oo7
Race Dog
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- Los Angeles, USA
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- BMW R1200GS Adventure
Epic!
Malawi and Busted !!!!
- Thread starter tour
- Start date
ATysterperd
Pack Dog
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2009
- Messages
- 452
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- Bike
- KTM 990 Adventure
Your story is awesome!!! But your numberplate...now that's something else! :mwink:
Thanks for sharing, farking cool!
Thanks for sharing, farking cool!
faniesmith
Race Dog
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2010
- Messages
- 1,511
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- 2
Thanks for sharing. Love the RR. :thumleft:
Brakenjan
Race Dog
Bliksem, only discovered this RR yesterday (thanks Dabbelou! :thumleft: ).
Great trip and an even greater attitude! You two rock!! O0
Thanks for posting!
Great trip and an even greater attitude! You two rock!! O0
Thanks for posting!
hey funacide. looks like the bridge had been renovated recently. in one of your shots you can still see the bamboo stilts. where they busy last year?
To all the others thanx for the kind words, lets hope we can keep you entertained to the end. to the people that is dreaming of a similar endeavor just do it. this trip had taught me that fear will stop you in your tracks and love will make you go forward. with every step it becomes easier. at this stage in the journey not having harold there was not even a worry. i only wished that he could of seen it all aswell. emotionally i was driven by love every day, for nature, for the people and for africa. it was really a blessing.
enough emo stuff for the day, dont want to bore you too much :3some:
so on leaving caia i hit the first bit of tar for ages and it was really cool. not too bumpy just nice also big forest all around. therefore the pics in the last post. the next destination was beira. harold had planned for us to go offroad again so that is the route that was followed. 200kms of nice roads leading through the forest.
as i turned onto the sandy gravel road towards inhamitanga i got a feeling of desolation no people were visible and no vehicles. i must admit that here i was slightly spooked thinking if something were to happen here it would not be so cool. so i checked my water and food supply and that somehow calmed me a tad. the area looked like a good place for guerilla training or that was the tricks my mind was playing while goin through there. every 45 mins or so i would pass a little village with some life and just curiously cruised by. now i calculated that i should be able to reach beira with enough fuel left to spare but i was very carefull none the less.
so i stopped at a bigger village looking for fuel and only found diesel so decided to leave. started the bike and nothing only a familiar click sound. luckily this sound i new as a loose battery terminal. so there i had to stop and unpack all my gear to get under the seat. now i was drawing a small crowd of maybe 20 people. all friendly and smiles but i new that my cash was also under my seat in see threw bank bags. 2 bags with us dollars in. easy to see for all of the eyes that was now checking my every move. but alas i keep chatting away to these people that do not really have much. me yapping away in spanish asking questions and trying to make everybody laugh. by this stage i had also answered questions about why i had a big machete strapped to my bike. as was my answer every time was for chopping wood when camping in the bush. and then they ask if i am not afraid of the spirits that roam there. no as my father is a shaman. is my reply. :mwink:
this always gets a good reaction...
so then with everything of the bike i remove the seat and start fiddling with everything there and i hear one of the bigger guys say "look! deneiro. money!" so i look him in the eyes and say "si es mio" yes it is mine. i have to still get home. and put it in my pocket. and that was that. no asking no mugging just that. still a bit nervous i tightened the terminal started the bike and it fired. so i re packed rather quickly and cruised off after some more chit chat and friendly waves from all. even here in the middle of no where it was still safe even when there were people with not much and me with a hand full of dollars. another lesson of humility learned that day.
To all the others thanx for the kind words, lets hope we can keep you entertained to the end. to the people that is dreaming of a similar endeavor just do it. this trip had taught me that fear will stop you in your tracks and love will make you go forward. with every step it becomes easier. at this stage in the journey not having harold there was not even a worry. i only wished that he could of seen it all aswell. emotionally i was driven by love every day, for nature, for the people and for africa. it was really a blessing.
enough emo stuff for the day, dont want to bore you too much :3some:
so on leaving caia i hit the first bit of tar for ages and it was really cool. not too bumpy just nice also big forest all around. therefore the pics in the last post. the next destination was beira. harold had planned for us to go offroad again so that is the route that was followed. 200kms of nice roads leading through the forest.
as i turned onto the sandy gravel road towards inhamitanga i got a feeling of desolation no people were visible and no vehicles. i must admit that here i was slightly spooked thinking if something were to happen here it would not be so cool. so i checked my water and food supply and that somehow calmed me a tad. the area looked like a good place for guerilla training or that was the tricks my mind was playing while goin through there. every 45 mins or so i would pass a little village with some life and just curiously cruised by. now i calculated that i should be able to reach beira with enough fuel left to spare but i was very carefull none the less.
so i stopped at a bigger village looking for fuel and only found diesel so decided to leave. started the bike and nothing only a familiar click sound. luckily this sound i new as a loose battery terminal. so there i had to stop and unpack all my gear to get under the seat. now i was drawing a small crowd of maybe 20 people. all friendly and smiles but i new that my cash was also under my seat in see threw bank bags. 2 bags with us dollars in. easy to see for all of the eyes that was now checking my every move. but alas i keep chatting away to these people that do not really have much. me yapping away in spanish asking questions and trying to make everybody laugh. by this stage i had also answered questions about why i had a big machete strapped to my bike. as was my answer every time was for chopping wood when camping in the bush. and then they ask if i am not afraid of the spirits that roam there. no as my father is a shaman. is my reply. :mwink:
this always gets a good reaction...
so then with everything of the bike i remove the seat and start fiddling with everything there and i hear one of the bigger guys say "look! deneiro. money!" so i look him in the eyes and say "si es mio" yes it is mine. i have to still get home. and put it in my pocket. and that was that. no asking no mugging just that. still a bit nervous i tightened the terminal started the bike and it fired. so i re packed rather quickly and cruised off after some more chit chat and friendly waves from all. even here in the middle of no where it was still safe even when there were people with not much and me with a hand full of dollars. another lesson of humility learned that day.
Attachments
JACOVV
Race Dog
Nice - keep it coming
now on the map it read that the last 50kms was for 4x4 only when it rains. so at least a 100kms before dondo the road becomes tricky and i slide around alot so i take it easy and go slow. dont really want to fall here. the skies still look okay with some clouds coming in but not too much. i pass another 2 little villages and then one bigger one that looks like it might house a school and it is kept really nice. as i pass everybody checks me out. the scenery is just awesome and i would love to camp here in the bush for a few days but i need to get home as time is slowly running out and cape town seems like another world far away from here. with beauty all around these big forests i is loving it all.
so an hour later and 50kms to go guess what? the temperature drops and it drizzles a bit. cant really see if it is a big one coming so dont stop for my jacket just yet. the trees are too tall for me to see far enough into the sky. a little later and i know that i have to stop. get the jacket out but dont have the rainproof lining in as it had been hot for the last 5 weeks and it is packed far away. the road gets more sandy and the bike becomes loose under me. 50kms to go and hard rain on its way.
so an hour later and 50kms to go guess what? the temperature drops and it drizzles a bit. cant really see if it is a big one coming so dont stop for my jacket just yet. the trees are too tall for me to see far enough into the sky. a little later and i know that i have to stop. get the jacket out but dont have the rainproof lining in as it had been hot for the last 5 weeks and it is packed far away. the road gets more sandy and the bike becomes loose under me. 50kms to go and hard rain on its way.
Attachments
luckily the muddy terrain changes to sand so the sliding is less.the heavens open up and i really dont want to be stuck in the rain for the next hour or two. seconds later i am wet right through and irritation becomes my new best friend. so after a few minutes i think fuct this **** i want a coffee and a hot plate of food.
so i gas the phat girl and ride her hard. that last 50kms i covered in half an hour. riding her like i was in a race. and it was awesome.i believe that sand must be done fast and then the sliding and wallowing becomes fun. so i get nearer to people and find guys riding their push bikes with 50kg of coal on the back in this heavy sand and get new respect for their lives.
after a while i get into dondo and then towards beira in the sopping rain. what i find is caos of the big city. i find a restuarant near the beach and get some coffee and seafood curry. yum yum
now to think of the next step.
so i gas the phat girl and ride her hard. that last 50kms i covered in half an hour. riding her like i was in a race. and it was awesome.i believe that sand must be done fast and then the sliding and wallowing becomes fun. so i get nearer to people and find guys riding their push bikes with 50kg of coal on the back in this heavy sand and get new respect for their lives.
after a while i get into dondo and then towards beira in the sopping rain. what i find is caos of the big city. i find a restuarant near the beach and get some coffee and seafood curry. yum yum
now to think of the next step.
Attachments
the city freaks me out a bit. lots of people in a wartorn city. but the vibe is actually really positive and i feel this rather quickly. it is pissing down and will be for the next 2 days accordingly to the waitress that helps me. so with there help i decide to get a room somewhere and the only place where i can find secure parking for my bike is a bit dodgy. a bit more later on why. :mwink:
get a room and use a cable and lock to tye up my bike. then put on some dry clothes and head out by foot and camera in hand. i get a call centre and call home and tell my sister that all is well and to please get hold of harold and to tell him that the trip sucks without him and that he isnt missing anything. was really cool to talk to the family, then time for a beer or two and then some dinner. a steak at the restaurant near the hotel. get chatting to some locals and almost hit the town as there was a really festive vibe. but too much beer too early and not enough energy after the hectic day. so i turned in.
now my room :biggrin:
get into my room and decide to rather use my mattress and sleepingbag over the bedding. as i walk to my room rather early i see a lady that looks like a lady of the nite and her client walking down the steps. well it dawned on me right there that this hotel was more of a room per hour type of hotel and this was friday evening. needless to say that i was woken all through the nite by lots of banging and moaning... :laughing4:
i called this place hotel california. where everyone was smiling. so when in beira and you visit hotel savoy please sleep ontop of the covers :thumleft:
anyway it was amusing and an experience to laugh at. the next day there was a break in the clouds and i thought i should get going so i drove around town abit to see the sights and then headed off towards vilanculos. it was far and the road was rather uneventful. very straight with nice scenery. lots of shot up buildings and what looks like a good place to come and explore in the future. fuel was there but had to wait 2 times for it once no electricity and once the pump was not working. so i bought some dodgy petrol at the side of the road with no problem to the running of the phat girl.
my chain and sprockets had been giving me hassles since lake malawi and was begining to make more noises. so every 100kms i would oil it as my chain lube was long gone. this had kept me from riding very fast even though the roads were good now.so from before beira it was a constant 80 - 90 km/h. got to vilanculos at sunset really tired and thirsty.
get a room and use a cable and lock to tye up my bike. then put on some dry clothes and head out by foot and camera in hand. i get a call centre and call home and tell my sister that all is well and to please get hold of harold and to tell him that the trip sucks without him and that he isnt missing anything. was really cool to talk to the family, then time for a beer or two and then some dinner. a steak at the restaurant near the hotel. get chatting to some locals and almost hit the town as there was a really festive vibe. but too much beer too early and not enough energy after the hectic day. so i turned in.
now my room :biggrin:
get into my room and decide to rather use my mattress and sleepingbag over the bedding. as i walk to my room rather early i see a lady that looks like a lady of the nite and her client walking down the steps. well it dawned on me right there that this hotel was more of a room per hour type of hotel and this was friday evening. needless to say that i was woken all through the nite by lots of banging and moaning... :laughing4:
i called this place hotel california. where everyone was smiling. so when in beira and you visit hotel savoy please sleep ontop of the covers :thumleft:
anyway it was amusing and an experience to laugh at. the next day there was a break in the clouds and i thought i should get going so i drove around town abit to see the sights and then headed off towards vilanculos. it was far and the road was rather uneventful. very straight with nice scenery. lots of shot up buildings and what looks like a good place to come and explore in the future. fuel was there but had to wait 2 times for it once no electricity and once the pump was not working. so i bought some dodgy petrol at the side of the road with no problem to the running of the phat girl.
my chain and sprockets had been giving me hassles since lake malawi and was begining to make more noises. so every 100kms i would oil it as my chain lube was long gone. this had kept me from riding very fast even though the roads were good now.so from before beira it was a constant 80 - 90 km/h. got to vilanculos at sunset really tired and thirsty.
Attachments
Pullaway
Race Dog
Lekke lekke!
JDT
Puppy
Where's the rest? :bueller:
Crossed-up
Pangaman
C'mon, Rudi. I know you're out there.
tau
Race Dog
Rudi maak mooi en skryf...
hey boys and girls. sorry about the delay. it is silly season again here at work and thank heavens for it. we all need it.
so getting back to mozambique and specifically Vilanculos.
stopping that nite at boabab backpackers was just wot the doctor ordered. i must say that i felt like the camelman without the *** hanging off my lips. ( i stopped for the 10th time and the last time a few months before the trip). there i was stinking and tired after a long day in the saddle and all around me was a bunch of backpackers and overlanders doin the, all in one bus, thing. so a bit shy of westerners after so long i could think of only one thing before setting up my tent, 2M beer. **** the tent and a few beers later i was getting the hang of the backpackers again and it felt like a holiday away from the trip again. yeah.so nite one at the boabab was a great success of meeting new people and aquiring a babbelas :mwink:
day 2 nursing a babbelas and devouring a huge english breaky. i think this was the second of the trip. i new this was going to be a rest day. so off to the market i went to see wot was about. there was a few things that i needed and also wanted to do. so i met some local 125cc biker dudes but they couldn't help me with a chain and sprocket. but i found out where was possible in maputo tho. so i bought some fresh fish and crabs. also i went exploring a bit by bike and really liked this town as i am a sailor as well and this was a perfect place for a hobbie cat or little lazer. i could not find any for rent so left that idea for later...
next a little afternoon snooze and an awesome swim in the channels with some newfound friends from the nite before. that evening i made a crab and fish pasta that really scored some browny points with some chicks doing the backpacker thing. :thumleft: and one more nite of drinks,bonfires and making music with cool people. also found out that it is better to go on a speedboat to the islands for a dive than sail on a dow and snorkel.
the next day i was very amped to get on a dhow but to also go diving.so the day was spend finding the best prices for a dive but without a ticket with me. but got lucky and got organised with 2 dives by speedboat for the next day.all the companies wanted to charge like $20 US for a sail on a dhow so i gave them the finger and walked on the beach till i found a captain willing to take me for a sail. for like $2. bonus. love being able to speak a bit of spanish.but as this is a sub tropical like climate you have to wait till 2 or 3 for the tide and wind to be perfect. no worries. made the plans and went to spend some time swimming and chillin with the backpacker chicks and puffing on some malawi gold that i was taking back to a mate of mine that was still lying in bed with a broken pelvis.
so the time passed rather quickly and the wind came up and off to the dow we went sailing into the sunset.literally like in the movies. it was really cool sailing a arab designed boat that had not been changed in many centuries. as they had sailed on the tradewind all those hundreds of years ago so we were sailing that day. having a blast going no where. it was an amazing experience sailing the boat but as it didnt point very well and got boring from a performance point of view i gave the helm back to the skipper and enjoyed being a passanger on his boat and loved seein the pride he had in making his boat move. was very cool and into the sunset and warm waters of the bay we sailed till i got thirsty like most seadogs and off for a beer and dinner we went.
the next day was a dive day so up early and ready for action. this was again a very special day that i will treasure for years as the waters are warm and the sealife colourful and the fish plentiful. 2 dives were had and to try and explain it would be futile. amazing and wonderful to say the least. go out and see what lies beneath two thirds of this earth...
back home/tent that evening and the party was on again. many of us that met there had spend quality time together but the road was calling(actually it was work :laughing4: ) so we had one last good party. the israelies were heading towards maputo and the 2 chicks working in tanzania were heading north. me xai xai and then ponta do ouro with a stop in maputo to hopefully get a chain and sprocket... hopefully
so getting back to mozambique and specifically Vilanculos.
stopping that nite at boabab backpackers was just wot the doctor ordered. i must say that i felt like the camelman without the *** hanging off my lips. ( i stopped for the 10th time and the last time a few months before the trip). there i was stinking and tired after a long day in the saddle and all around me was a bunch of backpackers and overlanders doin the, all in one bus, thing. so a bit shy of westerners after so long i could think of only one thing before setting up my tent, 2M beer. **** the tent and a few beers later i was getting the hang of the backpackers again and it felt like a holiday away from the trip again. yeah.so nite one at the boabab was a great success of meeting new people and aquiring a babbelas :mwink:
day 2 nursing a babbelas and devouring a huge english breaky. i think this was the second of the trip. i new this was going to be a rest day. so off to the market i went to see wot was about. there was a few things that i needed and also wanted to do. so i met some local 125cc biker dudes but they couldn't help me with a chain and sprocket. but i found out where was possible in maputo tho. so i bought some fresh fish and crabs. also i went exploring a bit by bike and really liked this town as i am a sailor as well and this was a perfect place for a hobbie cat or little lazer. i could not find any for rent so left that idea for later...
next a little afternoon snooze and an awesome swim in the channels with some newfound friends from the nite before. that evening i made a crab and fish pasta that really scored some browny points with some chicks doing the backpacker thing. :thumleft: and one more nite of drinks,bonfires and making music with cool people. also found out that it is better to go on a speedboat to the islands for a dive than sail on a dow and snorkel.
the next day i was very amped to get on a dhow but to also go diving.so the day was spend finding the best prices for a dive but without a ticket with me. but got lucky and got organised with 2 dives by speedboat for the next day.all the companies wanted to charge like $20 US for a sail on a dhow so i gave them the finger and walked on the beach till i found a captain willing to take me for a sail. for like $2. bonus. love being able to speak a bit of spanish.but as this is a sub tropical like climate you have to wait till 2 or 3 for the tide and wind to be perfect. no worries. made the plans and went to spend some time swimming and chillin with the backpacker chicks and puffing on some malawi gold that i was taking back to a mate of mine that was still lying in bed with a broken pelvis.
so the time passed rather quickly and the wind came up and off to the dow we went sailing into the sunset.literally like in the movies. it was really cool sailing a arab designed boat that had not been changed in many centuries. as they had sailed on the tradewind all those hundreds of years ago so we were sailing that day. having a blast going no where. it was an amazing experience sailing the boat but as it didnt point very well and got boring from a performance point of view i gave the helm back to the skipper and enjoyed being a passanger on his boat and loved seein the pride he had in making his boat move. was very cool and into the sunset and warm waters of the bay we sailed till i got thirsty like most seadogs and off for a beer and dinner we went.
the next day was a dive day so up early and ready for action. this was again a very special day that i will treasure for years as the waters are warm and the sealife colourful and the fish plentiful. 2 dives were had and to try and explain it would be futile. amazing and wonderful to say the least. go out and see what lies beneath two thirds of this earth...
back home/tent that evening and the party was on again. many of us that met there had spend quality time together but the road was calling(actually it was work :laughing4: ) so we had one last good party. the israelies were heading towards maputo and the 2 chicks working in tanzania were heading north. me xai xai and then ponta do ouro with a stop in maputo to hopefully get a chain and sprocket... hopefully
Attachments
Piston Pete
Teach Peace
:drif: Awesome stuff! :thumleft:
Hey Rudi !
Awesome read , really enjoyed the trip .
Your a lucky fella! Give my best to Harold.
Let me know if his frame is still ok ?
Awesome read , really enjoyed the trip .
Your a lucky fella! Give my best to Harold.
Let me know if his frame is still ok ?
bradleys
Race Dog
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2007
- Messages
- 1,589
- Reaction score
- 7
- Location
- Lake Side,Cape Town
- Bike
- KTM 640 Adventure
Just finished reading this post,brillant Rudi,pity about Harold.That was one epic trip,talk about getting back to your routes,awesome,thanks for sharing :thumleft:
