Living the Dream Solo Around the World Trip

[schalk vd merwe]

How much longer would the pass over the tunnel have been? Was the air in the tunnel reasonable fresh all the way through?

I don't enjoy riding through tunnels, I find the idea of all that rock above me oppressive - well done on your 24,5km :ricky:.

I only found out about the pass later. They did not have an alternative road sign up. The rock on top of the tunnel at the highest point is 1400 meter. The air inside was very good although I found some other tunnels with bad ventilation. I must have travelled through close to one hundred tunnels on this trip if I add up the different countries. Some tunnels even had like a corkscrew in where you either go up or down. I love tunnels and ferries.

 

[Ri]

How much longer would the pass over the tunnel have been? Was the air in the tunnel reasonable fresh all the way through?

I don't enjoy riding through tunnels, I find the idea of all that rock above me oppressive - well done on your 24,5km :ricky:.

I only found out about the pass later. They did not have an alternative road sign up. The rock on top of the tunnel at the highest point is 1400 meter. The air inside was very good although I found some other tunnels with bad ventilation. I must have travelled through close to one hundred tunnels on this trip if I add up the different countries. Some tunnels even had like a corkscrew in where you either go up or down. I love tunnels and ferries.

Admittedly the corkscrew tunnels sound fascinating, I'd love to maybe experience one. And I'm in TOTAL agreement on ferries, I would love to ferry up and down the Nordic countries!

 

[Welsh]

Who knows what this is ?

Pelton wheel, used for small scale Hydro Electric generation.  :thumleft:

You spot on Welsh. Are you guy where we rode together to Parys dirt road a while back on a breakfast run ?

No but we have met at a few bashes.  :thumleft:

 

[caconcepts]

Schalk, Waar is jy in die wereld....?

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Schalk, Waar is jy in die wereld....?

Hi Caconcepts Ek is terug in SA en besig om die volgende deel te beplan van my ARTW trip. Hoop grense maak oop by January. Sal binne kort storie van Europa klaar skryf.

 

[caconcepts]

Schalk, Waar is jy in die wereld....?

Hi Caconcepts Ek is terug in SA en besig om die volgende deel te beplan van my ARTW trip. Hoop grense maak oop by January. Sal binne kort storie van Europa klaar skryf.

Cool, kom maak n draai as jy kan, ek is self besig om n trippie te beplan na NZ, per bike. Sal goed wees om weer te chat.

 

[Gerard]

Schalk, Waar is jy in die wereld....?

Hi Caconcepts Ek is terug in SA en besig om die volgende deel te beplan van my ARTW trip. Hoop grense maak oop by January. Sal binne kort storie van Europa klaar skryf.

Cool, kom maak n draai as jy kan, ek is self besig om n trippie te beplan na NZ, per bike. Sal goed wees om weer te chat.

Dit gaan neuk deur al daai water  :eek7:

 

[Gerard]

Schalk, Waar is jy in die wereld....?

Hi Caconcepts Ek is terug in SA en besig om die volgende deel te beplan van my ARTW trip. Hoop grense maak oop by January. Sal binne kort storie van Europa klaar skryf.

Kom Vrystaat bash toe dat ons kan hello sê

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Schalk, Waar is jy in die wereld....?

Hi Caconcepts Ek is terug in SA en besig om die volgende deel te beplan van my ARTW trip. Hoop grense maak oop by January. Sal binne kort storie van Europa klaar skryf.

Kom Vrystaat bash toe dat ons kan hello sê

Hi Gerrard ek is nie seker of jy met Caconcepts of met my praat nie. Ek gaan maandag vir 'n week af Suid Kaap toe maar miskien moet ek 'n plan maak om bash toe te gaan. Was ook laas jaar daar. Ek het my duim gebreek maar hy sal seker by dan beter wees om weer te kan ry. Groete

 

[schalk vd merwe]

I will be at the Free State bash this weekend if anybody wants a book

 

[schalk vd merwe]

From Sweden to Rotterdam

Just to Catch up on the last happenings. I arrived back from Norway and was now back in Sweden about 80 Km east of Gothenburg on a farm in the forest at Connie and Alexander’s house. I met them originally in Africa in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

If I remember right it was a public holiday and a Monday. Connie flew to Germany and was going to be back that evening. In the afternoon Alexander made us a braai on quite an ingenious braai. The skottel hangs from a tripod above the fire. It hangs from a type of a pulley system and can be adjusted higher or lower. It is not only South Africans that can braai, this German who lives in Sweden can braai properly as well. Another ingenious thing that Alexander has as well is a fold up canoe. It fits in a rug sack and can take two people quite easily.

Conni arrived that night and we had some good red wine together. The next morning they had to leave early for work. We said our goodbyes and they told me to leave the house key under a rock close to the gate of the property. Sweden must be one of the safest place in the world, I packed the bike and had a shower.

Then it was off to Gothenburg to get the main road to Denmark. I received an e mail only two days before from BMW Motorrad  in Copenhagen in Denmark that my thermostat arrived. I originally ordered the parts when I was in Austria. A courier company was supposed to send the parts from Italy to Copenhagen. This was supposed to take a couple of days but in the end it took weeks. The faulty thermostat caused the bike to run too cold especially up north around North Cape.
At Motorrad I quite quickly received the parts but then a lot of staff wanted photos taken with me. As if I am this big adventurer traveling around the world. I am traveling around the world but no big hero.

From there I went straight to the ferry which would take me across to Germany. Coming up it was extremely expensive to cross the two bridges. Probably the equivalent of about R 1800. The ferry was much cheaper. I did not wait long before I could ride onto the ferry. It was nice and fairly quick. 
Arriving on the German side I set my GPS for Rotterdam in Nederland

 

[schalk vd merwe]

The fold up Canoe that fits in a rug sack.

 

[Ri]

The fold up Canoe that fits in a rug sack.

What is the size, when packed up?  How big is the rucksack, and how heavy are all those frame poles that stiffen the canoe?

 

[schalk vd merwe]

The fold up Canoe that fits in a rug sack.

What is the size, when packed up?  How big is the rucksack, and how heavy are all those frame poles that stiffen the canoe?

Hi Ri I just WhatsApp them. Will give you the feed back as soon as they let me know.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

The fold up Canoe that fits in a rug sack.

What is the size, when packed up?  How big is the rucksack, and how heavy are all those frame poles that stiffen the canoe?

Hi Ri I just WhatsApp them. Will give you the feed back as soon as they let me know.

Hi Ri just got the feed back. It weighs 20 KG and the bag is about 220 liters and the dimensions is 1,2 M X 0,7 M

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Germany to Rotterdam Nederland.

My GPS was still set for Rotterdam. I was supposed to go and sleep over at my nieces place in Germany but I was running out of time as I only had a 3 month Visa for Europe. And once I drop the bike off I still had to get a Flix bus from Rotterdam to Frankfurt Airport which is a day’s trip. I was on a standby ticked which means if the flight is full I have to stay an additional day or two or three or more. So if you don’t get a flight and your Visa run out. Then you have to stay on the airport after the Customs counter and sleep on the seats in the waiting area. Now I have ruffed it through Africa and sometimes slept next to a petrol pump on my sleeping bag but now it is time to go home after a fantastic European trip.

So I phoned my Niece Natasha (my oldest sister daughter) and told her I am pushing through. She was obviously very disappointed.

My GPS eventually took me on to the Autobahn and boy I always wanted to ride here where any speed goes. The Autobahn had 3 lanes. The left lane is the fast lane then the middle lane is where most trucks ride and slower trucks in the right hand lane. Now Funduro had a top end of only 165 KPH. It is a single cylinder with two carburetors, So the acceleration was quite good but not as good as a flat Merc or Porch. So while riding in the middle lane I would look in my rear view mirror and might just see a dot in the distance. I then would gear down to 4 th and open up while going into the left lane. Sometimes when I passed a truck I then just manage to get in front of the truck when that Mec comes past at about 300 KMH. Some of those Gulf Wing Mercedes’s is even capable of doing 350 KMH. The rule however is if a fast car catch up to you in the fast lane he is not allowed to flash lights or hoot. He has got to slow down to your speed and give you a chance to move over. The people in Europe are so disciplined and in the 3 month I never saw an accident or even brake marks on the road. On the other hand in Africa I saw more than 20 truck accidents and in many countries the cars just came in my lane from the front, forcing me off the road.

On the Autobahn sometime the overhead digital board indicate a much slower speed and then everybody adhere to the limit. Sometimes due to the high volume of traffic they come to a complete  stand still. I would then do lane splitting and it is amazing how the cars would respond. They would just open up, amazing discipline.
It was getting late and I did not feel like camping so looked for accommodation on the GPS while riding. It took me to a nice small cozy hotel at a reasonable price in a small town. I just took my top box off which contains my clothes and laptop. My books were left on the bike in the panniers which was not waterproof. My camping gear was in another container. All the remaining luggage was covered with the tent sail which by now has seen the best of its days.

I just dumped my top box in the bedroom and went down to the cozy bar downstairs to have a real German Draft beer.
The next morning when I woke up I saw it rained during the night. I immediately went down to check on my books. Fortunately they did not get wet. After a shower and breakfast I was back on the highway. Sometimes I was having only one meal a day. I had my rain suite on as it was raining. There were other bikes on the highway as well and I must say they motor in the rain.

Eventually I could understand the language on the bill boards next to the highway and I knew I was back in Holland again. I stopped at a petrol station to fill the last tank of fuel and to also phone Eveline in Rotterdam to say I would be back at her place that night.

It was peak hour traffic when I arrived back in Rotterdam. It was almost like coming home. My family Willem Schalk van der Merwe came from the Merwede River near there on 26.04.1661 to the Cape of Good on the ship Dordrecht. That is 9 years after Jan van Riebeeck.

I arrived back at Evelines block of flats just before sunset. I phoned her from downstairs in front of the garage gate. She came down and gave me a hero’s welcome back hug. I left the bike in the parking garage and we went up to her flat where her friend Philippe a Belgium was waiting for us with a bottle of their favored red wine on the balcony. Her flat overlooks the Biggest soccer stadium in Rotterdam. The sun was just setting behind the stadium when we had a sundowner. From her kitchen window you have a view of the Maas River. Beautiful and clean area. I met Eveline and Philippe in Addis Ababa when I traveled Africa. He was working for the Belgium Embassy at the time and Eveline for some flower company. We met at House Holland a place where ex pats and travelers frequented. 

Next Homeward bound.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Eveline and Phlippe

 

[schalk vd merwe]

The view of the Maas River from the kitchen window

 

[schalk vd merwe]

I will complete this RR early 2022

 

[Oubones]

Dit is darem nie vêr weg nie!
Wag in spanning!