Guys, I've got bad news. My external hard drive exploded and unfortunately all my video footage appears to be lost. The hard drive is in the freezer in a last ditch effort, you probably shouldn't ask.
On the up side though, there is nothing to verify the accuracy of my story now, so my trip just became a lot more eventful.
Where was I? Ah yes, leaving Port Elizabeth...
After a quick ride around PE, as I wanted to have a look at the stadium, I jumped on the N2. The plan was to avoid the N2 as much as I could, but this seemed like the most practical exit point. I had consulted the map the night before and tried to plan a route back to Cape Town. I had 2 days to get back, which meant that on this first day I was aiming for Oudtshoorn.
Before leaving the backpackers that morning I had met Sebastian, one of those European backpackers I was taking about earlier. He was from Milan and was in South Africa for two weeks doing Baz bus tours and other similar stuff. In his Italian accent he regaled some of his expeditions, including a day trip to Addo. Unfortunately Addo was too expensive for my budget, but he also mentioned a lion sanctuary in Sea View, just outside of PE. So that become the first marker on the map.
I managed to find the place quite easily, but was expecting to be told at the gate that bike's weren't allowed in or that the price was something extortionate. I was happy to find out that the cost was only R50, and also the road to the sanctuary was dirt. Now bare in mind that I've never ridden dirt before. The road was only a couple of minutes long, but I was chuffed. Out came the video camera and the tripod to try and get some interesting shots, such as the one I ended with last time.
There was also some bontebok roaming about to complete the African theme. Truth is I was probably in an environment no more real than Disney land. I wouldn't have been surprised if the bontebok were mechanical and the tree's were actually paper mache. But all the same this was my first dual sport's bike and I was riding my first dirt road, and it even felt like I was in Africa.
Parked up near some cars, I got off the bike to have a look at the lions. Something else I'm not used to: that high seat. I'm not a short guy, but I'm used to easily getting on and off a bike. The KLR requires a little bit more acrobatics.
I was lucky enough to be around whiles they were feeding the lions. The lion above had a chunk of some unfortunate animal that presumably was neatly prepared for the lions. I was a little surprised to see them cooped up in these relatively small pens, but I suppose it meant I could get relatively close to them. You walk along and these eyes follow you. I little bit airy, but at the same time surreal in that you felt completely safe.
Having satisfied my curiosity and gotten plenty of video footage of lions lying around, not doing much, I jump back on the bike. I'm not sure what the lions thought of the 650 single making a racket. They probably heard me from miles away. A little further on there was another block of buildings and an opportunity to see some lion cubs.
I had a quick look around and got some more interesting video footage. I suppose the cubs have more energy and are a little more playful. As you can see from above, they allow people to go in the pens where the lion cubs are, for a small fee obviously. I opted to save my bucks, but two young French girls (in their early 20's) decided to get a more close up experience. I should probably admit that I was probably more interested in the girls than the lion cubs, but is that really surprising?
Anyways, time to actually make some progress towards Cape Town. Left the lion sanctuary and headed for Humansdorp.
At Humansdorp I jumped on R62 towards Oudtdshoorn. Now the weather was beginning to turn. Much colder and a little bit rainy. I got a little bit nervous as I found out, a few times, how much grip you have in the wet with knobbly tyres.
This is where the story really took a surprising turn. I was stopped at a petrol station and this thunderous sound hovered on the horizon. After a couple of minutes a land rover with a cameraman hanging out the back and 3 American style choppers pulled in to the petrol station. Off one of the bikes jumped Paul Senior from America Chopper. The other two, I didn't recognise. I got a chance to chat to them for a few minutes. Our chat was interrupted by a fourth bike pulling in. The 4th guy didn't look very happy and was shouting obscenities. He parked up and headed over the Paul Senior, looking like he was here to cause trouble. An argument broke out, which turned into shoving and then to throwing punches. The whole time the camera's were rolling. At that point I decided that I should probably get out of their way and headed back out onto the open road.
About half an hour down the road I spotted a Lamborghini and a Ferrari parked at the side of the road, however they both were empty. I stopped by the cars to see if I could see the owners of the cars anywhere. Nothing. No one anywhere near by. No buildings near by, just a long straight road ahead of me and the same behind me. The Ferrari had it's top down, and it was drizzling a little. I thought that was a bit strange, but after hanging around for ten minutes I decided to head on.
About ten minutes down the road I saw someone walking down the side of the road dressed in white wearing a helmet. He looked somewhat lost, so I pulled up next to him. I asked him if he needed any help. He stared back at me through his dark visor, but didn't respond. I asked again, but got the same response. It was somewhat surreal. He didn't seem to understand English, nor did he make any attempt to communicate with me. He looked somewhat confused. I tried for a few more minutes to get a response from him. As I was mid way through asking him if one of the cars behind us belonged to him he turned around and continued walking. He seemed somewhat determined. I left him to it and headed off.
As I was nearing Oudtshoorn I saw the sign for Montagu pass. I decided to ditch Oudtshoorn and follow the pass towards George. So glad that I did. Route 62, west of Oudtshoorn, had proven to be a little boring. All of a sudden I found myself on dirt again, no wait it was more mud than dirt, and checking out the views. Unfortunately my camera's battery was dead. I ended up in George, found a hotel and some supper. I retired to bed and mentally went through the days events.
In the morning I was able to get my camera charged and decided to redo Montagu pass, this time armed with the camera. Here's the shots from the pass:
Great little pass. If only it were a little longer. If only I could ride the whole way back to Cape Town on dirt roads like this. Everyone always talks about standing whiles your riding dirt, so I tried to stand and look like I knew what I was doing. I got some great video footage as well. The video camera I was using (GoPro HD) is waterproof so for one of the shots I stuck it in a puddle and road through the puddle. The footage came out great. The bike splashed water and soaked the camera, which gave a cool effect. Also played with all the mounts. Helmet mount, tank mount, mounted it on the pillion and did a few drive by shots with a tripod. Progress was slow whiles shooting video, but seeing as I did the pass the previous day without the camera I wasn't bothered.
Once I reached the other side of the pass I headed on to Oudtshoorn. When I got there it was almost mid-day. I started late as I was keen to get the video camera charged. Now I was beginning to feel the pressure to get a move on. So I pretty much cruised from Oudtshoorn straight to Montagu.
This may come as a surprise to you, but I have actually never done route 62 before. I had high expectations, as lots of people have mentioned it to me in the past. Parts were a little dull, but other parts were fantastic. I enjoyed a twisty pass just after Calitzdorp, with almost no other traffic on the road. Also fantastic roads around Montagu. Overall it was a good ride.
By this time I was feeling a little numb to the scenery. The roads from Montagu to the N1 were fantastic. Some story with the tunnel. But the traffic was picking up and I was a little tired of being on the bike.
From Paarl to Cape Town I was on familiar territory again. It was quitting time, but luckily all the traffic was heading the opposite direction. Traffic was still busy through and I was a little tired. I decided to head to the waterfront for one last picture before heading home:
Overall I'm really stoked with the bike and enjoyed my impromptu road trip. Really looking forward to a little more off road experience. I have a country trax day booked for a couple of weeks time which should be fun.
Anyways, thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: Some of the stories may not be true.
