Category: Africa

Tues 15 March 2016

An early start I was out on the road at half past six, sans breakfast apart from a handful of grapes. After going up the inevitable hill it was a long steady downhill on an empty road and gorgeous watching the landscape change colour with the rising sun. Even getting a cracking image of my shadow.

The long beautiful downhill stretch was somewhat marred by the facewind but still a great way to leave South Africa. I managed a drink at the aptly named Fiddlers Inn at the border with it’s associated shop. The border crossing was very easy apart from the lady forgetting to return my precious white slip at Desk 1 so that Desk 3 could stamp it 🙁 The Namibian office thought it was a bit weird having a bike and wondered where I was going to stay and how long I was going to be there but no problems at all.

By the time I left the border posts someone had turned the heating up to 42 degrees plus 🙁 So as I soon I spied the sign Orange River Lodge River Camp a few hundred meters away I disappeared inside and into an room with AC at 11.15am 🙂

After a long nap I found the Engen store down the road, it’s 4 franchises run by one excellent guy: Petrol, Wimpy, Bakery, Shop all operating 24X7 now if only every place at something like that! They sorted a SIM for me at $10 plus $50 credit. No passport or bureaucracy needed at all pity its only an Edge connection so it’s bye bye Facetime for a while. The Lodges WiFi didn’t work either.

I’ve now decided to follow the route described by Thomas Anderson in his excellent blog that he rode 3 months ago. Unfortunately it does mean camping at least a couple of nights.

Strava says I rode 37.6mi and even with all the downhill I went up 1,242ft

The pictures are here

Todays photos

Well Sophia’s Guest House came up trumps with an excellent breakfast for me, such a pity that the Harley club had booked the place out so I couldn’t sleep there. With a final top up of drinks and sweets at the new 24 hour petrol station I was away with the good name of Garies restored in the memory banks.

The climbing started as soon as you leave Garies and is relentless 7,000 feet in total for the day. In the end the bike had basically two gears the lowest for climbing and the biggest for the descents, there was minimal flat cycling. Nearly 50% of time was below 6 mph at the other extreme 4% was over 25mph.

Fortunately at Kamieskroon everyone was proved wrong and the delightful cafe was open so I could slurp down 1 litre of cold grape juice whilst listening to motor bikers saying just how tough sitting on a bike is 🙁

Then it was through yet more roadworks. South African roads, the tarred ones at least, must be the most cared for in the world. Onwards and upwards I went peaking out at 3000 feet. So at some point I have a 3000 feet descent to go down for free 🙂

The end was crippling as I could see the caravan park across the way but the only access was to go up the hill, over the main road and back  down again all accompanied by the smell & flies from the local meat factory 🙁

The Rondawel (imitation circular mud hut) was like an oven 🙁 There’s no food on site but I cajoled a very sweet elderly caravanning couple (their son is 57!) to drive me into town for food amazingly they even paid for my dinner a great ending to a tough day.

Just a pity the flies took a fancy to me all night 🙁

Strava says I did 75.3mi in 8:12:16 Moving Time and  6,999ft climbing.

The pictures are here 

Now done 1.018 miles and 56,586 vertical feet on this trip