Africa tour to the equator and back in 40 days
- Thread starter schalk vd merwe
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schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
TVB
Grumpy Mutt
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- May 27, 2009
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Pragtig...skryf nog asb! :thumleft:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Hier kom hy nou net vir jou- SchalkTVB said:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Day 22 26/12/2010 Speke Bay----Masai Mara Game Reserve 259 Km
Before we leave Speke Bay just a couple of statistics, Lake Victoria is the 2nd largest fresh water Lake by area in the world and was named after Queen Victoria of the UK by John Hanning Speke the first European to discover this Lake in 1858 hence the name Speke Bay.
We had a 7 am breakfast as we wanted to still cross the border into Kenya and also try to make it to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. After breakfast we were off with washing flapping behind the bikes which we tied to the bungee cords. We did some washing the previous day and it was not dry yet. The method worked well and whenever it dried out we replace it again with wet laundry. The road was nice and we made good time to the Isabania border post. If I remember right we did not need a Visa and only bought a 3rd Party insurance. We asked the lady at the border post if she knew the road to the Masai Mara Park. She said there is a short cut close to the border and that we must turn right as soon as we are trough the border and take the dirt road. After processing all the formalities we were through in no time and first stopped at the ATM to get some Kenyan currency. The guard at the ATM with an automatic rifle was very concerned about our safety and kept the local people from crowding us and warned us to find a place to sleep before dark and not to sleep next to the road. On the whole trip so far we never felt threatened and always felt safer than in RSA so we were surprised. The guard also knew about the short cut and gave us directions. It was about 4 PM now and it looked like we only had to cover about 100 Km or so of dirt road to the entrance of the Park so we should be there by sunset. First we started to ride through villages one after the other and eventually it was just bush next to the road. The road became wetter and wetter and we started to go through some bad patches. Eventually we came to a cross road. There were two Toyota 4x4 vehicles with Israeli tourist. They came from the direction that we wanted to go in and they told us in broken English, “road very bad very bad”. They got stuck at one point for 4 hour in the clay with the two 4X4’s with diff locks and all. They said to us “but you guys will be okay as you have good motor bikes”. Only afterwards did I realised that they must have been sarcastic. With them was a Masai Mara man. He was their guide through the Masai Mara reserve for the duration of their stay there and brought them to this point so they can travel from here by them self. He asked us if we wanted him to guide us to the Masai Mara as he has to go back there now. We thought it will cost us a lot of money again and turned him down. He rented a picky picky from there (a taxi motor bike) as the Israelis gave him a handsome tip. We started to ride in the clay not mud. It did not take long before the mud would build up and the front wheel would lock, I just had it up speed in 2nd gear when I fell. It was a hard fall and my right hand Oxford bag tore open and all the contents was laying all over the show. Guess who was there to help me, the Masai Mara man and his picky picky driver. They were in the same situation but much better off. When the going gets tough the Masai Mara man would just get off and push the picky picky. As they had no luggage their bike only weighted about 100 KG where the wet weight of our bikes were 181KG + 40 KG luggage each=221 KG. We eventually tried to walk next to the bikes while it was in gear but soon the clay would clog up under the front fender. You then first had to take a stick and work the clay out. My saddle bag I just tied up with bungee cord to keep it together and the contents inside. There was a bit of water at one place and Juan fell in the water with his luggage bags submersed partly, his movie camera was on that side and also got submersed. As we took too long to pick up the bike it was goodbye to that camera too as electronics and water don't go together. This was camera 2 that we said goodbye to. As it was getting dark now and the ATM Guy's words still ringing in my ears that we should get to a place to stay before dark we now had a sense of urgency and we tried to ride again but would just come short again. The Masai Mara man was there again to help us. It would rain softly sometimes and as I had my rain suite on I was sweating as the fan on the bike would also now stay on due to the slow pace and just blow the hot air over myself. Eventually we decided to move one bike at a time. So Juan, myself and the Masai Mara man who by now was firmly part of the team and the picky picky driver would take one bike put it in gear and all 4 of us would push it while I would also work the throttle. We would progress about 300 meter put it down on its side as it would not stand on the side stand due to the clay and go back for the next bike. It was pitch dark by now and Juan and I putt our little LED head laps on to see where we were walking every time we went to fetch the next bike. All this was extremely tiring. We then thought maybe we should ride next to the road but that was also not as easy as the road was in a 3 metre deep trench. We would then progress to a place where we thought we could get the bikes to the top but just as we almost had the bike out it would slide down the embankment to the bottom. We left the border at 4 pm and it was about 10 pm now and we have only progressed about 50 Km now in 6 hours. Eventually we managed to get the bikes out and were now riding through the bush. Initially we still slipped and slide as the soil was clay and very slippery and a couple of times the bikes had slipped out from under us. The Masai Mara man was an unbelievable guide as he knew the bush. I had the GPS in my tank bag and I could see that we have now entered the Masai Mara Game reserve. All these game reserves don't have fences and our guide by now said he would take us to an “African guest house”. As we progressed we started to ride through a morass where the water was about 300mm deep (30 cm). I think the morass was formed due to the heavy rain this time of the year and also due to clay soil and the water could not be socked in any more. You guys will think I have fallen off to many times on my head that night because what I am going to tell you now but out of the dark came two giraffe's a mother and her young one. They joint us and were running very close to my bike just to the right. The water that we rode through was crystal clear and I could see the foot paths under the water where the animals of the Masai Mara normally walk. There were many paths under the water and when it came to a bush it would go around and become strait again up to the next bush. We were riding at a constant speed in 2nd gear with the water splashing from the wheels and from the hoofs of the 2 giraffe's while our head lights would light up the area ahead of us in the dark. The giraffe is one of my favourite animals and I have a more than 2 metre carved out wood one in my house at home. It felled as if I were in a giant cathedral in a musical with the music in absolute harmony and the giraffe singing (a giraffe can't make a sound by nature). By now I have forgotten all about our fatigue and every sore muscle in my body and the words went something like this.
I have been waiting for you for so many years now,
To come and see the Masai Mara and us,
You stayed away but now you are here
So now I want to show you how we live and welcome and welcome once again.
The giraffe just continued there so close to my bike and I think this was the highlight of the trip for me and maybe even of my life, it was just an unbelievable few minutes that I will treasure for the rest of my live. The two giraffes eventually veered off to the right. Normally giraffes are very shy animals and would disappear quickly if you come to close but these two joint us purposely. I spent 2 years and 2 months of my life in a game reserve doing a contract there. We soon were out of this massive morass and arrived at our “guest house” at 11.30 pm that night. It took us 7 and a half hour to do 100 km from the border in Kenya. At the guest house I rented a room for the Masai Mara man and his picky picky driver and one room for Juan and myself. It was now 16,5 hours since we last had something to eat and Juan pulled some instant food out of his bag like a magician. I gave our guide a packet of rice and offered our little gas stove to him so he can cook it but he chose to go to bed instead and I only learned later why he did not eat and I will report on that next time. The guest house owner had some warm bear in true African tradition and it went down so well with Juan's food. After dinner and it was now 1 am by the time we went to bed little knowing that we were going to have a similar difficult day in Mozambique later on during the trip. I used my own sleeping bag that night on top of the bed and my own feather cushion which I brought along. I was lying in bed and I could hear the Masai Mara guide in deep sleep in the room next door trough the cow dung wall, Juan was by now also in a deep sleep due to the exhaustion of the day/night. The door was in line with my bed and there were a wide crack in the door. While I was relaxing every sore muscle in my body and then right in the centre of the crack in the door I could see the full moon rising in the east and I soon exchanged my giraffe dream and fatigue of the evening with a real dream.
Before we leave Speke Bay just a couple of statistics, Lake Victoria is the 2nd largest fresh water Lake by area in the world and was named after Queen Victoria of the UK by John Hanning Speke the first European to discover this Lake in 1858 hence the name Speke Bay.
We had a 7 am breakfast as we wanted to still cross the border into Kenya and also try to make it to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. After breakfast we were off with washing flapping behind the bikes which we tied to the bungee cords. We did some washing the previous day and it was not dry yet. The method worked well and whenever it dried out we replace it again with wet laundry. The road was nice and we made good time to the Isabania border post. If I remember right we did not need a Visa and only bought a 3rd Party insurance. We asked the lady at the border post if she knew the road to the Masai Mara Park. She said there is a short cut close to the border and that we must turn right as soon as we are trough the border and take the dirt road. After processing all the formalities we were through in no time and first stopped at the ATM to get some Kenyan currency. The guard at the ATM with an automatic rifle was very concerned about our safety and kept the local people from crowding us and warned us to find a place to sleep before dark and not to sleep next to the road. On the whole trip so far we never felt threatened and always felt safer than in RSA so we were surprised. The guard also knew about the short cut and gave us directions. It was about 4 PM now and it looked like we only had to cover about 100 Km or so of dirt road to the entrance of the Park so we should be there by sunset. First we started to ride through villages one after the other and eventually it was just bush next to the road. The road became wetter and wetter and we started to go through some bad patches. Eventually we came to a cross road. There were two Toyota 4x4 vehicles with Israeli tourist. They came from the direction that we wanted to go in and they told us in broken English, “road very bad very bad”. They got stuck at one point for 4 hour in the clay with the two 4X4’s with diff locks and all. They said to us “but you guys will be okay as you have good motor bikes”. Only afterwards did I realised that they must have been sarcastic. With them was a Masai Mara man. He was their guide through the Masai Mara reserve for the duration of their stay there and brought them to this point so they can travel from here by them self. He asked us if we wanted him to guide us to the Masai Mara as he has to go back there now. We thought it will cost us a lot of money again and turned him down. He rented a picky picky from there (a taxi motor bike) as the Israelis gave him a handsome tip. We started to ride in the clay not mud. It did not take long before the mud would build up and the front wheel would lock, I just had it up speed in 2nd gear when I fell. It was a hard fall and my right hand Oxford bag tore open and all the contents was laying all over the show. Guess who was there to help me, the Masai Mara man and his picky picky driver. They were in the same situation but much better off. When the going gets tough the Masai Mara man would just get off and push the picky picky. As they had no luggage their bike only weighted about 100 KG where the wet weight of our bikes were 181KG + 40 KG luggage each=221 KG. We eventually tried to walk next to the bikes while it was in gear but soon the clay would clog up under the front fender. You then first had to take a stick and work the clay out. My saddle bag I just tied up with bungee cord to keep it together and the contents inside. There was a bit of water at one place and Juan fell in the water with his luggage bags submersed partly, his movie camera was on that side and also got submersed. As we took too long to pick up the bike it was goodbye to that camera too as electronics and water don't go together. This was camera 2 that we said goodbye to. As it was getting dark now and the ATM Guy's words still ringing in my ears that we should get to a place to stay before dark we now had a sense of urgency and we tried to ride again but would just come short again. The Masai Mara man was there again to help us. It would rain softly sometimes and as I had my rain suite on I was sweating as the fan on the bike would also now stay on due to the slow pace and just blow the hot air over myself. Eventually we decided to move one bike at a time. So Juan, myself and the Masai Mara man who by now was firmly part of the team and the picky picky driver would take one bike put it in gear and all 4 of us would push it while I would also work the throttle. We would progress about 300 meter put it down on its side as it would not stand on the side stand due to the clay and go back for the next bike. It was pitch dark by now and Juan and I putt our little LED head laps on to see where we were walking every time we went to fetch the next bike. All this was extremely tiring. We then thought maybe we should ride next to the road but that was also not as easy as the road was in a 3 metre deep trench. We would then progress to a place where we thought we could get the bikes to the top but just as we almost had the bike out it would slide down the embankment to the bottom. We left the border at 4 pm and it was about 10 pm now and we have only progressed about 50 Km now in 6 hours. Eventually we managed to get the bikes out and were now riding through the bush. Initially we still slipped and slide as the soil was clay and very slippery and a couple of times the bikes had slipped out from under us. The Masai Mara man was an unbelievable guide as he knew the bush. I had the GPS in my tank bag and I could see that we have now entered the Masai Mara Game reserve. All these game reserves don't have fences and our guide by now said he would take us to an “African guest house”. As we progressed we started to ride through a morass where the water was about 300mm deep (30 cm). I think the morass was formed due to the heavy rain this time of the year and also due to clay soil and the water could not be socked in any more. You guys will think I have fallen off to many times on my head that night because what I am going to tell you now but out of the dark came two giraffe's a mother and her young one. They joint us and were running very close to my bike just to the right. The water that we rode through was crystal clear and I could see the foot paths under the water where the animals of the Masai Mara normally walk. There were many paths under the water and when it came to a bush it would go around and become strait again up to the next bush. We were riding at a constant speed in 2nd gear with the water splashing from the wheels and from the hoofs of the 2 giraffe's while our head lights would light up the area ahead of us in the dark. The giraffe is one of my favourite animals and I have a more than 2 metre carved out wood one in my house at home. It felled as if I were in a giant cathedral in a musical with the music in absolute harmony and the giraffe singing (a giraffe can't make a sound by nature). By now I have forgotten all about our fatigue and every sore muscle in my body and the words went something like this.
I have been waiting for you for so many years now,
To come and see the Masai Mara and us,
You stayed away but now you are here
So now I want to show you how we live and welcome and welcome once again.
The giraffe just continued there so close to my bike and I think this was the highlight of the trip for me and maybe even of my life, it was just an unbelievable few minutes that I will treasure for the rest of my live. The two giraffes eventually veered off to the right. Normally giraffes are very shy animals and would disappear quickly if you come to close but these two joint us purposely. I spent 2 years and 2 months of my life in a game reserve doing a contract there. We soon were out of this massive morass and arrived at our “guest house” at 11.30 pm that night. It took us 7 and a half hour to do 100 km from the border in Kenya. At the guest house I rented a room for the Masai Mara man and his picky picky driver and one room for Juan and myself. It was now 16,5 hours since we last had something to eat and Juan pulled some instant food out of his bag like a magician. I gave our guide a packet of rice and offered our little gas stove to him so he can cook it but he chose to go to bed instead and I only learned later why he did not eat and I will report on that next time. The guest house owner had some warm bear in true African tradition and it went down so well with Juan's food. After dinner and it was now 1 am by the time we went to bed little knowing that we were going to have a similar difficult day in Mozambique later on during the trip. I used my own sleeping bag that night on top of the bed and my own feather cushion which I brought along. I was lying in bed and I could hear the Masai Mara guide in deep sleep in the room next door trough the cow dung wall, Juan was by now also in a deep sleep due to the exhaustion of the day/night. The door was in line with my bed and there were a wide crack in the door. While I was relaxing every sore muscle in my body and then right in the centre of the crack in the door I could see the full moon rising in the east and I soon exchanged my giraffe dream and fatigue of the evening with a real dream.
