To travel through AFRICA, from North to South, on off road motorcycles with only the bare minimum. To experience not just the thousands of kilometres through desert and jungles, but to intermingle with the people of Africa, their traditions, customs and needs. Our experience will be highlighted by your contribution to ROTARY WELLINGTON, an international service club, raising funds for the eradication of polio in Africa.
Our trip will be done under the ROTARY INTERNATIONAL banner and all donations, pledges etc going towards the eradication of polio in Africa.
Banking detail for the ROTARY CLUB OF WELLINGTON
FIRST NATIONAL BANK WELLINGTON
Code 200 710
Account 620 49918727
Please forward proof of payment to horfran@cybertrade.co.za
Banking detail for the ROTARY CLUB OF WELLINGTON
FIRST NATIONAL BANK WELLINGTON
Code 200 710
Account 620 49918727
Please forward proof of payment to horfran@cybertrade.co.za
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL has been involved in the fight against polio since 1985. More than 2 billion children in 122 countries have been immunized against this terrible, crippling and potentially fatal desease. The polio virus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. Over the last more than 25 years ROTARY has contributed more than US$900 million and countless volunteer hours to eradicate polio world wide. These efforts include providing much needed operational support, medical personnel, laboratory equipment and educational material for health workers and parents
Since it's launch in 1988, the GLOBAL POLIO ERADICATION INITIATIVE, spearheaded by WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, ROTARY INTERNATIONAL, the U.S. CENTRES for DISEASE CONTROL and UNICEF - has reduced the incidence of polio by 99% At the time, more than 125 countries were polio endemic and more than 350 000 children were paralysed by this disease each year.
We need your support !
THE RIDERS
Calla Rischbieter(58 years old) and a former president of ROTARY WELLINGTON and member for more than 12 years. He was awarded the Paul Harris recognition for his service above excellence. He is an accomplished off road rider with years of enduro racing experience including the ROOF OF AFRICA and the TRANS KALAHARI races. Retired Private Investigator by profession.
Du Toit Viljoen (56) is a sports fanatic and out door loving engineer from Durbanville. He has been riding for many years throughout South Africa including Die Richtersveld, Drakensberg routes and most of the local off road bikers routes. He is also an electronics and GPS specialist
THE DEPARTURE
Departing from Cape Town International Airport on 2 September 2011. The bikes will be flown in crates from Cape Town to Egypt.
THE ROUTE
We plan to ride on average 300 kilometers per day. We know that in certain areas that can take up to 10 hours in the saddle but on better roads it could be done in 3 hours
From Cairo we will be following the Nile to the Lake Aswan where we will board a ferry to Wadi Halva which is in SUDAN. We will continue to follow the Nile River to Dongola and the Khartoum.
From Khartoum we will head east towards Ethiopia. Our first overnight place in Ethiopia will be Gondar and from there South to Addis Ababa.
From Ethiopia we will continue South through the Rift Valley and after 6 – 7 days arrive in Nairobi, capital of Kenia.
We will depart from Nairobi after having serviced our bikes for Dodoma in Tanzania where we will bypass Lake Malawi on route to Zambia.
Two to three days of travel should see us to Lusaka, Zambia.
From Lusaka we will head for the Victoria Falls in the south before entering Namibia in the Caprivi strip.
Namibia should be another 4 days traveling via Grootfontein, Windhoek, Keetmanshoop to the border post of South Africa.
Reaching Springbok we will gladly look forward to our last leg home to my home town Britannia Bay where we will officially finish at the Shelley Point Hotel & Spa. After days and days in the saddle with weather conditions which will vary from the sweltering sun in the Egyptian and Sudanese deserts to the drenching rain expected in the equatorial forests. We are also aware of possibly the worst enemy for a biker - storming desert winds and sand storms !!
We will run a daily BLOG to keep the interest of all those partaking this epic trip back home. No back up vehicles will accompany us and overnight facilities will vary from pitching a tent in the bush to the hospitality of locals in villages. Hopefully the bigger cities will provide clean sheets and softer beds.
Please contact Calla Rischbieter for more information –
Mobile 083 282 9844
Problems are expected
A peacefull campsite in Mid Sahara
Calla on a recent breakfast run to the Sea Food Shack Restaurant in Velddrif
AFRICA YOU BEAUTY - WE'RE COMING - FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
 |
| Du Toit Viljoen and his son Francois on a recent trip. |
Since October 2010 this trip became reality to me. I had often and long ago thought and dreamt about it but never spoke about it until that day in a coffee shop in the West Coast Mall. I said to Annami my wife "I,m going to do AFRICA on a bike next year" Annami being a super loving and caring wife just smiled and said "Calla, you know that if you must go you must go" Ever since then she has just supported me and insisted on herself buying me certain things for the trip,
We have discovered super absorbant micro towels that fit almost into a bag the size of two golf balls. Micro torches, micro video cams etc etc etc.
We are currently scrambling to get all logistical matter more or less in order like exact route, distances, petrol availability, passports, visas, carnet de passages etc. I have also been in touch with a few ROTARY INTERNATIONAL clubs on the way down and hopefully we will attend one or more club meetings.
 |
| The books AROUND AFRICA on my BICYCLE by Riaan Manser and THE LONG WAY DOWN by Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman gave me lotssss of inspiration. |
 |
| My training also takes me to the local beaches where I stay well clear of the water but enjoy the soft white sandy terrain, |
.
Calla - Another week or more has shot passed and we start realizing that our departure date is looming slowly. At first the mission alone was daunting. Then the selection and purchasing of a bike was on hand. With that now in place and our daily conditioning training programme set other responsiblities lie ahead. All three of us have been in contact with other riders who have completed this trip before and we are learning fast about the do's and donts of a trip like this. The are plenty of pitfalls waiting. The packing, shipping(forwarding) of the bikes - the time factor at arrival in Cairo with customs and clearances, the best route from Cairo to Aswan etc etc.
I will be in contact with two more riders who travelled through Africa this week. The one made it while the other landed up in hospital after an unneccesary fall in Angola.
All our preparations are going well with bikes being fitted and adjusted. My DAKAR has been fitted with a higher wind screen and brackets to lift the handlebars. PVC saddle bags for our tents, sleeping bags has been made by a friend in Wellington. These will fit in behind us between our backs and top pannier on the rear of the bike. I am considering taking along 4 litres of fuel extra as my bike has the smallest tank capacity of 17 litres which should give me 300km - maybe not just far enough. The extra 4 litres should stretch it a further 80 km. We have heard that petrol in Africa is not always as clean as should be and the last thing we need is clogged up fuel filters.
I have been in contact with Rotary Cairo, Rotary Khartoum, Rotary Addis Abeba as well as Nairobi where we hope to share our experiences and carry the flag of Rotary Wellington in support of the ERADICATION OF POLIO project of Rotary International.
Our Bikes are being fitted with raised handle bars for the long hours of standing on the footpegs negotiating sand and mud. Belly plates for engine protection as well as crash bars for the definate unexpected ? tumble. ROTARY INTERNATIONAL stickers boldly displayed front and rear. Calla's BMW with the smallest fuel tank is fitted with an additional 5 L tank to give it a travelling distance of 360km
Calla deciding on the trip down ASWAN
With all our planning to leave on 23 August 2011 and arriving in Egipt we forgot ONE BIG INFLUENCE !!!
The MUSLIM RAMADAAN HOLIDAYThanks to Du Toit who spends hours on the internet and became aware of the Egiptian an Sudanese holidays where all governmental offices, border posts and ferries will be non operative. We then planned to either leave earlier but later decided to respect all and let all have their festivities first and leave a week later. We are now planning to leave 2 September 2011.
 |
| Du Toit on a recent "sand training course" near Cape Town. His 1200 BM safely on it's side and Du Toit's ego a little buckled. |
Du Toit displaying our TRANS AFRICA 2011 on one of the side panniers.
We have arranged our carnets (vehicle permits) costing a frightening 200% of the value
of each bike, the VISAS for each country, passports etc etc etc.
More gear has been purchased and the bikes packed and repacked and repacked to
make sure everything fits in and nothing is left out. My bike has been serviced with new rear
tyre, bearings, plugs, filters etc.
Some bad news struck last week when our third rider Paul Brand had to sadly withdraw after
having dreamt about the African trip for months. He had actually bought a brand new bike for the trip. We'll miss him lots.
Du Toit and myself are now preparing the packing of the bikes as we have to make our bikes fit
into 2,2 m x 1m x 1m boxes for shipment. This would mean taking both wheels off as well as the
handlebars and then refit again in Egypt. For me not being mechanically minded this seems a nightmare but Paul is still here to assist.
We are having our farewell party on 24 August 2011 at Le Bac Restaurant outside Wellington where all formalities will take place. ROTARY will hand over banners and flags for our hosts along the way and press release material will be exchanged.
Now it is up to Du Toit and myself to mentally prepare for this life long ambition which is about to begin. We will keep you posted as we take off and progress.
With less than 3 weeks to go it is all systems go and bikes are being prepared and serviced before finally being loaded into crates and flown to Cairo. ROTARY DISTRICT has had special flags made for our bikes to give more colour and glamour to our arrival in cities and little dorpies. These flags will be fitted to the back of our side panniers almost like the flags on a state presidents motor cavalcade !!!!!
Checklists are being scrutinized and improved daily to make sure that even the finest detail is not overlooked. Medical kits, toolkits, specialized clothing, camping gear, spares, repair kits etc etc. Even customized inflator pipes that enables you to tap/take air from any other bike/truck tire that is inflated, And off course the spare tin of bully beaf and sweetcorn !
THIS BLOG IS BOUND TO BECOME ALIGHT WITH DEPARTURE FROM CAPE TOWN.
With all kit packed the bikes weight has dramatically increased from 190kg to 253 kg - (we even remembered the little braai roostertjie standing up at the back wheel!)
12 August 2011 = CALLA - Tonight, Du Toit is travelling down from Durbanville with his bike on a trailer. Tomorrow morning we will be assisted by our friend Paul in packing our bikes into customized crates, ready to be forwarded to Cairo next week. We hope to have the bikes cleared by customs a few days before we arrive in Cairo to prevent any time loss
Du Toits bike packed - all 351kg in total !!!
13 August 2011 - THE DAY HAS ARRIVED - On Saturday morning we drove to Paul's workshop in Vredenburg to pack the bikes. We had previously been through to HAMMAN MOTORAD the official BMW dealers near Tyger Valley Centre where we were very fortunately given crates by a very enthusiastic and helpful Mr Hamman. The crates were specifically designed and built for BMW bikes.
We started packing at around 9 am and the task was made so much easier by the assistance of Paul - Paul is by trade a mechanically minded hydraulic engineer and his experience proved most valuable. We finished this pain stakingly planned task by about 3 in the afternoon and celebrated this with a couple of cold beers on the stoep of the St Helena Hotel. Everthing is now in place and the crates with our bikes inside is to be taken through to UTI to be forwarded to Cairo by plane. We hope to have the bikes there a week prior to us landing to give the agents time to get the bikes through customs etc.
Calla's 650 DAKAR with panniers and tent bag inside the crate being inspected by Paul.
Tuesday 16 August 2011. Today the bikes are being taken through to Cape Town airport industria to our forwarding agents, UTI. Paul has arranged everything with military precision and they are expecting us.
The last of the very important cargo being loaded at UTI our forwarding company. The plan is to fly the bikes out ahead of us to enable the forwarding company to get them cleared through Egiptian customs before our arrival on 3 September 2011.
Our carnets de passage have been issued for all the countries we plan to visit as well as our visas. Du Toit has collected all documentation and we are now anxiously waiting for our formal farewell by ROTARY WELLINGTON on 24 August 2011 at LE BAC CONFERENCE venue outside Wellington.
Come 2 September 2011 come !!
19 August 2011 - Today is a day I never wish to relive ever. After having recieved an initial quote by UTI to fly the bikes to Cairo we were invoiced almost more than 300% of the quote which would take this whole trip far beyond our means. A staff member was not aware of the extra fares airline companies would charge for "used bikes" due to fire and explotion risks !!!??Management are feverishly looking into the matter to save both parties a fair amount of shame. We have paid air tickets, set up appointments with Rotary Clubs, news stations and local governments etc etc and now this.
We pray that our months of planning and spent money will not be in vain.I trust that in my next report on Monday 22 August 2011 this matter is resolved and we can go ahead with our planned mission, Pshew!!!
21 August 2011 - A small sigh of relief as UTI came to to the party and issued a second invoice of R15 000 in stead of the R32 000 of Friday. The staff member who made the mistake is now all of a sudden on leave and we are requested to deal with someone else.
24 August 2011 - we arrived at LE BAC Function centre for our official fare well at around 18h20 and Du Toit spent some time setting up the overhead projector and co ordinating the sound and video presentation. The evening went off very well with family, friends, Rotarians and even a few Lions Club members present. Du Toit and myself gave our speeches, he concentrating more on the route and logistics side and me spending time on planning and motivation.
We were handed Rotary Wellington banners by the president REG which we will exchange with African Clubs we hope to visit on our trip. The evening was rounded off well at the ladies bar down stairs where we made up for the lack of alcohol in Sudan
Calla being handed the ROTARY CLUB OF WEELINGTONS banner by REG the president and Du Toit and Louwrens LE BAC'S owner proudly looking on.
No with less than 7 days to go it is hectic at home. Everything must be planned in advance. My wife is given instructions on how to do this and when to do that. My old Jeep has to be started once a week and the dog must be walked every day. Any mails deemed official must be forwarded to one of the other directors etc etc etc.
I must still go to MTN for a crash course in CELLPHONE internet logic. I know Du Toit has sold his house and is actually relocating this week moving furniture around. And life goes on !!!
We will meet at CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT next Friday afternoon at 15h00.
Watch this blog - the ride of our lives is about to begin.
Sunday 28 August 2011
My wife says and has been saying for the last month or so there is sometghing wrong with me - She says I'm here but not here. I seem to live in a dream of my own. Maybe she is right. But maybe she does not understand..
Having spoken to guys who have done Africa by bike, I have been warned about this African Thing - in Afrkaans "DIE AFRIKA DING"
Once this thing gets inside your head it becomes like a drug and you need to get on your bike and experience it.
My bags are packed and I cannot wait for Friday 2nd September 2011 !!!
Waiting for Friday 2nd to arrive was painful Knowing that the bikes stood waing in Cairo made it even worse. When Friday did arrive I felt somewhat strange Subconciencely I had started my mental distancing myself from Britannia bay, my beloved pets and anything that was nt necessary before. Annami accompanied me to the CapeTown International Airport by car and we hardly spoke. I was by this time far gone in Africa. Arriving at the airport were we were met by family and friends there was a last minute rush for foreign currency. Du Toit and myself were clad in our step outs specialy designed and made for the trip. Tears flowed freely as we greeted our loved ones on departure. Come Africa come droned through my mind. We waved for last and boarded Air Emirates. Our flight to Dubai was pleasant. The almost 4 hour delay inside the massive airport terminal eye opening with thousands of shoppers crowding the shops 6am Our flight to Cairo took just over 3 hours were we were kindly met by Prof Hossam Fahmy from the Rotary club of Cairo. Driving to our downtown Hotel Royal close to the notorious Tahir square was another eyeopening experience. Traffic in Cairo is twice as bad as you had heard. Delapidated vehicles cris crossing lanes without indicaters but fiercely blowing hooters. Our hotel was hardly recognizable in a narrow alley filled by street vendors and tables of hubbly smoking locals. Once inside the hotel we were warmly welcomed by Hussain our housekeeper. Hossam was in the meantime making much appreciated phonecalls to arrange the clearance of our bikes through customs. We spent the very warm evening drinking beer and watching the Egypt vs Sierra Leone soccer match.
Du Toit uitgepass op Dubai lughawe
We arrived in Egypt after a 13 hour flight via Dubai. At the Cairo Int Airport we were met by Prof Hossam Fahmy of the Rotary club of Cairo. Our drive to down town Cairo was frightning. With thousands of hooter blowing drivers weaving and braking without warning the drive to the Hotel Royal was madness. Our hotel is situated just a few hundred metres of the reknown Tahif square which is still lined by hundreds of riot police and army personel. Sunday was a day of rest and we enjoyed a night trip on the great river Nile. Today is Monday and we are going to the UTI offices to have our bikes released by customs and re registered with Egyptian plates.we hope to depart tomorrow
Calla and Du Toit enjoying few Stellas in Down Town Cairo
Breakfast in Egypt / two boiled eggs bread, cheese and black coffee
A typical street vendor in Down Town Cairo setting up his stall at 7h30 for buyers going to work. hE will evacuate this area by 8h30 to make way for the street cafe where others sip tea and smoke bubbly all day
Shoe polishers are seen all over Cairo
Hotel Royal in Old Cairo not far from the notorius Tahir Squard where more than thousand protesters lost their lives rcently. The square is still heavily guarded by hundreds of armoured vehicles and military personel
5 September 2011 - Calla - Today is Monday and as expected nothing starts up early in Egypt - especially down town Cairo. The total way of life here differs from where we come from. Shops open at or as everybody here says "maybe" at 10 o clock in the mornings. The day becomes more and more hectic from there onwards. The traffic is like a giant monster. Four lanes of racing vehicles dashing into two lanes and all hooting and shouting. Every second car is dented, scratched or has some sort of body displacement!
We are experiencing communication problems technically as our cellphones refuse internet and the forwarding of photographs and e -mail is a problem. I am sitting in an internet cafe this morning typing on a strange keyboard while waiting for the local authorities and customs to complete the paperwork.
When questioned about how long it will take - you've guessed it - "maybe" one hour - "maybe" tomorrow .Tonight we have been invited out by our host Rotary Club of Cairo for dinner and very hopefully can hit the road "maybe" tomorrow.
6 September 2011
Du Toit:
There is no other way to describe our current mood, than UTTERLY FRUSTRATED! After signing the necessary release papers at the local AA late yesterday morning, we left for the airport. Remember: we were told by UTI that everything would be done by late afternoon, and that we will get our bikes latest by Tuesday early morning. So, our mood was positive, and our spirits were up, as finally we could get underway. After a few trips from pillar to post at the airport, we sat at the KLM storage area, waiting for Customs to release our two crates. At 14:20 we were told they have a computer problem, and that we should come back to-morrow!! (keep in mind that customs only start to arrive at the office at around 10:00.... and they go home around 15:30.......)
UTI was apologetic, but assured us that they will be on top of it by 09:00 to-morrow, and that soon all will be ok.................... Famous last words.
After numerous frustrated phone calls by us this morning, at 14:30 to-day we were told the computer is still down, and that we should come back to-morrow!! Yes, believe it or not! So right now, no progress, but hundreds of excuses, and very high blood pressures (arme Calla se hart).
On the positive side, we had a very pleasant meal with three Cairo Rotarians last night, plus two keen bikers from the "Egyptriders" motorbike club - the chairman Ahmed, and Mohamed, who is the brother-in-law of Rotary chaiman Mossam. They are very interested to come and ride in South Africa, and also to get some professional training. They will try and arrange that Reuters can take pictures of us at the pyramids, but if we do not get our bikes by to-morrow, we will have to skip the pyramids as we will need to speed down to Aswan as fast as possible to catch the weekly ferry.
Watch this space for progress (or a few murders......?)
8 September
Du Toit
It is late afternoon on
It is late afternoon on Thursday. Guess what? We are still in Cairo,and will be for at least the next two days! Our competent broker
forgot that offices close earlier on Thursdays..... We at least saw
our bikes, started them (without any fuel in them!)and started to get
them ready on the simmering 40 degree concrete pad at Cars Customs.
All is still locked up behind customs gate. We will definitely miss
the ferry next week. Now looking at all other options (maybe via
Libya?) To-morrow may be exciting: they are expecting a "million"
people on Tharir square. Hope to get some good pictures! THIS IS
AFRICA!!!
Also see https://remote.safe.co.za/owa/redir.aspx?C=4aa4b06eaa354e80b6cde61b01441539&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bmwmotorcycleclubcape.co.za look under recent post "Trans Africa"
Calla 9 September 2011 -
Egypt is now getting to us. Since organizing this trip and dealing with UTI in Cape Town early in June this year, we were brought under the impression that if they airfreight the bikes in time and we depart a week thereafter our plans would work out fine. Bikes would be cleared through customs and we could depart a day or so later. UTI insisted on a carnet de passage (vehicle transit guarantees which is a cash deposit of 200% of the value of the vehicles paid to the AA) for custom purposes. Since our arrival on the 3rd we've been back and forth to the airport/customs until yesterday afternoon when the BAD LUCK struck us. Our bikes were taken from the KLM warehouse to the customs car park. The agent appointed by UTI assured us every day "no problem - 5 minutes" this became hours which became days. On Tuesday morning the manager from UTI assured me that if we were at her office at 13h00 we would have our bikes that afternoon. Needless to say she was not at her office at 13h00 and it is Friday today and still no bikes. We constantly reminded the agent about the importance of having to leave for Aswan no later than Wednesday latest Thursday morning. No problem Sirs. No problem. Trust me.
Egypt is now getting to us. Since organizing this trip and dealing with UTI in Cape Town early in June this year, we were brought under the impression that if they airfreight the bikes in time and we depart a week thereafter our plans would work out fine. Bikes would be cleared through customs and we could depart a day or so later. UTI insisted on a carnet de passage (vehicle transit guarantees which is a cash deposit of 200% of the value of the vehicles paid to the AA) for custom purposes. Since our arrival on the 3rd we've been back and forth to the airport/customs until yesterday afternoon when the BAD LUCK struck us. Our bikes were taken from the KLM warehouse to the customs car park. The agent appointed by UTI assured us every day "no problem - 5 minutes" this became hours which became days. On Tuesday morning the manager from UTI assured me that if we were at her office at 13h00 we would have our bikes that afternoon. Needless to say she was not at her office at 13h00 and it is Friday today and still no bikes. We constantly reminded the agent about the importance of having to leave for Aswan no later than Wednesday latest Thursday morning. No problem Sirs. No problem. Trust me.
Back to reality - We were overjoyed to see our bikes at the customs car park - taken out of the shipment crates - standing there like two race horses ready to travel through Africa. Du Toits bike was badly manhandled with damage done to tank and pannier boxes. My bike had a bit of a face lift with minor paint damage.
We went around the custom offices from one officer to the next signing foreign forms totally at the mercy of the UTI agent. When it came to around 14h00 a deathly silence fell over the car park. We realized that the "agent" was in trouble. His face fell and he nervously seeked help The customs officials were going home and would take no more monies or documents. Tomorrow (Friday) is a religious day like our Sundays in South Africa and everything would be closed. I phoned the UTI office hoping for some sort of miracle and was told that unless we paid the customs we would lose our bikes. What, what do you mean pay the customs or lose the bikes? Yes Sir - pay the customs or lose your bikes. How much I asked ? She could not tell me.
We were now stuck in Cairo and would never be in ASWAN on Saturday to catch the ferry.
Du Toit and myself felt empty, deserted, all the people who promised help - all the guarantees gone.
We were ushered out of the car park with our bikes standing there amongst hundreds of other dust covered deserted lost vehicles! Is this what the UTI lady meant !
11 September 2011 - Calla
We sped (escaped) out of Cairo yesterday afternoon with GREAT relief and a feeling of
Deserted dust covered vehicles in the Customs car park
Du Toit still in high spirit assembling his bike at noon. Then two hours later - disaster
One of Callas favourite dishes spaghetti bolognaise in the Excelsior cafe Cairo
Calla with a dubble Scotch at the Stella Mare Hotel at Sukhra on the Seuz channel.
Du Toit and Calla having just packed and refueled at Cairo airport at 2,75 a liter
This is how the Arabs do it - first the finger then the hose
Geisum
We sped (escaped) out of Cairo yesterday afternoon with GREAT relief and a feeling of
freedom. Being away from the dirt and hooters of the city and the total malfunction of systems. Although Du Toit and myself
regard ourselves as streetwise everybody and I mean everybody from the Hotel manager, shopkeepers, UTI and their preferred
useless broker, the people at the pyramids either lied to us or try to steal a few Egyptian pounds. Their "trust me" means do not
trust me, five minutes may mean 5 hours etc etc etc
When the gates opened for us at around 2h30 yesterday afternoon we could not get away from that dirty dusty, Customs car yard
quick enough. We repacked our bikes at a local filling station where fuel is sold at around R3,00 per liter and took on the desert highway
to the Suez Channel some 142 km away in a sweltering +40 degree temperature.
We booked into the STELLA DEL MARE HOTEL which is 5 start accommodation resembling Club Mykonos on the Cape West Coast.
This hotel has various outdoor pools with wealthy tourist all around. The place is immaculately kept with opera house like atriums and a massive
palace like entrance. We can only afford one day here to recuperate, plan and repack. For the next 5 days we will travel leisurely down the Red Sea
to LUXOR next Thursday before leaving for ASWAN next Friday some 900+ kilometers away.
Calla - Tuesday 13 September 2011- What an eventful (frightning) trip from Sokhna. After re organizing our kit at the luxurious Stella Del Mare Resort we departed quite late after waiting for more than 50 minutes for our luggage to be moved from our room to the reception area some 600 meters away.
As we had time on our hands, having to spend a week on the Suez and Red Sea, we cruised leisurely down the desert road going south to Ras Garib and Hurghada. We were hoping to find a suitable camping spot in the desert next to the red sea but everything here is barren and windy with the unforgiving sun beating down on the earth at 40 degrees+. I was searching for a place were we would be sheltered against the sun and prevailing wind. About 25 km before Ras Garib I spotted a fairly deserted telecom tower about 1,2 km from the sea but well off the main road.
Du Toit and myself rode across the first sand dunes and down towards the tower which was totally enclosed by a high 3 meter wall giving us enough shade and shelter on the Southern side. He went for a skinny dip while I prepared our evening meal - canned fish and two minute noodles. Du Toit pitched a tent while I decided to sleep under the stars. I lay for an hour or so watching enormous black prawn sized ants teaming up against me. I knew I was in for a hell of a night as they became braver and started running all over me. They did not bite - yet!
In the distance a heard voices shouting and sat up listening. The next moment two men in military cammo uniforms came storming around the wall screaming at the top of their voices and cocking and pointing their assault weapons on me. Du Toit must have woken up and heard the squelching Arabic and saw me going prone on my stomach shouting "salem" as I went down hands behind my head. The two men noticed him and indicated down. As Du Toit went down they continued shouting in Arabic. Du Toit went down and tried to explain to them in English that we were tourist. They shouted even louder and the one fired a shot missing Du Toits left elbow by inches. We must have layed there for ten minutes or so before four or more men arrived. We were expecting the worst. The one walked across to be and slapped me behind the head. I kept my calm and continued saying "salem" which I learnt in Cairo is the politest way to great somebody - meaning peace to you.
After much noise one of the men started speaking broken English and we explained to him who we were and what our mission was. An officer arrived and demanded our passports and visas. One troop searched my baggage and Du Toits tent They told us that we were in military area and was not allowed there.(We were totally unaware) The officer demanded we pack and leave without delay. Packing in the day time is allready an issue - packing at night in haste is far more difficult
They majority of the men left and I think it was the one who slapped me apologized. Two men stayed behind guarding us. As the others left the party began. They indicated they wanted cigarettes. We dont smoke. The wanted our wallets. As I had been warned about robbery in Africa, I had my credit cards and major share of my cash hidden a in a secret compartment on my bike. I offered them my wallet which they eagerly took with the 160 Egiptian pounds in side. They were happy and very politely gave me 20 back as change. They demanded money from Du Toit he insisted that he only had VISA cards - I had the cash. They wre happy
We packed and left in record time and rode off to the nearest town Ras Garip some 25 km away arriving there just after twelve. The place resembles "Manenberg by the Sea" and is a poor community with people crowding the streets at night. The local hotelier would not have us there.
We filled up with fuel and decided to ride down to Hurghada were we arrived at around three in the morning after braving a desert storm with winds forcing us to ride at a 45 degree angle. The roads are strewn with burst truck tyres which demanded severe concentration
Arriving at the MAFIA RESTAURANT, Du Toit realized that the troops had stolen his camera when searching the tent. The loss was severe but even more the photographs taken.
Arriving at the MAFIA RESTAURANT, Du Toit realized that the troops had stolen his camera when searching the tent. The loss was severe but even more the photographs taken.
A very pleasant restauranteer, Wael of the MAFIA RESTAURANT & PUB wellcomed us to his pub
and told us that he was in South Africa for the soccer World Cup. He offered we sleep on the stoep of his restaurant. At around 4 am Du Toit dosed off while I guarded the packed bikes till dawn.
We have since booked into a very pleasant resort, the Geishum, on the beach charging us R150,00 per person per night including breakfast and dinner. The ocean is 50 meters off and we plan to stay on untill Thursday morning before departing for Luxor and the - ASWAN. Hopefully we will make it in time this time - In Shallah
Calla 15 September 2011
We are leaving Hurkhada this morning for Luxor. We spent the last two days snorkeling in the Red Sea and preplanning our trip and distances. As we have lost time due to total inefficiency of forwarding company and Egyptian customs, we plan to make up time over the next 6 weeks. Sudan is 1800km which we hope to travel in 5 days in stead of 7. We still intend to be at Shelly Point Hotel, Britannia Bay, my home town on 22 Oct 2011.
Du Toit Viljoen 15 September 2011
We left Hurdhaga at ca. 8:30 this morning, heading for Luxor (300 km away). We first stopped at Sarfaga for a Coke, as the sun was beating down. Once we headed inland the desert became beautiful, not unlike the last 7 km of road when you head towards Vioolsdrif. We climbed from sea level to max. 730 m and stayed on the plateau for most of the way. This is desolate country! The max. temp we hit to-day was 43 degrees.
Quina was absolute chaos (traffic wise). Another Coke later we set our for Luxor, hugging the fertile Nile and agricultural land all the way. There is a police post just about every kilo, where traffic comes to a standstill, but fortunately all the police were sitting under the trees in the shade, so we did not lose too much time.
After a cold Stella, we checked into the Queens Valley Hotel: R120 per person for B&B - what a bargain for such nice hotel, with even a pool on the 7th (top) floor! But as usual, not everything is working...
The 25 January revolution scared the tourists away from Egypt, with the result that most hotels are virtually empty!
After a quick bite and beer we drove around a bit, taking pictures of most of the tourist traps. To-morrow we head for Aswan, to start the paperwork trail to get out of Egypt, and onto the weekly ferry from Aswan to Wadi Halva in Sudan on Monday (the only way to get out of this place!!).
Du Toit Viljoen
Du Toit Viljoen
On 16 September we set off for Aswan 220 km away. It was a pleasant but very hot ride along the Nile again. Agriculture on both sides of the river, but we saw very few people actually working the fields! We soon hit 43 degrees again, and stopped for our first Coke in Isna, where we were surrounded by the locals, and we got some nice pics with them.
After a quick "lunch" stop at a bus shelter (lunch consisted of a can of sardines, and a can of sweet corn!) we got into Aswan, where we booked into the Hathor Hotel: it costs us LE110/night for both of us, B&B. (R130) [Rusty take note please!]
After a McDonalds Big Mac at 16:00 we were set food wise for the night! Found a shop where we could get some wine and beer, and sipped this next to the pool on the 5th floor of our hotel, overlooking the Nile. This is quite a magnificent setting, esp given the price we are paying! After three weddings in 30 minutes at the fancy Isis Hotel across the street from us (we watched it from the rooftop) we turned in for the night.
Aswan is by far the best town in Egypt thus far!
17/9:
On the 17th we got up fairly early, and rode to the old Nasser Dam wall (approx. 8 km from the hotel). This dam was later replaced by the much higher Aswan High Dam Wall, which led to severe flooding of villages upstream. This dam is nearly 400 km long? At 9:30 we were at the Nile River Co offices to book our places on the ferry, only to learn that no more 1st class cabins were available.
Our broker Asmal took us to the Traffic Court, where the paperwork is done on the pavement, amongst the dirt and even an old toilet! 30 min later we set off for the High Wall Port (driving for kilometers through their landfill site!), where they wanted to keep our bikes! We said no, we must first fetch our luggage, 20 km away. We did this under their protest, packed in one hell of a hurry, and were back an hour later.
After being cheated out of money by their Customs official, they lost Calla's Court receipt (which was for LE5) and he now has to go back to-morrow to get a new one. We paid our LE253/bike, and were allowed to ride to the barge, a real piece of scrap metal. After managing 4 vehicles onto it, and lots of other cargo, we parked our loaded bikes right up against the one local's car: they don't care about scrathes!
We were without any liquid (and food) for several hours by now, in plus 40 heat, and we both suffered quite badly. After arriving back in town after 4, we downed 2 cokes and 2 beers in record time! A steak (about 150 gram?) later we felt human again!
18/9:
Our a/c stopped working at about 3 am, and it became very hot in the room. Calla set off for the Court to get his new papers, only to discover (after paying) that the Manager was still sleeping, and he must come back to-morrow! Demmit, hierdie land is 'n totale fokapie!
We are struggling to upload photos, as their antiquated computers don't want to read our SD cards! Pse hang in there: somewhere we will find a proper computer shop!
Calla bought us a Coleman type cooler (price came down from LE360 to 120!) and we will need to stock this up with drinks and food, as we are leaving for the ferry at 09:00 to-morrow, to wait all day in the sun for it to depart at ca. 18:00 for the 17 hour sailing to Wadi Halva. We will donate this cooler to our broker in Wadi H, as we can't it with us.
Now let's see what Sudan holds! Surely it can't be worse than Egypt??
1st of 3 weddings in 30 min at Isis Hotel
at night from the same roof
Bikes on barge to Wadi Halfa
Calla in spice shop with Nubian friend
Desert road to Qena
Die Denker!
Family in Isna
Luxor Temple
Mafia House with Wael
Nile 30km north of Aswan
Queens Valley Hotel Luxor
Traffic Court in street in Aswan!
19 September 2011 - DuToit
We are sailing!!
After a strike to-day by the 'wokkers' we were let thru' the gates at 15:30 only in stead of 09:00.
Chaos, pandomonium, 500 people pushing and shoving to get to the boat first...
But, we left only 3 hours late, and we are SAILING! We met three Germans to-day, and just had a celebratory Schnapps, and Vodka (and beer). We must finish all to-nite, as no alcohol allowed in Sudan: 40 lashes in public if caught!
The only sad news? The barge with our bikes is still in Aswan! It did not leave on Sat as promised, so we will need to spend a couple of days in Wadi Halfa waiting for it.
Our programme is now really screwed!
As my brother said to-day per sms: this really makes us appreciate Malema-land!!
Our programme is now really screwed!
As my brother said to-day per sms: this really makes us appreciate Malema-land!!
21 September 2011
We finally arrived in Wadi Halfa in one piece at approx. 15:30 yesterday local time - 5 and a half hours late. The stampede to the exit stated about 40 min before this, and Calla was caught worse off than me (I was hiding at a toilet, enduring the stench for more than an hour......)
Customs came and went to and from the boat, and about 35 min alter our local agent Magdi came to our rescue. 20 min later we were off the ferry, and in a bus on the way to the Customs building. After this we were shoved into the back of a 19-fifties Land Rover, which had to be push-started to get it going (bad battery for the last 20 years??)
The town is approx. 2 km from the port. Do yourselves a favour and go and Google Wadi Halfa: a real desert town, with dirt roads not unlike some of the older, smaller Namibian villages, but what a pleasant change from the pushy Egyptians: the people are very friendly, do not try to sell you anything, and although very poor and primitive, the town is much cleaner than anything we have seen in Egypt. We checked into the Kilopatra hotel, the most modern and newest one of the seven in town. We even have a/c in the room, and we have 5 beds in the room (no cupboards, or towels, or tables, but who cares?) One showers above the squat toilet, and the smell is extreme.......
We met a fellow South African from Middelburg Cape, Willie Pienaar, who left M'burg on 6 August on his Honda African Twin (750) all by himself: he is aiming to meet up with his son in Istanbul around 17 October. He, and the two Germans Matt and Rhashied, shared the room with us: Sudanese Pouds 20/p. Willie has done 11 500 km to date without any mechanical problems. Worst was his 15 days of rain in Ethiopia!
We had a very pleasant dinner (blackened fish from some Nubian lake somewhere) at SP7/p, and non-alcoholic beer.
This morning we walked around the village, had breakfast (foul and bread and cheese), climbed a koppie, and got our photographic permit (without it you are not allowed to take any pictures in Sudan!). The reason for this relaxed lifestyle? We don't know where our bikes are at this very moment! Maybe it has left Egypt on the barge, maybe not.... In Shallah!!! If all goes well, maybe it will arrive here to-morrow: yes, we are underway for 19 days already, and we still have done only 1200 km. At this rate we should be home just before X-mas next year!
We feel that our trip really starts now only, after all the unpleasant experiences in Egypt (the German Rhashied was born in Egypt, went to Berlin in 1977, and was not here for the last 15 years: he says he will never come back, as his country is down the drain! They are travelling to Cape Town in a '87 L/C 2,4 TD, more or less the same route as we. See their site at http://www.going-south.de/
Calla 22 September
Our African trip seems to start for real today. After all the Egyptian dramas weve had we received the wonderfull news yesterday afternoon - our bikes had arrived in Wadi Halfa! At around 16:00 we were driven to the harbour where the barge lay moored and we eagerly assisted the workers to off load our bikes and the Land Cruiser of two German tourists we have met. We celebrated the night at a street cafe eating bread and pieces of tough Nobian mutton. Tomorrow we hit south on the long desert road to Dongola.
Calla and Du Toit buying alcohol free beer Birelle from a local shop
Du Toit on the stoep of our Kilopatra Hotel or lakonda as it is locally known. It is nothing more than accommodation hostel style with 4 - 6 beds per dormitory.
Calla 22 September
Our African trip seems to start for real today. After all the Egyptian dramas weve had we received the wonderfull news yesterday afternoon - our bikes had arrived in Wadi Halfa! At around 16:00 we were driven to the harbour where the barge lay moored and we eagerly assisted the workers to off load our bikes and the Land Cruiser of two German tourists we have met. We celebrated the night at a street cafe eating bread and pieces of tough Nobian mutton. Tomorrow we hit south on the long desert road to Dongola.
Our bikes on the barge from Aswan to Wadi Halfa
23 September - Du Toit
Sorry for the short update, but this is done on my cellphone. We don't have access to an i-net cafe.
Whilst resting in our room on Wed pm, our broker walked in to tell us the barge with our bikes had arrived in Wadi port! Off we went, only to find that the barge was ca. 1,2 m higher than the quay! We were parked in by a sedan car, which had to get off first. An hour, and a few dents and scratches later, this was achieved (by stacking wooden pallets). It was no problem to get our bikes off, and we parked them next to the by-now-closed Customs office. It was nearly 7 pm.
Thurs 08:30 we were there, and we drove off to our hotel an hour later! Packed, showered again, and by 10:30 we hit the desert road:
what a feeling of relieve and joy!
The road is good (brand new, built by the Chinese), not many cars, and we could maintain around 120 quite easily (80 speed limit all the way:
400 km of desert road, no towns, no people.....?)
We reached 43 degrees again, and with the tail wind, Calla's bike overheated. We checked everything - all was ok.
When he ran out of fuel at 330 km, we stopped to fill from our 5l cans. I parked my bike on the camber, and as I put my jacket on the bike, it fell over, away from me, down a 45 degree 1 m high embankment! Broken wind screen and indicator, scrathes on my new helmet and visor, etc. Rats!!
We slept in the Olla Hotel in Dongola, and after a street-fish supper and MANY Cokes (remember: no alcohol in Sudan!) we turned in.
Got up at 04:30 to-day, and started riding at 05:30 in 24 degrees. Sun came out at ca. 06:40, and we had a banana and bread for b'fast at 9.
We left the Nile after 200 km and did the 303 km across the desert stretch to Khartoum in good time. Guess what? 43 degrees again!
After traffic chaos in Khartoum, and a Tuk-Tuk knocking Calla's bike over at very slow speed, it really started to get hot!
Leaving Khartoum for Wad Medani, it climbed right up to 48 degrees! It stayed between 44 and 47 for nearly two hours, amongst reckless bus drivers, taxis, etc. Man, were we glad to reach Medani after 720 km to-day at 15:30!
We are staying in the by now delapidated Imperial Hotel, and hope to reach Ethiopia to-morrow.
We promise: once we get to a civilised place, we WILL post more photos!
Update 26 September 2011
Update 26 September 2011
We left Medani early morning, aiming for Gonder, 600 km away, which is in Ethiopia. The first three hours we faced the rising sun, but were pleasantly surprised by the greenness of the country side! Agriculture everywhere, and lots of muddy, wet areas after the previous night's rain.
We had a very nice "veltie" after the previous evening's dinner, helping with the local agriculture! After a time-consuming road block, we refuelled in Gedaref, and hit the last 160 odd km to the border. The last 80 km of tar road is pothole ridden! Poor local farmers....
The Sudanese border post is a shame: one needs to visit three offices, but non are marked, and they are more than 400 m apart, situated amongst squatter houses, shops, markets, etc. What a disgrace. We had to use an agent, John. It took us from 11:30 to 13:15. Once we got to the Ethiopian side, the very friendly customs officer told us it is now his lunch time, and me must come back at three! After 6 days in Sudan without a beer, we headed for the Embaci Hotel - yes, check the spelling! (imagine a 1 star-shebeen.....) and had two beers whilst waiting.
We got away from there in 36 degrees, hot under the collar, to face the last 200 km to Gonder, the small country side village. What an eye opener: Ethiopia is beeeeeeautiful, but with millions (ok,
thousands..) of people and animals in the road. Just as you pick up speed, you slow down to 20-30, to wait for donkeys, cows, dogs, goats, people to get out of the way. We hope the Go Pro videos will do justice to show it!
We finally arrived in Gonder, after 12 km of traffic, people, houses, etc. Gonder has ca. 300 000 people! We stayed in the Fogera Hotel (R100 for both of us for the night!) this means we could have something more to drink......
We left late-ish, as we headed for Bahir Dar next tot Lake Tana, only
175 km away. We decided to skip Lalibela - next time. What a beaut of a Sunday breakfast ride! Great country side, mountain passes galore, great road surface - you can't get better! So far nobody cared about speed in Egypt, Sudan or Ethiopia, so if the road is open (in Eth that's means about 200 m before the next goat!) you can open up.....!
Bahir Dar is a very nice town, on the edge of Lake Tana. Worth a visit. We arrived early, checked into the Ghion Hotel (camp site was ETB100/person, and the hotel room was ETB100/p, so we chose the
room...) washed our clothes, and sat under the tree to enjoy some beer and wine. What a whine it became, as they ran out of ice, and the wine was at 25 degrees...
After a sandwich (sorry, senwitch) for lunch/dinner, we settled in fairly early.
Got up at 5 this morning, as we had to cover 555 km to Addis Abbeba.
Got ubderway at 07:30 in thick fog for the first 15 km. Yes, our washed clothes were still soaking wet! It was National Flag day to-day, so many (most) of the small villages had festivals to-day, which was very nice to observe, but slowed our progress tremendously.
A very negative aspect of Eth: whenever you stop, within minutes there are 10-30 kids around you, shouting you-you-you, and asking for Birr.
It really leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Then, the smaller kids,
(5-13) tend to pick up stones and throw them at you! Yes, it's like Lesotho! Calla will tell his story below.
Calla quote:
Travelling at around 100km per hour I noticed a teenager 13/14 years old bend down and pick up a rock. Too late though. I could not swerve or brake. He hurled a fist sized rock directly at me. I saw the rock for a split second before I felt this explotion ! My head rocked back and I felt paralysed for a split second. I saw the blue sky above me and realised I was alive. The rock had smashed my visor from my helmet and left me unprotected for the next 480 km without. I was just to glad to be alive and the wind and flies in my face was a minor.
Calla unquote.
The crossing over the Blue Nile was something: the entire area here is 1800 - 2500 m above MSL. One drops from 2400 to just over 1000m, cross the river, and then clinb to 2500 m again! The max we hit to-0day was 3015 m!
It was a very tiring day, and we finally rode into Addis just before 4 pm. After T4A packed up finding Wim's Holland House, we found it manually! ETB250 for the 2 of us, we are now a few drinks later, ready for a shower.
We've done 2 500 km in 5 days, and are back on track! From now on we'll take it easier!
Yes, we know; the pictures are coming........!
Abu Sembil next to Aswan Dam
Calla eating foul with Gold hunters!
Calla in Wim's bar in Addis
Off-loading style in Wadi
South of Wadi in desert
Tea Seller in Wadi Halva
Calla 27 September 2011
After a hectic ride from Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa we booked into Wim's Holland House.It is a sort of backpackers hidden away in a dirt road potholed backstreet of town with goats and children roaming around. We were very surprised at the setting inside. A friendly pub with cold beer, KWV Bonne Esperance, Drostdy Hof - you name it. The place belongs to Wim 66 ,originally from Holland and his Ethiopian wife Rahel. After a superb spagetti bolo we had a few rounds of drinks with other tourists as well as traditional Dutch Bitter Balle, an after meal snack looking like a meat ball but actually a crispy deep fried dough like ball. We tucked in.
We departed from Addis this morning in peak rush hour traffic. The roads were horrific. The roads leading to and from the city were completely traffic swamped. You would have sections of the road completely washed away with water logged holes and trenches all over. Buses, taxis,trucks all jockeying for position. We rode in suffocating diesel fumes for the first 25 km at 10 /15 km per hour. Once we hit the road south we lifted our tails.
Today was my day of rest. Poor Du Toit had it all. Once a herdsman herded his cattle straight across the highway with Du Toit nose diving his bike to avoid collision. Then he was pushed off the road by an oncoming truck. Going around a traffic circle he had to produce all his extreme off road skills to avoid being side wiped by a a bakkie merely indicating left and then swerving right across Du Toit's front wheel. In Africa you cannot relax for one moment. The unexpected happens all the time.
We arrived in Awasa mid afternoon on our way to the Kenian border. We booked into a very neat Pinna Hotel with the most luxury bathroom we have seen thus far. At R120 per night and safe parking it is a bargain. We had 2 mixed grills, two local beers and a bottle of wine for a total bill of R180.
Tomorrow we hope to travel to the border or as close as possible to it as the biggest test of endurance lies just on the Kenian side. The by now feared gravel road to Marsabit. With 240 corrugated kilometers of potholes and sharp stoney areas. This is the funeral place of many Trans Africa hopefuls.
OOPS!
After a hectic ride from Bahir Dar to Addis Ababa we booked into Wim's Holland House.It is a sort of backpackers hidden away in a dirt road potholed backstreet of town with goats and children roaming around. We were very surprised at the setting inside. A friendly pub with cold beer, KWV Bonne Esperance, Drostdy Hof - you name it. The place belongs to Wim 66 ,originally from Holland and his Ethiopian wife Rahel. After a superb spagetti bolo we had a few rounds of drinks with other tourists as well as traditional Dutch Bitter Balle, an after meal snack looking like a meat ball but actually a crispy deep fried dough like ball. We tucked in.
We departed from Addis this morning in peak rush hour traffic. The roads were horrific. The roads leading to and from the city were completely traffic swamped. You would have sections of the road completely washed away with water logged holes and trenches all over. Buses, taxis,trucks all jockeying for position. We rode in suffocating diesel fumes for the first 25 km at 10 /15 km per hour. Once we hit the road south we lifted our tails.
Today was my day of rest. Poor Du Toit had it all. Once a herdsman herded his cattle straight across the highway with Du Toit nose diving his bike to avoid collision. Then he was pushed off the road by an oncoming truck. Going around a traffic circle he had to produce all his extreme off road skills to avoid being side wiped by a a bakkie merely indicating left and then swerving right across Du Toit's front wheel. In Africa you cannot relax for one moment. The unexpected happens all the time.
We arrived in Awasa mid afternoon on our way to the Kenian border. We booked into a very neat Pinna Hotel with the most luxury bathroom we have seen thus far. At R120 per night and safe parking it is a bargain. We had 2 mixed grills, two local beers and a bottle of wine for a total bill of R180.
Tomorrow we hope to travel to the border or as close as possible to it as the biggest test of endurance lies just on the Kenian side. The by now feared gravel road to Marsabit. With 240 corrugated kilometers of potholes and sharp stoney areas. This is the funeral place of many Trans Africa hopefuls.
On the Marsabit 240km gravel road
Our rondawel at Hotel Fogera, Gonder
We had our first beer with the locals at the Embacy Hotel, nothing more than a shebeen behind the Ethiopian custom office at border post where we had to wait more than three hours
Du Toit changing Callas front tyre at Jungle Junction. Calla is technically retarded!
Calla with a friendly spaza shopkeeper near Marzabit. Even a warm Coke was great!
Calla - 3 October 2011
This mail is sent from near Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania where we arrived this afternoon. For the last three days we have had connection problems and were unable to update. Sorry, this is Africa.
We departed from Awasa on the 28th September and rode to the Ethiopian border town of Moyale. The road was in reasonable condition and we arrived there without a hitch. We knew that the next day across the border Marsabit would be the real big test for man and machine. Either could break the other or vice versa on the notorious 240km of dirt road. We have heard stories - we have read books and spoken to guys who had done it. My inside felt very much the same as my first Berg River canoe marathon - all the stories and cautions. Take it easy - ride within yourself and spare your machine.
After crossing the border posts either side we set off in Kenya at 10h00 for Marsabit. First mistake - too late. For the first 10 km or so the road was bad with corrugation and potholes forcing us to reduce speed to around 30 - 40 km per hour. As we progressed the road became worse. The temperature rose to 36 degrees and we decided to rest the bikes and overheating shocks every twenty minutes. Africa was draining our resources and we perspired heavily while battling through increasingly uneven terrain. Potholes became landmine craters and the pebbles became rocks. We slowed down to an average of 27km per hour over four hours. The road had been badly trenched by heavy vehicles and the grey lava rocklike stones made travelling in a straight line almost impossible.
One felt the bone shattering shockwaves of the bikes protesting the road. At times it felt like riding across a moon landscape filled with savage grey stones from the size of golfballs to enormous sharp rocks lurking below a fine powdery dust known to the locals as fesh fesh. The front wheels of the bikes disappearing to the hub in this red dustlike powder.
After travelling some 5 hours, Du Toit once tried to evade the truck tracks and decided on a smoother looking surface alongside the main track. The rocky surface of the tracks forced him to look for an alternative route. It went well for the first 100m or so before the sandy path became a fesh fesh pit of dust and powder. He lost the front wheel and went tumbling in the process damaging his left pannier severely. I had to turn around and assist him. Fortunately for us we had just passed three South Africans travelling in a 4 X 4 and they were helpful enough to assist Du Toit in taking his badly damaged pannier on board. The Du set off without the left pannier but soon found the going totally impossible as his bike was not balanced with only the right pannier. We sensed trouble. We had 80km to travel and only 2 hours of daylight. As the sun set over Africa at 18h15 (S.A. time) we were still 50 odd kilometres out. In the bobbing headlights we arrived at Marsabit 90 minutes after dark and booked into Jey Jeys Hotel. It took quite a few cold ones and a whiskey or two at a local shebeen to wash the dust of the Kenyan desert down.
The next morning we covered a further 120km on the same gravel road towards Isiolo under much the same conditions.
My friend lost it again in the fesh fesh holes some half a meter in depth. This time the bike landed on his right ankle and he hobbled around in pain. He was looking like a man from Mars as his BMW riding jacket was now red fesh fesh.
We arrived in Isiolo fairly early the afternoon and booked into a very neat Mobi Pearl Hotel. Management were kind enough to allow us park our bikes in the enclosed security quad of the building.
On Saturday 1 October we rode the 278km into Nairobi. A newly built tarmac road!!!! What a wonderful feeling. We arrived at the popular Jungle Junction owned by German born Chris Handschuh. He is a former master BMW mechanic from Cape Town now running his privately owned overland Junction with complete mechanical workshop. We stayed over for a day doing washing and repairs to our machines. I fitted a new front tyre - or Du Toit did it for me.
This morning we departed from Jungle Junction after breakfast and followed the road south to Arucha. The first 70 km again being a neglected used to be tar surface. We dodged and weaved around potholes and washed away surfaces but happily arrived in one piece here at Ngorongoro. Hopefully this time this mail will go through. In Shallah Africa
Barren land on the way to Marsabit
OOPS!
Du Toit enjoying a tin of smoked mussels near Arusha in Tanzania. According to the GPS this is half way
Highway Cairo to Cape
Road to Marsabit
Saying THANK YOU after 370 km of hell
Crossing the Equator near Nairobi
Update 4 October Du Toit
After completing the first very potholed 70 km from Nairobi, we could set a nice pace on the much improved road to the Kenyan/Tanzanian border. Here we were “surprised” by an official who tried to cheat us out of $80/person: he claimed that the COMESA insurance is $150/bike – I refused to pay more than $20/country, and we had 3 to go. (*BTW this was the first time that somebody wanted it – we’ve asked at all other borders, but it was not required).
Earlier that morning we’ve met two fellow (black) South Africans, who came to JJ’s to fetch rental bikes, to take them back to SA. Two very pleasant gentlemen indeed. We conversed very nicely in Afrikaans! They happened to be at the border at the same time as us, and told the crooked official that they’ve paid only $70/bike. When I challenged him, he tried to say that he was only making a joke… Bliksem! We ended up paying $70 each, for ALL countries in Africa!
After about an hour we could set off for Arusha. The countryside was disappointingly dry! It’s a straightish, boring section, until you start to see Mount Meru. Impressive mountain. We took a short cut (off-road) to avoid Arusha, and went to Karatu for the night. We hoped to team up with other people to go into the Ngorogoro crater, but we were on our own, and with all the park fees and vehicle rentals costs, it worked out just too expensive. We stayed in the Ngorogoro Lodge in Karatu, and drove up to the gate as far as we could this morning (ca. 16 km).
After a polite U-turn (they would NOT let our bikes in!) we headed for Arusha ca. 130 km away (one huge traffic jam….), and after that Moshi (where we had a cold Castle) and Marangu, from where people walk up to Uhuru peak (5895 m). As we went from under 1000 m at the bottom to 1866 m at the gate, the vegetation changed from very dry, to tropical on the way up there! Mount Kilimanjaro hid her head in clouds, so we could not see the top! After this we rode in strong cross winds to Same, where we are now. 400 km for the day. We are staying in the Orlando hotel – TS25000 pp B&B. Very small country town, but people are very friendly. To-morrow we hope to get to Morogoro (we are on the Dar Es Salaam road, should you wish to look it up!) after which we are heading for Malawi, and some peaceful days next to the Lake!
Update 5 Oct Du Toit
After ordering everything on the menu last night, we learned that the only food they had was chicken, so chicken we had! It was small, but pleasant. They suffer from regular power failures in this town, so yesterday's report was rewritten a few times. also, the poor chicken was off a bit, due to the freezer defrosting all the time, but hell, this is Africa! Who can complain?!
They had no double rooms in the Orlando Hotel, so for the first time in many weeks I could sleep without ear plugs! What a pleasure (note:
I did not say that Calla snores, but poor Annemi....)
Bad news this morning: Calla's battery is flat, and the bike would not start. After pushing him down hill for a good distance, without success (in full gear nogal, cause it was cool initially and it looked like rain, so we dressed up...) I got a chap with a Land Cruiser to help us out (my jumpers were packed away very deep, plus we have to remove all luggage from the seats to get to the batteries...).
It worked, so after 30 min and after refueling we could get going.
The first section was dry and boring (save for the nice mountain range to our left) but after about an hour the scenery improved, and it became a lot greener. The speed limit is (apparently) 80 on open roads, and either 30 or 50 in towns (which occurs every few kilos, with a number of bone breaking speed bumps in every town, with cops in just about every town) but we can maintain around a 100+ quite easily on the open roads (provided you see the speed limits and unmarked speed bumps in good time....). So far we have not been stopped once in Tanz by the police, and no speeding fines either!
We did 425 km today from Same to Morogoro, where we are staying in the very pleasant Oasis hotel to-nite. Our sixth hotel with a pool on this trip, and after we rode thru' rain earlier to-day, we hit 36 degrees once again, so the swim was very pleasant.
The road was very pleasant the last 300 km, with beautiful scenery, and rolling hills, not unlike KZN. The main road to Dar Es Salaam is busy, but with people passing on blinds hills and on solid lines, we do the same, and with the bikes we did not suffer any hold-ups... We had one maniac from Somalia whom actually passed us, and did up to 160 on some stretches (we caught him several times in the heavy traffic, only for him to come screaming past us again). Even a bus tried to pass us on a downhill at 120!
All in all, a very good day. To-morrow we are heading for the Old Farmhouse for our last night in Tanz, before we go to Malawi.
Our impressions? Tanzania is very cheap, and very friendly - a country well worth visiting! Last night's hotel was about R100 pp B&B, and to-nite it is US$70 for both of us, B&B. It is less than half the price in SA!
Du Toit enjoying a cold Kilimanjaro at our overnight stay at The Old Farmhouse bushcamp about 60km south west of Iringa
Chitimba Camp, Malawi
Calla and Du Toit at Lake Malawi
Calla relaxing at The Old Farm
Du Toit has been away from home for tooooo long!
The view from Chitimba Camp Lake Malawi where we will stay for two nights
Update on 10 October for 6-7 Oct: Du Toit (actually now till 10 Oct….) – and now until 12 October!!
We have not had access to the internet for several days now. We decided to split the reporting to-day: I will do the first two days, and Calla the last three, as we stayed 2 nights in one place. We hope this is going to work, as for the last 15 min C could not get onto the net….
After meeting a young Norwegian lady at the Oasis Hotel on Wed. evening, who is working on her PhD, we had dinner in the garden and turned in fairly early.
Bad news next morning 6 Oct: Calla’s bike battery is flat, so dood soos ‘n mossie! We did fill it with (cooled down) boiled water in Nairobi at Jungle Junction, as all 6 cells were completely dry (despite it recent service in Vredenburg….), and the battery worked very well up to now. Also, it was charging at 14,3 V – prima!
I tried to pull-start him with my tow rope, and it was quite a scene down the main road of Morogoro: it worked the very first time, but the bike died within seconds. The 2nd and 3rd attempts proved that the battery was DEAD, and that NO spark was coming thru’. So, off the town Calla went with the hotel driver, and he came back with a brand new Chinese model (no man, a battery, not a girl!) for R160. It appears to be a 7 Ah in stead of a 12 Ah, but we filled it with acid, waited 30 min, fitted it, and the bike started first time! Touch wood: to-day (10/10 – Paul Kruger day) it is still working 100%!
So, we finally got away at 11:00, and very soon we were driving thru’ a National Park. Have we mentioned this before? Speed wobbles every few hundred metres? It is extremely frustrating, plus very hard on the brake pads… (and suspension). After a beer just outside the park, we filled up 78 km further at Ruaha, where the lady charged us more than the advertised rate, but after this: what a beautiful road! Twisty, up and down, winding down a long river valley, with hundreds and hundreds of baobabs all the way! A strong cross wind could not spoil this ride! It was very nice all the way up to Iringa, whereafter the road surface became worse, plus the scenery was not so nice.
60 km after Iringa we arrived at The Old farmhouse (355 km for the day) – a place really worth visiting! A rural country setting, with bungalows far apart, and by far the best meals (dinner and breakfast) we’ve had on this trip, thanks to the French chef Favian. We stayed in the Stables: US$35 for both of us (no meals).
On Fri 7 Oct we set off for Tukuyu, also ca. 355 km away. It became cold and wet, and we donned our rain gear. Soon afterwards it went from 13 degrees to 28! So, we stopped, had a beer, undressed, and continued. Another beautiful ride. We turned left just before Mbeya, and headed south. It looked like rain, but we decided to continue. We climbed higher into the mountains, and into the rain and clouds, and soon it was raining heavily, and we got totally soaked over the last 40 km. We arrived in Tukuyu, and found the Landmark Hotel – what a little gem, hidden off the main road. After checking in at 13:30 we sat and watched the rain fall, whilst enjoying a few “cold” ones (something we may not have emphasized enough: northern African people do not use ice! So we had to get used to warm drinks during the last few weeks…..) Also, because of regular power failures, their fridges can’t work properly).
I tried to go onto the net on the hotel manager’s laptop, but I could see the postal dove flying off the try and find a satellite to connect to, so I gave up after 20 min…..!
[Calla sit en vloek nou al hier langs my, want hy het nog nie ’n dooie woord getik nie, want sy internet neuk hom rond! Ek tik in Word,en hoop ek kan dit later copy en paste, en gestuur kry….! So, ek gaan maar aan!]
Next morning Sat 8 Oct decision time: it was still raining constantly! Do we stay another day, or continue? We decided to go! We left in pouring rain, fully dressed in our still wet clothes from yesterday, and within 15 km the temp went from 12 to 28 degrees, plus from rain to sun! We could not wait to get to the border post 40 km from Tukuyu to undress! We filled up on Tanz side, just for in case….
We checked into Malawi fairly quickly, and set off at their national speed limit of 80 (interrupted by numerous small towns, at 50…). We had 5 police checks in the first 30 km, but after this it became better. After 80 km we stopped for a beer on the beach, from where Calla sent an MMS picture.
We continued to Chitimba Camp, which is right on the edge of Lake Malawi, 190 km from Tukuyu. A very nice and simple beach setting, run by Dutch people (Addy and Carmen) – the room rate is very reasonable, but the food and drinks are on the expensive side, especially if one arrives so early in the day, and you have a long day to kill still….
We quickly arranged with a local to watch the Bokke:Oz quarter final to-morrow at 07:00 together with a fellow South African and his Belgian girlfriend (this came at a cost: due to power failures, they had to organise a generator…).
Sunday 9 Oct: After a fairly restless sleep due to seed (it sounded like rocks!) falling all night long very loudly onto our corrugated roof, we were up at 5 and went for a swim, after which we washed our clothes, and walked the 1 km to town to watch the game. What a disappointment it was to lose…..!
It was our second day off on the trip, so we hung around camp: I first checked my bike out, and then we found that Calla has NO rear brake pads left! The disk was already scoured. He then told me that he had no rear brakes for the last two days! We tied back the pad holder (thanks for cable ties!) this morning to stop the chafing, and Calla ordered a new set of pads this morning (10/10), from Hamman Motorrad, to be couriered and delivered to Lusaka on Wednesday. In Shallah…….
We left camp at 8 am on 10 Oct, heading south for Lilongwe, or another town north of it, depending on our progress. Then the bad news: we could not get ANY petrol (or diesel for that matter) in Malawi! We were offered a few litres of black market petrol at R35/l! Plan B: we looked at the map, and decided to get out of Malawi asap: it meant 70 km of unknown dirt road, heading for Lundazi in Zambia. We refuelled at the Malawi northern border, just before we left Tanzania, and filled Calla’s 2 x 5 l cont’s as well. We now put 7 l into his bike and 2 l into mine (no, they did not fill both cont’s like we asked them to…) and hit the dirt road. It was narrow, and rocky at times, but overall not too bad. Got to the border post well before two, and to get out of Malawi took us 5 minutes. On Zambia side there was nobody! Offices open. After waiting ca. 20 min, the official showed up, and stamped out passports.
When we asked about the carnets, he said the customs man was in town 17 km away, but he will call him to come! 10 min later I went in again to ask when the man will arrive, only to learn that he had no airtime, and could not call! Calla’s phone to the rescue, and 30 min later the shopping customs man showed up!
The last 17 km of dirt road was fun, and we were soon in town (Lundazi, Zambia), to check into the Castle Hotel, and after a beer we came to the internet shop (where Calla is STILL not connected….!!!!). To-morrow we will head south, direction Lusaka. We believe there nay be roadworks the first 180 km….? We’ll see.
Distance travelled to date just over 7 600 km. To-day 350 km. We are already starting to smell the Cape….!
Wow – it is now 2 days later, and we are in Lusaka! Until now, we have been unable to find an internet connection (many shops, but no connection…..)
Yesterday morning 11/10 we went back to the i-café, only to learn that the man has NOT sent our update on his cell phone as promised. We tried the net again – no luck.
We left Lundazi at eight, and had dirt road for the first 90 km (not 60, as we were told by the shopping customs man!). Many road deviations, some right thru’ the bush and thru’ small towns, but luckily never heavy sand. It took us more than 2 hours to cover the 90 km, but once we hit the brand new tar road, we made up quite a bit….! We went to the bank in Chipata to swop our<Malawi kwatchas for Zambian kwatchas, and I was robbed of MK3500 by people swarming around me, distracting my attention. After filling up we were only too glad to leave the town, heading for Nyimba – this would give us 440 km for the day. The road was a bit boring, the trees and graas sparse, and the last 40 km in rain broke the boredom a bit. We checked into a brand new lodge 2 km before Nyimba (the name slips me now…). They have opened only ome month ago, but things are already broken! The bar was very badly stocked, so we went to town, and found some SA wine. No internet facilities in town.
Dinner was chicken (what else in Africa…!) and b’fast eggs and bread!
12 Oct: we got away at 07:30, and headed for Lusaka, 340 km away. What a beautiful drive the first 150 km was! Hilly, winding roads, greenery, etc. Great ride! We got to the Protea Hotel at 11:30 to collect Calla’s rear brake pads, only to discover that the courier company took it back, as we were not hotel guests! Calla said a few strong words, and a phone call and 15 min later we had the pads. We want to get out of here, heading south, and will fit it to-nite, wherever we might sleep.
Distance travelled to date ca. 8 250 km, and about 3 500 to go to Cape Town.
Till next time!
Photo update 17 October 2011:
We apologise for the long delay in getting some photos on our website, but it had been impossible to do this from an internet shop. We are booked into the Palmenecke Guest House in Otavi, Namibia and Susan was kind enough to allow me to work on her laptop.
Bikes parked at Taitana Lodge where we will spend Tuesday night 11 Oct 2011 just 350km north of Lusaka
Our scenic camp site on the banks of the Zambezi at Katima Mulilo
Du Toit enjoying our fire at the Victoria Falls Karamba River Camp, Livingstone. Our last stop in Zambia before crossing the Namibian border to Katima Mulilo
Du Toit testing his gadgets and batteries
Calla relaxing after "putting his bike down" to the Rainbow Lodge on the Okavango river near Rundu
Calla's sidestand being welded by a pavement pro in Mazabuka
Calla and Du Toit watching the All Blacks playing Wallabies at a pub in Rundu
CALLA 17 October 2011-
We arrived in Mazabuka and found a very humble guest house where we booked in for around
R120,00 per person at the MUKO B/B. While I did the washing Du Toit was fitting my bikes new brake pads.
What a relief it was testing it soon afterwards and having the comfort of back brakes again after travelling for
more than 5 days and covering more than 900km without brakes.
For supper we decided on a lovely Debonairs pizza and a cold bottle Crisp and Dry Autum Harvest.
13 October 2011. After breakfast I had my side stand welded at a local pavement engineer. We travelled down
to Livingstone and arrived there just on lunch. We booked into the MARAMBA RIVER LODGE which cost us $10
per person. We found a lovely camping spot and were warned about elephants and hippos grazing around at night.
(They never came) As the temp. was above 35 degrees we opted to rest in the shade before exploring the Great
Victoria Falls. Although is was in the very dry season and there was not much water the sight was still awesome.
Seeing the water pouring over into the great ravine remains a great spectacular. We also got bridge tickets and
walked down to the main bridge linking Zambia and Zimbabwe.
For supper we longed for a proper braai and Shoprite offered steak and Rooikrans Boerewors. We celebrated the going
south with a big campfire and a proper braai which went well into the late hours of the night.
14 October 2011. We departed for Namibia - At last!! The 200km to the border post went fast. On our way to the border
we were stopped by a Zambian official who demanded ZK20 000/bike for a council levy. The crossing between Zambia and
Namibia went without a hitch and we felt our spirits rise. We rode to Katima Mulilo and was fortunate to find a perfect camping
spot on the banks of the Zambezi river at the PROTEA ZAMBEZI HOTEL.
For the second time on the trip I made a big mistake @XX!<MOER. I took my Malaria tablet on an empty stomach and had to
bear the consequences. It made me terribly nauseous and I had several dashes to the toilets. I was so sick that I could not even enjoy
the cripy chicken braai the evening (Remember always after your meal Calla!)
15 October 2011 - Our next stop was Divundu, a small town on the Okavango river. Leaving the tarred road we headed down a sandy
4 km track towards the first camp. The track is so bad as it is used by heavy overland trucks and 4 x 4 vehicles and we virtually had to walk our bikes, with the rear wheels spinning, down the ruts left by the other vehicles. When I was forced to dump my bike after barely a kilometer as I was totally off balanced by the criss cross spoors and landed in the sand with the bike on top of me. I was hot, sweaty and moerig and demanded we turn around as it was closer back to the tarred road than fighting another 3 km in and then the same 4km out again tomorrow.
We tried the next camp down The Rainbow Camp as the road in was only about a kilometer. The road in was not much better but we
survived. The camp has a very nice setting on the river with a restaurant and fully stocked bar.
16 October 2011 - As the Rainbow camp was quite busy with lots of overland trucks and 4x4 vehicles, we decided to get away first.
The owner suggested we take another road out as a previous group of Geman motor cyclist had fallen all over the same route
We followed his advice but found the other road even longer and not much better.
We arrived at RUNDU in time to watch the All Blacks thrash the Wallabies. and booked into the NGANDU HOTEL and campsite.
Last night I surprized Du Toit with Anglefish, veggies and a sea food mix. The hotel has a beautiful setting on the Okavango river
We are now in Grootfontein heading for OTAVI this afternoon.
We apologise for the long delay in getting some photos on our website, but it had been impossible to do this from an internet shop. We are booked into the Palmenecke Guest House in Otavi, Namibia and Susan was kind enough to allow me to work on her laptop.
Our room on ferry on Aswan Dam
Loaded ferry on Aswan Dam
View from Kilopatra Hotel in Wadi Haifa
Our taxi in Wadi Haifa
Tuc-tuc like this bumped Calla over in Khartoum
Sunrise in Sudan on our 720km day
Desert conditions in Sudan
Camels galore in Sudan
Lushness of Ethiopia on way to Gonder
Calla comparing sizes ...
Wherever you stop you are surrounded in minutes
Many kids with squint eyes
National flag day in Ethiopia
Bridges across Blue Nile on the way to Addis
Street scene at Wim's Holland House in Addis Abeba
We saw many wrecks like this
Tarred road Ethiopia after rain
More camels, these in Kenia
Mount Kenia
Thousands of baobabs in Tanzania
Chitimba, Malawi pub
South of Same, Tanzania coke stop
Road to Livingston
Castle Hotel Lundazi Zambia
Taikana Lodge, Zambia
Coke stop to Lusaka
Outside Protea Hotel Lusaka waiting for brake pads
Welding job in Mazabuka
Close to Vic Falls
Vic Falls
YES we were there
Wildlife in Caprivi
View from Rainbow Camp, Divundu
Calla at work in Grootfontein
Some guys are more dors!!!
Thirsty at Otjiwarongo
CALLA 18 October 2011
We had the most divine boerekos last night. Mutton chops in a potato onion mix, mixed veggies, pasta etc etc. After supper we had a night cap and went to bed early. This morning we left just after eight after a three course breakfast for Du Toit. We rode to Otjiwarongo and Okahanja where we bought droe wors and biltong at Piet se Slaghuis. We arrived safely in Windhoek after travelling around 340km today. On the way here we had to fight our way to stay upright in heavy cross winds which threatened to blow us off the road at times. Today we took the afternoon off - each doing his own thing. I searched the town for new riding gloves as mine went missing in Rundu two days ago. Tomorrow we will travel to Mariental and then Keetmanshoop on Thursday. We hope to arrive in Springbok early Friday afternoon.
All goes well we will see you guys at Shelley Point at 15h00 sharp on Saturday !!!!!!
CALLA'S MEMORIES OF TRANS AFRICA 2011
The whole trip came as a dream to me and for the last 11000 kilometers I often rode and wandered what I would answer or what I would write if asked about the experience. AFRICA - the roads, the people, the different cultures, our personal experiences etc etc.
I must confess, the genuine hospitality of the African people struck me the most. We saw no violence,
we were always politely treated - even at border posts. The majority of the people are poor and live a very simple life. Very few have motor vehicles and live off the land. Those traveling to town do so by donkey or mini bus.
Traveling through Africa I could identify many places in Africa with places in South Africa. You would have a Lowveld in Ethiopia and a Kwazulu Natal feel in parts of Tanzania. Typical Karoo scenes exist in Sudan. We have a great country !!
Our decision to travel from North to South proved the best to me. The further we rode South the more I became excited. I will never forget the crossing the Zambia/Namibia border and riding west in the Caprivi from Katima Mulilio towards Rundu. I have not been there since my military days way back in the 70's but the smell of the dust on the long yellow coloured savanah grass amongst the typical African tree vegetation is something that will stay with you forever.
Hearing your language spoken by Ovambo people far North is like being home. I cannot wait to ride over the rise on the St Helena turn off to see the coastline of my home town, Die Agterbaai, Britanniabaai
A big, big thank you to my wife Annami and the rest of the family who supported me all the way. Special thanks to Rocher for updating our blog. Thanks Pierre and all my friends back home for your support and good wishes.
My biggest thank you must go to my riding partner - Du Toit. Thanks for taking all my shit for
12000 km and never blinking an eye. You were a true friend and helped make my African dream come true. There was much vasbyt on terrible roads, but together we worked on the lesson we learnt.
Just have patience - you will get there - this is the African way
Du Toit updates our record keeping system in the Mariental Hotel
Update 19 October – Du Toit
17 October (continued….) – 353 km for the day
Calla did our last update earlier to-day in Grootfontein, whilst we were underway from Rundu to Otavi. After purchasing some glue to try and fix his Egyptian mirrors once and for all, we left for Otavi. For some strange reason his Dakar’s temperature light came on, whilst the ambient temp was only 34? (we had far higher temps on this trip). We slowed down and rode casually into Otavi, where an inspection of both the water and oil proved that both were still good. We checked into the Palmenecke Guest House, (R450 for both of us, bed only) run very ably by Toitjie and Susan du Toit (no relation of mine!) Susan cooked up an excellent meal, whilst allowing me to use her laptop to select ca. 34 photos from the more than 1400 we have to date – that is on my camera alone!
The locals (mostly German speaking, but they naturally speak Afrikaans and English as well!) play soccer on Mondays, and they visited the bar from 20:00 onwards, which made the little village of Otavi become quite alive and pleasant.
18 October – 370 km plus 20 km of local driving
After a good breakfast we left for Windhoek. We had quite a strong cross wind all the way, but after refuelling in Otjiwarongo, and buying some biltong and droëwors in Okahandja, we arrived in W’hoek before 13:00, where we checked into the Tamboti Guest house of the Packs at 9 Kerby St (R590 for both of us, B&B). I’ve been supporting them for many years, as Wolfie was paralysed in a car accident 18 years ago, and his very able wife Sigi runs the guest house (three houses by now) plus take very good care of Wolfie at the same time.
After Calla bought new gloves, and I had my broken cell phone fixed, my ex colleague Rainer Rapp picked us up at 6 and we went to the Thule Hotel and Restaurant, which overlooks Klein Windhoek. It has beautiful views, and is worth a visit. After excellent steaks, we went to Joe’s Beerhouse for a night cap (or two……)
19 October – 265 km
Yes, we are taking it easy at this stage, otherwise we will arrive early for our reception at Shelley Point on Saturday! It was a pleasant, but again windy, ride to Mariental – we were here at 11 o’clock, which gave time for some washing to be done, and to update the blog. We are staying in the Mariental Hotel (R450 B&B) where Calla is right now braaing our very first lamp chops for the trip!
To-morrow it’s s quite a short ride to Keetmanshoop (220 km), on Friday we have quite a longer ride to Springbok (400+), and on Saturday an even longer one to Britannia Bay (500+).
[We have covered just more than 10 600 km to date, and will end up at around 11 800 in B’Bay (close to 12 000 for me in Durbanville)]
We hope to give you a summary of our impressions on the trip quite soon: the problem will naturally be to keep it short, because there are so many!
Till later!
Yes, we have arrived in Springbok. Du Toit in front of the Springbok Lodge ready for our trip favourite, spaghetti bolognaise!! We will be arriving at Shelley Point at 3pm tomorrow afternoon 22 Oct 2011
Final update: 19-23 Oct (Du Toit)
Whilst I was typing away in Mariental, Calla was braaing some nice chops for us. After a visit to the local bottle store, we were even more happy, and we had a couple of snorts before we had supper in the hotel restaurant. We left for Grünau after filling up in M'tal, and we experienced the coldest weather on our entire trip! Our max was 48ºC in Sudan, and here we had 8º at 07:00, but luckily it was 13º by the time we left. We had to tolerate quite a strong cross wind, but after a beer in the Canyon Hotel in Keetmans, we looked forward to the last 160 km (especially after some very pleasant strangely mix found its way into Calla's camel back....?☺). The wind subsided and at 28º it became a very pleasant ride, especially due to the beautiful yellow grass still lining the road after the good rains earlier this year.
We checked into the Country House in Grünau (small rooms at the back: R220 for 2 people, bed only) and enjoyed a magnificent sunset before a very pleasant supper.
On 21/9 we woke to an similarly magnificent sunrise, and left for South Africa at eight. What a joy to cross a border where there is efficiency, and even more important, WE WERE HOME! Wow, what a feeling after nearly 50 days! Calla took an oath a few weeks ago that he will ride the Vyfmylpoort kaalgat on his bike (on video...), but when I looked for him, he was GONE! Even trying to catch him at 140 did not help: I only caught up with him about 20 km later....!
We were in Springbok at 11:00 already, and after a drink at the S'bok café, we went for spaghetti bolognaise across the road at Titbits. We looked at a few places to stay, but ended up at the Kokerboom Hotel/Camp Site. R460 for the 2 of us for the room, but we did not want to camp. Pierre Bester from Wellington joined us at 22:00 (he was on his way to drive a new 4x4 trip on the West Coast of Namibia, all the way up to the Cunene) and he braaied some very good steak for us - it was GOOD to be nearly home!
After he invited us for breakfast at the Wimpy in S'bok on the 22nd, we headed south for Vanrhynsdorp, where we met up with Calla's sister and brother in law, after which we left for Kardoesie at the top of Piekenierskloof. Once we got there, we realised we were running out of time due to the road works, and we dashed down the pass, only to wait a further two times. By then we had 133 km left, and only 75 minutes! It became a race to make it to Britannia Bay by 15:00 - the only bad news was that by then there was a gale blowing: it really became the most scary part of the entire trip from a safety point of view!
Heads bobbing in the wind, we braced ourselves and rode like hell. There was no time for any more videos (I've recorded about 300 video clips with my GoPro helmet mounted camera on this trip). We finally stopped at the St Helena Bay Hotel where Jason of the Shelley Point hotel met us, before we left for his hotel. Spot on time at 15:00 we rode into the parking area, where nearly 70 people were awaiting us (yes, I counted them on my video!) Thank you Annemi, for organising this very pleasant reception (I am still wondering where you got the rent-a-crowd from...☺) which went on for a good few hours!
IT WAS GOOD TO BE FINALLY 'HOME' AFTER 11 850 KM!!!
[After an extremely pleasant evening and potjiekos in Britannia Bay, my son Francois joined me on the bike on Sunday morning for my last 160+ km to Durbanville. I went thru' the 12 000 km mark just after Malmesbury. I watched the All Blacks France final with my entire family in Durbanville: now I was finally home!
Final impressions:
- Egypt will NEVER see me again! The country (or its people for that matter) are lazy, crooked, plus many other adjectives, which means the country is screwed..... They will try and cheat you wherever they can; their bureaucracy is ridiculous and extremely incompetent; their customs "works" only from about 10:00 - 14:00; you cannot move in the streets without being constantly harassed by people for business; etc etc.
- I admire Calla for doing this trip on his 650: we swopped bikes for 67 km, and I was very glad to get my steed back! A much larger screen would have helped him a lot: his ride was physically much more demanding than mine. Make sure your bike is in tip-top condition in all areas, and take some spares and tools with (don't ask me which!).
- Due to my osteo arthritis, I fitted a mechanical cruise control on the accelerator - without that, I would not have been able to do this trip, as this allowed me to rest my hand frequently.
- Africa really surprised me: I've been to a few African countries before on business trips, and started this trip with trepidation about bribery, corruption, theft and potential lack of friendliness, but besides Egypt (have I mentioned that they are bad...?) all the other countries surprised me pleasantly! The people are poor, but VERY friendly. We never had to bribe anybody. And we never felt endangered, or threatened. Also, nothing was stolen from us (except some cash during an exchange rate transaction, and obviously my camera in Egypt...)
- The low light of the trip (after Egypt, that is....) was the 370 km of dirt road in northern Kenya. It took us 15 hours to cover, and it calls for extreme patience...... this road is bad news for a bike, as everything shakes apart.
- Otherwise the road is tarred all the way (save for a few road works, potholed areas, etc) but very soon the Chinese would have tarred it all the way!
- Calla already mentioned that whatever nature scenes we encountered, we have it in southern Africa, which gave us new respect for our own (and neighbouring) countries.
- Risks? Stone throwing by some kids in esp. Ethiopia; the border post between Sudan and Ethiopia; potholes in the roads; people and animals in the roads; buses and trucks.
- Take care not to take too much luggage with you: I could have made it with nearly half of what I took! There are hotels in all villages, and they are cheap, so you don't have to take camping gear (unless you want to camp)
- Tracks4Africa is really good, and helped us tremendously, especially in the cities.
- Don't under estimate this trip: it is tough, both physically and mentally, but at the same time very rewarding, and very much worth doing.
- Will I do it again? (on a bike, never, but ask me again in a year's time......) but in a car: yes, but not Egypt!
Calla, despite the snoring, thank you VERY much for taking the initiative to start organising this trip: I really enjoyed it, and even more so because not once did we have words on this trip. You're a real warrior, my ou vriend!
To everyone who had been dreaming about doing it: stop dreaming, and start packing!
Dr Calla attending to sleepy Mike at Livingstone
Dr Calla attending to sleepy Mike at Livingstone
Sunset at Grunau
Sunset at Grunau
Stop at Kamieskroon
Stop at Clanwilliam
Waiting at Piekeniers
Arriving at Shelley Point
