Living the Dream Solo Around the World Trip
- Thread starter schalk vd merwe
- Start date
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Het bietjie tred verloor. Met watter deel van die storie is jy nou besig ? Wanneer het jy hierbo gery dat jy my nie laat weet het jy ry by my verby nie ?
Happyfeet
Pack Dog
Baie interessant. Jy het reg verby my valley (Montagu) gery en so spyt ek het jou gemis! (Dink ek was in die noorde van Namibia).
Weereens - wat 'n inspirasie is jy nie?! Baie dankie daarvoor!
Weereens - wat 'n inspirasie is jy nie?! Baie dankie daarvoor!
TornadoF5
Race Dog
Schalk definitely for president!schalk vd merwe said:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Hi Tornado Thanks for the humor. We need to laugh more often. Thanks.TornadoF5 said:Schalk definitely for president!schalk vd merwe said:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Hi Happyfeet. Ja dit was begin Oktober, ek dink jy was bo in Namibia. Ek gaan nog deur die land reis om my boek te bemark by al die bike saam trekke. So ek sal in loer as ek in daardie area weer is. Groete.Happyfeet said:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Hi Gerrard ek was nie in PE nie net een aand by Orange Elephant van Kirkwood se kant af. Ek sal nooit by jou verby ry nie. Ek was begin Oktober daar en dit was nog deel van die trip van Egipte af tot in die Kaap en toe terug tot in Johannesburg. Ek gaan elke geval deur die land toer om my boek te bemark by al die bike saam trekke. So as ek daar naby is kom lê ek daar op jou nek as jy wil. GroeteGérrard said:
Casting from Turd
Grey Hound
Why you want to send him to jail for 27 years?TornadoF5 said:Schalk definitely for president!schalk vd merwe said:
Orange Elephant Backpackers, Addo
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Will report on the rest of the trip shortly.
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Hi Coxwain for sure this year. I am going to travel the country to market my book.Coxwain said:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Will do the rest of the RR shortly
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
TO DORSLAND CLOSE TO GRAAF REINET AND THEN THE LAST STRETCH HOME.
The next day I left The Orange Elephant Backpackers and found a nice coffee shop for breakfast in Kirkwood off the main road. Then I was off again and traveled through the town of Wolwefontein, Jansenville and then Graaf-Reinet where I stopped for a coffee at the Wimpy. Once again I enjoyed the scenery of my own country and also the little towns which is quite a contrast to the rest of Africa.
After Graaf-Reinet I was on the road again to Johan’s farm (Dorsland on the forum). I travelled over the Naudeberg Pass and shortly thereafter I turned off on a gravel road for the last stretch. Dorsland have been following my story on the forum and I promised him I will pop in on my way back. Just before his farm gate there were a bit of water that I had to negate.
Johan was a busy man as the goats were giving birth and in-between were went to check on the other goats on the Lucerne land. Farming is a full time job and the fences have to be checked and as the new baby goats gets born Johan have to ensure that they get their first milk from the mother. When there are twins the mother sometimes reject the one and Johan have to turn that around. I admired Johan for the utmost gentleness that he treads his animals.
That night the three of us Johan and his wife Christa and I had a great braai and around the fire we chatted about farming and their life there in the Karoo and about my trip up in Africa.
The next morning early I hid the road again. At Middelburg I filled up and to my surprise two separate guys on bikes recognized me as they were also part of the Wilddog forum. After a brief chat I was on the way again and I set the GPS for Zastron. I arrived there mid-afternoon. Eben is the owner of the Zastron Hotel and on one of my previous visits we worked out that we were at Vereeniging Technical High school at the same time in the late 60’s. Since my first visit I now always sleep over at his hotel if I am in the area of Zastron a nice little eastern Free State town.
The next morning I left early and stopped at Hobhouse for a breakfast. The place must have been named after Emily Hobhouse the heroin of the 1899-1902 Boer War. The only place where one could get a breakfast was at a guest house as you enter the town. The owner made me nice bacon and eggs with nice filter coffee. After breakfast I had to adjust the chain again as it kept on stretching. I bought the chain in Nairobi Kenya and it was not the best of quality and by now it is in need of replacement.
Then I was on the road again through little towns like Ladybrand, Clocolan, Ficksburg, Fouriesburg, Clarens, Bethlehem, Frankfort, Villiers. I love these little Free State towns and I feel so at home here. Then on the N3 on the last stretch home.
And so on the 12 October2015 I arrived home after traveling 33 000km through Africa and back. I did not plan to finish my Africa part of my around the world trip on the 12 of October. This date is special to me as that was the day that my dad died in a head on collision on 12 October 1968. I was 18 years old then and I saw my dad there after the accident lying dead next to the road. My dad came from the small Karoo town of Richmond and after matric went to Pretoria University to study BCom. Anton Rupert studied full time at the same university and seeing that they both came from the Karoo they became friends. After University Anton Rupert became the 2nd riches person in South Africa. My dad in 1933 became the South African Batam Weight Champion. In 1948 my parents bought the small farm on the banks of the Klipriver, this is the same farm where I grew up. This is the place where I saw those blue mountains of the Suikerbos Rand where at 15 I took the horse to go and see what was lying behind those blue mountains as I told the story on page 1. Now my dad also had a dream. His dream was to farm on this farm when he retires one day. Over the years he got the infra structure ready. He only had Saturdays to do this and he installed a one km pipeline from the river and coming from the water scare Karoo this was heaven for him having limitless amount of water. He normally only worked on the farm on Saturdays as he came home at 7pm from work, but some days he could not control his urge to see water over the field. He then would go after work and manually start up that big French diesel engine to pump the water so that the Karoo thirst for water could be quenched. So on the 12 of October 1968 my dad was only 12 days on pension, 12 days into his Living The Dream when he died. About 18 years ago I bought the family farm from my mom. So now dad I am Living The Dream on your behalf and I am Living my Dream to see what lies behind the next hill.
Next Up
1. The way forward on my around the world trip.
2. All the bikes I had before.
The next day I left The Orange Elephant Backpackers and found a nice coffee shop for breakfast in Kirkwood off the main road. Then I was off again and traveled through the town of Wolwefontein, Jansenville and then Graaf-Reinet where I stopped for a coffee at the Wimpy. Once again I enjoyed the scenery of my own country and also the little towns which is quite a contrast to the rest of Africa.
After Graaf-Reinet I was on the road again to Johan’s farm (Dorsland on the forum). I travelled over the Naudeberg Pass and shortly thereafter I turned off on a gravel road for the last stretch. Dorsland have been following my story on the forum and I promised him I will pop in on my way back. Just before his farm gate there were a bit of water that I had to negate.
Johan was a busy man as the goats were giving birth and in-between were went to check on the other goats on the Lucerne land. Farming is a full time job and the fences have to be checked and as the new baby goats gets born Johan have to ensure that they get their first milk from the mother. When there are twins the mother sometimes reject the one and Johan have to turn that around. I admired Johan for the utmost gentleness that he treads his animals.
That night the three of us Johan and his wife Christa and I had a great braai and around the fire we chatted about farming and their life there in the Karoo and about my trip up in Africa.
The next morning early I hid the road again. At Middelburg I filled up and to my surprise two separate guys on bikes recognized me as they were also part of the Wilddog forum. After a brief chat I was on the way again and I set the GPS for Zastron. I arrived there mid-afternoon. Eben is the owner of the Zastron Hotel and on one of my previous visits we worked out that we were at Vereeniging Technical High school at the same time in the late 60’s. Since my first visit I now always sleep over at his hotel if I am in the area of Zastron a nice little eastern Free State town.
The next morning I left early and stopped at Hobhouse for a breakfast. The place must have been named after Emily Hobhouse the heroin of the 1899-1902 Boer War. The only place where one could get a breakfast was at a guest house as you enter the town. The owner made me nice bacon and eggs with nice filter coffee. After breakfast I had to adjust the chain again as it kept on stretching. I bought the chain in Nairobi Kenya and it was not the best of quality and by now it is in need of replacement.
Then I was on the road again through little towns like Ladybrand, Clocolan, Ficksburg, Fouriesburg, Clarens, Bethlehem, Frankfort, Villiers. I love these little Free State towns and I feel so at home here. Then on the N3 on the last stretch home.
And so on the 12 October2015 I arrived home after traveling 33 000km through Africa and back. I did not plan to finish my Africa part of my around the world trip on the 12 of October. This date is special to me as that was the day that my dad died in a head on collision on 12 October 1968. I was 18 years old then and I saw my dad there after the accident lying dead next to the road. My dad came from the small Karoo town of Richmond and after matric went to Pretoria University to study BCom. Anton Rupert studied full time at the same university and seeing that they both came from the Karoo they became friends. After University Anton Rupert became the 2nd riches person in South Africa. My dad in 1933 became the South African Batam Weight Champion. In 1948 my parents bought the small farm on the banks of the Klipriver, this is the same farm where I grew up. This is the place where I saw those blue mountains of the Suikerbos Rand where at 15 I took the horse to go and see what was lying behind those blue mountains as I told the story on page 1. Now my dad also had a dream. His dream was to farm on this farm when he retires one day. Over the years he got the infra structure ready. He only had Saturdays to do this and he installed a one km pipeline from the river and coming from the water scare Karoo this was heaven for him having limitless amount of water. He normally only worked on the farm on Saturdays as he came home at 7pm from work, but some days he could not control his urge to see water over the field. He then would go after work and manually start up that big French diesel engine to pump the water so that the Karoo thirst for water could be quenched. So on the 12 of October 1968 my dad was only 12 days on pension, 12 days into his Living The Dream when he died. About 18 years ago I bought the family farm from my mom. So now dad I am Living The Dream on your behalf and I am Living my Dream to see what lies behind the next hill.
Next Up
1. The way forward on my around the world trip.
2. All the bikes I had before.
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Dorsland
Bachelor Dog
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Dit was baie lekker om te kuier Schalk. Jou rustigheid en ongeërgdheid is sommer lafenis vir mens. Bring my tot bedaring as ek saam jou kuier. Onthou my uitnodiging: enige tyd wat julle hier verbykom, dan draai julle in. Ek is seker daar is 'n tjoppie of twee wat vir 'n braai uitgekrap kan word. :lol8:
schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
I met this guy up in Zambia close the Malawi border as he came down Africa. He is French and his name is Pascal and he is cycling around the world on a bicycle. I told him when he gets to SA to come and stay at my place and sure enough he came. Here we are at Oliver Tambo Johannesburg International airport where he took a plane to Brazil with his bicycle all wrapped up.
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schalk vd merwe
Race Dog
Hi Johan Ek gaan jou definitief op jou offer op neem GroeteDorsland said:
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