Brandon Bosch Memorial Ride - Africa 2021

[DASKOP]

The heavy trucks are taking a toll on the roads.

 

[DASKOP]

Outside Mazabuka there was a really badly corrugated detour, really slowed me down.

It was getting late and I had a long way to go to Lusaka. The last section to and through Lusaka, I did in the dark. A hair raising experience. Then, about 15 km outside Lusaka, on the road to Malawi, is the turn off to Pioneer Lodge and Campsite, it was bad gravel, in the dark with absolutely no external lighting, people, animals and cars with their headlights on bright a constant hazard.

I nearly came short on a gravel hill just before Pioneer, but I eventually got there after 20h00. And it was cold. No ways am I putting up a tent.

Cheapest rate for a room? US$50 for a basic tent without ablutions. I kicked up a bit of a fuss and the manager phoned the owner. He agreed to give me a chalet for the night, but US$50 was the minimum. I did not have much choice and accepted.

Tony and I had stayed here in 2013, but it was then owned by a South African. The new owner was a German.

I ordered a meal, which was very nice, organised for them to put a few beers on ice in a bucket in the restaurant area, they were all closing up and going home, went and unpacked, had a donkey heated shower and then sat in the restaurant area until about midnight, doing admin, before going to bed.

 

[DASKOP]

07 June 2021

Early morning Cuppachino outside my chalet. At least I slept warm.

 

[Lem]

Daskop, baie dankie vir hierdie ongelooflike RR.

Ek lees hom woord vir woord en trek nou eers by bladsy 13.

Ek het ongelooflike respek vir wat jy hier aangepak het en bereid is om met ons te deel.

Op 'n heelwat ligter noot leer ek ook verskirklik baie van Namibia en hierdie RR sal dus van nou af altyd my blueprint wees van al die interssante plekke waar ek nog graag sal wil gaan kamp.

 

[DASKOP]

I had posted about the exorbitant rates here, the previous night.

I got a response from a friend in PE, who had friends in Lusaka, but they were unfortunately away in Plettenberg Bay, but they said they would contact some of their friends and see if I could get more affordable accommodation in Lusaka before heading north.

I took some time to take photos before heading who knows where.

 

[DASKOP]

The place had changed a lot from 2013.

 

[DASKOP]

Daskop, baie dankie vir hierdie ongelooflike RR.

Ek lees hom woord vir woord en trek nou eers by bladsy 13.

Ek het ongelooflike respek vir wat jy hier aangepak het en bereid is om met ons te deel.

Op 'n heelwat ligter noot leer ek ook verskirklik baie van Namibia en hierdie RR sal dus van nou af altyd my blueprint wees van al die interssante plekke waar ek nog graag sal wil gaan kamp.

Hi Lem.

Daar is nog so baie om te deel. Wag vir my trip terug, dit was ook deur Namibia, maar met soveel meer. Dankie vir jou tyd en terugvoering. Dit word opreg waardeer.

 

[DASKOP]

https://mobile.facebook.com/Claudine10Pretorius?refid=7&__tn__=CH-R

Lets see if this works.

I am now registered as a presenter of this trip at Horizons Unlimited 2021, being held in Potch, from the 4th to the 7th of November at Elgro Lodge.

I am kakking myself. not my normal thing.

 

[VaalBaas]

Jammer jammer jammer.....

Sien die eers van middag, nee ek jok. Het dit al gesien, maar nog nooit oopgemaak.

Die eerste post maak my oe waterig, maar gaan deur die thread werk, stukkie vir stukkie verseker

 

[DASKOP]

I got feedback.

The Meikle family in Lusaka are willing to host me.

Time to leave.

This is the hill which was nearly my undoing on the way in at night.

 

[DASKOP]

Before I started the trip, I fitted the Dunlop Trailmax Missions. There was then some correspondence that Dunlop might be interested in my trip and partnering with me and my cause, for promotional purposes, so I took photos of the tyres, recorded the mileage and took photos of Dunlop agencies along the route. These were all posted on the Whatsapp group.

Maybe something will come of it, maybe not. Who knows?

I also stopped off at BW to get a plug adapter, those from rectangle to round. The use of the rectangular prong plugs might be a remnant of their colonial past?

 

[DASKOP]

I had received the address and basic directions from Chris Meikle to their home and I eventually found the sign board. Knocked on the gate, nothing happened. So, I decided to wait, eventually someone should come along and you can not really miss Matilda.

Again, the Zambian people amazed me. A black dude, in construction overalls, stopped and asked me if I was OK. Thumbs up and he left.

Then the gate at the address given to me opened, I approached the gate man, no, he did not know the Meikles. Then a white guy in a Discovery stopped, asked if he could help, promptly phoned Chris and I found out I was one gate away from the right house.

Chris phoned Jillian, his daughter, their gate was opened and I was formally welcomed at the Meikle home.

I parked Matilda under the carport, was shown to my room and unpacked.

Chris and his wife, Audrey eventually got home and I was advised not to leave Matilda outside. Oh damn, not a crime area, please.

The reason, Gracie, a canine wire eating and protrusion demolition expert, who would love to get her teeth into Matilda's exposed parts. So Matilda had to sleep in the lounge.

 

[DASKOP]

08 June 2021

I was treated to breakfast and then decided to explore Lusaka.

I went to a mall close to the house to get a local sim card and buy some data. This sign is not there just for appearance sake, they have guards patrolling who actually enforce these rules and regulations.

Not like in SA.

 

[DASKOP]

Lusaka is chaotic.

Charcoal on trolleys all over, bumper to bumper traffic, military convoys, vehicles parked and left unattended everywhere, every available spot utilised by street vendors and pedestrians crossing without even the slightest consideration for oncoming vehicles.

Nobody seems to take heed of the KEEP LUSAKA CLEAN sign.

 

[petri oosthuizen]

@DASKOP
TOTALLY off topic.......but that IT in your signature.......??? Pics of it somewhere?? :drif: :drif:

 

[DASKOP]

Chris told me about this building, which due to some type of dispute, has been standing like this for 23 years.

 

[DASKOP]

[member=13165]DASKOP[/member]
TOTALLY off topic.......but that IT in your signature.......??? Pics of it somewhere?? :drif: :drif:

Somewhere in the archives, but I sold that many years ago. Why?

 

[DASKOP]

The main reason I went back into Lusaka was because of something I saw on my way from Pioneer to the Meikles. Due to the traffic I could not stop then.

This time I was fortunate, a maintenance truck had stopped on the bridge and I could take advantage to stop and take some photos. To the north of the bridge, just railway lines, but to the south, a massive vendors market. When a train comes through, they just clear the tracks, and once it has passed, continue as normal.

 

[DASKOP]

That afternoon Chris took me to his farm just south of Lusaka.

 

[DASKOP]

Some very interesting old vintage implements on the farm.