Gael warning in the Congo

[Oldrat]

Great ride report, I really enjoyed your thread and have been eagerly waiting for each instalment. Thanks for taking the trouble to record and post.

 

[gspod]

What a fantastic RR this has been from the very beginning and more inspirational than a lot of motorcycle overland travel books and articles I’ve read.

Thanks and well done to both of you

 

[simondippenhall]

Thanks to GSpod and others for the kind words to Jim and me.

Whilst he has returned home, I have now arrived in Stellenbosch. Based on study of the weather map, this looked the best direction to escape the cold rain I have been 'enjoying'.

Coming over the Sir 'sonething' pass (I have forgotten!) There was a deep blanket if cloud and gusting winds that blew me about.

But mercifully I descended the W side of the pass into sunshine��

So now to find a glass of the renowned local wine, and plan my route back to Windhoek by the end of next week...

 

[simondippenhall]

Job done!

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[Drumacoon Lad.]

Job done!

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Sláinte!

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[simondippenhall]

The Bavarian tractor looks like a toy behind the Land cruiser
. Hope I can extract it!

Stellenbosch beautiful but a bit touristy for me (the tourist, I know!)

So will head up to Bains kloof today and have a meander in the vague direction of Namibia. As it's Saturday I may well not be alone!

The road North beckons (faintly).


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[Northern jock]

Nice one, good effort and worth all the sh1tty moments. Great achievement

 

[simondippenhall]

Thanks N/jock

Today was a day of pootling through mountain passes, with time on my hands.

First a pleasant morning walk through the Stellenbosch Botanical gardens (who says us rufty tufty bikers aren’t tender souls as well?)



The garden has some spiky customers as well. (A bit like this website?)


Then off I went, doing a complete lap of the town whilst the Garmin decided whether it was going to find any satellites (under a clear blue sky FFS!).

Then off towards Bain’s Kloof pass as recommended by tjmous of this site


The last picture is for my friend Johan who always requires photographic evidence!


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[simondippenhall]

Then Michell’s Pass (twice!) , watching out for the baboons as advised.

To my surprise, even on a glorious autumn Saturday morning there was only one motorcyclist.

Then at lunchtime (really am coasting now!) I decide to visit the Cape Dutch town of Tulbagh
and stay there for the night


My humble cell


and the rather fine breakfast room


And rumoured to be some decent wines around here,too!


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[Aidan1150]

This has been a compelling odyssey Simon and testament to the 1150 and their ability to take it all and still keep plodding away (as well as your own).

Thank you for your report.

 

[simondippenhall]

Aidan

A pleasure. Jockser tells me that my 1150 may be catching up on the mileage of yours


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[simondippenhall]

Travelling through the town of Ceres this morning, I was amazed to see so many people milling around the shops and pavements and in the road...so I even had to use the horn a few times!

After the emptiness if Namibia and S Africa it brought me back to earlier stages in my journey...but why so many people?

The mystery was solved this evening when I got chatting to two Afrikaner farmers ....it seems it was payday and in this predominantly agricultural area, everyone was in town to spend their wages.

They also gave me some tips on further good biking roads so tomorrow I think I shall venture east on the R62 towards the Karoo




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[tjmouse]

Then off towards Bain’s Kloof pass as recommended by tjmous of this site
View attachment 403957View attachment 403958

The last picture is for my friend Johan who always requires photographic evidence!


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Hope you enjoyed it

Fantastic part of the world, thanks for keeping up the regular posts.

 

[simondippenhall]

So I decided to defy the weather gods and head east along Route 62: fabulous roads and fabulous scenery even though I only saw the lower half (of the scenery) as the upper half was enveloped in cloud .

And it rained...and rained...so I spent the day in waterproofs.

But before it rained I fit to see a whole family if baboons crossing a dirt road I briefly followed. No photos I am afraid...but watching them carefully pick their way through the barbed wire reminded me of their capabilities (intellectual as well as physical).

About 4 I got to Oudtshoop, from which I was due to take a dirt road North over the Swartsberg Pass.

Thinking I was cold and that sounded like something better done in the dry in the morning, I was lured by the hyperbole to the Queen's Hotel in the town:


The lock up garage has gone b it t the facilities are excellent and still rather colonial, at a reasonable price.

Seen in 1870:


More recently:


and this evening:


A hot shower restored my bonhomie, and I am now sat in the lavish drawing room speculating idly whether to make a dash for Lesotho (a country I have always wanted to visit) but at the risk of rushing the visit AND following the bad weather across the country.

Also rather taken aback when I caught up with the sad news of the Ethiopian airlines crash this morning. I have flown on Ethiopian for most of the legs of this odyssey, and indeed chatted to people who were connecting to the same Nairobi flight from Addis..

And more pertinently, I am flying Ethiopian in a week, back to London...but not AFAIK on that model plane.




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[jeremyj]

Simon go for Lesotho lived there for three years, the mountain kingdom lovely people.

 

[simondippenhall]

Jeremyj: I am sure you are right but I want to spend more time there than I have so will visit another times.

So after a great nights sleep, I set off North for the Swarzberg Pass. I had been warned it was a bit rocky and a day’s rain yesterday won’t have improved things.

The pass is hidden in the clouds to the left



I decided to keep going until I reached the cloud level and then turn back as it was getting muddy


And then as I bounced over rocks and hoped nothing would shake off the bike, the clouds partedand it was all worthwhile




The ascent was a lot muckier than the descent, with lots of channels where yesterday's rain had coursed down.



So I plugged on, hardly a soul around

Epic views

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[simondippenhall]

A bit like parts of Morocco



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[simondippenhall]

Definitely worth the 40 km of gravel/mud/stone and especially as the bike remained intact

Then after a windy and gravelly descent, into the quaint town of Prince Albert


Lest you think it's all cute Cape Dutch buildings, there is another reality



But then it was decision time, again. I decided to investigate the wide open spaces of the Karoo by heading North.

Goodbye Swarzberg!



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[simondippenhall]

A warm, sunny day with nowhere to be and roads and scenery like this: biker heaven!




I didn't turn left...I felt I was already lucky enough!

So got to the remote Karoo town of Fraserburgh and decided to stay in a charming little B&B...the road north becomes gravel again, but I am still dithering about my itinerary for the next 4 days before I need to head to Windhoek in earnest.

The coast (Lamberts Bay in SA and Luderitz in Namibia) is calling me...



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[patzx12]

That is really nice Country.