the southern border of Sudan, I rode a cattle cart overnight to reach Nairobi, Kenya.” In the last few days of the trip, Howitt had to cut part of his shoe to relieve the swelling on his toes caused by prolonged pressure and friction.
After enduring countless hardships and traveling through 20 countries, the elderly man finally arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, and scattered Diana’s ashes on Table Mountain.
“When I reached Cape Town, I asked myself, this journey has ended — where to next?” When Howitt first shared his travel plan, even his daughter shook her head in opposition, and everyone thought he was simply overwhelmed by grief after losing his partner. Now, having accomplished this remarkable feat, Howitt doesn’t see the journey as something particularly dangerous. He said candidly that life is always full of joy.