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.