D
dustsucker
Guest
Day 1-4...click on link below
https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=15394.0
Dustsucker says: Ok,Ok, before i start just to say that Swaerrie had me informed that he would have much rather had me compare him to Steve Irvin(the adventurer) that David in David and Goliath....Swaerrie being volbloed Italian i am chewing my nails in fear for the big black car to pull up the driveway and the okes with their huge violin cases to get out...you know the type you see in the mafia movies. ;D
Swaerrie says:
Ok, so we survived the reunion and evenings keiering. On top of it, it was Swaers 40th birthday, so he gave it extra mielies. We definitely showed that Jack Daniels, a fing or two.
Not too early the next morning, with tongue still stuck to pallet, we headed to the Kei River mouth. This is the gateway into the wild ocast, crossing over the river on a ferry.
From here it would be the dark, unknown and feared Transkei. Everyone had been getting wound up by stories of attacks and other crap, mostly from third party â??hear sayâ??. My aim was to show the boys that it was a true gem, and as always, your approach would determine to the greatest extent, the risk.
Over on the other side, the gravel road turned into trail, followed by river bed and rocky climb. Things became quite interesting! Within minutes, two fallen bikes followed by exaggerated panting and sweating and some delicate recovery work, got us out the top. We had only covered 5 km of the 200+. I could read into the looks on some of the face â??what have I gotten intoâ?¦, 200km more of this k@kâ??.
The thing was, I knew that it was pretty much easier from there on. This was only to be the morning tester. I didnâ??t tell the okes this off course, fearing they might get too slapgat. I just kept quite and therewith, them on their toes. However realizing at this point, that my (now not so young anymore) chinas, just might not be ready for this type of riding. Behind us was the beautiful Gxara River we had just crossed.
From here we hit the road in search of something to â??soothe de nerfsâ??. Its funny how I would never normally buy Carling at home, but here, not only is it the only thing there, but the only thing you want to
drink. It just tastes like mudders milk.
What goes in must come out! This is possibly the explanation why there are so many rivers in
the Transkei
We eventually got to a village where we entertained a bunch of kids with our antics.
It was also a nice time to hand out the colouring books and puzzles we had carted along. I realized then that if we all went there with an honest intent to give, and not just absorb, all to follow in our steps would be so much better received.
By late afternoon we got to our destination, Xhora River mouth.
What an awesome spot! Large river and estuary on one side, sea on the other. Really remote and unknown.
Before soon we swam across the river and onto the island in search of mangrove crabs.
This was something I had been telling swear about for years and had to confirm the myth. Sien jy Swaer! Absolutely the tastiest stuff out there! You gotta be careful to catch one by hand, those nippers can do some serious damage.
The river forms a narrow gully at the mouth, where you see fish and rays swim in. We even saw a turtle playing in the mouth.
Absolute Beauty!
Dustsucker says: What Swaerrie neglects to mention is that he got us hopelessly lost in the swamps in Moz(Linga Linga) the previous year convicing me to go crab hunting after a beer or two to many at night. I never thought we would get out of there ever again and needless to say without the sight of a single crab. Swaerrie new then that he had lost all 'crab credit' in my eyes and he swore to make it his life`s mission to win back my respect. Needles to say that when we found(Andre saw it and Swaerrie caught it) this baby huge celebrations were in order. I have to add that it is the best tasting meat in those nippers. You don`t have to add anything to give it tase.
DAY 6 â?? Xhora â?? Coffee Bay â?? Port St Johns
What a lekker evenings keier. No power, just gas and fire. That Tony and his cowboy food (chakalaka, beans and bully beef) really did it for supper.
Unfortunately, we had to pack up the next morning and get moefing. This is a place where we could have stayed for another day or two, just enjoying the life. Donâ??t worry, well be back boys!
Again I had planned the start of the day with a little challenge. The boys followed me down this steep, marble covered downhill, probably thinking â??here we go againâ??. With all stopped at the bottom, I went to rekke the route further. This one went from trail to overgrown single cattle spoor, leading to an interesting looking rocky river crossing! Eishh.. k@k, back the way we came and onto gravel roads again.
Dustsucker says: This was the pic on top of the hill, even the triangle part underneath the truck was washed away...now i asked myself who in their right mind would want to take a truck down here, but then again i would get the answer later on watching those kamakazi taxi`s go down Sani pass ???
Slippelleeyy, very slippely
Hole in the Wall was the next stop. Awesome natural formation. Always read and heard about it but never been there.
Coffee bay was the refuel point thereafter. We stopped over at the Ocean View hotel for a quick chow.
A lady was posing topless by the pool. We only had one quick peek! After all, we hadnâ??t had this type of â??peekâ??, or was it â??peaksâ?? for a few days. Just reminding the brain â??this is what evil looks likeâ??.
Coffee Bay itself, was the only 2km stretch of tar we did all day, so what did Swaer go and do, he got him a puncture. A blerry 2 inch nail.
I ask you with tears in my eyes,
can anyone have that crap luck?
Dustsucker says: Those were tears of dissapointment as every one was upset that i did not get that puncture next to the pool so that we could use the pool water to look for the leak...i am sure everyone would be too busy eyeing out that topless girlie. ;D ;D
Swaerrie says:
Anyway, tried the mousse but no go. So off with the wheel, chuck it under a moving truck (BWM stand also works) to pop the bead off. The rest went quite smooth.
The rest of the day turned out to be riddled with potholes, wash-aways and stray animals. Just no end to the shakeing and jarring. So much so that Moenaâ??s 25 year old GS1000, eventually started pissing oil from the fork seals. I reckon all the bikes had aged by 3 years at this point.
One thing that also rang home was that, as bad as these roads where for our scoots, they were four times worse on cars. The only surviving 4 wheeled species around these parts was â?? pre 2000 Toyota Hilux!
Everyone was relieved to get back onto tar and into Port st Johns.
DAY 7 â?? Port st Johns to Heimville
I again wished we had more time to explore. The area around Port st Johns is so lush green and tropical. But hey, Ouma wasnâ??t getting any younger, so we had to get moefing.
This day was the easiest in terms of riding but funny enough, the scariest. Leaving north towards Flagstaff was ok, but from there to Kokstad wasnâ??t so lekker.
Its tar all the way but never straight. This, added to the fact that there are hardly any fences means you got to keep a look out for strays all the time. People also seemed to ride like a$$holes. Maybe we had been in the bush so long that we had lost all road sense, but we must have had at least 2 close calls, with traffic. Kwazulu-Natal drivers se moer!
The area that stood out was around the Underberg area. Beaut. We had a quick chill in a river along the way.
Himeville is the gateway to Sani Pass. A sweet little dorp with a sweet looking bar lady. Andre got hold of her, to pose for us. Check the treasure cat smile on Tonyâ??s mug.
Oh, check how excited Rats got in the foto above!
Heres my man, Moena, in his element. Its tuff to keep up with this guy, and not only talking about the roads. Moena, Jou Vark!
Dustsucker says: Hel, those EC guys are a real bunch of pisscats.
Even Andre, that doesnâ??t drink, looks â??at oneâ?? with those beers at this stage.
DAY 8 â?? up Sani Pass and through Lesotho
So much for tarring Sani pass. They have apparently been working for a year already and only a very small piece at the bottom was being prepared. No tar in sight â??fanks Godâ??. This stunning pass will be completely spoilt, if and when this happens. Imagine the pics below with tar roads instead and busses!
This is the Drakensberg, as I imagined it. First time for all of us and really stunning place. The route didnâ??t seem too bad at first. As we neared the top, it started to snake. Up and upâ?¦ getting pretty steep, tight and loose.
Tuff, or so we thought, until we encountered a loaded Toyota E20 coming down! What daâ?¦
Iâ??m not sure that the passengers have to pay for this trip. I think the driver does it to see the expressions? Unless it was a Leon Schuster movie in the making?
Foek meâ?¦hereâ??s another extreme sports we can try!
We rode through the cloud cover nearing the top, but cleared it again hitting the crest, at 2865m. The air is pretty thin and any sukelling with your bonie here leaves you quickly out of breath.
The guard at the Lesotho border side had a set of cement filled, paint drum bells. Chirping him here resulted in him challenging me to 10 reps of his irons.
Dustsucker says: He then proceeded to show us how it must be done, we stopped him at 20 reps as i was certain the sweeties Swaerrie gave him kicked in and he was having one mega sugar rush.
Just across the border was the â??Highest Pub in Africaâ?? where we had to stop.
Lesotho is also a place of contrasts. At the higher, more remote areas, you see people living in stone huts, wearing blankets and riding horse back. As you get to the lower lying more built up villages, the modernization is a bit more evident, although still basic.
Different beauty all together. If there is a 2km straight stretch of road, we didnâ??t find it. Whether dirt or tar, the roads wined endlessly through the highlands and mountains.
I eventually had to get the boys on the gas in order to get to the border post by 16h00, only to find out that it actually stayed open until 22h00. Felt like a real pi#l!
Maybe it was a good thing, we then had more time to chill and braai in Fouriesburg.
First stop was the slaghuis.
This is a pretty little dorpie around the Clarens area, surrounded by, sand stone koppies. Thirsty, we stopped in town for a dop. Swaer and I had loooong Gin & DryLemonsâ?¦. Moer, it was nice.
Dustsucker says: Being off that Katoem seat for just 10 min was too much for Swaerrie to handle so he had to get on to the closest hardcore ride he could find.
Swaerrie says:
Looking for a site to camp led us to Meiringskloof, a beauty place nestled in trees near the mountains.
The only shit was that it was full! Obviously also very popular with the local Vrystaaters.
We where redirected to overnight chalets up the road, which turned out to be even better. Mooi sand stone house, perfectly manicured, surrounded by an awesome view. Couldnâ??t have asked for better.
View from the house
At the lapa right next to the house, just look at those braai broodjies.
Swaerrie says: I donâ??t know if Iâ??m just lucky, but like this time again, its amazing how things always seem to turn out right when weâ??re out biking. You know, like when you get to the end of a hard ride, moeg, nowhere to stay. Then, by a miracle, things just pan out, some person offers you a place and meal.
My reasoning is that the less you expect from a situation (or people for that matter), most often, the more you are rewarded. Terry, lovingly calls this the â??Baschiera planâ?? â?? not actually a plan, just going with the flow. Works for me! Talking about compliments, his BMW works lekker as a sock dryer.
Dustsucker says: While Terry`s attention got diverted Swaerrie went and stole the keys to the BM, next thing we just hear that motor start up and getting the crap revved out of it. As we all run to check what da, who da..is hijacking our bikes we find this waiting for us with Swaerrie very calmly informing us that he needed a tumbledryer for his wet socks and boots...
Wet boots got added later on
Those clever Germans must have intended this for those shin bruising, pavement smacking, shoe burning side pods?
Dustsucker says: Our room had a cot in and Swaerrie just could not resist
That night we slept like kings.
https://wilddog.net.za/forum/index.php?topic=15394.0
Dustsucker says: Ok,Ok, before i start just to say that Swaerrie had me informed that he would have much rather had me compare him to Steve Irvin(the adventurer) that David in David and Goliath....Swaerrie being volbloed Italian i am chewing my nails in fear for the big black car to pull up the driveway and the okes with their huge violin cases to get out...you know the type you see in the mafia movies. ;D
Swaerrie says:
Ok, so we survived the reunion and evenings keiering. On top of it, it was Swaers 40th birthday, so he gave it extra mielies. We definitely showed that Jack Daniels, a fing or two.
Not too early the next morning, with tongue still stuck to pallet, we headed to the Kei River mouth. This is the gateway into the wild ocast, crossing over the river on a ferry.
From here it would be the dark, unknown and feared Transkei. Everyone had been getting wound up by stories of attacks and other crap, mostly from third party â??hear sayâ??. My aim was to show the boys that it was a true gem, and as always, your approach would determine to the greatest extent, the risk.
Over on the other side, the gravel road turned into trail, followed by river bed and rocky climb. Things became quite interesting! Within minutes, two fallen bikes followed by exaggerated panting and sweating and some delicate recovery work, got us out the top. We had only covered 5 km of the 200+. I could read into the looks on some of the face â??what have I gotten intoâ?¦, 200km more of this k@kâ??.
The thing was, I knew that it was pretty much easier from there on. This was only to be the morning tester. I didnâ??t tell the okes this off course, fearing they might get too slapgat. I just kept quite and therewith, them on their toes. However realizing at this point, that my (now not so young anymore) chinas, just might not be ready for this type of riding. Behind us was the beautiful Gxara River we had just crossed.
From here we hit the road in search of something to â??soothe de nerfsâ??. Its funny how I would never normally buy Carling at home, but here, not only is it the only thing there, but the only thing you want to
drink. It just tastes like mudders milk.
What goes in must come out! This is possibly the explanation why there are so many rivers in
the Transkei
We eventually got to a village where we entertained a bunch of kids with our antics.
It was also a nice time to hand out the colouring books and puzzles we had carted along. I realized then that if we all went there with an honest intent to give, and not just absorb, all to follow in our steps would be so much better received.
By late afternoon we got to our destination, Xhora River mouth.
What an awesome spot! Large river and estuary on one side, sea on the other. Really remote and unknown.
Before soon we swam across the river and onto the island in search of mangrove crabs.
This was something I had been telling swear about for years and had to confirm the myth. Sien jy Swaer! Absolutely the tastiest stuff out there! You gotta be careful to catch one by hand, those nippers can do some serious damage.
The river forms a narrow gully at the mouth, where you see fish and rays swim in. We even saw a turtle playing in the mouth.
Absolute Beauty!
Dustsucker says: What Swaerrie neglects to mention is that he got us hopelessly lost in the swamps in Moz(Linga Linga) the previous year convicing me to go crab hunting after a beer or two to many at night. I never thought we would get out of there ever again and needless to say without the sight of a single crab. Swaerrie new then that he had lost all 'crab credit' in my eyes and he swore to make it his life`s mission to win back my respect. Needles to say that when we found(Andre saw it and Swaerrie caught it) this baby huge celebrations were in order. I have to add that it is the best tasting meat in those nippers. You don`t have to add anything to give it tase.
DAY 6 â?? Xhora â?? Coffee Bay â?? Port St Johns
What a lekker evenings keier. No power, just gas and fire. That Tony and his cowboy food (chakalaka, beans and bully beef) really did it for supper.
Unfortunately, we had to pack up the next morning and get moefing. This is a place where we could have stayed for another day or two, just enjoying the life. Donâ??t worry, well be back boys!
Again I had planned the start of the day with a little challenge. The boys followed me down this steep, marble covered downhill, probably thinking â??here we go againâ??. With all stopped at the bottom, I went to rekke the route further. This one went from trail to overgrown single cattle spoor, leading to an interesting looking rocky river crossing! Eishh.. k@k, back the way we came and onto gravel roads again.
Dustsucker says: This was the pic on top of the hill, even the triangle part underneath the truck was washed away...now i asked myself who in their right mind would want to take a truck down here, but then again i would get the answer later on watching those kamakazi taxi`s go down Sani pass ???
Slippelleeyy, very slippely
Hole in the Wall was the next stop. Awesome natural formation. Always read and heard about it but never been there.
Coffee bay was the refuel point thereafter. We stopped over at the Ocean View hotel for a quick chow.
A lady was posing topless by the pool. We only had one quick peek! After all, we hadnâ??t had this type of â??peekâ??, or was it â??peaksâ?? for a few days. Just reminding the brain â??this is what evil looks likeâ??.
Coffee Bay itself, was the only 2km stretch of tar we did all day, so what did Swaer go and do, he got him a puncture. A blerry 2 inch nail.
I ask you with tears in my eyes,
can anyone have that crap luck?
Dustsucker says: Those were tears of dissapointment as every one was upset that i did not get that puncture next to the pool so that we could use the pool water to look for the leak...i am sure everyone would be too busy eyeing out that topless girlie. ;D ;D
Swaerrie says:
Anyway, tried the mousse but no go. So off with the wheel, chuck it under a moving truck (BWM stand also works) to pop the bead off. The rest went quite smooth.
The rest of the day turned out to be riddled with potholes, wash-aways and stray animals. Just no end to the shakeing and jarring. So much so that Moenaâ??s 25 year old GS1000, eventually started pissing oil from the fork seals. I reckon all the bikes had aged by 3 years at this point.
One thing that also rang home was that, as bad as these roads where for our scoots, they were four times worse on cars. The only surviving 4 wheeled species around these parts was â?? pre 2000 Toyota Hilux!
Everyone was relieved to get back onto tar and into Port st Johns.
DAY 7 â?? Port st Johns to Heimville
I again wished we had more time to explore. The area around Port st Johns is so lush green and tropical. But hey, Ouma wasnâ??t getting any younger, so we had to get moefing.
This day was the easiest in terms of riding but funny enough, the scariest. Leaving north towards Flagstaff was ok, but from there to Kokstad wasnâ??t so lekker.
Its tar all the way but never straight. This, added to the fact that there are hardly any fences means you got to keep a look out for strays all the time. People also seemed to ride like a$$holes. Maybe we had been in the bush so long that we had lost all road sense, but we must have had at least 2 close calls, with traffic. Kwazulu-Natal drivers se moer!
The area that stood out was around the Underberg area. Beaut. We had a quick chill in a river along the way.
Himeville is the gateway to Sani Pass. A sweet little dorp with a sweet looking bar lady. Andre got hold of her, to pose for us. Check the treasure cat smile on Tonyâ??s mug.
Oh, check how excited Rats got in the foto above!
Heres my man, Moena, in his element. Its tuff to keep up with this guy, and not only talking about the roads. Moena, Jou Vark!
Dustsucker says: Hel, those EC guys are a real bunch of pisscats.
Even Andre, that doesnâ??t drink, looks â??at oneâ?? with those beers at this stage.
DAY 8 â?? up Sani Pass and through Lesotho
So much for tarring Sani pass. They have apparently been working for a year already and only a very small piece at the bottom was being prepared. No tar in sight â??fanks Godâ??. This stunning pass will be completely spoilt, if and when this happens. Imagine the pics below with tar roads instead and busses!
This is the Drakensberg, as I imagined it. First time for all of us and really stunning place. The route didnâ??t seem too bad at first. As we neared the top, it started to snake. Up and upâ?¦ getting pretty steep, tight and loose.
Tuff, or so we thought, until we encountered a loaded Toyota E20 coming down! What daâ?¦
Iâ??m not sure that the passengers have to pay for this trip. I think the driver does it to see the expressions? Unless it was a Leon Schuster movie in the making?
Foek meâ?¦hereâ??s another extreme sports we can try!
We rode through the cloud cover nearing the top, but cleared it again hitting the crest, at 2865m. The air is pretty thin and any sukelling with your bonie here leaves you quickly out of breath.
The guard at the Lesotho border side had a set of cement filled, paint drum bells. Chirping him here resulted in him challenging me to 10 reps of his irons.
Dustsucker says: He then proceeded to show us how it must be done, we stopped him at 20 reps as i was certain the sweeties Swaerrie gave him kicked in and he was having one mega sugar rush.
Just across the border was the â??Highest Pub in Africaâ?? where we had to stop.
Lesotho is also a place of contrasts. At the higher, more remote areas, you see people living in stone huts, wearing blankets and riding horse back. As you get to the lower lying more built up villages, the modernization is a bit more evident, although still basic.
Different beauty all together. If there is a 2km straight stretch of road, we didnâ??t find it. Whether dirt or tar, the roads wined endlessly through the highlands and mountains.
I eventually had to get the boys on the gas in order to get to the border post by 16h00, only to find out that it actually stayed open until 22h00. Felt like a real pi#l!
Maybe it was a good thing, we then had more time to chill and braai in Fouriesburg.
First stop was the slaghuis.
This is a pretty little dorpie around the Clarens area, surrounded by, sand stone koppies. Thirsty, we stopped in town for a dop. Swaer and I had loooong Gin & DryLemonsâ?¦. Moer, it was nice.
Dustsucker says: Being off that Katoem seat for just 10 min was too much for Swaerrie to handle so he had to get on to the closest hardcore ride he could find.
Swaerrie says:
Looking for a site to camp led us to Meiringskloof, a beauty place nestled in trees near the mountains.
The only shit was that it was full! Obviously also very popular with the local Vrystaaters.
We where redirected to overnight chalets up the road, which turned out to be even better. Mooi sand stone house, perfectly manicured, surrounded by an awesome view. Couldnâ??t have asked for better.
View from the house
At the lapa right next to the house, just look at those braai broodjies.
Swaerrie says: I donâ??t know if Iâ??m just lucky, but like this time again, its amazing how things always seem to turn out right when weâ??re out biking. You know, like when you get to the end of a hard ride, moeg, nowhere to stay. Then, by a miracle, things just pan out, some person offers you a place and meal.
My reasoning is that the less you expect from a situation (or people for that matter), most often, the more you are rewarded. Terry, lovingly calls this the â??Baschiera planâ?? â?? not actually a plan, just going with the flow. Works for me! Talking about compliments, his BMW works lekker as a sock dryer.
Dustsucker says: While Terry`s attention got diverted Swaerrie went and stole the keys to the BM, next thing we just hear that motor start up and getting the crap revved out of it. As we all run to check what da, who da..is hijacking our bikes we find this waiting for us with Swaerrie very calmly informing us that he needed a tumbledryer for his wet socks and boots...
Wet boots got added later on
Those clever Germans must have intended this for those shin bruising, pavement smacking, shoe burning side pods?
Dustsucker says: Our room had a cot in and Swaerrie just could not resist
That night we slept like kings.
