Flying Dutchman
Registered user
Currently in Cape Town for a wedding, it's brilliant down here. Great report, I hope to do the same trip one day.
Africa in 5 months
- Thread starter Aidjay
- Start date
Aidjay
Registered user
South Africa Part 1 - The Big Easy
Completing our final border crossing of this trip and entering South Africa was such an emotional experience. This time I was experiencing the sites and roads of my country of birth on a motorcycle, a mode of transport I had only become passionate about after leaving South Africa over 11 years ago.
We stopped in the small border town of Messina for some supplies. This town is nothing special by South African standards, but for us it felt like they had lined the streets with a welcome party. We walked into a Spar supermarket and stocked up on nostalgia. Brands we knew from our childhood filled our basket faster than you can say "howzit my bru".
We overnighted at possibly one of the most organised campsites in the universe. We pitched tent at a resort outside Tchipise, which is famous for its hot springs. We used this as a prime opportunity to soak our prematurely aged bodies in monkey-hot pools (ooh-ooh, aah-aah).
The quality camping in Tchipise
The next day we negotiated the scenic routes and dramatic passes of the Limpopo Province towards Tzaneen, where we were very graciously hosted by some old friends, Chris and Brit Dando on their fabulous farm. Chris mended my broken side stand with some farmer ingenuity, "guaranteed to get you to Cape Town", in his words. So far so good!
The deck on the Dando's farm:
A weld of quality not seen north of the Limpopo:
After Tzaneen we made for South Africa's city of gold and found ourselves on the monstrously huge and busy motorways of Johannesburg at rush hour on a Friday afternoon. It was quite intimidating, but our training in Nigeria saw us through. Russ and I parted company and he made for family in the southern suburbs and I made for my sister and brother-in-law in Randburg. I rolled in to a very warm welcome complete with a "Welcome to South Africa" banner created by my nephews. Russell joined us the next day and we enjoyed a fantastic braai with a few extra friends not seen in a while. We also made a point of changing our rear tyre back to a more road-biased tread since most of the off-road sections were now behind us.
Our welcome banner:
After a blissful 4 days of pampering, we were back on the road. We headed eastwards and overnighted in a campsite in the rural town of Piet Retief. We met a very interesting fellow camper who was working in the area as part of a railway maintenance crew. Our discussions on how we were seeing a lot of positives in South Africa led to him telling us how he was a former member of a right-wing extremist group. He discussed how his core beliefs has changed and how he thinks things are moving towards an optimistic outcome. The was profoundly refreshing to both Russ and I, and we really hope this sentiment is prevalent throughout the country.
Crossing the mighty Vaal River, which was little more than a ditch in this part of the world:
The next day we rode through the highlands and lowlands of northern Kwazulu-Natal. This area was very familiar to me, and being immersed in this breathtaking scenery on a motorcycle brought a lump to the throat. Heading to my home town of Empangeni, we descended down the Melmoth pass straight into a wall of heat and humidity we had not experienced since the Congo. Ah, it was good to be home.
We received a motherly welcome (by my mother of course) and caught up on all the local happenings. My mother used her influence to invite a reporter from the local newspaper round, and Russell and I were interviewed about our trip and the Riders for Health campaign. Thanks to this we made it into the next printed issue of the Zululand Observer! We also took a tour of my mother's amazing community project she has set up and has been running for the last 5 years, and it wouldn't be right if I didn't make mention of Zikulise. More information can be found here: http://www.zikulise.org.za
It was then off to the neighbourly town of Richards Bay where we spent the day in the company of my father and his wife Frieda. There's nothing quite like relaxing in a pool with a beer in hand followed by a braai. We bantered the evening away and enjoyed a traditional Natal breakfast fry-up the following morning, complete with fried bananas.
Travelling down the coast it was a short hop to Durban where we spent the weekend with my brother David. It was interesting to see how the city has changed since living here during my university years. There has been a massive increase in the tourist infrastructure thanks to the 2010 Football World Cup, and the city is all the better for it.
It was time to leave family and friends for a while and continue our coastal journey south through the rugged coastal region aptly known as the Wild Coast. We entered Pondoland and stayed in the beautifully laid-back town of Port St Johns. We intended to just stay the night, but this turned into 3. They even have a name for it, "Pondo Fever".
The rolling green hills of the Transkei
The unspoilt beaches around Port St Johns
Our hiking companion who adopted us for the day:
Completing our final border crossing of this trip and entering South Africa was such an emotional experience. This time I was experiencing the sites and roads of my country of birth on a motorcycle, a mode of transport I had only become passionate about after leaving South Africa over 11 years ago.
We stopped in the small border town of Messina for some supplies. This town is nothing special by South African standards, but for us it felt like they had lined the streets with a welcome party. We walked into a Spar supermarket and stocked up on nostalgia. Brands we knew from our childhood filled our basket faster than you can say "howzit my bru".
We overnighted at possibly one of the most organised campsites in the universe. We pitched tent at a resort outside Tchipise, which is famous for its hot springs. We used this as a prime opportunity to soak our prematurely aged bodies in monkey-hot pools (ooh-ooh, aah-aah).
The quality camping in Tchipise
The next day we negotiated the scenic routes and dramatic passes of the Limpopo Province towards Tzaneen, where we were very graciously hosted by some old friends, Chris and Brit Dando on their fabulous farm. Chris mended my broken side stand with some farmer ingenuity, "guaranteed to get you to Cape Town", in his words. So far so good!
The deck on the Dando's farm:
A weld of quality not seen north of the Limpopo:
After Tzaneen we made for South Africa's city of gold and found ourselves on the monstrously huge and busy motorways of Johannesburg at rush hour on a Friday afternoon. It was quite intimidating, but our training in Nigeria saw us through. Russ and I parted company and he made for family in the southern suburbs and I made for my sister and brother-in-law in Randburg. I rolled in to a very warm welcome complete with a "Welcome to South Africa" banner created by my nephews. Russell joined us the next day and we enjoyed a fantastic braai with a few extra friends not seen in a while. We also made a point of changing our rear tyre back to a more road-biased tread since most of the off-road sections were now behind us.
Our welcome banner:
After a blissful 4 days of pampering, we were back on the road. We headed eastwards and overnighted in a campsite in the rural town of Piet Retief. We met a very interesting fellow camper who was working in the area as part of a railway maintenance crew. Our discussions on how we were seeing a lot of positives in South Africa led to him telling us how he was a former member of a right-wing extremist group. He discussed how his core beliefs has changed and how he thinks things are moving towards an optimistic outcome. The was profoundly refreshing to both Russ and I, and we really hope this sentiment is prevalent throughout the country.
Crossing the mighty Vaal River, which was little more than a ditch in this part of the world:
The next day we rode through the highlands and lowlands of northern Kwazulu-Natal. This area was very familiar to me, and being immersed in this breathtaking scenery on a motorcycle brought a lump to the throat. Heading to my home town of Empangeni, we descended down the Melmoth pass straight into a wall of heat and humidity we had not experienced since the Congo. Ah, it was good to be home.
We received a motherly welcome (by my mother of course) and caught up on all the local happenings. My mother used her influence to invite a reporter from the local newspaper round, and Russell and I were interviewed about our trip and the Riders for Health campaign. Thanks to this we made it into the next printed issue of the Zululand Observer! We also took a tour of my mother's amazing community project she has set up and has been running for the last 5 years, and it wouldn't be right if I didn't make mention of Zikulise. More information can be found here: http://www.zikulise.org.za
It was then off to the neighbourly town of Richards Bay where we spent the day in the company of my father and his wife Frieda. There's nothing quite like relaxing in a pool with a beer in hand followed by a braai. We bantered the evening away and enjoyed a traditional Natal breakfast fry-up the following morning, complete with fried bananas.
Travelling down the coast it was a short hop to Durban where we spent the weekend with my brother David. It was interesting to see how the city has changed since living here during my university years. There has been a massive increase in the tourist infrastructure thanks to the 2010 Football World Cup, and the city is all the better for it.
It was time to leave family and friends for a while and continue our coastal journey south through the rugged coastal region aptly known as the Wild Coast. We entered Pondoland and stayed in the beautifully laid-back town of Port St Johns. We intended to just stay the night, but this turned into 3. They even have a name for it, "Pondo Fever".
The rolling green hills of the Transkei
The unspoilt beaches around Port St Johns
Our hiking companion who adopted us for the day:
rsstler
Registered user
The final push to Cape Town
Having been extremely well looked after by various members of the Jonson clan over the last few weeks, we continued on our final leg of the trip towards Cape Town. By now we are very much on the main South African tourist trail. Roads are good, accommodation excellent and the food even better.
Our first stop was Jefferys bay, the world famous surf destination. We rode down to Island Vibe backpackers, which is described by a local guidebook as “lively”. Full of surfers and bikini clad surfer groupies, the later outnumber the former by about 3 to 1. And so we checked in, for 3 days. At Island Vibe they partied hard, all day, every day. Adrian’s conversation with the barman accurately sums it up:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Adrian: Jeez dude, that party last night was carnage</em>
<em> Barman: Carnage, dude</em>
<em> Adrian: Is it like that often?</em>
<em> Barman: It’s carnage every night. Every night of the week</em></p>
<em>The view from our room at Jefferys Bay</em>
Nursing hangovers from hell we then did what any self-respecting middle-aged bikers would have done, we checked into Surf School. And trust me; there is nothing that says “middle-aged” like repeatedly falling off a foam surf board whilst attempting to ride 2ft waves. The only conciliation was that every other person at surf school was female, blonde and in their early twenties.
Our next stop was the Wilderness Beach House, another top class establishment on the scenic Garden Route. After a world class braai, we stumbled into their bar and noticed the special on Witblits. For those not familiar with this fine drink, Witblits is a local moonshine made by fermenting the Devil’s urine. We promptly raided the next day’s petrol budget and ordered a few shoots. Apparently the owner accidentally ordered a case of the stuff, hence the special. The special was so successful that she had to order another case.
<em>Wilderness and the Garden Route</em>
Our final stop before Cape Town was a visit to my parents at their holiday home in De Kelders, across the bay from the whale watching town of Hermanus. Lauren, Adrian’s girlfriend, was also there to meet us; we celebrated that night with a festive reunion braai. The next day we popped down to Gansbaai, a small harbour town now dubbed the “Great White Shark capital of the world”. No, we did not go shark diving, we have made it this far without dying so we decided not to tempt fate.
<em>De Kelders, looking out to Hermanus and Walker Bay.
</em>
Lauren joined us for the final 150km into Cape Town. Poor Lauren was sick as a dog that day but she powered on through in the true Pikipiki spirit of “just because”. We’re glad Lauren joined us because she has been the 3rd Pikipiki member from the start.
Coming into Cape Town, we took the scenic R44 coastal route between Hermanus and Gordons Bay. This road is biking heaven, breath taking views and awesome twisties. Finally Cape Town was in sight. Just 20kms to Blouberg strand for a few photos.
<em>Proof we did make it... And that we did not kill each other along the way</em>
<em>Adrian and Lauren</em>
This trip has been amazing; we’ve have met so many wonderful people along the way. Thinking back to our troubled start; <a title="Disaster! Adrian’s accident" href="http://pikipikisafari.net/distaster/" target="_blank">Adrian’s crash</a>, <a title="Russell’s bike stolen" href="http://pikipikisafari.net/a-true-test-of-determination/" target="_blank">my bike being stolen</a> and then my clutch problems, it would not have been possible without the help of so many. The list is too long to mention them all, but they know who they are.
One final thank-you to everyone who donated to our chosen charity; <a title="Riders for Health" href="http://pikipikisafari.net/donate/" target="_blank">Riders for Health</a>. For those still wishing to <a title="Donate Now!" href="http://www.justgiving.com/pikipikisafari" target="_blank">donate</a>, it is not too late!
And that’s it really. We can now tick the box that says “Ridden the length of Africa”. We said our farewells, Adrian mumbled something about needing to be a work in a week and we rode off into the distance.
Pondering ideas of continuing travelling, I rode on to my parents’ home in Cape Town and did a quick internet search on “motorcycle shipping Cape Town to Buenos Aires”.
Having been extremely well looked after by various members of the Jonson clan over the last few weeks, we continued on our final leg of the trip towards Cape Town. By now we are very much on the main South African tourist trail. Roads are good, accommodation excellent and the food even better.
Our first stop was Jefferys bay, the world famous surf destination. We rode down to Island Vibe backpackers, which is described by a local guidebook as “lively”. Full of surfers and bikini clad surfer groupies, the later outnumber the former by about 3 to 1. And so we checked in, for 3 days. At Island Vibe they partied hard, all day, every day. Adrian’s conversation with the barman accurately sums it up:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Adrian: Jeez dude, that party last night was carnage</em>
<em> Barman: Carnage, dude</em>
<em> Adrian: Is it like that often?</em>
<em> Barman: It’s carnage every night. Every night of the week</em></p>
<em>The view from our room at Jefferys Bay</em>
Nursing hangovers from hell we then did what any self-respecting middle-aged bikers would have done, we checked into Surf School. And trust me; there is nothing that says “middle-aged” like repeatedly falling off a foam surf board whilst attempting to ride 2ft waves. The only conciliation was that every other person at surf school was female, blonde and in their early twenties.
Our next stop was the Wilderness Beach House, another top class establishment on the scenic Garden Route. After a world class braai, we stumbled into their bar and noticed the special on Witblits. For those not familiar with this fine drink, Witblits is a local moonshine made by fermenting the Devil’s urine. We promptly raided the next day’s petrol budget and ordered a few shoots. Apparently the owner accidentally ordered a case of the stuff, hence the special. The special was so successful that she had to order another case.
<em>Wilderness and the Garden Route</em>
Our final stop before Cape Town was a visit to my parents at their holiday home in De Kelders, across the bay from the whale watching town of Hermanus. Lauren, Adrian’s girlfriend, was also there to meet us; we celebrated that night with a festive reunion braai. The next day we popped down to Gansbaai, a small harbour town now dubbed the “Great White Shark capital of the world”. No, we did not go shark diving, we have made it this far without dying so we decided not to tempt fate.
<em>De Kelders, looking out to Hermanus and Walker Bay.
</em>
Lauren joined us for the final 150km into Cape Town. Poor Lauren was sick as a dog that day but she powered on through in the true Pikipiki spirit of “just because”. We’re glad Lauren joined us because she has been the 3rd Pikipiki member from the start.
Coming into Cape Town, we took the scenic R44 coastal route between Hermanus and Gordons Bay. This road is biking heaven, breath taking views and awesome twisties. Finally Cape Town was in sight. Just 20kms to Blouberg strand for a few photos.
<em>Proof we did make it... And that we did not kill each other along the way</em>
<em>Adrian and Lauren</em>
This trip has been amazing; we’ve have met so many wonderful people along the way. Thinking back to our troubled start; <a title="Disaster! Adrian’s accident" href="http://pikipikisafari.net/distaster/" target="_blank">Adrian’s crash</a>, <a title="Russell’s bike stolen" href="http://pikipikisafari.net/a-true-test-of-determination/" target="_blank">my bike being stolen</a> and then my clutch problems, it would not have been possible without the help of so many. The list is too long to mention them all, but they know who they are.
One final thank-you to everyone who donated to our chosen charity; <a title="Riders for Health" href="http://pikipikisafari.net/donate/" target="_blank">Riders for Health</a>. For those still wishing to <a title="Donate Now!" href="http://www.justgiving.com/pikipikisafari" target="_blank">donate</a>, it is not too late!
And that’s it really. We can now tick the box that says “Ridden the length of Africa”. We said our farewells, Adrian mumbled something about needing to be a work in a week and we rode off into the distance.
Pondering ideas of continuing travelling, I rode on to my parents’ home in Cape Town and did a quick internet search on “motorcycle shipping Cape Town to Buenos Aires”.
xylo66
Registered user
Thanks for the report - awesome
Hi guys, bru..brought back fond memories ! Ex banana-boy from Durbs and great report ! Well done and thanks for making it so real. Lekker !!
Chris
Swindon
Hi guys, bru..brought back fond memories ! Ex banana-boy from Durbs and great report ! Well done and thanks for making it so real. Lekker !!
Chris
Swindon
Well done lads...great pics & commentary, talk about the trip of a lifetime!!
Aidjay
Registered user
Its not over till the fat bike returns
And so our little African adventure has come to an end. One of us has now returned to the land of tea, scones, polite drivers and the sorely missed pints of ale.
The day-to-day part of our trip updates is now over, but fear not, there are still a few moments we can share with you thanks to time, computing power and of course faster internet. Oh, how we missed fast internet.
Here's a little taster which involves a near miss in Gabon:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a55elX_Y8IU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
And so our little African adventure has come to an end. One of us has now returned to the land of tea, scones, polite drivers and the sorely missed pints of ale.
The day-to-day part of our trip updates is now over, but fear not, there are still a few moments we can share with you thanks to time, computing power and of course faster internet. Oh, how we missed fast internet.
Here's a little taster which involves a near miss in Gabon:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a55elX_Y8IU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Aidjay
Registered user
great report and glad to hear alls well and the gabon bends didnt get ya a far cry from the time you first got some off road training in, im sure you will want to come and do those lanes again
Wow Finn, thanks for the reminder, great pic! I see Russ is pushing his bike out of a tricky section. Nothing much has changed there.
It seems like ages ago we were struggling away with our big ol' GS's on those Welsh lanes. We'll have to do it again soon!
Aidjay
Registered user
Africa done and dusted.
So the beast has finally returned, relatively unscathed and still carrying a small quantity of Congolese red dust and a bit of hard-to-reach mud. I’m going to need a chisel to finally get rid of the stuff.
The bike was cleared and un-crated for an extortionate amount of money (I'm in the wrong business), re-assembled, battery reconnected and refuelled. A couple of turns of the starter and the old girl sparked up without a hitch. The M4, in typical Blighty weather, saw me home safe and sound.
And so my part of the Pikipiki Safari adventure has come to an end.
But have no fear, Russ is still out there still trying to find a wife, this time on the South American continent. If his Spanish is anything like his French, they're going to love him. No doubt Russ will start his own thread of his continuing adventure, but you can always catch up with the latest on pikipikisafari.net and/or www.facebook.com/PikipikiSafari.
So if anyone out there who followed our little jaunt is considering doing something similar, I'll leave you with this: In the 5 months I was away, the majority of friends, family and work colleagues were either, "Oh, you're back already!", or "I didn't even know you had gone away". So just do it. No one will even know you've left.
Oh, and one last thing, I’ll be at the HUBB meet in Ripley in July. Apparently Russ has organised for Pikipiki Safari to give a little talk on our trip. Since Russ will be in South America, I guess that means it’ll just be me. But it’ll be great to meet up with you lot if any of you are planning on going. I’ve got plenty more stories which I will gladly trade for a pint.
<a href="http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums/g419/Aidjay/?action=view¤t=photo-66.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g419/Aidjay/photo-66.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
So the beast has finally returned, relatively unscathed and still carrying a small quantity of Congolese red dust and a bit of hard-to-reach mud. I’m going to need a chisel to finally get rid of the stuff.
The bike was cleared and un-crated for an extortionate amount of money (I'm in the wrong business), re-assembled, battery reconnected and refuelled. A couple of turns of the starter and the old girl sparked up without a hitch. The M4, in typical Blighty weather, saw me home safe and sound.
And so my part of the Pikipiki Safari adventure has come to an end.
But have no fear, Russ is still out there still trying to find a wife, this time on the South American continent. If his Spanish is anything like his French, they're going to love him. No doubt Russ will start his own thread of his continuing adventure, but you can always catch up with the latest on pikipikisafari.net and/or www.facebook.com/PikipikiSafari.So if anyone out there who followed our little jaunt is considering doing something similar, I'll leave you with this: In the 5 months I was away, the majority of friends, family and work colleagues were either, "Oh, you're back already!", or "I didn't even know you had gone away". So just do it. No one will even know you've left.
Oh, and one last thing, I’ll be at the HUBB meet in Ripley in July. Apparently Russ has organised for Pikipiki Safari to give a little talk on our trip. Since Russ will be in South America, I guess that means it’ll just be me. But it’ll be great to meet up with you lot if any of you are planning on going. I’ve got plenty more stories which I will gladly trade for a pint.
<a href="http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums/g419/Aidjay/?action=view¤t=photo-66.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g419/Aidjay/photo-66.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Shadwell
Registered user
just re read through this one and im sure you will agree it deserves a second read
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