29 March 2019
A new day with new challenges. First to check over bike and see about fixing my boot; then assuming all is well, how to get back to the road in one piece.
The bike has a few additional scratches I didn’t notice yesterday, but nothing serious enough to worry about. The damage to the tank bag was overcome using some spare straps.
Adding to Luka’s advice, I fixed my boot with some epoxy glue, some string and several layers of duct tape.
The helpful staff at Antelope Park offered to ferry my bags to the road, thus lightening the bike and increasing the chances of my making it there in one piece. Still, it was with even more trepidation than yesterday that I set off. I knew this was going to be hairy; speed would be my ally but also my second biggest enemy – sand being the first.
The ride was everything I expected – terrifying! Mostly the road was just a bit corrugated and rocky but with enough sand in places to get the adrenaline pumping. Keeping the front wheel straight was key, so I was steering with my knees, cranking on the power as soon as a slide was sensed – not felt, that was too late – meaning speed just kept increasing!The result was a ride in 2nd gear, slipping and sliding, bucking and hopping and at times, I’m sure, going sideways. BMX was never this scary!
More than once I thought I was off, but with foot out like a speedway rider, somehow I managed to keep upright. At least once I thought I had to stop to avoid serious injury to myself, not to mention the bike. I talked to myself; I shouted at myself; I swore at the gods, old and new, but I kept going.
Finally, stuck in the gutter I decided the only way I was going to survive, was to stop and push. I couldn’t get up onto the road proper without a repeat of yesterday, so pride be damned; I stopped, pushed the bike onto the crest of the road and shortly afterwards arrived at the main road. I was drenched in sweat, with a dry mouth and every muscle taut, but alive. So the hairiest 6km I can remember on a road bike, taught me that that’s where they belong!!
30/31 March 2019
So Day 2 started well enough – survival is good enough is it not? I arrived in Bulawayo with no further mishap – it’s a good road. I met up with and old friend, Ozzie Bennett, and while chatting after filling up, he noticed fuel running out of the air box! Yellow fluid was coming out of the back of the carbs, well one carb anyway. A stuck float would have caused that, but the usual remedy for that – a sharp tap with a screwdriver handle – didn’t work so that meant a strip and clean. Overnight in Byo! A good start, but not such a good end to Day 2! At least I had Lisa and Ozzie looking after me 🙂
Sat morning was spent scouring Bulawayo for some carb cleaner. Then carbs were removed and dismantled to reveal a somewhat surprising, but definitely unwanted visitor:
Where he came from – the carbs were dismantled and cleaned just before departure – and whether he was the cause of the problem, I have no idea – he wasn’t in the offending carb – but his removal solved it.
On Sunday morning I said farewell to Ozzie and Lisa and carried on, uneventfully, through Plumtree into Botswana. The subsequent road to Palapaye was boring; it was good, straight and flat and … deadly boring!
In Palapaye, more by luck than judgement, I found the Hotel Palapaye. An excellent stopover with friendly staff and very reasonable rates for D,B&B – well reasonable after a bit of pleasant haggling with Cindy, the manageress.
01 April – April Fools Day
Happy Birthday! (If you’re reading this)
Off early after a good breakfast and easily through the Botswana/South Africa border; if only the SA immigration staff would pay more attention to the travellers and spend less effort chatting to each other, the transition would be much quicker.
Spent the night at Vaalwater (Zeederberg Cottages), where the accommodation was considerably less value for money than Palapaye; it cost more just for a bed that I paid for D,B&B. There was nothing special about the night except for the thunderstorm, and for that reason only, I was glad there was no camping option in Watervaal!
Next day I headed for Pretoria and my good friends’ – John & Dee Burton’s – place. All went well except for a brush with an unpleasant policeman in Hammanskraal, who gave me a hard time over being overloaded, then illegally importing foreign currency, then smuggling … then I said, “I think we need to go to the station to sort this out!” We set off with the car following me; I stopped and asked for directions; he gave them to me and asked my name.
“Dr Sean,” I said;
“You’re a doctor?” he said, “Can’t we sort this out between us?”
“How?”
“Just give me something for a cold drink…..”
“No, can’t do that. No way!”
So he goes back to the car and we set off. Two minutes later, I look in my mirror and the car has vanished! I went to the station anyway – just in case – and the desk guys were quite incredulous – no, that’s not quite right; they believed me, but tried to convince me the guys who stopped me were tsotsis (crooks). They said I could ignore it, since the guys involved were nowhere in sight, and I was free to go wherever I wanted. I did, and arrived at my destination a few hours later to a welcome cold beer.
Belfast-2-Belfast-By-Bike 