- Joined
- Oct 19, 2008
- Messages
- 15,357
- Reaction score
- 3,729
- Location
- Bothasig , Cape Town
- Bike
- Honda CRF-1000L Africa Twin
Over the last 15 years, probably longer, long distance motorbike adventure touring has captivated me. On a selfish level, it has afforded me the opportunity to solo travel, explore places I never thought imaginable, develop and push my limits, internalise my thoughts and passionately embrace escapism. On a social level, the passion for adventure riding has blessed and surrounded me with friendships. teammates and bonds and it is my pleasure and honour to share in these adventures.
When Hardy from Specialised Adventures phoned me a while ago asking if I would like to be part of his team he is putting together heading north deep into Namibia with the goal of assisting the guy ( Willie) who was filming the Mahindra Scorpio N 4X4 4Eplor in some pretty challenging terrain, I was intrigued, motivated and excited. ok, sure I wont be on a bike but this could be an experience either very similar or vastly different, plus I was thinking..hmm, bike routes, bike friendly places, you name it... lets find out.
The Pitch was short and sweet... Specialised Adventures & Mahindra, creating a world class experience exploring some of the most daunting terrain Namibia has to offer, and this time, Mahindra India were bringing some VIP guests along in their brand new Scorpio N series 4x4’s as well in order to seek , experience & conquer The Skeleton Coast, Damaraland & Kaokoland , Let’s go... or as Mahindra India put it... LET'S GET LOST
The days flew past and before I could completely let go of my business & family I was in an UBER off to seek adventure and chase a passion.
Day 0: 6th June Prelude
For everyone day one would technically be at the start of the expedition but for me it started today so I have included a day 0 as a lot was happening all at once, setting set the scene and laying a foundation for what was to come..
True to form the weather in Cape Town was experiencing 4 seasons in a day, day 0 kicked off with some scattered thunder showers burying Table Mountain in a thick rolling dark tablecloth, the kind of tablecloth that makes your mind wonder how horizontal the rain is on the other side.
Many of the invited guests , Specialised Adventure crew and Mahindra management & representatives had already landed and were settling down in the Airport hotel held up by the offending weather .As the finishing preparation to the cars, gear and expedition launch festivities were systematically being dealt with at the launch venue, Hotel Verde, and, with guests eagerly rubbing their hands at setting their eyes on what Cape Town had to offer, rain or not... what else was there to do but take on an impromptu peninsula Tour?.
After hiring a 10 seater quantum on the fly, the Peninsula Tour of Cape Town or ‘Murray’s mystery tours’ as it became known launched with gusto towards and through one of the most frequently visited beach side towns in the area... Muizenburg.
The group stopped at the famous colourful changing huts or bathing boxes as they became known were initially constructed around the moral governance of beach morality in the 1900’s just 4 min from Muizenburg. We all admired the glass like appearance of the bay before stretching on through clearing weather to the home of South Africa’s largest naval base in Simons town on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula to pay homage to “Just Nuisance’ the only dog ever officially listed in the Navy and, naturally, to indulge in some quick curio gift shopping supporting the local sellers.
One of the highlights of the tour was to be found nesting right next to the boardwalk at Boulders Beach where the guests bore witness to nesting Penguins only an arm’s length away... absolutely amazing experience and a view I've taken for granted but found renewed pride in what Cape Town has to offer. Moving around Cape Point at the South Western tip of Africa the guests experienced unspoilt views of breathtaking and dramatic cliffs falling off into the sea, diminishing as we made our way towards the eclectic town of Noordhoek, the starting point of Chapmans peak, soaking up the majestic views of long beach showing off under a blue sky. A highlight, Chapmans peak revealed our final tourist attraction destination which could only include some famous fish and chips in Hout Bay harbour.
With time not on our side and with a launch function deadline looming, Grizelda Goosen the executive from Mahindra South Africa and teh lady responsible for putting everythingto gether was waiting for our arrival.... we meandered through Camps bay and back to the hotel... friends made.
Arriving early, there was more than enough time to lift the feet & freshen up after which Mahindra branded heaven awaited everyone at the gala event launch in the Picasso Room, where welcomes were the order of the day with everyone having an opportunity to introduce themselves and what it meant to them to be on the quest that lay ahead. Speeches from Vinod & Jaco as well as from Bijoy, Chief as he would later fondly be referred to was an honour and a joy as rolls on, a common theme on this expedition. A buffet awaits.
Just a footnote from earlier: With the entire vehicle prepping, packing, repacking & verifying Hardy realised that the radios were missing, stolen along with the gas canisters. This was the 1st hurdle to overcome, the 2nd was that we were earmarked via time constraint to start leaving, heading towards NAMIBIA, and, we were one team member short as he was flying into Cape Town from Ethiopia to write about the event and would have a delayed flight to contend with. So it was strategized that myself and Mr Zulu himself, Mhlo would be in his brand new Scorpio N, and with Mhlo hailing from Durban I was entrusted to drive the 4X4 the next day for the 1st time... we will discuss the car on and off during this daily banter but let's all agree that 1st impressions count and in this case an impression was made. This being my 1st time in an SUV of this calibre was met with curiosity as I reminded myself to make mental car review notes.
This was the quantum I loaded everyone into.. what a lekker cab, effortless even with 10 people brimming after being on chappies.
If you coming to Cape Town, you are either going to Snoekies or Fish on the Rocks.. no question about it
Simons Town.. never a dissapointment
Gala launch with all teh speeches and buffet dinner.. what an evening meeting a great bunch of explorers
Big thank you to Grizelda goosen from Mahindra SA for all the branded goodies everyone used during the trip, Ive never used a coffee mug so much in my life.
More of Grizelda's good work.
When Hardy from Specialised Adventures phoned me a while ago asking if I would like to be part of his team he is putting together heading north deep into Namibia with the goal of assisting the guy ( Willie) who was filming the Mahindra Scorpio N 4X4 4Eplor in some pretty challenging terrain, I was intrigued, motivated and excited. ok, sure I wont be on a bike but this could be an experience either very similar or vastly different, plus I was thinking..hmm, bike routes, bike friendly places, you name it... lets find out.
The Pitch was short and sweet... Specialised Adventures & Mahindra, creating a world class experience exploring some of the most daunting terrain Namibia has to offer, and this time, Mahindra India were bringing some VIP guests along in their brand new Scorpio N series 4x4’s as well in order to seek , experience & conquer The Skeleton Coast, Damaraland & Kaokoland , Let’s go... or as Mahindra India put it... LET'S GET LOST
The days flew past and before I could completely let go of my business & family I was in an UBER off to seek adventure and chase a passion.
Day 0: 6th June Prelude
For everyone day one would technically be at the start of the expedition but for me it started today so I have included a day 0 as a lot was happening all at once, setting set the scene and laying a foundation for what was to come..
True to form the weather in Cape Town was experiencing 4 seasons in a day, day 0 kicked off with some scattered thunder showers burying Table Mountain in a thick rolling dark tablecloth, the kind of tablecloth that makes your mind wonder how horizontal the rain is on the other side.
Many of the invited guests , Specialised Adventure crew and Mahindra management & representatives had already landed and were settling down in the Airport hotel held up by the offending weather .As the finishing preparation to the cars, gear and expedition launch festivities were systematically being dealt with at the launch venue, Hotel Verde, and, with guests eagerly rubbing their hands at setting their eyes on what Cape Town had to offer, rain or not... what else was there to do but take on an impromptu peninsula Tour?.
After hiring a 10 seater quantum on the fly, the Peninsula Tour of Cape Town or ‘Murray’s mystery tours’ as it became known launched with gusto towards and through one of the most frequently visited beach side towns in the area... Muizenburg.
The group stopped at the famous colourful changing huts or bathing boxes as they became known were initially constructed around the moral governance of beach morality in the 1900’s just 4 min from Muizenburg. We all admired the glass like appearance of the bay before stretching on through clearing weather to the home of South Africa’s largest naval base in Simons town on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula to pay homage to “Just Nuisance’ the only dog ever officially listed in the Navy and, naturally, to indulge in some quick curio gift shopping supporting the local sellers.
One of the highlights of the tour was to be found nesting right next to the boardwalk at Boulders Beach where the guests bore witness to nesting Penguins only an arm’s length away... absolutely amazing experience and a view I've taken for granted but found renewed pride in what Cape Town has to offer. Moving around Cape Point at the South Western tip of Africa the guests experienced unspoilt views of breathtaking and dramatic cliffs falling off into the sea, diminishing as we made our way towards the eclectic town of Noordhoek, the starting point of Chapmans peak, soaking up the majestic views of long beach showing off under a blue sky. A highlight, Chapmans peak revealed our final tourist attraction destination which could only include some famous fish and chips in Hout Bay harbour.
With time not on our side and with a launch function deadline looming, Grizelda Goosen the executive from Mahindra South Africa and teh lady responsible for putting everythingto gether was waiting for our arrival.... we meandered through Camps bay and back to the hotel... friends made.
Arriving early, there was more than enough time to lift the feet & freshen up after which Mahindra branded heaven awaited everyone at the gala event launch in the Picasso Room, where welcomes were the order of the day with everyone having an opportunity to introduce themselves and what it meant to them to be on the quest that lay ahead. Speeches from Vinod & Jaco as well as from Bijoy, Chief as he would later fondly be referred to was an honour and a joy as rolls on, a common theme on this expedition. A buffet awaits.
Just a footnote from earlier: With the entire vehicle prepping, packing, repacking & verifying Hardy realised that the radios were missing, stolen along with the gas canisters. This was the 1st hurdle to overcome, the 2nd was that we were earmarked via time constraint to start leaving, heading towards NAMIBIA, and, we were one team member short as he was flying into Cape Town from Ethiopia to write about the event and would have a delayed flight to contend with. So it was strategized that myself and Mr Zulu himself, Mhlo would be in his brand new Scorpio N, and with Mhlo hailing from Durban I was entrusted to drive the 4X4 the next day for the 1st time... we will discuss the car on and off during this daily banter but let's all agree that 1st impressions count and in this case an impression was made. This being my 1st time in an SUV of this calibre was met with curiosity as I reminded myself to make mental car review notes.
This was the quantum I loaded everyone into.. what a lekker cab, effortless even with 10 people brimming after being on chappies.
![01.jpg 01.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/wilddog/data/attach/802/802478-01.jpg)
If you coming to Cape Town, you are either going to Snoekies or Fish on the Rocks.. no question about it
![02.jpg 02.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/wilddog/data/attach/802/802479-02.jpg)
Simons Town.. never a dissapointment
![03.jpg 03.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/wilddog/data/attach/802/802480-03.jpg)
Gala launch with all teh speeches and buffet dinner.. what an evening meeting a great bunch of explorers
![04.jpg 04.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/wilddog/data/attach/802/802481-04.jpg)
Big thank you to Grizelda goosen from Mahindra SA for all the branded goodies everyone used during the trip, Ive never used a coffee mug so much in my life.
![IMG20240606182012.jpg IMG20240606182012.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/wilddog/data/attach/802/802483-IMG20240606182012.jpg)
More of Grizelda's good work.
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