Safe from the bed bugs

Until recently, my life has been consumed by tying up work work stuff and preparation for the Cape to Rio race. In the process I have realised that I still need to get my Yellow fever inoculation, which is a legal requirement to enter Brazil. So I went to get my Yellow fever inoculation today.

While at the Travel Clinic, I asked about the recommended inoculations as my adventure will most likely be taking me into some dodgy places. The inoculations that were recommended include: Hepatitis A & B, Cholera, Typhoid and Adesol Quadra (a combination of Polio, Tetanus, Diphtheria and Petasis vaccines). Usually these inoculations are administered over a period of time and I have left it a bit late. I seem to be following a pattern with my planning :) I asked a lot of questions while at the travel clinic, so I’ll put down the information about each inoculation:

• Yellow Fever:   This is a once-off shot. It needs to be taken at least 2 weeks before entering the area. A longer time is better, as side effects include head-aches and nausea for 7-10 days.
• Hepatitis A & B:   Unfortunately the Hep A & B inoculation can’t be completed in one appointment. So once I get back to Cape Town I’ll have to have to complete the three part course (I’m currently in East-London visiting family for Christmas). Usually the three shots are spaced about a month apart, which gives a much more potent inoculation. In my case I will be doing a 0-7-21 day accelerated schedule. This will give me decent protection for about 3 years.
• Cholera:   Two shots to complete the vaccination.
• Typhoid:   One shot
• The Adesol Quadra combines the vaccines mentioned above. This is only one shot.

I asked about anti-malaria medication. Apparently there are three variations (including cost).

• Doxycyclin (Doxymal):   Taken daily, affordable
• Mephliam:   Taken weekly, affordable, but not allowed to dive while taking it.
• Malenol:   Taken daily, expensive!

Since the strain of Malaria might be different from South Africa, I have to do some more research before I commit to one. I was actually thinking of getting the medication in South America.

For more reading, go to the Centre of Disease Control’s website.

Cape to Rio is GO!

I have made little mention of participation the Cape to Rio Yacht race, party because it was a bit of a shot in the dark like the Dakar. It came up as an option for my adventure a while ago while talking to Sarel, a friend from VYC. The yacht he sails on, Ocean Cruiser (OC), is taking part in the race. I went to sail with him on this yacht in the hope of getting a spot on either OC or another. Unfortunately this particular yacht’s crew had been finalised. For me to be able to get a spot on a team I knew that any skipper would at least want to know about me. The best way was to continue sailing on OC. A couple of weeks passed, during which I submitted my sailing CV to the Cape to Rio organisers and asked around the club, in the hope of finding a crew to sail with. By this time I wasn’t very hopeful as most teams had been finalised. As with the Dakar, this too I had left this to late.

In order to keep my options open, I contacted Sarel (who works for a boat building company in Cape Town) to as about the option to deliver a yacht to the Caribbean. Once again sent my sailing CV. Time ticked away and I was thinking that I would end up flying to Buenos Aires, as originally planned.

Out of the blue one morning, I got a call from Dale (the owner & skipper of OC). One of his crew had to pull out of the race at the last minute…”are you still interested in doing the Rio race?” Keeping calm was my main priority at this point. That afternoon we had a chat, just to suss each other out. We were both happy that we would be able to sail together and so my position on the crew was secured!

Since then we have been preparing the boat. For the most part she is ready to sail, but some minor maintenance/repairs were needed. This includes servicing winches, measuring sails, getting the gas working, fine tuning of the rig and cleaning the boat out.

As we have received some sponsorship, a promotional brochure was put together. We have been sponsored a satellite communication and a blog has been set up for OC during the race. Unfortunately I will not be updating my blog during this time, as the satellite bandwidth is INCREDIBLY expensive. But go have a look at www.xtra-linkcapetoriorace.blogspot.com to keep up to date with what is happening on OC. There will be a link on the official race website to show the position of each boat during the race. I’ll post this link just before the race starts.

Good bye Tikkie

As I have mentioned before, I have been systematically selling my vehicles. I happy to report that I have managed to sell my KLR 650, after having to do some work to the engine (which I was not happy about). The upside is, I got a better price and Sean (a guy I know from VYC who bought it) now has a bike with all the problems sorted out. At least someone is getting a good deal.

I have been very hesitant about selling Tikkie (my 1966 Fiat 850). The main reason for this, is that for me there is a lot of sentimental value to the car. Tikkie has been around for quite a while, starting off as a post-school project of mine. I wanted to rebuild my first car, and that is exactly what I did. At some point my mother’s car was giving issues, so she drove Tikkie. And while overseas, my dad drove Tikkie and later used Tikkie as his wedding car. So you can see that this car made quite an impression on our family. For this reason, I wanted Tikkie to go to a family that will appreciate the car they have and is willing & able to properly take care of it.

Johan, a colleague at Stellenbosch University has been eying Tikkie for about 4 years and lately has been asking to buy Tikkie. For obvious reasons I gave my dad first option, as he had expressed the desire to rebuild Tikkie. Unfortunately the deck is stacked against my dad as work and family commitments made it clear that he won’t have the time to complete this project. So yesterday, Johan became the new owner of Tikkie.

Letting go of an old companion was difficult, but it is something that I have to learn. Selling of my Daihatsu and KLR prepared me in a weird sort of way.

The silence before the storm

Hi all. I have to apologise for not writing anything in a while. My life has been a bit crazy lately. Lots has happened since I wrote last. For starters, I’ve sold my car. It the old story, you don’t know what you had until it is gone. My little Daihatsu has given my GREAT service over the last 4 years and I am missing it. Interesting what a comfort it is to go outside and to walk up to a car without wondering if it is stolen, broken into, will it start today and will it get me where I’m going. I’ve had to revert to driving my 1st car, “Tikkie” (named after the smallest coin in the currency my father grew up with). Tikkie is a 1966, Fiat 850 which I rebuild after school. Unfortunately she is in dire need of TLC, which I can’t provide right now. So the other day the brakes failed :) Fortunately while driving slowly in a parking lot. While I’m seeing to the problem, my father had lent me his “loaner” called “Ou Poot” (yes all our 2nd hand cars have names, only fitting since they all have a personality of their own). So travel arrangements are going to be interesting until I leave. Which brings me to my latest travel plans…

I have been going through to Royal Cape Yacht Club for the past couple of Wednesday evenings after work. This to get some time on yachts and hopefully secure a crewing position on a boat taking part in the Cape to Rio Yacht Race. I’m not sure if this is going to fly, since I’ve left it a bit late. I’ve sent my sailing CV out, I can only hope. The other option that I’m exploring is doing a yacht delivery. Sarel, a friend from Vogelvlei YC, works for a yacht building company and most of the yachts they build get delivered to the Caribbean (I think). So I spoken to him about doing a delivery and it sounds like it could pan out.

In the mean time I’ve been offered a position on a private yacht (sorry, but I’m not divulging details yet), which sounds MOERSE LEKKER! I will get to see places I probably won’t be able to see normally, spend some time exploring new cultures (even if only for a short while) and I will get paid! This will allow me to do my tour properly…Oh yes, I’ll have to work quite hard too since these boats typically get washed once week. A small draw back I recon. But before I can commit, I have to sort out my sailing plans (Rio or Delivery) and I need to get hold of Amy Smith. I can’t remember if I mentioned this, but I emailed her a while back to offer my services and got a quick (and positive) reply. Unfortunately she was in the field so couldn’t give me particulars on when or where they would be going in 2011. So, with all the options unfolding I need to get hold of her to arrange my plans. I’m REALLY keen to go help her with field trials so I’m hoping it won’t clash with the private yacht offer.

In between all of this, I still need to organise inoculations, travel insurance, sort out my medical aid and other insurance at home. I’m thinking of sorting it all out once I finish work (beginning of January). On top of all that, I need to be out of my flat at the end of this month :( So this week I’m packing every day after work. Fortunately I’m loaning most of my furniture to family so I don’t need to sell it all. I’ve got to have most of my stuff packed by Saturday, since Saturday is moving day.

Dakar update

I’ve had some feedback from two source about my plans for the Dakar.

Uncle Abie has been so kind to make contact with an acquaintance of his (Ingo), who has done the Dakar before. Ingo pointed a couple of things out. Firstly the Dakar is very expensive! He wanted to take his own mechanic along (I’m assuming to cut costs), but that would cost him LOTS!!! To give you an idea how much…imagine the budget for my sabbatical…that would only cover registration! No flights, no accommodation before & after (I thought its guys that kind of rough it for 2 weeks, but apparently not). Secondly you need experience. Most mechanics work on the Dakar ever year! These aren’t young guys that can survive roughing it and the hectic schedules, but rather guys that are known for getting the job done. Chances of me helping out as a mechanic…dwindling. Options to help pitch tents & make food…not looking good. :(

I also got a reply on my Dakar forum post. A guy in Argentina, Jed, mailed me to give me his input. He has tried to do something similar to what I’m trying (in previous years), except he is local. He has had no luck. He got hold of an American competitor (his name eludes me now), who told Jed that competitors don’t want mechanics working on their car if the mechanic doesn’t know the car. It is thus essential to be involved with building the car, if you want to provide support during the Dakar.

So in short…the possibility is not looking good. I’ve decided to wait until the end of October before I finally call if off. In the mean time I can only hope there is some philanthropist that needs help with some random thing.

Money, Money, Money

I’m selling my car, bike and what ever else I need to, to have enough money to enjoy my trip next year. At the moment I have just enough money to clear the outstanding dept on my car, I’m still driving my car and my bike is under a cover at work. Eish!

I’ve at least started down the sales part. I have my car checked out by the dealer and everything is fine. Had it cleaned and advertised it on a handful of websites. Now the wait….. Fortunately I’ve had 3 people express an interest (after 2 days of advertising) so things are looking up. To be honest this is a bitter sweet time as I’ve had some great times with my little “Japanese Power” car.

Next is the bike. I’m um-ing and ah-ing about putting on the market now as I’m going for my license next Friday. Maybe I’ll advertise and stretch the deal till then :)

Dakar ad posted

I’ve finally posted my ad for the Dakar. Go have a look at http://cgi-bin.dakar.com/forum/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=9&t=000293

Dakar 2011

A friend had a great idea while I’m travelling…take part in the Dakar rally. Naturally I won’t drive, but I’m sure I can help out in some other capacity. Since one part of my travel is aimed at helping people, why not the Dakar!

So, I’m placing a post on the forum to see if I anybody needs my help. Just got to wait and see. Worst case scenario: nobody replies and I arrive in time to watch the completion of the Dakar :)

Lets hope!

A change is as good as a holiday…but only if you can actually decide on what to change!

I realised a while ago that I’ve only really posted blog entries relating to motorcycle riding. Since it was my goal to familiarise myself with the art of motorcycle riding before going overseas, this was probably par for the course. But…if I don’t have a plan of where/when to go overseas, I might find myself stuck in South Africa in January without a ticket, a plan or a clue :)

Fortunately I have given my America plans much thought, but I’ve never written about them. The main reason was that I wanted to be able to convey my plan (to you) and then be able to stick to it. However, the more I think about my plans, the less I can decide on a (fairly) set itinerary. So much so that I feel like a women that has been given the task to buy a single pair of shoes in a large shopping mall (yes ladies, I know this is difficult :) ). Needless to say that my plans have changed a lot over the last couple of weeks.

The original plan: Fly to Buenos Aires in late December. New Year in B.A. Travel south to Patagonia (tip of South Am). Up though Chile to the lake district (Chile & Argentina). Via Chile to Peru. Cusco, Machupicchu, ancient ruins, etc. Bolivia. Back to Buenos Aires. Fly to the east coast of the USA. Make my way to San Francisco, California hopefully via parts of Route 66. Visit Conrad & Eugene. Vancouver. Visit April. See some much anticipated sites spread out over the USA. Fly back to Buenos Aires. If finances allow, travel some more.

There are some problems with this original plan. Since finances are the main limiting factor during my travels, lets start there. In order for me to buy both tickets (to South Am & North Am) I had to have an idea how long I would be staying in South Am and how much it would cost me (since I need cash for North Am). I was able to find rough estimates of how much it would cost me per day in each country. But…are these estimates correct? (they seem a bit off) What if I were to volunteer somewhere and want to stay for an extra month? If I did not like it, would I be able to change my flights?

The other problem was the way I want to travel. Yes I want to go see the touristy stuff, but this is not my main goal. I want to get to know the locals and do stuff with them. They are, after all, the core of a country and I have heard that people in South Am are a particular treat. As I have mentioned before, while I’m there I would like to help people in what ever way. Since I have a variety of experiences and a degree, I’m sure I would be able to help somewhere. I would not know way in advance where I would be helping out. This makes fixing the time frame VERY difficult.

The “current” plan: In light of all of the above, I decided not to pin myself down. This unfortunately means that I am not able to give my friends accurate dates, or any for that matter, of when I would be arriving (sorry Conrad, Eugene & April). This does take a lot of pressure off about finances and planning. Ok, so fly to Buenos Aires in the last half of January. Start by doing some volunteering, which I would probably organise before I go. Try to do a similar route as previously mentioned and see the sites. So when will I fly to North Am? Well, I will have to set a specific amount aside for North Am. When I have only these funds left, I would go to Buenos Aires and book a flight to the USA :) I might be lucky and strike a deal…I can only hope. Travel in North Am. until those funds run out. Then come home.

I know the current plan is very unstructured, but that is what I’ve got in mind at the moment…Live from day to day.

The planned Gouritzmond dirt road weekend

I’m quite like the spur-of-the-moment kind of plans, mostly because there isn’t the long period of wonder how the plans will turn out. But I have to say this trip’s planning really caught me off guard. Marius is a friend of mine that is retired in Onrus, that has been riding bikes probably for more years that I’ve been alive. So I get a call from him on Friday morning, inviting me to do a weekend trip with him and a couple of his riding buddies. I don’t think I’ve ever had so little remorse for cancelling my weekend plans. Within an hour I’d phoned him back to confirm my participation. This was going to be great!

The soccer world cup has taken its toll on me, and this Friday night was no different. After the game, and a couple of drinks, I got home and quickly packed my stuff. This meant I got to bed a 2am. Marius and the guys were meeting at 8am in Hermanus which meant I had to leave at 6am…in the icy cold morning. Well at least I wasn’t late :)

After a quick coffee at Marius’ house (with some dirt riding tips), fuel top up and introduction to the guys (Brian, Leon and Roger) we were off. The plan was to try stick to dirt roads as far as possible and make Gouritzmond by late afternoon. I have ridden on dirt roads once or twice before, but knowing that I was seriously inexperience compared to the others, I was asking questions about riding techniques very often (I’ll post the tips on another page soon). We all had a bit of a scare on the first stretch, a crest was followed by a sharp turn which was covered by loose gravel. I was VERY close to picking daisy's (think some of the other guys too). This is the only time in my life I felt like stopping and smoking a cigarette to calm down. Fortunately I’ve tried smoking and hated it.

Our first stop was Elim. A small farming town that was established by missionaries, but is now know for their thatching skills. Emile (the museum’s curator) came to greet us and even started up the historical water mill. This was special as it isn’t operated often. Our next planned stop would be Struisbaai for fuel and weekend supplies. The plan was to braai so meat, starch and wine was purchased. From there we went to De Hoop National reserve (one of the oldest settlements in the country) where we spotted some whales. 

I have fond memories of the ferry at Malgas. We camped there one holiday, as a child, and I “worked” on the ferry using the dog’s leash and choker chain. I was thus very keen on this stop. But first we stopped at the bar for a quick refreshment before crossing the “pond”. It was at this stage that we realised we had only covered about half the distance to Gouritzmond, and it was already 2pm. So no more unnecessary stops. Unfortunately the road was of quite bad quality and Roger had a fall. I was behind him, but all I saw was dust and his bike rolling. Fortunately he was wearing proper riding gear and only sustained minor scratches, his bike wasn’t that lucky. The cylinder head cracked causing a major oil leak. It is at this point that I’m proud of being a South African! We went to a nearby farm as we needed a tow rope and a place to store the bike until it could be picked up by a trailer the following week. It was evident the farmers were simple folk with not much in the line of finance, but they were very helpful and friendly. With shouts from house to house, a suitable tow rope was quickly found. By the time we towed the bike (I’ll elaborate on how this on the riding tips page) to their house, they had cleared a small shed for the bike where it would be safe until it could be collected. Real Salt-of-the-Earth people!

So 5 guys on 4 bikes, but by the time we reached Witsand Roger’s body was not happy with him and it was clear he would not be able to complete the weekend’s riding. After a call to his wife, she was on her way to pick him up. It was quite late and it didn’t look like we would have enough light to make Gouritzmond. One of Marius’s buddies has a house in Witsand that he rents out and we decided to spend the night there. This was a good call as by the time we had the fire burning, it was dark. And so the party started! I’m not usually a big drinker, but we made a serious dent in our supply of drinks.

  As we didn’t make it as far as planned the first day, our travel plans had to be re-thought. Getting up quite early, we headed for Vermaaklikheid. This place is a jewel! We had breakfast at the restaurant next to a pond, where we all agreed that this place has to be visited again to properly relax. We decided to go as far east as Stillbay. From there we were forced to get on the N2, against everyone’s wishes. As we wanted to avoid main roads as much as possible, we wanted to ride up Garcia Pass, between Riversdal and Ladismith, and come back to the N2 at Suurbraak via Tradouws Pass. Caught in the stress of the N2, we missed the turn off. Fail! This was actually fortunate as it gave us enough time to get back to Hermanus without rushing.

Keen for back roads, we turned off to Protem (pretty much just a post office and silos) just past Swellendam. Not much to see on these roads, but the ride was AWESOME! Via Klipdale, Langkuil, Shaws Pass and the Hemel en Aarde road we headed back to Hermanus.

Now, the weekend didn’t quite turn out as planned, but this weekend I wouldn’t exchange for anything. Not only did I learn loads about dirt road riding, but I got to spend some quality time with a friend and make some new ones. Can’t wait for the next trip with these guys!

Day trip around Cape Point

  Deon (a buddy of mine with a KLR 650) and I originally planned to do bike trips together. Unfortunately it worked out in such a way that Deon could only get an appointment for a learners licence (both of us didn’t have bike licences) much later than me. Recently he got his licence, so we decided to go around Cape Point one Sunday and go have lunch in Houtbay. Since I grew up in the Cape, this would be a nice trip down memory lane for me.

We were a bit concerned about the weather, since it is winter. Fortunately it was a perfect day! It wasn’t too cold, not a cloud in the sky and not a breath of wind (well, at least when we left). We took the coastal route from Stellenbosch to Muizenberg, along Baden Powell drive, then through St. James, Fishhoek and stopped in Simon’s Town for a coffee. This is where I realised that I’m very much used to looking for parking. We ended up paying for parking (meant for cars) but when we left, saw a bike parked on the pavement. Eish, I’ve got lots to learn about bike riding.

We gave Cape Point a miss. It cost about R70 per person and I’ve seen it many times before. As the road turned toward Scarborough, a bank of mist set in. This spoiled the view, but I think this is fairly typical for the region in winter. A couple of detours were in order. The most notable section of road had to be Chapman’s Peak drive. There has been a history of rock falls in the past, so they have build barriers that look like medieval chainmail. Quite impressive! By this time we were getting hungry. Houtbay has quite a couple of places to eat, but while working there many years ago, I remembered a fish & chips shop in the harbour wall (think its called Fish & Chips on the Rocks). So we headed there. It was incredibly busy, as can be expected on such a nice day (the mist had mostly cleared).

By the time we left Houtbay, it was already 2pm. So we took the coastal road to Campsbay. Thinking traffic would be fairly light, due to the inconsistent weather, I suggested we keep to the coast all the way to the Waterfront. Wow was I wrong. Once we entered Campsbay, I remembered why I hadn’t driven that route much as a kid. The traffic was crazy! Fortunately we could make quick work of the traffic, being on bikes. We stopped at the new Greenpoint stadium. It is really impressive! Unfortunately we couldn’t get close to the stadium due to the Soccer World Cup. Must say I was impressed with the police presence.

Now it was getting late, so we wanted to get back. A quick coffee pitstop in Pinelands and we were had home in our sights. We wanted to avoid the N1 & N2 (main routes leaving Cape Town). So we took the turn off at the Airport and took the Stellenbosch arterial back to Stellenbosch. I quite enjoyed the relaxed pace of the day’s riding and the views were spectacular. (AM, I’ve posted the photos…now get off my back :) )

Weekend through the Cederberg

In order to prepare for touring on a bike (and getting used to riding over long distances and rough terrain), I need to do some touring in SA before I go overseas. I did my first trip over Easter weekend with a friend, Lappies, from the lab where I work. Both of use were quite happy to play things by ear, so the plan was simple: Meet up on Friday morning, make our way to south side of the Cederberg (a mountain range which has popular camping & hiking spots) and find a place to camp for the night (no bookings made). Saturday we would exit the Cederberg at the northern side and make our way to Wolseley, where we would watch the rugby (the Sharks were playing a Super14 match) and spend the night. Sunday we would make our way back home.

Ok, so how do you pack a bike? I had no idea :) No I know that less is more, except when it comes to tools. No matter how many tools you take along, if you break down and need that one tool that you forgot at home, you haven’t brought enough tools :) So I packed the tools I thought I might need (including tyre levers, spare inner tubes and some sockets) and enough clothes for any weather (No I don’t pack like a girl, I just know it can get REALLY cold and hot in the Cederberg). I put my 4-man tent (this is the smallest I own), sleeping bag and camping mattress on top of it all. I know when you look at the picture it looks like I’m going away for a month, but this is how we learn :)

So once I finished packing, I met Lappies at Caltex in Merriman ave, Stellenbosch. We filled up our iron steeds, but before we set off, we fitted radios to our helmets. Fine they were the kind you usually use between the rider and pillion (passenger, yes I feel it is my duty to educate you to biking lingo :) ), but they worked fine as long as you are closer then 50m form each other. Even though it was incredibly misty, we decided to start off with coffee in Franschhoek.

During coffee we mapped out a route that would not take up too long to get to the Cederberg, but allow us to enjoy some of the sights that were up on offer. I should mention that the mist disappeared as soon as we got over Helshoogte pass, so it turned out to be a beautiful day. As we left Franschhoek, I wanted to check out the Berg river dam. I heard about it while still at school and wanted to get a look at it.

 

Travelling along the R303, we had an uneventful ride to Wellington, via Paarl. At Wellington we headed up Bainskloof pass. This is one of the most beautiful passes I have seen. Unfortunately I only have photos of the Wellington side, as the Ceres side is quite narrow and not the place you want to stop in the road on a bike. As you exit the pass on the Ceres side, you find the Bush Pub. There we had lunch and watched the Stormers’ game.

From there on to Ceres to fill up, but right after filling (and checking messages from his GF) Lappies noticed that he had lost one of his sandals (it was strapped to his bike and somehow was not secured after the lunch stop). Since the fuel would cost less than replacing the sandal, we went back to look for it.  Fortunately we found it next to the road, fairy long distance from the Bush Pub.

Back on track, we headed back through Ceres up Gydo pass. This where (until last year) they held an annual hill climb. Guys would bring their Porsche’s, Subaru’s, modified BMW’s and even VW Golf’s to see who could be king of the hill. Unfortunately the even has been cancelled after spectators being seriously injured in almost every event! By this time it was getting cold and the wind was picking up a bit.

 

We entered the Cederberg at Op Die Berg and hit our first stretch of gravel road. This was quite an experience as it was my first time riding gravel road. Fortunately my bike made it quite easy for me :) I was amazed to see a piece of tar road! The first lodgings that we came across was Mount Ceder. However, they didn’t have any camping and looked terribly upmarket. So we kept on going.

   

The next place we found (the Oasis), I’d heard about from my boss. He described it as “biker’s paradise”, so I was quite happy to stumble onto it. We got a warm welcome from Gerrit and he fixed us up with a camp site for the night. We also met some bikers (a lot more hard core than us), who were blown away that Lappies’ bike (1979 Suzuki GS450) made it all the way into the Cederberg.

After a good (but COLD) night’s rest, we set off for the main forestry station in the Cederberg. It is called Algeria, no not the country :) The road to Algeria was quite bad and took us longer than expected. Fortunately we had no breakages. On the way is an old water mill that I helped my dad measure up as a child. It was nice to see it was still standing. We got to Algeria by lunch and stopped for some food and a swim.

Exiting the Cederberg, we headed for the N7 and filled up just before Citrusdal. From here on we were back on tar. Of course we had to get some “refreshments” for the game :)

As we had some time we took the long way too Wolseley via Eendkuil, Piketberg, Porterville and Tulbach. Unfortunately the wind picked up which made riding “interesting”. But, we got to Wolseley in one piece and just in time for the rugby.

We kicked off Sunday morning with some mechanic work. Lappies’ bike was gradually losing power as the weekend progressed. So, out came the tools and we adjusted the Suzuki’s timing. This did the trick.

Back on the road we took the R44 to Stellenbosch. We didn’t ride home together, as I had to stop off at Vogelvlei Yacht Club to do some admin and Lappies was on his way to the GF.

So, all in all not a bad first trip with the bike. It definitely helped me to feel more comfortable on the bike and did wonders for my packing (as I only used about 1/3 of the stuff I took along).

I’ve put in a map of where we went. I’m not sure how well it works, but trying to put all these pins in was just too much work. I might just carry a GPS in future and save the path in Google Earth.

I’ve removed most of the pictures, as it causes the blog to take too long to load (and since SA doesn’t have free broadband, this might be a problem for some).

Preparation 101

PPPPPP: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance (the 6 P’s so few children get taught). Let me just start by saying that the idea of this trip is not to plan out an itinerary like a travel agent, but rather do as I like, when I like & how I like. However, without knowing what is out there, how will I know what I need to plan and what I can wing (yes, the wing is king :) ). For instance, I have no idea whether I need visas, places of interest or exactly what countries I want to visit. I hadn’t even looked at a map until about a month ago :)

So in the spirit of preparation, I’ve started to research how to buy a vehicle in South America, because there is no way I’m renting for 3 months. I’ve found some forums that have given some detail as to the paperwork, but in truth I’ve only really looked at Chile. Argentina is next on my list.

I had no idea how difficult it was to find a map of South America in South Africa! Fortunately all the maps I need at the moment (to orientate myself) are found in the back of my new travel book. I spent some time on Saturday to look for a travel guide on South America. I found two at Exclusive Books in the Waterfront, and after Googe-ing some reviews and found another guide which some liked more. Obviously I had to have a look at it. Fortunately there was one available in Cavendish, so I went there. After spending about 20min scanning the Lonely Planet and Footprints guide, I finally settled on The Footprints South American Handbook 2010.

I gather that Spanish is spoken in a lot of countries in South America, so I’m going to learn Spanish. I remember from my German travels that learning a new language on the go is loads of fun. It also gives a sense of achievement if you can understand what the person across the counter is saying…sort of.

So at this moment, my focus is on South America. Since I have a holiday visa for the USA, I’m not too fussed with the plans for the north…yet.

And so it begins

Ok, so I’ve been talking about starting a blog for a while now. Finally it has happened! As some of you are aware, this will be my main means of showing you what I’ve been up to (relating to my trip). Jammer vir die van julle wat voel ek skeep my moedertaal af, maar ek gaan nie elke stukkie wat ek tik vertaal nie. There are a couple of things that I want to do during this trip, beside see other countries.

#1: Break the rut. I feel like I’ve been stuck in a rut for some time now. I’m not sure why, but what better way of getting out of it by making a change. So the idea is simple: so some place where few people know you and there is no “quick bail out” if something goes wrong. Of course I’m not trying to do the solitude thing, I can do that well enough in Stellenbosch. I’m just trying to shake things up, and forcing yourself into a new environment might just do the trick.

#2: Locals. Locals have always been the key to enjoying a foreign country. So, I’m going to try engage them. I read an article about a MIT professor (Amy Smith) who is “fixing the world on $2 a day”, which inspired me to apply my engineering skill to improve the lives of others. I know I’m no mechanical or structural engineer, but with some mechanical background fixing & rebuilding cars I recon I might be able to help someone somewhere. So, the idea is to travel the back roads of South America and meet some locals. Maby I can swop some labour / apply skills in return for board and lodging. I heard about WOOFFing, which would nicely fit into this idea.

#3: Travel. So I need to get around South America, but there are so many options. I quite like following my nose, so I thought of getting my own transport. Since this trip is all about getting myself out of my comfort zone, I’ve decided to travel by motorbike. But I don’t (didn’t) ride a bike. So I bought one :) I now have my learners and have done a couple of weekend trips (I’ll update them on this site). All in the name of preparation.

 

 

 

The plan: In broad strokes I want to travel in South America for 3 months, doing a circle route. Then off to North America, go to the smithsonian institute, visit friends in California and finally end up in Vancouver, Canada to visit my crazy Canadia friend April. As time goes by (and the budget becomes clearer) I’ll refine the plan.