Africa 2011:South Africa, Namibia and Zambia on Yamaha XT and Yamaha Tenerè

[momi20]

June 29

I've reserved a guided tour through the Etosha Park, that will start in the early afternoon from the lodge Mushara www.mushara-lodge.com: me and the guide, that is the driver. I've got to drive around for 100 km (62 miles), but even in the low season a room in this lodge costs around 126 € ( 160 $): you can understand now the reason why I chose the Mousebird Hostel (8$/night)  :imaposer:

the Mushara, expensive, but beautiful place


you've got the warthogs in hte garden





My trip starts at 2,30 pm. Now is winter season, but is even the dry season and so shuold be easier to see animals around the pools. The target for every picture hunter is to get the Big Five: Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo and the Leopard, not easy task with basic tours. But I told you that since I was child I had seen many times the Lions, so I'll start from +1

The start





My first giraffess: very impressive for me



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlStjCylmSw&feature=player_embedded







The wildbeest is the favorite meal of the Lion, cause is slow and has a bad eyesight...mhh as a former running back and my reading glassess I've got to pay attention






drink isn't easy if you are a giraffe





the elephant



springbook















lucky breack the rhino



my trip is finisched



Is not even 6 pm, but is going dark: at the Lodge I prepare me to come back


C38 and B1 are paved road...ok Craig has repeated a lot of time "Never never drive in the night", but I thing that going around 35/40 km/h (25 miles) will be safe: this will be a big big mistake. On the C38 I'm driving very slow, but is completley dark: you can see the full moon but her light it's useless. Now I understand what's mean drive in the dark in Africa: what can  happenend if an animal cross the road ? After some time I see in the opposite direction two lamps, a car, maybe a jeep, but is going on the wrong side, is driving on the left side. Instead to stop on the side road or outside the road ( nothing, just grass), I move on the right, immediactly the veichle moves on the left, I change again side, even the veichle, another time and after we collide

Just a little before the crach I can remember the faces of the passengers inside the veichle, a jeep. I fly over the jeep and fall to the ground, with a big frontal hit of my helmet. Silence, I'm on the paved road, but I didn't passed out. Somebody plays horns, rings and a drum inside my head, but I'm not worried about it. I've played for 30 years to american football and in the 1984 a black american player hited me head-on on a kick off return. I was lifted from the ground and just a little temporary paralysis of my hands allowed me to mantain the ball possession. I try to breathe and I don't feel blood in my mouth and in the nose: ok brain and lungs should be ok. After I try to move right and left hand and same with foot. Pain, but I can move them. Now I flex arms and legs, pain , but I can move them. I turn the head: ok so is good even the spine. Now I can try to get up. Jesus, it seems that an entire defensive line plus linebackers and some defensive backs had tackled me. Pain but no fractures. I begin to cry, bike destroyed, what will happen to my vacation ? Sob sob  :sad1:
One of the two passengers (from Switzerland) is now near to me and sayt to lay down and don't move, but I know my body: I'm fine..ok I'm live. I see the bike outside the road, in my jacket I've got my camera and so I begiun to take some pics. Is a rented bike: will be helpfull for the assurance..ohh my good the deposit








ther's somethin wrong..ohh there isn't the front wheel and even  the lateral panniers: insteda a crasch it looks like bike went hitted by a Stinger
even the jeep is out





the jeep was run by the girlfirend and they sleeo in the Mushara Lodge. I walk along the road to search the panniers



finally I find the wheel



a truck in the night: why I hadn't waited for this big one and after will be enough follow him

 

[Ian in Great Brak River]

OMG!!

Thank God you're alive... it is always the bloody car drivers that create the **** we as bikers have to deal with, especially at night when it is so easy to be disorientated.  Even though you were clearly going slowly a vehicle on the wrong side of the road is usually fatal.

What happened next ...?

 

[Goose]

Bloody hell............ mate you are seriously lucky to be alive........  glad you are ok, but advice given not to ride at night for a reason! What's obviously worse is the fact that the other tourist was obviously driving on the "right" side of the road for Europe.

Bikes can be replaced - lives not!  Hope you get sorted...

 

[onmybike]

man oh man .... glad u were ok...is africa and you lucky they even bothered to stop but seeing they were swiss....

 

[momi20]

The couple is able to call the Lodge: i was sending some sms to Craig: Are you fine ? asked to me ? Yes It's possible to repair the bike ? No. After half hour arrived an employee of the Lodge Eddie, a very nice man. He said that will bring us to the resort and after will send somebody to pick up the bike: why? It's destroyed, you can do this tomorrow. No said Eddie: tomorrow we will find non one piece of the bike. The Mushara is composed by 3 resort. First we went to the resort of the switzerland couple and here was possible call Craig by the phone. He told to me to don't sign any kind of document, just to go to the police station and sign their verbal. We will go to the police station tomorrow. Back at the Mushara all the people of the staff try to help me. The Chef begin to prepare a luxury sandwich



Ok I'm fine but every piece of my body remember to me the crash. I know that for others 2 or 3 hours the adrenaline will help me to feel less pain, but after I know what's coming. Here a picture of one of the biggest hit I had ever suffered during my football career. The day after was really hard, but after 2 day everything was going better



Eddie says that he can arrange a room for me, but do you remember 120 €, so I said that a mattrees I had seen in the laundry is perfect. After a while Eddie has spoken with the owner ( travelling in South Africa): I can't sleep in the laundry, but he's giving me the room for half price. Ok I'll go outside in the grden. Another call and the owner told to Eddie to give me the room free. Ok now i can go to sleep. A waitress gave to me some water bottle frozen, good idea.
In the room get undressed is a torture, every move is a pain, but when I finisched can see that I've got a hole in the left shin. Ok 20 minute to dress me again and reach the kitchen, where the people helps me to disinfesct the wound





The room is luxury and full of sheet and pillows, so I could fix the frozen plastc bottles and the ice begins to work. After some hours I feel the sensation of the vomit: too much sauce in the sandwich. I can move the left arm, but not the right. So to can turn in the bed  I had to keep with left hand my right arm and pull turning on the  the  back. Complicate but it worked fine. After the vomit I could sleep again.

June 30

In the morning I was able to walk very very slow but every person of the staff was asking to me how I was. Just the tourists of the resort didn't asked nothing and they had senn the destroyed bike. Always you can count on simple people when you are travelling.
This is Eddie



after we go to the police station with the switzerland couple. Eddie told me that in the morning, when he was finishing to keep every pieces of my bike, he had seen cleary thet the clash was happenend in my road side, but this are Lodge's clients, so ok that's all.
After a mechanic that went from Grotfontein brings me back to the Mousebird Hostel with a little truck. After he will bring my bike to a mechanic. The assurance told to Craig that is necessaire a decalration of an official shop that testimony that is impossible to repair the bike.
The wife of the owner of the hostel, Mrs Monica brings me to a doctor in Tsumeb: he's surprised I didn't have nothing brocken. I can  move myself but every step is a pain. Dinner at the hostel, with the owners and a german couple

 

[Outhere]

so sorry glad you are still alive sure there is more just hope no more accident please.
great report thanks so much for taking the time to do this.

 

[Samou]

I'm glad that you survived that horrific accident with few injuries - you were truly looked after by The Almighty. I hope that you will be able to complete your trip safely. Will keep you in my prayers.

 

[Vis Arend]

Freakin hell, you are one lucky dude.  :thumleft:

 

[SchalkL]

:happy1:

 

[funacide]

Damn dude you are so lucky, you should have bought a lottery ticket on that day... That could have been very bad, glad to hear you were ok.

Post the rest already, loving the report.

 

[onmybike]

one thing that has been making me concerned in this report is the statement of the people being seperate. i have finally come to some idea that a lot of the 'apartheid' experienced/seen is maybe more of a class difference then a colour difference. as a tourist you see and meet very few of the working people especially of the more educated. i think perhaps many tourists and many unemployed locals may give the impression that racial seperation still exists more then what it does. i have no doubt many people of all colours are racist but as many are not especially in the work place and at social gatherings even if not in your own home yet. i see at work for eg xmas party a seperatism or hanging together but i think it is just a friends thing as many move from circle to circle on way to bathroom before re-settling in their own circle

 

[GStry]

That was a close call, glad you are ok.  So what's the plan from here on...are you getting another bike?
Who did you play American football for?

 

[gnome]

wow Momi20......  what a shocker!!!!!  I really didn't expect the ride to end so badly!!!!!  Glad to hear that you're ok - the way the bike looked.... you are very lucky to be alive!!!    hope you'll come to SA again for a ride... but next time get some Wild Dogs to ride with.

 

[The TRANSPORTER]

Ok Momi nice report so far but where's the rest?

That's bad but glad you're ok,what happened next??????

 

[Samou]

Hi Momi - you should be up and running (riding) again so where's the rest that the report's title promised  :bounce: :deal:

 

[momi20]

Ok, PTI (pardon the Interruption), but I had both, work (no time) and word problems (on my pc)
Friday 1 of July
I wake up and feel better, just 45 minutes to wash and shave: I’m a rocket ! By walking I reach main street, President Street. Ok the bike is destroyed, but at least I’ve got to reach the Victoria Falls. I read about a bus line, the Intercape, that connect a lot of places in SA, Zambia, Namibia ecc. In the case that somebody will decide to travel in namibia, destroy his motorbike near Tsumeb, but continue to travel her’s the way from the Mousebird hostel to the Internet cafè in Tsumeb



https://www.intercape.co.za/home/

Ther’s a bus right this night at 9 pm, but isn’t possible to get the reservation on line: it’s to close to the starting time. So I bought a telephone card and I get my place on the bus: just the Intercape office tells to me to be prepared to pay cash. I limp very fast back to the Mousebird and preapre my luggage: the owners (again, wonderful people) will take care of the stuff I’ll can bring with me. Before to start I get out to see a kind of club/ballroom: I heard music. Is a just white people place and the size of clients is impressive: no one female is under 80 kg (176 pounds) and no one man under 100kg (220), even the kids are big...ahh there are 2 no white men: the security staff



Mr Arno brings me to the gas station that is the Intercape stop: I’m waiting with  an english family



The bus is on right time, and I’m lucky cause I find an aisle place: I can stretch better my legs. At 2 am first stop at gas station for fuel and food...at 3,30 am second stop: problem for oil pressure in the brakes, but isn’t a big problem. The bus started the trip in Cape Town, 2 days ago, and this is the 4th time that this problem happens, so driver and mechanic are trained to fix the problem. Strange, but when a bus driver has to do some repair operation in the middle of the night, languages are different, from Europe, America, Asia and America, but probably curses are the same...maybe the name of the Good change

Ok the night problem was solved, but happens again in the afternoon along the Caprivi Strep


now the oil to fill up was finish. A passenger called his friend in the nearest city ( 80 km – 50 miles): he will bring to us the oil. Will we survive ?



down the bus I get the shot of another “Indiana Jones” tourist



finally oil arrive and we can start again. I’m a little displeased: travelling on the bus I will miss the Ngepi Camp one of my planned stops. I got really intrested to this camping

https://www.ngepicamp.com/index.html

because on his website I had seen the George Bush face: what can be the connection between a former USA president and a camping in Namibia ? I think that the logo should be  enough clear



Namibia –Zambia border...the usual informal african border





Because of the stops instead at noon, we reach Livingstone around 8 pm. Is dark and I had to walk to the first Youth Hostel. At the moment is full, but they are waiting for a group of people: maybe some bed will be available. I wait and I meet some japanese girl: she’s protecting the face with a cream


After a while I’ve got to go to the other hostel, but even here is full. Now is around 10.30 pm and I’m still looking for a bed : what you can do little white man ?



Ohh a Red Cross Lodge they will help me for sure (I hope)


but even here is a sold out tells to me the receptionist



I explain exaclty my situation ( showing the wound in my leg) and so she arranged an accomodation in a storage room with an employee. It’s free, but in hte morning I’ll give some money to the employee. Before to go to sleep I get a shower


my roomate

 

[Crab]

Ah this is excellent!!!!
A most enjoyable story.

 

[momi20]

I slept well and so I wake up early, around 6 am. I need of a good breakfast and the best combination is carbohdrate and some potassium saltz...I’m very lucky in my rucksack I’ve got bread and bananas. The lodge is a little bit kitsh





I find a taxi cab to can reach the Falls: for 20$ the driver will bring me to the Victoria falls and after to the local bus station, to can get a morning bus to border..Livingstone is very close to the Vic Falls and at hte entry you pay the fee and can rent a k-way: the sound of the falls is amazing





https://youtu.be/ir27bmo-Dfo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir27bmo-Dfo&feature=player_embedded

this is an amazing natural show ( most of the time the best show you can see)






ohh the Livingstone monument: what best place to take a picture of my guide, the Jump To ?



At the bus station is 8.30 am, but bargainings around ticket price are just started. As in Asia, ther’s a price for any kind of sit and kind of goods that you want load on the bus. A big man is the boss of the company: he owns 10 buses. As any local transport company the bus has 4 different kind of tyres. I pay the ticket: what time we will start ? Who knows ? The same as in Asia



the ticket office


no time to go to this doctor


another breackfast


bus is at the stop and the bargainings growns


goods inside or outside the bus?




finally we are ready to go: incredible

 

[letsgofishing]

Awesome report momi - REALLY pleased to read that you are OK - you are VERY lucky!

 

[momi20]

Awesome report momi - REALLY pleased to read that you are OK - you are VERY lucky!

Somebody suggested to me I had to buy a ticket lottery in Namibia  ;D