Living the Dream Solo Around the World Trip

[McSack]

Looking forward to the rest of the RR Schalk. If you are ever touring through the Eastern Freestate area give me a shout and we can eventually catch up around that potjie that was  threatened what ... 4 years ago now?

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[schalk vd merwe]

Looking forward to the rest of the RR Schalk. If you are ever touring through the Eastern Freestate area give me a shout and we can eventually catch up around that potjie that was  threatened what ... 4 years ago now?

Sent from my BV9500 using Tapatalk

Hi McSack, I will never miss a opportunity like this. Where do you live now?

 

[McSack]

Looking forward to the rest of the RR Schalk. If you are ever touring through the Eastern Freestate area give me a shout and we can eventually catch up around that potjie that was  threatened what ... 4 years ago now?

Sent from my BV9500 using Tapatalk

Hi McSack, I will never miss a opportunity like this. Where do you live now?

Been in Clarens for just over a year now

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[schalk vd merwe]

Going home.

Just to catch up a bit again. I travelled back from Norway Nord Cap where I saw the midnight sun. Visited my Friends Alexander and Connie Ries close to Gothenburg in Sweden again. Slept at their place again. Then travelled through Denmark and took a ferry across to Germany. Then travelled through Germany to Holland and onto Rotterdam where Eveline and Philippe stay opposite the Maas river. Slept there for 2 nights and left the bike there.

Then it was time for going back to the airport. I flew with South African Airways and there were only 2 destinations in Europe that SAA flew to and they both were in Germany. So I booked a Flix bus ticked which was the cheapest in Europe. Eveline drop me off at the main bus station in Rotterdam with her Peugeot soft top. It was a 468 KM trip. The bus was organized with charging facilities for the cell phone and all. As we entered Germany there was a road block by the police. Everybody had to get off the bus and go and get their luggage and go and stand next to it. Then they had a sniffer dog that went past all the luggage. Then we were told to load our luggage again and board the bus but they kept and old African gentleman and his 3 grandchildren back. They searched his luggage but eventually he was allowed back on the bus.

I was on a stand by ticket and went through customs. There is no guarantee that you get a seat and you have to wait till all the booked passengers booked in. There were a couple also on standby and the guy was nearly in tears as they could not get a seat the previous two days. Fortunately for them they got a seat but for me there was not. The plane was full. Boy o boy. I had to go back through customs again and took a train to the center of Frankfurt.

It was already night time. All the backpackers were full. I then tried a hotel but it was too expensive. The owner then said he has another hotel which was cheaper and he then ordered a taxi for me which he was going to pay for. The taxi took me across and it was not a too bad hotel. 
The next day I went back to the Airport and waited there the whole day. Then it was back through customs again to the SAA counter. The same lady of the previous night was there. She told me it does not look good as we are 17 standby passengers now. The pleasure of traveling.  There were two American ladies on standby as well who work for an American airline. They told me South Africans get preference. Just before departure the lady at the counter called me. A whole tour group cancelled and all 17 of us got a seat. Wow.

The next morning my wife and two sons and daughter in law waited for me at the airport. After an 18 000 km European bike trip it was nice to be home again. 

Next up going back to travel England and the British Isles.

 

[caconcepts]

Mooi gedoen Schalk, living the dream...... :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Europe England and the British Isles

So it was time to get visas again. As my bike was standing in Holland I would need a Schengen Visa. For England and the British Isle I would need another Visa. I went to Sandton Consulate for my British Visa. Getting there they would not even let me in and told me to go and make an appointment on the internet and fill in all the necessary forms. I went home and made an appointment. Filled in all the forms and fortunately I made print outs.
A week later I went for my appointment and upon arriving there they had no record of my appointment. They will let me in but the cost for the interview would be double. Beggars can’t be choosers. I paid the bill. No more photo’s go with the forms. They do biometrics which I assume are much better than photo’s.

As I was going to get a Schengen Visa again I have to get it through the German Consulate as that is the country where I land and then go on to Holland from there. You can travel all over Europe with your Schengen visa including the Balkan countries and the Scandinavian countries but you must get it from the Consulate of the country where you are going to enter first. These offices were much more user friendly than the ones at the British consulate and cheaper.

In the mean time I was trying to get hold of Eveline van Hooren in Rotterdam to find out if it is OK to come over and fetch the bike as discussed the year before. She did not open my WhatsApps. After receiving my Visas I could buy my ticket again. I thought I will take a change and go anyway. My return Stand by ticket only cost me R 3500-00. On top of that they allowed me 23 KG luggage and another 23 KG container classified as sport gear (Helmut, riding jacket and boots etc.) On the other side it is a bit of a hassle with all the luggage. But that’s what you need.

So I was off to the airport for my standby night flight with Eveline not knowing I am coming. At the airport things looked good as the plane was not fully booked and I got a seat.

Arriving at Frankfurt airport the next morning I immediately booked a ticket on the internet for a Flix bus again. It was a 468 KM ride but it takes most of the day. I had to wait two hours before we left. You don’t even know where the borders are but when the sign boards change from German to Dutch and I can understand what it says, then I knew we have arrived in Nederland. I always feel very at home in Nederland as my ancestors came from there in 1661. Also when I speak Afrikaans they understand, normally with a smile on the face due to my accent.

I arrived at Rotterdam train and tram station that afternoon. I tried to book an Uber from my phone but it would not take my debit card details. I then went to the ATM and withdrew some money at the ATM. The first time you arrive you never know if it is going to work as the banks sometime slip up at home and don’t load your cards for international travel. Well in this case it worked. I then thought seeing I can’t get an Uber I will get a normal taxi. The driver was a nice guy from India. I told him just to go to the biggest soccer stadium in Rotterdam as Eveline lives 2 blocks away. Arriving there I told the driver to wait for me. Eveline stayed in a high rise building with the basement for the cars. I first went and checked through the gate if my bike was there. I gave a sight of relieve as the bike was parked in the same old spot. I then went and pushed the intercom button for her flat. She answered via her cell phone and was very surprised that I was there. She told me she was not there and can only see me on the Tuesday. It now was Thursday. I said OK and went back to the taxi. I quickly book a bed in a dormitory style backpackers for one night on Bookings.com. So easy these days with the internet. I don’t know how I did it in earlier years. In 1987 My wife and I travelled through 7 countries in Europe with rug sacks. You had to get a visa for every country and go through customs at every border.

The Taxi driver then took me to the backpackers. It was a room with 8 beds and mixed. Boys and Girls. It had a nice lounge where all the young people were talking. Myself being the oldest but I enjoyed it.   

Next the rest

 

[Ian in Great Brak River]

Still Rocking and Rolling Schalk.

By the way, that photo you took of my dad and I in Klein Brak is the best of all my photos with him. He passed away last year in Aug.

8)

 

[Kortbroek]

Lekker lees ek nou weer hier. Sien uit na die res :ricky:

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Still Rocking and Rolling Schalk.

By the way, that photo you took of my dad and I in Klein Brak is the best of all my photos with him. He passed away last year in Aug.

8)

Hi Ian so sorry to hear. I came back from there 2 weeks ago. before that My wife and I drove past there and I still said to her I wonder how it is going with him. Are you still in the USA on that island ?

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Still Rocking and Rolling Schalk.

By the way, that photo you took of my dad and I in Klein Brak is the best of all my photos with him. He passed away last year in Aug.

8)

Put that photo of the two of you on here for us. He was the inventor of the Dart and Flamingo if I am right. Great man. 

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Lekker lees ek nou weer hier. Sien uit na die res :ricky:

Ja dit kom

 

[schalk vd merwe]

The following day I tried to book my bed for another night but they were already fully booked in advance. I then left all my luggage in their storeroom. There was a tram stop right outside the backpackers and I took a tram back to the main Tram and train station. I checked on Google for a car hire company nearby. I saw there was one within walking distance from the station. I thought seeing that I have to wait 5 days for the bike I might as well hire a car and go and visit my friend in Belgium. At the car hire I managed to get a small economical car for the 5 days. I then went back to the back packers to load all my gear.

So it was off to Belgium. Kris is the guy I met in Dar es Salaam when I travelled through Africa. He is a surfer and I gave him a lift to lower down the coast as there was no public transport. From then on we kept contact. I also visited him in 2018 in his hometown by the sea. He then came on the back of my bike and we did day trips all over Belgium and France. So I was off to Belgium to the town Ostend with my little rental car. There are highways all the way but Kris warned me that I was going to hit traffic approaching Antwerp. And true on the outskirts of Antwerp the traffic were piling up on the double highway. At one stage there were roadworks and I had to go off the highway and the next moment I was on a dirt road among construction trucks. In one place the dirt road narrowed and I had to go to the right to try and avoid the truck from squashing me. I put foot in order to get ahead of him but the road got too narrow and my right hand mirror hit one off those upright yellow plastic board with left arrows on them. The mirror got knock off completely and was just hanging on the wires. There goes my access I thought and I could see the balance on my credit card shrinking. I managed to get on the highway again with the mirror still hanging until I could find a safe place to stop and attend to the problem. The mirror clipped back on no problem and was still working with no mark left. What a sigh of relieve and I could see my credit card balance go back to normal. Everything in Europe is expensive against our Micky Mouse Rand. Arriving in Ostend I had to phone Kris again as the GPS took me to the right street but the wrong no. He was one and a half blocks away. He was now staying in a different block of flats than a year before.

Kris and I went for long walks along the streets facing the sea. He showed me all the historical places. He is quite a lot in to history where I again prefer beautiful landscapes and nature. But this is Europe with its histories of wars and colonization's of the world. At the end of the long walk we would stop off for a beer. Belgium has about a 1000 different beers and what is amazing is whatever beer they bring you. The label on the beer bottle is always the same as on the glass. Kris loved his beer.

Then it was Tuesday and I hit the road back to Rotterdam in Holland for my appointment with Eveline. I arrived at her place in time. She was alone and we went for dinner across the road. The bike was registered on her name but I paid for it in full the previous year. Everything was ok and she gave me a set of keys for her place and a remote for the basement gate in order for me to come and work on the bike the following day. She also helped me to search for a campsite in Rotterdam as most backpackers were fully booked for months ahead.

I then went to the campsite next to the Rotterdam zoo. A beautiful campsite with only about 7 campers and plenty open spaces. I brought along a new tent from South Africa. My  self-inflating mattress and pots and pans and cutlery which was in Eveline storeroom I brought from her place including the two paniers in order for me to load all my gear so long.

The next morning just after peak hour traffic the GPS took me back to Eveline flat. I fitted my GPS bracket as well as my cell phone bracket so long. Then I took the battery out which was totally stuffed as Eveline never charged it for the year. I started to go to BMW to find a new battery. They send me to another place on the other side of town that then in turn send me to yet another place. Eventually I found the right battery. I then went back to Eveline place and put the battery on charge in her kitchen. I then phoned her to let her know that I would fetch the bike the next morning. I thought that  I could come there with the car and park the bike in the street and give her keys back. Then take the car back to the car hire company and take a tram to where the bike is parked. Then from there go back to the camp site with the bike and get everything ready to leave the next morning for the ferry to England.

Next the rest.

 

[petri oosthuizen]

Schalk...ek sit nou al URE en lees die RR
Baie nice baie dankie
Kan mens nog by jou jou boek koop?
Het jou nommer, sal jou more Whatsapp

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Schalk...ek sit nou al URE en lees die RR
Baie nice baie dankie
Kan mens nog by jou jou boek koop?
Het jou nommer, sal jou more Whatsapp

Hi Pedri ja ek het nog so 'n paar oor van die oorspronklike 1000. My sell no is nog dieselfde 0824906723

 

[petri oosthuizen]

Schalk...ek sit nou al URE en lees die RR
Baie nice baie dankie
Kan mens nog by jou jou boek koop?
Het jou nommer, sal jou more Whatsapp

Hi Pedri ja ek het nog so 'n paar oor van die oorspronklike 1000. My sell no is nog dieselfde 0824906723

Thanks Schalk, ook vir die lekker chat vanaand :thumleft:

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Schalk...ek sit nou al URE en lees die RR
Baie nice baie dankie
Kan mens nog by jou jou boek koop?
Het jou nommer, sal jou more Whatsapp

Hi Pedri ja ek het nog so 'n paar oor van die oorspronklike 1000. My sell no is nog dieselfde 0824906723

Thanks Schalk, ook vir die lekker chat vanaand :thumleft:

Hi Pedri jou 12 boeke is oppad

 

[petri oosthuizen]

Waardeer Schalk, hoop om eendag te ontmoet :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Still Rocking and Rolling Schalk.

By the way, that photo you took of my dad and I in Klein Brak is the best of all my photos with him. He passed away last year in Aug.

8)

Hi Ian herewith that photo of you and your late day. Precious  moments.

 

[schalk vd merwe]

Thanks to all the guys and ladies whom have read my story over the years. I will still bring the latest up to date. I turned 72 today but that is in no way the end of my world traveling plans. I am just waiting for the Corona thing to die down a bit then I will do the Argentina leg to Alaska in one klap. It should take me more or less 6 months to complete. Some people criticize me that I travel too fast. I have to have a bit of an sense of urgency as I still want to go and explore some countries with my better half and a 4X4 Bakkie Mate

 

[Puls0nic]

Thanks to all the guys and ladies whom have read my story over the years. I will still bring the latest up to date. I turned 72 today but that is in no way the end of my world traveling plans. I am just waiting for the Corona thing to die down a bit then I will do the Argentina leg to Alaska in one klap. It should take me more or less 6 months to complete. Some people criticize me that I travel too fast. I have to have a bit of an sense of urgency as I still want to go and explore some countries with my better half and a 4X4 Bakkie Mate

Very awesome story here. You do you. Don't worry about what others say.