Living the Dream Solo Around the World Trip

[schalk vd merwe]

Schalk as a thought for your book often books are written and compiled where the pics are grouped together in section making it difficult to refer back to the script. I would like to suggest that although it will cost a bit more, that the pics are inserted along with the text as it develops.

I would also suggest a cd/dvd of your pics with the book all referenced to the relative section of the book.

I would also suggest you could write the book as an adventure rather than an account of events. Bit like a novel, maybe.  Oh and don't forget the "foreword" that will place the whole experience in perspective.

But most of all keep the story to your style, that's the style the so many of us have come to enjoy and appreciate in this thread.

hi hedleyj I was thinking along the same lines as far as the photos are concerned where you have pages of photos in between the story to make it more relevant although they told me it would be more expensive as it is gloss paper. As far as putting it on cd/DVD it is then digital and can be copy to any where. People has already suggested to do e books but it is the same story, once it is digital it can be copied and paste and send anywhere. So I think as many a photo as the budget allow inside the book is the way to go. Thanks for the input and the foreword of my biking career which span over some 50 years is a good idea. Thanks mate.

Sadly you are correct on the "e" side of things and I suppose it has to be so unfortunately. I must say I am a bit old school with books and prefer the paper versions.

I would not be cautious around cost.

This is going to be a unique story of a mans trip through not just AFRICA but through a living personal goal reaching adventure. An account of an achievement, overcoming fears and concerns by facing them head on.

This has to be a must read, left on the coffee table, of not only bikers but adventurists of all disciplines.

Even think far enough out the box to make it a large format layout so the pics get justice served.

Looking forward to 0001  eepwall:

Hi hedleyj It looks like you have writing skills and the way you get exited about my trip makes me want to go and get on the bike right now and continue the round the world trip in order to have even more stories to tell. I think I should use your wording above as an introduction to my book.
I am also old school and like a book and even the smell of the paper. I read mainly autobiographies and have no interest in fiction.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Will try to have the next delivery ready by tomorrow.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

South Africa

I crossed the Limpopo River at Groblers Bridge into South Africa. Wow what a feeling to be on home soil again. The final border crossing was just a stamp in the passport. If you take every crossing from one country to the next as two border crossing then I have crossed 36 borders on this trip. I was out of the country for four months and one week but the trip is not over yet as I wanted to go to the Cape Agulhas the most Southern Point of Africa. I have already been to Alexandria in Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea and that was as far north in Africa that I could go.

At the R572 I turned right toward Lephalale (Ellisras). Everything just felled so right. The grass next the road was cut neatly up to the game farm fences. Fences are not something you see in the rest of Africa hence the animals in the roads all over. I must say smelling the bush and the South African soil and the feeling that everything is so organised made me emotional to be back. My thoughts were that there is just one way in this country and that is that we must stop complaining and make it work. The Americans like to say that the USA is the best country in the world but I think they are wrong, South Africa is. I think that is why one should travel the world and see the contrast. To date I have traveled the USA, Canada, seven countries in Europe, China. I have traveled Israel a very large part of Australia all the adjoining countries to South Africa and now through Africa right to the top and back. Five years ago I also went to the Equator and back on two bikes with my son and now I am back again. This is the country where I want to see my grand children grow up one day and this is the country where I want to live the rest of my live after my travel around the world. As I said that piece of road to Lephalale was an emotional one for me and I realized once more how much I love this country. My fore father Willem Schalk van der Merwe landed in the Cape on 26/04/1661 from the Merwede River close to Rotterdam in Holland. He came on the boat called the Dordrecht. So my affiliation with South Africa goes back over several centuries. Maybe that is where my travel lust came from.

In Lephalale I looked on the GPS for accommodation but could not find something suitable and as it was almost sun set I decided to push through to Vaal Water. Although I travelled this road before everything just looked twice as beautiful and I stopped every now and then to take photos.

At Vaal water I went to draw my first South African Rands again in more than four months from the ATM. Then I booked into a guest house and the owner gave me a special price after I told him about my trip. That night I went and had a nice steak at the Vaal Water Hotel. It was just so good to be back.

The next morning early I was up and rode to the Kranskop Wimpy on the N1 close to Modimolle (Nylstroom). I had a nice breakfast and an old couple at the table next to me chatted to me after they saw my bike with all the stickers on.

Then it was off again towards Midrand . At Midrand I first went to the AA at Kyalami to take the counter slips of the Carnet back in order to get my 200% deposit back. I had to pay 200% of the value of the bike for my Egyptian Carnet before I left. Then it was off to Voda world in Midrand. They never made my phone international roaming before I left. This resulted in me not being able to get  SMS’s when I drew money at the ATM’s.

Then it was off on the last stretch home. My wife took off work for the day and after more than 4 months I saw my wife for the first time again. Although this trip so far was a trip of a live time it was really good to be home.

NEXT DOWN TO THE WD BASH AND THEN TO CAPE TOWN

 

[schalk vd merwe]

My beatiful country, the area between Lephalale and Vaalwater

 

[Tony the Boney]

Eish die storie is mooi!

 

[daveh]

It's always good to get home. I really like your positive attitude to SA and must agree, we have a good life here despite the Gov and negativity. enjoy your time home before your next adventure and thanks for all the photos and sharing. Looking forward to your book.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Eish die storie is mooi!

Ja die storie is mooi en die land is mooi. Must get together this holiday.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

It's always good to get home. I really like your positive attitude to SA and must agree, we have a good life here despite the Gov and negativity. enjoy your time home before your next adventure and thanks for all the photos and sharing. Looking forward to your book.

Yes Gandhi said "Be the change that you want to see"

 

[Tony the Boney]

Eish die storie is mooi!

Ja die storie is mooi en die land is mooi. Must get together this holiday.

Dit sal lekker wees!. Dana Baai 0 ate free 6 too nine 3 seven 2 seven

 

[user 12519]

i only have one word.....RESPECT. :thumleft:

 

[Jors Troelie]

i only have one word.....RESPECT. :thumleft:

:salut: :salut:

 

[schalk vd merwe]

i only have one word.....RESPECT. :thumleft:

:salut: :salut:

Thanks mate

 

[schalk vd merwe]

i only have one word.....RESPECT. :thumleft:

thanks my friend

 

[schalk vd merwe]

South Africa continue.

After returning home I spent just under a week at home. My wife had to work during the day but at least at night we could spend quality time together. During the day I managed to service the bike and change the front sprocket which made it all the way to Egypt and back. I also fitted the rear tyre which I carried on the back of the bike all the way from Nairobi. The front tyre I had to fit a new Michelin as the Continentals are not available in South Africa anymore, what a pity. I had to repair the right rear flicker as well. Apart from all this I thought I would do the rest when I return from Cape Town.  Things still to be done when I return would be.

1 To replace one rear foot peck that was lost.
2 Two dust seals over the front fork oil seals.
3 Clutch cable needs to be replaced as it snap in Addis Abeba and was just repaired temporary with a       cable repair kit.
4 Front fork oil to be replaced as the one fork has 600 ml and the other one has 500 ml of fork oil in.
6 A snap off bolt holding the small front fender needs to be replace as I over tighten it after I replaced the oil seals on the way. A good old cable tie had to do the job in the meantime.
7 The valve clearances need to be checked. I heard that was supposed to have been done at 40 000km so I am about 30 000km over but then it is a Yamaha and I am not selling it.
8 Although on this bike it is self-adjusting I think the timing and fuel mixture needs to be checked. This is the only item I would not do myself and rather have it checked by the experts. There are two buttons on the little dash board which all this can be adjusted with.
9 The chain which I bought in Nairobi was not such good quality and that will have to be replaced as well together with the rear sprocket which went all the way up and down.
10 The hooter sounds a bit horse and Bike Hospital in Johannesburg would be a good place to go and source a 2nd hand one from.

That’s about it and then the bike would be ready for round two of the round the world trip.

As I already planned high up in Africa that I wanted to make it to this year’s Wilddog Bash I left the Thursday and I decided to sleep over on a farm close to Lady Grey. I first hit the road to Deneysville at Vaal Dam. I had a nice breakfast there at a Coffee shop that I did not know of before that it exists. I met up with some other Wilddog members but decided to hit the road alone. By now it is 2nd nature and the advantage is you can stop or go as you like.

From Deneysville I travelled 10 km before hitting the dirt road to Frankfort which was about 60km in distance. Without going into town I took the road going towards Reitz and then through Bethlehem where I stopped at the brewery in the main street of Clarence. I took the last open table and as more people were looking for a place to sit I invited a German couple to join me. I love people and I think a stranger is just a friend that you have not met yet.  We had a nice chat and then I was on the way to Lady Grey where I was going to meet up with a friend of my son with the same name than myself.

Traveling through the eastern Free state I once again realized how beautiful our country was. As I said before everything looked twice as beautiful.  

At Lady Grey I met up with Schalk Kritzinger who is also a very avid off road rider. I followed him to his farm but first he wanted to introduce me to his neighbour by the nick name of Rooies. Rooies was the Silver class winner in the 2013 Roof of Africa race in Lesotho. He joked with himself by saying he knows he does not look like a champ as he sports a nice beer boep. His secret is that him and Schalk would go and practice every morning in the mountains on the farm which is situated close to Lesotho and the area is much the same as the race area itself. He also race these Sand Master buggies with a mighty 5 litre engine and has in the past won some races in that class as well.

That night I stayed with Schalk and his mother and having grown up on a farm myself it was nice to be on familiar ground with the old coal stove and a high ceiling house. When I went to off load the bike the typical night sounds brought back some memories.

The next morning after a big Boere breakfast I was off towards Gariep Dam on the border between the Cape Province and the Free State.  From Wepener I took the dirt road to Smithfield which was about 72km long. It was a nice scenic road which ended too soon.  At Smithfield I stopped for a coffee and a Sammy at a coffee shop on the left as you enter town.  Here I met another Wilddog member by the name of Nicobie. His wife came along in the car and as she thought Smithfield was an arty place where she can do some painting but the place did not do justice and she decided to move to Aliwal North while Nicobie would attend the yearly bash. Nicobe and I decided to meet up at Bethulie and to ride the last piece of road together to the bash.

At Bethulie I checked into Snotkop the Afrikaans singer’s pub for a pub lunch and I must say after having Africa food for more than four months I thought I was in food heaven. The Auntie in the kitchen can cook and even came in person afterwards to see if this lone Africa soul has enjoyed his meal.  The beverages also helped for the thirsty side as the day was quite hot. Old Nicobie eventually caught up with me and some more Wilddog members later gathered on the stoep driven by their thirst as according to them it was almost unbearable on the bikes in the sun.

Nicobie knew the way to the Destiny River Lodge where the bash was and we hit the road over the very long and high bridge over the Orange River. It was a scenic ride and we stopped a couple of times to record the environment in digital form forever.

At the camp site I pitched my tent in front of Twe-Twe and her husband’s Andries chalet on the banks of the Orange River. So far the ride here has been much more success full than the two previous yearly bashes. On the 2013 bash about 18 km before the camp in the Transkei a wild buck came running out of the bush and ran into my leg and fracturing the Tibia meaning my leg was fractured. Instead of enjoying the bash I was picked up by ambulance at 12 O clock that night after the incident happened at 8 pm. At the Life hospital in East London which I called the Death hospital as they were only prepared to start working on my leg at 1.30am as they were waiting for a “hard copy” of my wife’s ID as she was the main member of our medical aid. Then in2014 on the way to the Kalahari Wilddog bash and back I had a total of six flat rear tyres. So it looked like this year’s bash has been much kinder to me. The 2012 one at Snow Valley was also without incidence.

At the camp I was amazed that most people knew me and in return I hardly knew anybody. I suppose the reason is that this thread that has been running since May and my photo has been plastered all over the show.

Hein Eksteen of Offroad Adventure SA Magazine interview quote a few of us and the story was publish in the November issue of their magazine.

On the Saturday Twe-Twe and Andries and Johan (Bush Trotter) and I took a ride to Gariep Dam wall. After that it was riding up the winding road up to the hotel which is overlooking the dam. Here we met up with Mixy (Barbara) and Hond se Kierie (Johan) for some refreshments.

Saturday evening I met many Wilddog members and after dinners and price giving Twe-Twe kept us all entertained until near midnight

NEXT DOWN TO MOSSEL BAY, CAPE AGULHAS, CAPE TOWN AND THEN JOHANNESBURG.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Beautiful eastern Free State. As I said before, it looks twice as beautiful than before

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Beautiful eastern Free State. As I said before, it looks twice as beautiful than before

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Beautiful eastern Free State.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Beautiful eastern Free State with some giraffe on the 3rd photo

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Beautiful eastern Free State and old faithful 

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Beautiful lunch at Snotkops Pub