In search of Father Jack.

Jim: great report.

If it's any consolation, where I am has had no rain in 2 years...until the last couple of days when they have accumulated this!
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So mutual commiserations are in order


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Seems I missed out on something in not going to De Rust but I'd already passed it and find it hard to go back.

No probs Simon. You just keep the rain up there. I'm sure you look good in hi-viz waterproofs, quite in fashion! You'll be wearing hi-viz socks next

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I spent the day recovering frim the rain. The first priority was to get the bike in the sun so the sheepskin seat could begin to dry out. I have a sheepskin cover on all my bikes and I believe it helps me in doing long days in the saddle when needed. When the get wet, normally an hour or two dries them out.

The plan for the day was to explore the areas around Knysna and visit the motorbike museum. I started with a trip down to the "Heads" which are the two rocky cliffs each side of the channel which leads into the Knysna lagoon. Before arriving there I passed through a marsh area with some wading birds, so if youre not interested in birds you can skip the next photos. The view from the top was great and I spent some time watching Cape Gannets diving and I've included a long distance photo of one in a dive.
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For those unsure of the birds above, they were, Stilt, African Sacred Ibis and Pied Avocet. Last picture is the Gannet, if you can spot him.

The motorcycle museum wasn't massive but interesting and had a few bikes I'd ridden or wanted to, but sadly no 125 Suzuki. My Suzuki is no museum piece and has a long life in front of it. Talking to the staff in the museum its clear that not all the bikes are runners but they are still interesting to see.

What was more useful to me was the detailed discussion I had with the museum staff, about possible routes and road conditions going further east and north. This has helped me map out an aporoach for the rest of my trip.

But here are the bikes.

1 Triumph Tiger Cub, a bike id love to have owned.

2. BMW R50 from 1955. Included as Simon has one of these and in much better condition.

3. BMW R100GS, known as the "Bumblebee", obviously!

4. The rather special BMW HP2 Enduro, included as a couple of friends have owned them.

5. Lastly, the famous Yamaha, XT500, one of the first multi-purpose bikes, ideally suited for overland adventure travelling. I had it road going brother.
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The cub might be there as it may have been a popular bike in Africa. Anthony Smith (RIP) rode one up through Africa in 1955 and again in 1983 with his son also riding one.
 

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Great photos Jim...but don't leave us hanging what route ideas have you come up with after your local consultation?

And glad you could upload photos. (Ethiopian WiFi not yet up to the task so will await Addis to update my blog)

Glad the 125 is instilling you with confidence...who knows where eventually you may ride it to


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Yes Ed there was a HP2 sport there too, it was an eclectic collection. Lots of orange bikes.

My first proper bike was a BSA Bantam 175 D7 but I always fancied a Tiger Cub. Seeing the Cub in the museum I was amazed at how small it was, much smaller than my little Suzuki. Thanks for the book recommendation, its on the list.

Simon, on the route, you'll have to wait Poor WiFi here too, in fact none!

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Cracking piccies & report Jim.... :okay
 
Thanks guys for the nice words, but I'm not sure I buy this idea you need a lot of bottle to do these trips. I try and describe it in a way that would encourage any experienced rider he could do it. The only bit of hard riding was the 30km stretch in Angola, the road conditions here and in Namibia have been fine. None of the borders since Congo have been a problem. Nearly everyone I've met has been helpful and of course I've got the most reliable bike in the world(I bet I'll be sorry I said that).

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Its all been pretty quiet since leaving Knysna and I've progressed east along the coast and am now east of Port Elizabeth. The main roads here are excellent, not always dual carriageway, which can be handy when you miss your turning. I stayed into the afternoon in St Francis to watch the Irish rugby team qualify, to play the All Blacks in the next round, ouch! I saw some artistic sand carving at one beach including one with the big 5. These lillies grow wild here and you can find them on the side of the road.
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Being next to the Addo Elephant National Park I fancied a trip inside. To do this in an open vehicle I had to be staying in a property run by the Safari company, don't ask. Well I needed to stay somewhere and the cost was OK. The accomodation turned to be a house boat on the river, something different. We headed off in a land cruiser and were quickly in the park. It was much more hilly than other parks I'd been in and dense with trees and bushes. The elephants can handle the slopes quite well it seems the only issue was spotting them between the trees. There were lots of Burchell's Zebras and of course warthogs. Later we saw Cape Buffallo and Kudu, but the elephants were the stars. Two other cute creatures were the monkeys and the tick birds on the Zebras. The last photo is my accomodation for the night.
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On my ride to Port Alfred I passed through farmland with large herds of cattle. Sometimes the view of the green landscape was not so different to Southern England, where I live. I was remarking to myself how different this looked to the semi-desert of southern Namibia, which I was riding through 3 weeks ago. The towns too have an English feel, with signs to the tennis club, the bowling club and even one to the croquet club.

Along the road I was surprised to be confronted with the 10 commandments, individually on posters along the side of the road. I did take note, and will particularly remember not to covet!
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Arriving at Port Alfred I found a good place to stay and was able to negotiate a reasonable rate. People find the story of riding all this way from Congo interesting and are always helpful. This was proved again when I took the bike to have the oil changed. It was done last in Windhoek and I've covered over 3,500km since. The owner of the Fearless Motorbike Co., Peter, was very accommodating. He agreed to change the oil immediately and fitted the filter I had with me. He then recommended an excellent restaurant next door where I could have lunch. When I returned, the bike had been checked over and the oil changed. Peter and I talked about the trip from Congo and the merits of using a small bike. Great to get such good service and meet such a nice guy. The first photo is the view from my apartment and then of Peter and his mechanic.
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I stayed an extra night in Port Alfred and moved into a sumptuous flat with a veranda overlooking the town. I popped out to thank the guys at the bike shop and Peter suggested a ride I might enjoy. I follow his directions not fully convinced what I would find. However Peter was quite correct and I came across the largest pineapple in the world, on a pineapple farm.

Peter also recommended I visit the old pub in Bathurst, the Pig and Whistle. I met Gavin the pub owner in the oldest pub in South Africa and a National Monument(see the flags of all the 2019 Rugby World Cup nations in the pub photo). It was opened around the time of settlements of British soldiers returning from the Napoleonic wars. Soldiers were given plots of land to farm. This was done by allocating a point, a certain distance and compass point from Bathurst, to a soldier. This point would be the nearest point of a square area which the soldier could farm. Gavin explained this process is illustrated on a local monument, showing how the allocation was done.
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Today I left my lovely appartment in Port Alfred but not before a last look at the Indian ocean from the balcony. I'd be heading north and leaving the coast behind, going in the direction of the small independent country of Lesotho. My goal today was to reach Aliwal North, on the orange river, within a couple of hours of the Lesotho border. This was the longest ride I'd done in a couple of weeks. It was great to be back on the bike properly.

I marvelled as the landscape changed as I rode along. It was mostly farmland, quite green near the coast and gradually got more brown, this area is in need of rain. The temperature alse rose and I would say the last 3 hours were ridden in mid 30C temperatures. I was pleased to see people along the side of the road, some waiting for a bus with umbrella some gathering straw/hay. There were a lot of animals along the side, and on the road. Some of the views ahead were stunning.
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